I figured I'd do a review on a series of books for you.
I'm not exactly sure what the series is called.... So I shall dub it the Larklight series by Philip Reeve.
Title: Larklight (#1), Starcross (#2), Mothstorm (#3).
Author: Philip Reeve. (Illustrated throughout by David Wyatt).
Synopsis: Arthur and Myrtle Mumby, siblings, go on lots of adventures filled with aliens and pirates!
My rating: 8/10 stars for the whole series.
Why I liked the story: I believe this series is set in the genre "Steampunk" (which is kind of an alternate history with cool machines). This was a great series to introduce me to Steampunk! (Next on the list is the Leviathan series! and Miss Jack's book [more on that later]).
I LOVED that these books took place in space. The author really changed it up and made space just another place to explore... And not in the usual Boldly Go way. The air in outer space was breathable (though thin) and all the worlds in our solar system were inhabited by all sorts of fun aliens. I really loved how inventive Philip Reeve was!
Larklight, Art and Myrtle's home, is soooo cool.
Is that not the coolest house you've ever seen? I would LOVE to just go explore it. Plus, it's in space, so that's an added bonus!
Jack's crew. Jack is a space pirate and his motley crew are all aliens! I loved them all... Very inventive and creative and each one had such a great personality! I can't decide who I like best... Perhaps Nipper or Mr. Munkulus.
All the characters were very vibrant and had the right amount of character development for their roles in the book.
I loved the Moobs. They are the bad guys in the second book and they come from the future. Even though they were evil and took over people's minds, they were cute. Especially at the end when they all fall asleep.
They mention God and ask him for help in situations. They don't make fun of God and treat him with respect.
The sheer imagination of this series is staggering and that - and the wonderful characters - are enough to make these books absolutely wonderful!
Why I disliked the story/things you should know: There were two big things that bothered me about this series.
1. All the swearing (particularly in the first two books, not so much the third). Swearing is never necessary - whether it be in movies, TV, or books. I especially didn't like the way Mr. Reeve did the swearing in his books... Instead of writing the words out he wrote the first letter and then cross the rest out. Like this: D---. I found it very unnecessary and quite annoying.
Myrtle (being a lady) always chastises characters for their dirty language but not much is done about it. The swearing seems kind of made fun of.... The only swearing I like is Captain Haddock's because it isn't swearing (blistering barnacles!).
2. I mentioned above that they give credit to God in the books.... They do. But Mr. Reeve also adds in his own invention... Shapers. According to the book, God sends out Shapers in their special Shaper ships to create galaxies for him, while he's the overseer of it all.
Now, the Bible says absolutely nothing about 'Shapers.' It says, In the beginning, God created the earth and he said it was good.
I felt uncomfortable with the idea of the 'Shapers.'
Those were the two biggest problems I had with the books. Now onto the littler things.
Jack and Myrtle's relationship. I agree with Art and Myrtle's father when he says, "Isn't Myrtle too young for a sentimental relationship?"
But that's probably because me myself am opposed to teenage dating and while Jack and Myrtle aren't dating per say... They still kiss and embrace each other. Luckily there are no drawings and they aren't elaborated on. Their relationship is a little comical and it didn't bother me too much... But I still wish that maybe they hadn't been so physical.
That's just me, though. I'm very sensitive towards those things (especially where teenagers are concerned).
And then there were the giant spiders.... I hate spiders and in book #1 the bad guys were giant spiders. This wasn't really a problem, except that I don't like spiders. xD
Will I read them again? Maybe someday!
Would I recommend them? If you are a fan of sci-fi and/or Steampunk you would enjoy this series. It is very fun and the characters and the imagination are great! You rarely find a really really good sci-fi series. This is an exception!
Now... Before I sign off... My good friend Miss Jack Lewis Baillot has just published her first book, Haphazardly Implausible! (Okay, that's a bit of a lie.. She came out with a Short Story collection as a prelude to Haphazardly Implausible last month, but I'm not counting that).
Here is the link to Jack's blog where you can learn more about her book! HERE.
CONGRATS JACK!!!! =D
Tomorrow I go see The Hobbit! Look out for my review. =)
Live long and prosper!
P.S. My condolences go out to the families who have lost their children in the Connecticut school shooting today.
Please be praying for the families, that they can get over their loses in healthy manners.
Hmmm...I've been meaning to read those books for a while. I shall have to go and read them now.
ReplyDelete