A review by nerfherder86
Larklight by Philip Reeve

4.0

What if Sir Isaac Newton had not only discovered gravity, but also how to build space ships and travel to other planets? In this fun "Victorian space adventure" (or "steampunk" novel to those who read a lot of science fiction), that's what happened a hundred years before the story begins. Now it's 1851 and the British Empire includes Jupiter and Mars and other places in the "aether" (space). Our hero, Arthur, and his older teen sister Myrtle, are catapulted from their floating space home Larklight (a really cool old mansion with mysterious machinery inside, "autoservants"--robots--and flying "hoverpigs" to do the vacuuming) into an adventure involving giant menacing spiders, talking thunderstorms and blue lizard-girls. Not to mention space pirates and Potter Moths! (Don't know what those are? You'll have to read to find out!) I loved the Victorian setting and British vocabulary and proper British characters--everyone is polite and "your Honour" and so forth; it's quite charming. But then there's all the riproaring space dangers and outlandish aliens; it's a fun mix!