Book description
A hugely engaging adventure set in a Victorian-style world - a
fantastical version of Dickens - that will appeal to fans of Susanna
Clarke and Philip Pullman.
Two orphans are more than they seem. And one megalomaniac will stop at
nothing to find them…
When Molly Templar witnesses a brutal murder at the brothel she has
just been apprenticed to, her first instinct is to return to the
poorhouse where she grew up. But there she finds her fellow orphans
butchered, and it slowly dawns on her that she was in fact the real
target of the attack. For Molly carries a secret deep in her blood, a
secret that marks her out for destruction by enemies of the state. Soon
Molly will find herself battling a grave threat to civilization which
draws on an ancient power thought to have been quelled millennia ago.
Oliver Brooks has led a sheltered life in the home of his merchant
uncle. But when he is framed for his only relative's murder he is forced
to flee for his life. He is accompanied by Harry Stave, an agent of the
Court of the Air - a shadowy organization independent of the government
that acts as the final judiciary of the land, ensuring that order
prevails. 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, but which may also offer him the
power to avert the coming catastrophe.
Their enemies are ruthless and myriad, but Molly and Oliver are joined
by indomitable friends in this endlessly inventive tale full of drama,
intrigue and adventure. 'An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders
and marvels' Lisa Tuttle, The Times
'The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement
is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London … the depth and
complexity of Hunt's vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages' Guardian
'Wonderfully assured … Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it
to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension' Time Out
'Studded with invention' Independent
'Rich and colourful … keeps you engrossed … a confident, audacious
novel' SFX
'Like a magpie, Stephen Hunt has plucked colourful events from history
and politics and used them for inspiration … Hunts tells his
full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing a vivid, often
gruesome imagination … T'he Court of the Air' brims with originality
and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets up' Starburst
'The best book of 2007 … Think Joan Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of
Susanna Clarke … hugely enjoyable' Historical Novels Review Stephen
Hunt set up one of the first science fiction and fantasy websites, www.
SFcrowsnest. com, in 1994. Today the site has 340,000 readers a month.
Stephen Hunt is in his thirties and lives with his wife and children in
Surrey.
