shopping cart
Powell's 2010 Puddly Awards
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Powell's Q&A, Q&A | December 13, 2009

Norberto Fuentes: IMG Powell's Q&A: Norberto Fuentes



Describe your latest project. Norton has just published The Autobiography of Fidel Castro, a novel that took seven years of my life to complete as I... Continue »
  1. $19.56 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$7.99
New Mass Market
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
1 Airport Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z
6 Beaverton Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z
2 Beaverton Science Fiction and Fantasy- Featured Titles
18 Burnside Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z
1 Hawthorne Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z
25 Local Warehouse Science Fiction and Fantasy- Fantasy
18 Remote Warehouse Science Fiction and Fantasy- Fantasy- Epic

The Court of the Air

by Stephen Hunt

The Court of the Air Cover

 Upcoming Event

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 07:00 PM

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

The Court of the Air is a rollicking adventure set in a fantastical Dickensian clockwork universe that will appeal to fans of Susanna Clarke and Philip Pullman.

 

About the Author

Stephen Hunt is currently on the management, technical, and editorial boards for SFcrowsnest.com, the science fiction and fantasy web site which is currently Google PageRanked™ as the Internet's second most popular science fiction site. The Court of the Air is his second novel.  He resides in London.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Lucy Black, July 3, 2009 (view all comments by Lucy Black)
There are some brilliant, innovative, humorous, provocative works of fantasy/sci-fi out there; this is not one of them. Someone made the mistake of comparing Hunt to authors like Susanna Clarke and Phillip Pullman (something I consider a blatant insult to the latter two). Other than the fact that all three authors are English, neither Clarke nor Pullman’s writing has much in common with the insipid blather that can by found in The Court of the Air. Hunt’s novel is an excellent example of why I avoid most sci-fi and a lot of fantasy; genres where too many authors try to disguise their inability to write with a bunch of funny-sounding names.

Although (maybe) a couple of the minor characters in this novel are amusing, the main ensemble is colourless and one-dimensional. The author’s attempts at making-over England into a fantastical setting was pathetically unoriginal, and his plot wasn’t all that great either. Hunt sort of just “borrows” things at random from history/reality, conveniently ignoring the fact that his story supposedly takes place in a DIFFERENT UNIVERSE (which makes the use of rugby terms or allusions to the Round Table flagrantly inappropriate) as well as from other sources like Doctor Who, Verne, and Lovecraft.

Overall, although I did manage to finish it, The Court of the Air was extraordinarily disappointing. I think the most positive thing I could say about this book is that it has nice cover art.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9780765360229
Author:
Hunt, Stephen
Publisher:
Tor Books
Subject:
Fantasy - Epic
Subject:
Fantasy - General
Edition Description:
Mass Market Paperbound
Publication Date:
March 2009
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
599
Dimensions:
6.75 x 4.19 in

Other books you might like

  1. $3.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list
  2. $4.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    Mistress of Winter

    Giles Carwyn
  3. $4.50 Used Mass Market add to wish list
  4. $12.00 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    Firmin

    Sam Savage
  5. $13.00 New Mass Market add to wish list

    Southern Fire (UK Edition)

    Juliet E. Mckenna
  6. $3.25 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    When Dragons Rage

    Michael A. Stackpole

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.