Castle in the Stars: Book 3: The Knights of Mars by Alex Alice. English translation by Anne and Owen Smith. First Second, 2019. 9781250206800
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4
Genre: Fantasy/steampunk/adventure
What did you like about the book? Characters and politics from history figure prominently in this book, the third in the series, with the story of a 19th century space race and it’s accompanying political intrigue. It’s 1870 and “aether” is the acknowledged key to all life and the secret to space travel. In a quiet corner of Brittany, Seraphin, with his friends, including Sophie and Hans, try to experiment with aether to work on their various flying machines, secretly so that the evil Prussians don’t foil their plans. When the group – “The Knights of Aether” – escapes on a flying ship to Mars, it is only after much of the journey that they discover several of their foes have stolen aboard. The gorgeous watercolor art, given lots of space in the oversize format, is a combination of Hergé and Arthur Rackham, and makes it seem totally possible that these characters in late 19th century garb are flying to Mars. I like that there’s a feisty female among them, who has decidedly feminist views. This is an action filled adventure with drama and political intrigue, which will be continued in a sequel.
Anything you didn’t like about it? Although the author includes a page of recap, it’s hard to grasp all of the characters and loyalties without having read the previous installments.
To whom would you recommend this book? I see a lot of the bending of history and physics that is present in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, so fans, ages 9-14, of that series will enjoy this adventure.
Who should buy this book? Elementary and middle school and public libraries
Where would you shelve it ? Graphic novels (oversize)
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Maybe
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Stephanie Tournas, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA
Date of review: October 27, 219
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