Eye-bulging escapades tempered with invention and mordant wit, perfectly complemented by the author’s own pen-and-ink...
Moby-Dick meets Kidnapped by way of the Strugatsky brothers’ Roadside Picnic: Another astonishing blend of cyberpunk, steampunk, fantasy and science fiction, from the hugely talented author of Embassytown (2011, etc.).
In a world of endless land threaded and interwoven with train tracks, gigantic and voracious subterranean rats, stoats, millipedes and the like, layer upon layer of archaeological remains and a poisonous upper sky inhabited by flying angels, Capt. Naphi of the moletrain Medes hunts Mocker-Jack, a colossal yellow molelike moldywarpe. Other moletrain captains like Naphi are equally obsessed with pursuing their “philosophy,” while other trains make a living salvaging the plentiful and often incomprehensible detritus of past civilizations and the discarded junk of passing aliens, while still others ply more orthodox trades. Young Sham Yes ap Soorap is Medes’ apprentice doctor, a profession he has little aptitude for or interest in. While investigating a wrecked train, with which the landscape is littered, he discovers an ancient camera card whose pictures show, impossibly, a part of the Railsea that has narrowed down to a single set of tracks. Who took the pictures, and where might the tracks lead? Many folks, including pirates and some of Medes’ own crew, dream of treasure. Miéville’s omniscient, detachedly amused narrator (whose identity is eventually, slyly, revealed) follows these and other points of view in relating a yarn that can be read as pure adventure, tongue-in-cheek homage, gleeful satire or philosophical meditation. It’s billed as YA and, indeed, Miéville’s usual high level of violence and sex is toned down, often to the point where the characters appear gender free (in one case, literally so).
Eye-bulging escapades tempered with invention and mordant wit, perfectly complemented by the author’s own pen-and-ink drawings of the Railsea’s weird denizens.Pub Date: May 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-345-52452-2
Page Count: 433
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2012
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Highly recommended.
An imaginative sci-fi tale with the potential to teach real science.
Suspicious of their scientist parents’ decision to move across the country to join a secretive new company, Ryan and Regan Resnik break in to the heavily guarded complex to check it out. After getting caught, they find their parents inside an alien city hidden deep underground. When their mother is nearly killed by a falling generator, they inadvertently travel back in time as they try to rescue her. Alone again, they search the city, finding a strange zoo and a school, where they learn the secrets of the city. The author’s fluid writing keeps the story moving, and the inventive storyline will maintain reader interest. But the quality that sets this book apart is its focus on teaching the scientific method and introducing to young readers some fascinating and advanced concepts of physics and biology. Ryan and Regan reason their way through what at first seems to be a magical world, but turns out to have rational explanations for its fantastic elements. Richards deftly explains how immune systems work; how the children experiment to make sure that the water they find is safe to drink; and the difficult concepts of time travel. Reminiscent of William Sleator’s work, The Prometheus Project has the potential to introduce children to science and rational thinking through a fun and suspenseful story.
Highly recommended. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-0-9748765-4-2
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Quite nicely done.
A seventh-grader is expelled from school for wearing a shirt reading, “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas.”
Twelve-year-old Megan, who “loves Jesus” but isn’t otherwise religious or political, runs afoul of middle-school policy banning specific religious expression when she walks into school wearing the shirt. Upon her suspension, she attracts local publicity and quickly becomes a celebrity when the national media picks up the story. The nation then divides between “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Christmas” partisans. For months, the parentless Megan hides in her apartment, while her older sister tries to cash in on Megan’s notoriety. Eventually, Megan is invited to the White House, where she spends a memorable evening with the First Lady. The story–somewhat reminiscent of Avi’s Nothing but the Truth–flows well, and the author slowly reveals Megan’s apolitical and non-religious reason for wearing the “offensive” shirt. While most of the adults come across as marginally insane, Megan emerges as the most emotionally mature character, until we meet the First Lady and her aide. Readers will find plenty of comedy and suspense as they follow Megan’s adventures–with demagogues on both sides of the argument equally lampooned–and the author provides a satisfying exploration of the hazards of fame, as well as the emotional realities of Megan’s life.
Quite nicely done. (Fiction. YA)Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-41371-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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