The court of the air, review by Katastrofekat

First impression of the book was that this was going to be a heavy read and would probably take some time to finnish. It was hard to get a grip of the universe where the book takes place. We are thrown directly into the story and we didn't get to know anything about the backstory. We get introduced to the two main characters in the story, but we don't get to know a lot about them.

A few chapters into the book, the pace picked up and the story became more engaging. I really wanted to keep reading because I wanted to know what would happen next, but I still felt quite confused, as the rules of the universe are still being revealed.

The world was very different from what I was expecting. The world has a very complex political system and it is inhabited by many different creatures, but again we don't get any backstory for any of the creatures, so it is confusing. A lot of names and new words are throw our way, but since this book doesn't have a dictionary I felt like I had to guess what the author ment. There is also magic in the book, which I wouldn't have guessed going into it.

I think the story might have been good if it were written differently, but I have to say I find it a bit difficult to keep reading, as it feels like I'm constantly is getting hit with new facts. It actually feels like parts of the book smacks you in the face. I want to feel more submerged in the story, but so far I'm finding it hard as the story is so dense with facts and at the same time it's like I can't get my head around all the facts and make them fit together.

Also, there is no map in the book and that makes it hard to imagine how this world is built up. I really think the book would read a bit easier for me with a map.

I also think i find the story a bit slow because there is very little description in the book. Here we are, in a whole new univers with things that don't exist, but they aren't described so it is hard for me to imagine what things look like and thus get into the swing of the story. Also I felt like the book was kind of superficial, we never got to now how the characters felt about the things that was happening to them.

I really want to like the book, but it feels a bit like the way the book is written is fighting me.

When I start to get into the rhythm of the book and it feels like I'm finally understanding what the writer writes about, he skips to something else entirely and I feel just as lost once again.

Also, it kind of annoyed me that the book was named the Court of the Air, when the actual court of the air is only mentioned about ten times and we never get to know much about it.

I spent the last thirty pages of the book eagerly waiting for the last page, so I could put an end to the book by throwing it in the wall (and that is why I bought the pocket edition, and not the e-book).

Kristine thinks out loud about The Court of the Air

I'm not going to write a long post about The Court of the Air. I read the kindle edition and it was riddled with spelling errors (wor ds we re n ot who le) and the text would jump from one perspective/person/scene to another WITH NO WARNING! This was not a stream-of-consciousness novel, so I'm guessing it should not have done that. More air please! Someone should rectify this, but I'm guessing nobody will.

Now, I'm going to rattle of some points in a few lists and try not to spoil too much, but I am going to do this anyway: SPOLER ALERT! There might be bits and bobs revealed, I do not feel that any of the information below will spoil the storyline, but the world that is built in the novel will be poked and prodded at a bit. Time for lists:

The good:

• I'm fascinated by the steam creatures (steammen) that have a life of their own, that become deactivate when their life ends. I'd like to learn more about them, they are workers, warriors and a race of their own, and I love the "ending" created for them (I say "ending" because this book is the first in a series). They also call the humans softbodies, which I found so charming that I'd like to befriend one (even if some of them found the softbodies weak etc.)
• Epic world!
• Mu-bodies! 
• I also liked the Carlists, the royalists, the circlist etc. The politics and religion aspect, though it was tedious at times, it was nice to have, and easy to draw parallels with our world, which is cool.
• The court of the air = cool, but (oh uh, we're heading into the bad prematurely) they weren't important enough to have the title of the novel I think. 

The bad:

• Maps! I wish there were maps! 
• Glossary, I really wish there was one. Stephen Hunt made up words and things and I'd like a decent explanation, and sometimes he used words in other context than those I've seen them in before, and while the kindle comes with a dictionary and I am able to undestand things through context, I'd still like a dictionary, with explanations not just of words, but of what exactly a Carlist is etc., and maybe even who some of the characters are because there are so many and we only see parts of this world (which I would love to explore more I just don't know if I can get throguh another of these novels).
• The first half (or thereabout, I made a note at 41%) was too long, to boring, I struggled with it when I was in my last third I enjoyed myself for the first time. I bet a bunch of readers put this down before that!
• Molly and Oliver were too alike, I realize that they came from different backgrounds and had different abilities, but they were both alone without family (sort of), had an ability (they were the chosen ones in this context, which is fine and I get the whole offence/defence, yin/yang thing), but do they need to be without personalities? Molly likes stories, Oliver likes what? I don't think he has a peronality and most of his skills come from his weapons. Fey is not a personality. I suspect the lack of personality might have a function here (he's easily pushed around), but I still would like some of that for him.
•  The throwing of gears, gear-gi-oh or something like that, felt a little like "put a cog on it and call it steampunk". I accepted it and moved on though.
• Too much shoved into a novel. This could be trilogy on its own! Too much information, too few pages, yet too many pages. There is a problem here. Strangely enough I feel as if a lot of this could have been solved by adding illustrations.

More depth to the characters, a map and a glossary and I would have loved this novel. Somehow I also think it would have been better longer, if chopped up into several shorter novels, or parts at least. The flow was wrong.

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt

The first book out for The Cat's Tale! Read October/November 2012!

Title: The Court of the Air
Author: Stephen Hunt
First published in 2007
Publisher(s): Harper Collins Voyager (UK) and Tor Books(US)
Genre: Fantasy
It is book #1 in the Jackelian series.

About the novel, as described on Goodreads:

When streetwise Molly Templar witnesses a brutal murder at the brothel she has recently been apprenticed to, her first instinct is to run back to the poorhouse where she grew up. But there she finds her fellow orphans butchered, and it slowly dawns on her that she was the real target of the attack. For Molly is a special little girl, and she carries a secret that marks her out for destruction by enemies of the state.

Oliver Brooks has led a sheltered existence in the backwater home of his merchant uncle. But when he is framed for his only relative's murder he is forced to flee for his life, accompanied by an agent of the mysterious Court of the Air. Chased across the country, Oliver finds himself in the company of thieves, outlaws and spies, and gradually learns more about the secret that has blighted his life.

Soon Molly and Oliver will find themselves battling a grave threat to civilization, an ancient power thought to have been quelled millennia ago. Their enemies are ruthless and myriad, but the two orphans are also aided by indomitable friends in this endlessly inventive tale full of drama, intrigue, and adventure.

What we expect/want from this novel:

Kristine: This is, as I understand it, a fantasy novel, set in a "Victorian-styled world" (x), which is a kind of setting that I really like. So I'm hoping that is well done, and my thoughts naturally wander to steampunk and that sort of thing, especially with the hot air balloon on the cover, but I don't expect a technology heavy novel or anything. I expect a mystery slowly being revealed. Why is Molly special? Why is Oliver framed? Who are the Court of the Air? I'm currently imagining airborne military, like an military air force, only you know, in hot air balloons and their likes instead of planes, or possibly a royal fortress floating about (okay, not really, but something royal or government related anyway). So many possibilities! I also hope for death and destruction.

Katastrofekat: Well, Kristine have pretty much said what I was thinking. I'm really into this kind of books lately, so I really hope it will live up to my expectations. Like Kristine, I don't think there will be much techy stuff here, but if it isn't seampunky in any way, I might be a bit disappointed. When reading the description, I was reminded of Phillip Pullmans His Dark Materials-series, and if this book is reminiscent of that, I think I will very much enjoy it. Looking forward to starting, so I hope my book arrives soon (that should teach my to not go for the e-book).