Monday 11 October 2010

Haywired by Alex Keller

September 2010, Mogzilla 
192 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Steampunk, 11+ 

Heaps of humour, heaps of peril, a lot of strangeness (in a good way, normal for steampunk) 

Summary from Mogzilla 
In the quiet village of Little Wainesford, Ludwig Von Guggenstein is about to have his unusual existence turned inside out. When he and his father are blamed for a fatal accident during the harvest, a monstrous family secret is revealed. Soon Ludwig will begin to uncover diabolical plans that span countries and generations while ghoulish machines hunt him down. He must fight for survival, in a world gone haywire.

Nayuleska's thoughts
I know a book makes an impression when I have a dream connected to it. After finishing Haywired, I dreamt about the strange wonders within it. I was in Ludwig's place, with the walls, and the strange machines trying to track him down. I wasn't scared because I knew I'd wake up. Unlike the book, where I was fearful for Ludwig - and his father's safety. I think the front cover is a good indication of what lies inside for the reader. There is a lot of strange machines about. The concepts of them are really clever. Some are pretty freaky (no wonder I had the dream). Poor Ludwig has to meet them all. Most of them shock him in some form or other. Although they change his life, his life was changed just by being his father's son. So in a way the story was inevitable. The entire story was a roller-coaster read with plot revelations, chases, imprisonment just a few ingredients in the book. Apart from the evil ones, each of the characters had their own charms and were likable (even if some were weird). The best part - there's a sequel coming out in February 2011! So for those of you discovering Haywired, not too much longer to go. 

Final conclusion 
Villains and inventions lead to chaos, suffering, and lots of unexpected twists. 

If you like the sound of this, try Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan

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