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lara88's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
meghaha's review against another edition
5.0
Fly By Night is the debut of British author Frances Hardinge and was published in 2006. Since then, it has occupied three years running as one of my all time favorite middle grade fantasies. And it just made my review late.
You see, I was paging through my copy in search of quotes to incorporate into this review. Before I knew it, I started re-reading this book. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop.
I reread it again tonight in one sitting, while the blank blogger new post screen glared at me accusingly. But I don't regret it; it was about time I reread Fly By Night. I haven't for about a month or so, and for me that's been far too long.
While I was reading this time around, I dogeared every page with something quotable or well-written on it. I had to stop after I'd dogeared more than 10 pages in a short section of the book. The truth of the matter is that Fly By Night is extraordinarily well-written. The 483 perfectly-wrought pages occupy a special place in my reading-heart.
The main character Mosca Mye, a "ferrety-looking girl with unconvincing eyebrows" is both irrepressible and sharp-tongued, defiant and canny. Perhaps best of all, she harbors a love for the written word. As readers, we know that Mosca never intended to burn down her Uncle's mill. In fact, all she remembers is "seeing the wretched lamp sketch a faint letter in white smoke shortly before the dry stems around it started to black and a hesitant flamed wavered first blue, then gold."
But the burning of the mill is not what's important to the story. The significance of that event is that on her way out of town, Mosca Mye attaches herself to one Eponmyous Clent, a flamboyant con-artist who loves words as much as she does. Clent is "plump, in a soft, self-important way" and he talks in a manner that suggests he rather enjoys the sound of his own voice. As far as I'm concerned, I love his dialogue. The words that come out of his mouth are both mesmerizing and wonderful.
I'd like to present A Portrait of Eponymous Clent in his own words: "I am master of the mysteries of words, their meanings and music and mellifluous magic."
Since Mosca is determined to do anything she can to learn words, she does everything she can to stick with Clent. Mosca thinks of words as something to be treasured; "She did not know what they meant, but words had shapes in her mind. She memorized them, and stroked them in her thoughts like the curved backs of cats. Words, words, wonderful words." Clent is her way into the world of adventure, and although he is untrustworthy and unscrupulously dishonest, the two make a a great duo as they traverse around the countryside, involving themselves with gloved felons, a bad-tempered ship captain, an under-the-weather highwayman, the Duke's sister, and the high-powered guilds that hold all the power in the realm. Mosca and Clent tread a fine line between conspiracy and capture.
But what a duo they make! Actually, not a a duo. I nearly forgot to mention Saracen, who I'd like to kidnap from the velvety pages of this story and make my pet. Saracen is a goose and Mosca's only friend. He also happens to be nothing short of devilish. I practically died from laughing when Saracen single-handedly commandeered a boat--captain and sailors still aboard--and when he won a fight against a civet. Saracen is priceless comic material--what's more funny than a deadly goose?--and much like other elements in this book, adds to the humor. For Fly by Night is quite a funny book, along with hordes of other charms it possesses.
Through it's entirety, Fly By Night holds such beauty in between it's pages that it's startling and wondrous and devastatingly brilliant, all at once. This book is so complex, so carefully crafted, that every plot line integrates seamlessly into the story. The Fractured Realm, the name of the world Hardinge creates, is three-dimensional and inventive, and readers will be transported into a world that's based of 18th century England; a world that's so intricately detailed that there is no doubt in my mind that it exists somewhere, if I could just find it. Hardinge has created something with elaborate political intrigue: three guilds vying for supremacy and a Parliament that has been debating over the next king for decades. The religious mythology of Beloved gods who occupy such niches as "She Who Keeps the Vegetable of the Garden Crisp" and "She Who Frightens the Harelip Fairy from the Childbed" is lovely. The culture and customs of this invented world are frankly amazing: floating coffeehouses, a town where water bleaches everyone's eyebrows, and a world where books are regarded with such caution that people are afraid to touch words that have not been approved by the guild.
Here are some favorite quotes:
"Everybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs and drove you mad, wicked mad."
"The world is like a broken wrist that healed the wrong way, and will never be the same again."
"You, sir, are a romantic, and I'm afraid the condition is incurable. "
"If wits were pins, the man would be a veritable hedgehog"
"To the east and west rose two spires, the city stretched between them. Behind a long pie crust of crumbling wall clustered a mosaic of roofs, and a great dome that seemed in the dull light to be glossy and ethereal as a soap bubble. To the west along the waterside unfinished ships bared rib cages of stripped wood the sky. The creak and crack of the shipyard was a faint as a cricket orchestra."
