Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Mr. Socrates rescued Modo from traveling freak show when he was just a baby.  He recognized his special morphological skill, and had him trained as an agent for his secret society in Victorian London.  Together with another teen agent, Octavia Milkweed, Modo is trying  to solve the mystery of  the city’s orphans that keep disappearing, the threats on the lives of important men, and the kidnapping of the prince.

Critical Analysis:  Full of adventure, hair raising schemes and narrow escapes, the genius of this story lies in how the author takes an almost Victorian Dickensian tale and turns it on its head with the addition of secret societies, conspiracy theories and steampunk elements.  Literary allusions and direct references abound, from the afore mentioned Dickens to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein, making readers familar with them feel as though they are in the know.

But there is more then just adventure here.  Modo is disfigured and hides his face when out in public behind masks or his ability to morph into something other than what he is.  He has feelings for Octavia, but doesn’t think she could love him for what he is.  He and Octavia are fighting on what they consider to be the side of right, but they are not any freer than the orphan children who have been kidnapped by the other side for nefarious purposes.  If the ends are right, are any means justified?  I hope these are themes that Slade continues to explore in the next entry in this series.

Readalikes:  Airborn by Kenneth Oppel tells the story of teenage Matt, a cabin boy on a  luxury cruise ship and his adventures in the air, as this steampunk has dirigibles like the Hindenburg, which makes for fun discoveries of air creatures and fights with air pirate.

My favorite YA steampunk is Mortal Engines and the rest of the Hungry City Chronicles by Philip Reeve.  There was a scorched earth war resulting in land that was mostly unlivable, so survivors live in giant cities on wheels that roll around, looking for other cities to conqueror.  Romance, adventure, bad guys with evil plans who must be stopped by our hero and heroine, the best part is there are three more books in the series.

Not steampunk, but very reminiscent of the feel of some of these titles is Montmorency:  Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale.  Set in Victorian times in England, Montmorency is a cat burglar who is caught and thrown in jail because he falls and suffers what would have been fatal wounds on a job one evening.  The prison doctor fixes him up with the promise that he can study Montmorency as he heals.  Montmorency assumes a dual persona, gentleman by day, sewer rat and thief by night.

Review Excerpts:  “[A] thrilling tale of an unusual and talented young man caught between two idealistic, ruthless organizations. Fourteen-year-old hunchback Modo has been raised from infancy by Mr. Socrates to use his shape-shifting abilities in service to the Permanent Association, secretive defenders of the status quo in Slade’s steampunk Victorian England….With its self-loathing hero and exploration of themes of identity and self, the novel is more than the straightforward adventure it may appear.–Publisher’s Weekly

“Steampunk is hot, and here the tropes are further enlivened by literary shout-outs….The escape of most of the baddies is almost welcome as it means they can all lock horns again, and the question of whether Modo will show Octavia his true self remains unanswered. An excellent start to a promising new series.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from author provided advanced copy. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.