- Hardcover: 592 pages
- Publisher: UK General Books; 1 edition (Mar 19 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0007232179
- ISBN-13: 978-0007232178
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 14.7 x 4.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 816 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #651,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Two teenage orphans in an anemic fantasy analogue of Victorian London are baffled to find themselves on the run in this overeager effort from British author and blogger Hunt (For the Crown and the Dragon). Molly, pursued by determined assassins with mysterious masters, hides underground, while Oliver, framed for his uncle's death, takes to the air to escape the fey-hunting Special Guard. They also draw the attention of the Court of the Air, a shadowy black-ops organization, and communityist revolutionaries seeking to resurrect ancient subterranean gods. An entire steampunk menagerie is pressed into lackluster service, but the pace leaves no time to focus on any single element. Only the steammen and their refreshingly tender machine culture are affecting and original. The historical and geographical parallels are overly frequent and mostly trite. Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks, but the end result is more overload than wonder. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels' Lisa Tuttle, The Times 'The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London ! the depth and complexity of Hunt's vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages' Guardian 'Wonderfully assured ! Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension' Time Out 'Studded with invention' Independent 'Rich and colourful ! keeps you engrossed ! a confident, audacious novel' SFX 'Like a magpie, Stephen Hunt has plucked colourful events from history and politics and used them for inspiration ! Hunts tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing a vivid, often gruesome imagination ! T'he Court of the Air' brims with originality and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets up' Starburst 'The best book of 2007 ! Think Joan Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of Susanna Clarke ! hugely enjoyable' Historical Novels Review
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spellbinding Courtly epic,
This review is from: The Court of the Air (Mass Market Paperback)
Just finished reading The Court of the Air and what can I say but... wow. I have never read such adroit handling of multiple point of view narrative in my life before. It turns this fantasy novel into a switchback ride of roller coaster proportions.I'm willing to bet this kind of novel opens up a generational divide, with younger readers (are there still some?) used to taking in TV series like The Wire which emulate the same intensity (often while doing their homework and playing their DS at the same time), absolutely mesmerized by the imagination and action, while some older readers are left giddy hanging onto their bed-post. The two main characters, Oliver and Molly, are thrown around a dark Victorian-level society riven by the fantastic, and have got to be Oscars waiting for happen to whoever dares translate this epic into the cinema... just imagine a cyberpunk future crossed with a Charles Dickens novel. Why haven't I heard about Stephen Hunt before reading this book? Is there some conspiracy afoot to suppress his writing? Is this the worst marketed book on the face of the planet? There seems to be a whole series of further works knocking about the genre for me to devour now. Hunt's world is original, his characters expendable and the writing a masterpiece. You have been warned.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully-written tale,
This review is from: The Court of the Air (Mass Market Paperback)
What do you get with The Court of the Air? Well, start with an amazing line-work cover art with an equally beautifully-written tale lurking inside.The characterization of The Court of the Air is masterful, the world-building is packed full of imagination, the plot is both profound and tellingly absorbing. Hunt makes turning out fantasy classics look easy... but it's difficult to write books with this degree of pathos. He surely deserves stardom and a clutter of awards on the shelf.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth your time,
By
This review is from: The Court Of The Air (Paperback)
Unlike the other reviewer, I found this book to be a great read! Yes, I agree, it starts out extremely slow with what seems like way too much description without giving any detail of the main characters, however; the last half of the book completely rewards you for your patience.
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