Starcross by
Philip Reeve
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
A delightful romp through time and space, by way of asteroid belts, disappearing oceans, clunky spaceships, and grand hotels, with Mr. Titfer's Toppers (those dreadful hats of the subtitle) always in hot pursuit. Moobified fish and fishy Moobs are the mere backdrop to a cast of characters too wonderful not to name: the mischievous Miss Delphine Beauregard, Sirs Waverley Rain, Launcelot Sprigg, and Richard Burton, Professor Ferny, Jack Havock, Nipper, Mr. Grindle, Mr. Munkulus, the Tentacle Twins, the Moobs, of course, both good and bad, and the lovable Mumby family--Art, Myrtle, Mother and Father. This is the Victorian world meets the outer limits of believability, not to mention the outer boundaries of the space-time continuum. But nothing, not even the creakiest plot twist, abridges the fun. This book is, like the exhaust trumpets of the spaceship
Sophronia, a blast. To prove the point, here are a couple of lines from the last chapter:
You would imagine that Myrtle would think it unladylike to be forever kicking, punching and boxing the ears of a mere innocent child, e.g., me. But she says that being beastly to one's younger brother is a genteel sport in which ladies are quite able to participate, like grouse-shooting, or riding to hounds.
.
View all my reviews
