The Court of the Air

The Court of the Air (2007) Stephen Hunt

Molly is an orphan, abandoned at birth, living in the poor house and working odd jobs until she gets her vote and can leave.

Oliver lives with his uncle–his parents were killed in an accident–but his actions are restricted, due to the circumstances of the accident that killed his parents.

Both quickly discover themselves hunted and take allies where they can. Molly with the steammen with whom she has an affinity, and Oliver with an acquaintance of his uncle who may be as much a danger to Oliver as those from whom they are running.

Well. Hmm…. It was an interesting story, and I love the steam punk, but it did tend to wander quite a bit, and to revel in gory details when it probably didn’t need to. And the politics were more than a bit heavy handed, with parallels to the more famous thinkers who have influenced Western political thought. And that is where I think the story fell short.

I found the steammen interesting, I liked Molly and Oliver, and the feymist and Jackals were interesting, but the politics weighted down the story, with none of the political systems being the slightest bit worthwhile. Which is unfortunate, because where the story was going (minus the politics) was quite interesting.
Rating: 6/10

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