Liberator

February 1, 2012
The second of Harland's steampunk series initially trades in action for romance but eventually regains its footing. After the Filthies revolted, Col Porpentine and his family were among the few swanks to stay aboard the juggernaut now called the Liberator. But the new regime has troubles galore: A saboteur stalks the halls, an anti-Swank zealot joins the Revolutionary Council and people are disappearing. It's hard for Col to maintain a blossoming romance with revolutionary Filthy Riff in this atmosphere, and that's before the imperial juggernauts of other nations converge upon the Liberator. Harland avoids subtlety, preferring instead to spell out every action. As a result the pace turns glacial when the writing turns to matters of the heart, but when the action gets going, it's a breathless ride. Almost everyone here has stepped out of central casting, the mechanics of the world don't entirely make sense (although it sounds cool) and the conflicts resolve too easily. Delightful moments abound, however, and the good guys always win, while the baddies are fun to hate and occasionally pity. The climactic fomenting of revolution aboard the Russian juggernaut is a win that leaves open the possibility of another volume. Despite the flaws, there are pleasures to be found here, primarily for fans of the first volume. (Steampunk. 11-14)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2012

Gr 6-10-In this complex sequel to Worldshaker (S & S, 2010), the juggernaut has been rechristened Liberator after the successful coup orchestrated by Col, a Swank, and Riff and her fellow Filthies. Society used to be stratified by what level of a ship a person lived on and, unfortunately, class tensions have risen between the now-ruling Filthies, who were once the underclass, and the deposed Swanks, who were once the ruling class, and someone begins sabotaging the ship. When a Revolutionary Council member is killed, his replacement, Lye, a Filthy, quickly reveals her virulent hatred of all Swanks. A security force is formed and anti-Swank aggression escalates. Col's overtures to Riff are returned coldly. Coal stores that power the juggernaut are running low so the Liberator must stop at a refueling station but, by doing so, they risk discovery of their revolution by the imperialist forces of various nations. There are a lot of plot threads, but by the book's end, Harland has them neatly wrapped up, setting the groundwork for the next in the series or allowing the crew to sail into the sunset. Although there is some backstory woven in, it's never entirely clear what led to the creation of the juggernauts and the radical caste system that they employ; those who haven't read the Worldshaker (S & S, 2010) may be a bit lost. With that caveat, established fans, enthusiasts of Philip Reeve's "Mortal Engines" series (HarperCollins), and lovers of steampunk or dystopia will enjoy this fast-paced story.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.