“Fiddle-de-dee’s not English.”

Starcross: A Stirring Tale of British Vim upon the Seas of Space and Time! by Philip Reeve
Illustrated by David Wyatt
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (2007)
380 pages

Oh, this left me giggling almost the whole way. Maybe it’s because the last few books I had read before it were so serious, and it was a relief to read about the more light-hearted adventures of Art and Myrtle. I loved the narrative here as much as I loved it in Larklight, and that’s saying something because stuff in the first person often rubs me the wrong way.

My copy had three lines of titles (Starcross or The Coming of the Moobs! or Our Adventures in the Fourth Dimension — A Stirring Tale of British Vim upon the Seas of Space and Time!) and I had grinned just looking at those. What other narrator could be as droll as Art? And who else would ever use the word “amanuensis” on a title page of a book? I love the title pages and the ads on the inside covers and the chapter titles — I spent a lot of time on both Larklight and Starcross studying those inside covers and the illustrations and having a laugh over them.

As for the story itself, I enjoyed Starcross better than Larklight, though I think the story was stronger in Larklight. In this instalment, we find Art and Myrtle and their mother visiting the hotel Starcross, where strange things are happening. Some old friends make a reappearance . . . and disappear in forms you won’t expect them in. The family vacation ends up with Art and Myrtle having to save the universe. (Again.)

The patriotism and the Victorian sensibilities were absurd and relevant and fun at the same time. I love Myrtle best when she forgets to be “sensible”, and her decision at the end made me cheer. I spent some time reading this book sputtering at Jack. Pirate or not, you better learn how to treat a your lady, young man! And I wonder how Art could be so smart and yet so dense when it comes to Jack/Myrtle. The footnote about how Jack must be using How to Write Love Letters: A Guide for the Perplexed to prop a wobbly table sent me choking with laughter. The joys of being young.

There will be a sequel to this, obviously. I have reliable sources saying that the sequel, Mothstorm, will be out this year. One does not leave his readers gaping at a pirate’s behaviour towards his lady friend, when said lady friend has declared Ambitions of her own. How could you leave us with such a cliffhanger, Mr Reeve!

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
EOS (2004)
384 pages

I went into this book expecting something along the lines of Larklight, and boy was I wrong. Sure, it still has the same Victorian-like steampunk setting, but the story is darker and the lighthearted moments are rarer, and people actually die in this book, sometimes for no reason. Or at least, for no reason that advances the plot. People die. That’s it.

It’s a post-apocalyptic future, and it is a bizarre one. After a war destroys almost all civilization, the cities of the world are converted to mobile ones — traction cities that roam across the continent eating up each other in a system called Municipal Darwinism where the strong prey upon the weak. Tom Natsworthy is Third Class Apprentice of the Historian’s Guild, living in the great traction city of London. A visit to Thaddeus Valentine, a famous historian and someone Tom hero-worships, turns his pretty mundane life upside down when he finds himself caught in a middle of a conspiracy.

The plot zips along very fast, introducing us to an array of interesting characters and relationships. Some of the exposition at the start bogged down the narrative a bit, but after that it moves along without any hitches. A lot flawed, human relationships here, where no one is quite only one thing, where good and evil aren’t clearly divided. There are consequences to the actions the characters choose, even the noble and heroic (and right) decisions they make. Tom is earnest and a bit bland — his naivety made me wonder if he was learning anything at all as the story progresses. Hester balances him out nicely, though: she’s rough and angry and bent on revenge and of course the two don’t get along at all when they first meet. The other supporting characters range from sweet to intimidating to strange and there are many of them. Surprisingly few survive to the end of the novel. I was blinking at the body count.

The book can be read on its own, but I’m certainly going to get the next book, Predator’s Gold. I’m very interested to see where this series is headed. And a plus: it’s a quartet and it’s done, so no biting-your-nails waiting at the end of each book. ;)

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[Edit] And of course I forgot. This book was also read for the Speculative Fiction challenge hosted by Renay. :)

Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space by Philip Reeve — I believe it’s the first book in a series, but the next book isn’t out yet and I can’t recall what it’s called.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read (yeah, yeah, I need to get away from YA lit some day). I have to point out that I generally have problems with works of fiction (or even non-fictional works and sometimes autobiographical ones — yeah, that’s crazy) being in the first person. I have yet to find the reason of this dislike — I initially thought it was because I never got to see the other characters’ points of view, but that doesn’t really cut it, since I get along with third person limited just fine.

Anyway. Space adventures in Victorian times, this is what it is. I was delighted by the whole idea. It was so easy to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy everything. The story revolves around Art Mumby and his sister, Myrtle, who live in a rambling house called Larklight in space. One day they are attacked by spiders, leaving them no choice but to traipse across the known universe, trying to save it from the forces of evil.

The tongue-in-cheek narration of Art was pretty much perfect to me, and I adored the characters. Myrtle and Jack! Who wouldn’t love Myrtle and Jack? And the illustrations were a blast.

Did I mention that there are space pirates in this one? There are space pirates in this book. Good enough reason to be picking it up, I say.