Dominion

December 15, 2016
A steampunk adventure forces its young protagonist to choose which side she's on. Molly Stout seems to defy gravity as she deftly swings her way across the deck of the family's airship, the Legerdemain. At 14, Molly is a young engineer, serving alongside her 16 year-old twin brothers with their alcoholic father as captain. The family serves as crew to one of many airships used to harvest the spirits that populate the skies of British colony Terra Nova and that serve as the power source for the airships. While on a harvest, the white teen catches her first spirit, which her captain father allows her to keep, solidly locked away. Like a ghost from the past, literally, Molly's spirit warns her of a plot by those most high that may destroy both the human and the spirit worlds. From the spirit, Molly comes to understand the atrocity her ancestors committed when they began to enslave the spirits and decides to betray her family by aligning herself with the spirits to free all those kept in machine bondage. Aptly titled, Arbuthnott's debut novel is the first part of an original, fascinating tale that offers an unusual, magical spin on how far human beings will go to gain dominion over the world. This series opener focuses primarily on Molly's family conflict in the skies, leaving unmentioned any indigenous population of Terra Nova; should subsequent adventures take her into the "dangerous Inner Continent," here's hoping issues of colonialism are addressed as deftly. Though some of the physics may leave some readers dizzy, feisty young Molly will keep them grounded in this page-turning mystical adventure. (Steampunk. 10-14)

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April 1, 2017

Gr 4-8-Molly Stout lives with her father and brothers on their airship, the Legerdemain. She works as the ship's engineer, helping catch the spirits that fuel her world's technology. When Molly's first independent catch, a powerful spirit, speaks to her and claims to have known her legendary ancestor Haviland Stout, Molly begins to realize that much of what she knows about the world around her is false. Molly's drive to understand the true nature and history of the spirits leads her to risk her life as she investigates Haviland Industries, the company that controls the city. Molly is an independent and thoughtful character, and her skill as an engineer enhances her appeal. Molly's alcoholic father and older siblings are clearly drawn and have important roles to play as well, and the relationship and dialogue among them are realistic. Arbuthnott creates an intriguing steampunk world with a smooth combination of technology and magic, and he uses fast-paced adventure to bring readers along on Molly's journey. Parallels to our own world and themes dealing with industrialism and change add substance to the tale. VERDICT A fast-paced read with a strong female lead, this will leave steampunk and adventure fans looking forward to a hinted-at sequel.-Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI

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