Title: Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space
Series: Larklight (Book #1)
Year: 2006
Author: Philip Reeve
Summary: Arthur (Art) Mumby and his irritating sister Myrtle live with their father in the huge and rambling house, Larklight, travelling through space on a remote orbit far beyond the Moon. One ordinary sort of morning they receive a correspondence informing them that a gentleman is on his way to visit, a Mr Webster. Visitors to Larklight are rare if not unique, and a frenzy of preparation ensues. But it is entirely the wrong sort of preparation, as they discover when their guest arrives, and a Dreadful and Terrifying (and Marvellous) adventure begins. It takes them to the furthest reaches of Known Space, where they must battle the evil First Ones in a desperate attempt to save each other - and the Universe. Recounted through the eyes of Art himself, Larklight is sumptuously designed and illustrated throughout. (from Goodreads)
Main Characters:
~ Arthur Mumby
~ Myrtle Mumby
~ Jack Havock
~ Arthur Mumby
~ Myrtle Mumby
~ Jack Havock
Review: Steampunk is a new genre for me. My interest in it has grown over the last year, but I haven't had a lot of time to actually dig deep into the genre and really discover its gems. I saw this book at the library (someone had checked out the entire series and had just returned all three of them), I took it as a recommendation and decided to jump in.
If you're looking for a book that puts Percy Jackson into space, this is it. Art is a snarky, plucky, oblivious, and adventuresome young lad living in an old house, not in London - which would be rather fashionable and pleasing to his older sister, Myrtle - but floating somewhere near the moon in space. The adventure begins straight off with a note arriving from a mysterious Mr. Webster, announcing his forthcoming visit to Art's floating house. (The house is named Larklight, hence the book's title.) From there he gets mixed up with pirates, visits Mars, and speaks to a storm.
Did I enjoy this book? Truthfully, I was pleasantly surprised. I can't say that this has been an immediate favorite, but it was a fun adventure. And I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.
I realize I compared Art to Percy Jackson earlier, and I fear I should apologize for comparing so many characters to poor Percy. In some respects, Art Mumby is nothing like Poseidon's son, while in others, well... they could be twins. This book also gave quite a few nods (in my opinion) to Tolkien's The Hobbit. A quiet male character, content to be at home, but secretly longing for adventure. He meets weird creatures and becomes friends with unlikely heroes. Additionally, he meets and fights giant spiders. I kept waiting for some to yell, "Tomnoddy and Attercop!" but unfortunately it never happened.
Art is just a fun narrator to follow. I cracked up constantly at the way he'd put things; his view of his sister Myrtle is rather hilarious. The book is also chock-full of illustrations that richly add to the text. Art references the pictures at times during his narrative - particularly when it's easier to show something because it isn't "proper" to describe it in words.
If you're looking for a book that puts Percy Jackson into space, this is it. Art is a snarky, plucky, oblivious, and adventuresome young lad living in an old house, not in London - which would be rather fashionable and pleasing to his older sister, Myrtle - but floating somewhere near the moon in space. The adventure begins straight off with a note arriving from a mysterious Mr. Webster, announcing his forthcoming visit to Art's floating house. (The house is named Larklight, hence the book's title.) From there he gets mixed up with pirates, visits Mars, and speaks to a storm.
Did I enjoy this book? Truthfully, I was pleasantly surprised. I can't say that this has been an immediate favorite, but it was a fun adventure. And I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.
I realize I compared Art to Percy Jackson earlier, and I fear I should apologize for comparing so many characters to poor Percy. In some respects, Art Mumby is nothing like Poseidon's son, while in others, well... they could be twins. This book also gave quite a few nods (in my opinion) to Tolkien's The Hobbit. A quiet male character, content to be at home, but secretly longing for adventure. He meets weird creatures and becomes friends with unlikely heroes. Additionally, he meets and fights giant spiders. I kept waiting for some to yell, "Tomnoddy and Attercop!" but unfortunately it never happened.
Art is just a fun narrator to follow. I cracked up constantly at the way he'd put things; his view of his sister Myrtle is rather hilarious. The book is also chock-full of illustrations that richly add to the text. Art references the pictures at times during his narrative - particularly when it's easier to show something because it isn't "proper" to describe it in words.
Advisory: Adventure and action, and some blood. Nothing terribly graphic. Art has a lot of encounters with different creatures from the far reaches of space, including the multiple giant white spiders, but I thought it all appropriate for the age level of the novel.
In addition, a few of the space pirates and other characters use some language. All instances (save one) are not written out completely, having only the first letter and then "---."
Something that I noticed early on in the book was the representation of God. Multiple characters reference Him, acknowledging Him as the Creator of all, but He is painted as more of the Clockmaker type of God. He created the universe, and then left it to evolve on its own, allowing other "Shapers" to create what they would with the elements He provided. These Shapers are kind of like creators; they can bend the rules and do stuff to make new things/planets/creatures. I wouldn't say it was a huge deal, but it was there enough as a unbiblical worldview that it bothered me a little. Otherwise, I thought this was a really fun book.
In addition, a few of the space pirates and other characters use some language. All instances (save one) are not written out completely, having only the first letter and then "---."
Something that I noticed early on in the book was the representation of God. Multiple characters reference Him, acknowledging Him as the Creator of all, but He is painted as more of the Clockmaker type of God. He created the universe, and then left it to evolve on its own, allowing other "Shapers" to create what they would with the elements He provided. These Shapers are kind of like creators; they can bend the rules and do stuff to make new things/planets/creatures. I wouldn't say it was a huge deal, but it was there enough as a unbiblical worldview that it bothered me a little. Otherwise, I thought this was a really fun book.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