I''ll stop before I quote the whole book.
If there's any book that's a "reader" book, this is it. It's clear that Hardinge has a love affair with words herself, much as her starring duo does. Every effortlessly crafted paragraph, every sentence, every word, is evidence of this fact. This book will be a joy to anyone who revels in beautifully crafted language.
I'll say this now--as you've no doubt tired of my incredibly long-winded, rambly review-- it does not matter what age you are or what genres you like to read. It does not matter. If you are a reader--someone who delights in the art of the written word, who wants a book that will wow you, read Fly By Night.
You see, I was paging through my copy in search of quotes to incorporate into this review. Before I knew it, I started re-reading this book. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop.
I reread it again tonight in one sitting, while the blank blogger new post screen glared at me accusingly. But I don't regret it; it was about time I reread Fly By Night. I haven't for about a month or so, and for me that's been far too long.
While I was reading this time around, I dogeared every page with something quotable or well-written on it. I had to stop after I'd dogeared more than 10 pages in a short section of the book. The truth of the matter is that Fly By Night is extraordinarily well-written. The 483 perfectly-wrought pages occupy a special place in my reading-heart.
The main character Mosca Mye, a "ferrety-looking girl with unconvincing eyebrows" is both irrepressible and sharp-tongued, defiant and canny. Perhaps best of all, she harbors a love for the written word. As readers, we know that Mosca never intended to burn down her Uncle's mill. In fact, all she remembers is "seeing the wretched lamp sketch a faint letter in white smoke shortly before the dry stems around it started to black and a hesitant flamed wavered first blue, then gold."
But the burning of the mill is not what's important to the story. The significance of that event is that on her way out of town, Mosca Mye attaches herself to one Eponmyous Clent, a flamboyant con-artist who loves words as much as she does. Clent is "plump, in a soft, self-important way" and he talks in a manner that suggests he rather enjoys the sound of his own voice. As far as I'm concerned, I love his dialogue. The words that come out of his mouth are both mesmerizing and wonderful.
I'd like to present A Portrait of Eponymous Clent in his own words: "I am master of the mysteries of words, their meanings and music and mellifluous magic."
Since Mosca is determined to do anything she can to learn words, she does everything she can to stick with Clent. Mosca thinks of words as something to be treasured; "She did not know what they meant, but words had shapes in her mind. She memorized them, and stroked them in her thoughts like the curved backs of cats. Words, words, wonderful words." Clent is her way into the world of adventure, and although he is untrustworthy and unscrupulously dishonest, the two make a a great duo as they traverse around the countryside, involving themselves with gloved felons, a bad-tempered ship captain, an under-the-weather highwayman, the Duke's sister, and the high-powered guilds that hold all the power in the realm. Mosca and Clent tread a fine line between conspiracy and capture.
But what a duo they make! Actually, not a a duo. I nearly forgot to mention Saracen, who I'd like to kidnap from the velvety pages of this story and make my pet. Saracen is a goose and Mosca's only friend. He also happens to be nothing short of devilish. I practically died from laughing when Saracen single-handedly commandeered a boat--captain and sailors still aboard--and when he won a fight against a civet. Saracen is priceless comic material--what's more funny than a deadly goose?--and much like other elements in this book, adds to the humor. For Fly by Night is quite a funny book, along with hordes of other charms it possesses.
Through it's entirety, Fly By Night holds such beauty in between it's pages that it's startling and wondrous and devastatingly brilliant, all at once. This book is so complex, so carefully crafted, that every plot line integrates seamlessly into the story. The Fractured Realm, the name of the world Hardinge creates, is three-dimensional and inventive, and readers will be transported into a world that's based of 18th century England; a world that's so intricately detailed that there is no doubt in my mind that it exists somewhere, if I could just find it. Hardinge has created something with elaborate political intrigue: three guilds vying for supremacy and a Parliament that has been debating over the next king for decades. The religious mythology of Beloved gods who occupy such niches as "She Who Keeps the Vegetable of the Garden Crisp" and "She Who Frightens the Harelip Fairy from the Childbed" is lovely. The culture and customs of this invented world are frankly amazing: floating coffeehouses, a town where water bleaches everyone's eyebrows, and a world where books are regarded with such caution that people are afraid to touch words that have not been approved by the guild.
Here are some favorite quotes:
"Everybody knew that books were dangerous. Read the wrong book, it was said, and the words crawled around your brain on black legs and drove you mad, wicked mad."
"The world is like a broken wrist that healed the wrong way, and will never be the same again."
