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A review by crowyhead
Larklight by Philip Reeve
5.0
This marvelously steampunk-ish YA novel is set during an alternate Victorian era in which many of the Victorian conceptions of outer space are correct: Venus is a jungle planet, Mars is populated with an ancient and fallen civilization, etc. People travel by means of aether-ships, which run on alchemical engines, and steam-powered automata act as household servants.
The endpapers of the book on their own are well worth checking out -- they're filled with advertisements for "Pure Icthyomorph Liver Oil: Most Invigorating," "Aether-Vestas: Bringing Light to the Darkest Reaches of the Galaxy," and "Rossetti's Goblin Fair 'Come Buy, Comr Buy!' 42 Stalls: Fruit, Berries, Treen, Owl Wheedling, Country Crafts, Exotic Conserves, Bog Pettling, Scalding and Rummaging."
The story itself is a ripcracking adventure yarn with its tongue firmly in cheek. I think kids will like this book, but adults will probably find it even more amusing, because of all the sly references to other works of literature and to history and Victorian culture.
The endpapers of the book on their own are well worth checking out -- they're filled with advertisements for "Pure Icthyomorph Liver Oil: Most Invigorating," "Aether-Vestas: Bringing Light to the Darkest Reaches of the Galaxy," and "Rossetti's Goblin Fair 'Come Buy, Comr Buy!' 42 Stalls: Fruit, Berries, Treen, Owl Wheedling, Country Crafts, Exotic Conserves, Bog Pettling, Scalding and Rummaging."
The story itself is a ripcracking adventure yarn with its tongue firmly in cheek. I think kids will like this book, but adults will probably find it even more amusing, because of all the sly references to other works of literature and to history and Victorian culture.