The word 'April' tells us it's a time and place similar to today.
Clocks striking thirteen tells us it's somewhere different.
Thirteen is a traditionally unlucky number.
It's a classic science fiction method of establishing setting. We're someplace similar to today but a little different, all transmitted in very few words. The effect is a tiny bit unsettling... if they changed the clocks to chime on thirteen, what else is wrong?
It's similar to Heinlein's famous way of indicating we're in the future in a single line: "The door dilated."
The word 'April' tells us it's a time and place similar to today.
Clocks striking thirteen tells us it's somewhere different.
Thirteen is a traditionally unlucky number.
It's a classic science fiction method of establishing setting. We're someplace similar to today but a little different, all transmitted in very few words. The effect is a tiny bit unsettling... if they changed the clocks to chime on thirteen, what else is wrong?
It's similar to Heinlein's famous way of indicating we're in the future in a single line: "The door dilated."
More here:
http://fritzfreiheit.com/wiki/About_Five_Thousand_Seven_Hund...