"You, sir, are a romantic, and I'm afraid the condition is incurable. "
"If wits were pins, the man would be a veritable hedgehog"
"To the east and west rose two spires, the city stretched between them. Behind a long pie crust of crumbling wall clustered a mosaic of roofs, and a great dome that seemed in the dull light to be glossy and ethereal as a soap bubble. To the west along the waterside unfinished ships bared rib cages of stripped wood the sky. The creak and crack of the shipyard was a faint as a cricket orchestra."
I''ll stop before I quote the whole book.
If there's any book that's a "reader" book, this is it. It's clear that Hardinge has a love affair with words herself, much as her starring duo does. Every effortlessly crafted paragraph, every sentence, every word, is evidence of this fact. This book will be a joy to anyone who revels in beautifully crafted language.
I'll say this now--as you've no doubt tired of my incredibly long-winded, rambly review-- it does not matter what age you are or what genres you like to read. It does not matter. If you are a reader--someone who delights in the art of the written word, who wants a book that will wow you, read Fly By Night.
forwalaka's review against another edition
5.0
Растягивала как могла, но книжка закончилась. Славное милое фэнтези, такой сюжет мог бы придумать Пратчетт. Очень понравилось, хочу ещё.
hey_galilei's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
celiapowell's review against another edition
4.0
My second Frances Hardinge novel, and I think she's become a must-read author for me. Mosca Mye escapes from her uncle, takes her pet goose Saracen and heads off with Eponymous Clent, an eloquent con artist into all sorts of adventures involving mad kings, guilds and a particular printing press. Hardinge is the most fantastic writer - I would really love to read a book for adults written by her, but for now I'll settle for her YA novels.
aameem's review against another edition
5.0
I travelled far and wide, chancing upon lands thrillingly strange. Lands reeking of the corpses of Poetry, clothed in ink the color of spice, eyes wet with intrigue. I came across stars that twinkled at me, fluttering eyelashes coyly, winking down seductively. Deadly stars, untouchable in there burning beauty, enticing from afar with the promise of light. One heard tales of fools in delirium who had tried to reach out and caress these stars, envelop them in deep embrace for the width of a shuddering heartbeat, only to burst into flames, reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. Stars like words and fools like readers who ventured too close and fell into obsession. Their graves lay in the Asylums Of Fantasy. Asylums were strange creatures. They spoke in whispers, groomed themselves to look as mysterious as possible, and everything they touched died a soft, slow death.
One day, an asylum silently beckoned me close. When I looked at it inquiringly, it smiled and led me to dew-licked leaves that lovingly carpeted a hidden path. A path that was as charming as if it had been cobbled but as wildly and irresistibly formidable as a serpent snaking it's way to some downy prey. It was called The Path Less Travelled. Like the dress of a temptress revealing one pale freckled shoulder, the road allowed a teasing glimpse of Adventure, shrouded tantalizingly in a blurry outline of mist. Fools are everywhere. Some dare to touch whirling stars. Others dare to walk on the most scandalous road they had ever laid eyes on. They all catch fire eventually.
If only the frying pan hadn't been so boring, one wouldn't be tempted to jump!
Alas, jump I did, tumbling crookedly down into the pages of this wonderful, magical book, giggling madly. From one page to another I hopped, tasting the whirlwind of Romance, running my tongue over the dagger of Philosophy. I had to dance in the lap of a sky the color of wet wildcat fur before I was allowed to fall down the rabbit hole. Landing in the arms of a stranger named Thriller who kissed criminally well, I gave myself up to ecstasy. An ocean of genres surrounded me, and I intended to taste them all. Comedy and Tragedy were old friends travelling on a road parallel to mine, Tragedy waved cheerfully back at me and Comedy glowered menacingly. Mystery was an old man who smiled at me in feeble delight when I came to visit. His daughter was the bewitching Young Adult, dressed in a dispassionate white dress that hugged her curves alluringly. Before I could reach out and touch her, the vision evaporated, leaving me with a bittersweet aftertaste and the promise of more. I was forced to clamber back into the frying pan as the earth beneath my feet lurched threateningly.
I flew back home in the frying pan, smiling with the knowledge that this was one fire I would get to leap into again quite soon.
One day, an asylum silently beckoned me close. When I looked at it inquiringly, it smiled and led me to dew-licked leaves that lovingly carpeted a hidden path. A path that was as charming as if it had been cobbled but as wildly and irresistibly formidable as a serpent snaking it's way to some downy prey. It was called The Path Less Travelled. Like the dress of a temptress revealing one pale freckled shoulder, the road allowed a teasing glimpse of Adventure, shrouded tantalizingly in a blurry outline of mist. Fools are everywhere. Some dare to touch whirling stars. Others dare to walk on the most scandalous road they had ever laid eyes on. They all catch fire eventually.
If only the frying pan hadn't been so boring, one wouldn't be tempted to jump!
Alas, jump I did, tumbling crookedly down into the pages of this wonderful, magical book, giggling madly. From one page to another I hopped, tasting the whirlwind of Romance, running my tongue over the dagger of Philosophy. I had to dance in the lap of a sky the color of wet wildcat fur before I was allowed to fall down the rabbit hole. Landing in the arms of a stranger named Thriller who kissed criminally well, I gave myself up to ecstasy. An ocean of genres surrounded me, and I intended to taste them all. Comedy and Tragedy were old friends travelling on a road parallel to mine, Tragedy waved cheerfully back at me and Comedy glowered menacingly. Mystery was an old man who smiled at me in feeble delight when I came to visit. His daughter was the bewitching Young Adult, dressed in a dispassionate white dress that hugged her curves alluringly. Before I could reach out and touch her, the vision evaporated, leaving me with a bittersweet aftertaste and the promise of more. I was forced to clamber back into the frying pan as the earth beneath my feet lurched threateningly.
I flew back home in the frying pan, smiling with the knowledge that this was one fire I would get to leap into again quite soon.
frysling's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
ashurq's review against another edition
4.0
According to Goodreads, this book was first published in 2005, so I'm not really sure why it was on Netgalley with a more recent release date, but oh well. While I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it took me so long to read which made it a little less enjoyable. I think it was just written in such a way that made it hard to read quickly. The writing was great, but it didn't necessarily leave me eager to turn the page to see what happens next. Hardinge is an interesting author. I've read The Lie Tree by her, but wasn't very impressed. While it's obvious that a lot of thought goes into her books, I find that I'm mostly left feeling vaguely confused by things.
But getting into the book, the characters were great. I really liked Mosca as a protagonist. The reader roots for her even when she's making bad decisions. Even though she's kind of a prickly character, she's immensely likable as well. Saracen was probably my favorite animal sidekick of all time. He's completely selfish, but everything he does kind of ends up helping anyway. He was just a really funny character in my opinion. The rest of the characters were equally interesting and well-developed. The one thing that I absolutely loved about this book is that it's not clear until almost the very end who is "good" and who is "bad". At multiple points throughout the story anybody could be the bad guy.
The world that Hardinge has created is interesting, but not terribly well-developed. We spend most of the book in Mandelion, but I had not idea if it was the capital of this country or just a random city. It was not clear whether this city had any importance to the rest of the country and that (for some reason) made things a little confusing for me. The author has also created a really complicated political system and religion that doesn't get 100% explained. As both of these things play a large role in the overall plot, I was left confused multiple times trying to reread to see if I had missed an important detail.
Overall, I thought this book was enjoyable and I would recommend it for Middle Grade readers and up. Perhaps I just didn't have enough time to invest to understand the world and different structures within it but I do feel like younger me would have enjoyed it quite a bit. There is a sequel, Fly Trap, but I probably won't be reading it just because this first one was so difficult to get through.
Overall Rating: 4
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
But getting into the book, the characters were great. I really liked Mosca as a protagonist. The reader roots for her even when she's making bad decisions. Even though she's kind of a prickly character, she's immensely likable as well. Saracen was probably my favorite animal sidekick of all time. He's completely selfish, but everything he does kind of ends up helping anyway. He was just a really funny character in my opinion. The rest of the characters were equally interesting and well-developed. The one thing that I absolutely loved about this book is that it's not clear until almost the very end who is "good" and who is "bad". At multiple points throughout the story anybody could be the bad guy.
The world that Hardinge has created is interesting, but not terribly well-developed. We spend most of the book in Mandelion, but I had not idea if it was the capital of this country or just a random city. It was not clear whether this city had any importance to the rest of the country and that (for some reason) made things a little confusing for me. The author has also created a really complicated political system and religion that doesn't get 100% explained. As both of these things play a large role in the overall plot, I was left confused multiple times trying to reread to see if I had missed an important detail.
Overall, I thought this book was enjoyable and I would recommend it for Middle Grade readers and up. Perhaps I just didn't have enough time to invest to understand the world and different structures within it but I do feel like younger me would have enjoyed it quite a bit. There is a sequel, Fly Trap, but I probably won't be reading it just because this first one was so difficult to get through.
Overall Rating: 4
Language: None
Violence: Moderate
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ofliterarynature's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5