Fly by Night

My son, age 10, absolutely loved this book--he said it was "even better than the Harry Potter books" which are his favorite of all time. But I can see how many younger readers of his age or close could be confused. I read Fly By Night on my son's glowing recommendation and thought it was absolutely fantastic--one of the most colorful and most beautifully written books I've read in years--and I've given it to many other adults to read. Frankly I think despite the heroine's young age I could see this book appealing to highly literate teens to adults more than the younger kids, simply because of the book's verbal and plot complexity. But it's a very rewarding read, and Frances Hardinge has an amazing way with language.

This is the story of a young girl born in The Fractured Realm, a fictional place vaguely resembling eighteenth century England. Citizens of the Realm worship a multitude of gods, named "The Beloved", individual "beloveds" being determined by the day and time of the person’s birth. The girl is born at dusk on the sacred day of Goodman Palpitattle, He Who Keeps Flies out of Jams and Butter Churns, and because of this, she is named Mosca (The Fly) by her widowed father. Due to the lack of a son, her father teaches her the forbidden art of reading, thereby making the girl unique in this ability, and an endangered species later on in the story. After the death of her father, Mosca goes to live in a watery town named Chough, doing the accounts and generally being a slave to her uncle. For company she keeps an aggressive goose named Saracen who doubles as a guard goose and body guard. When she crosses paths with a man of many words but of dubious character named Eponymous Clent, she immediately feels a sort of kinship to him, and while saving him from the long arm of the law, she accidentally becomes an arsonist and fugitive. The story follows this unlikely pair through a series of dangerous adventures, including the search for an illegal printing press, a secret subversive school, and interacting with various groups of influential people who are looking to increase their power by fair means or foul. On the subject of "fowl", Saracen also plays a vital role throughout the story. The characterization in this book is superb, and the plot brilliantly imaginative, but it is a bit lengthy at 483 pages and complicated in its political intrigue for the average young reader. Never-the-less, for older readers and well-read children, this book stands out as being different to anything you’ve read before. Rated 4.5 stars Amanda Richards, June 11, 2006

As I write this review, it is February 2006. The year, such as it is, is about a sixth over. There is plenty of time for original stories to be published, new works of fiction to pop-up overnight, and fabulous samples of writing to catch the eye. On some level, I know this. I accept it. But then I look down on my review copy of "Fly By Night" and my eyes practically fill with tears. I am looking, you see, at my favorite book of 2006. I already know this. Oh sure, back in January I was sure that my favorite book of 2006 was going to be Karen Cushman's, "The Loud Silence of Francine Green". But while my love for "Francine" is just as clear and concise as ever, Frances Hardinge's whopper of a first novel has truly stolen my heart away. Not since Philip Pullman has a book created such a finely wrought and delicately planned out alternative world. But unlike Pullman (who has his charms BUT) Hardinge's book has a distinct advantage over its competitors. It's brilliant, yes. Well-plotted, well-paced, and well-characterized, yes. But it is also drop dead funny. We're talking about a book in which a girl named after a housefly with a pipe in her teeth goes prancing across the country with her homicidal goose in tow. I haven't a clue if children will actually like this book. Quite frankly, I do not care. I love it as deeply as I have ever loved any title and you can put THAT in your own pipe and smoke it. Mosca Mye didn't quite intend to burn up her aunt and uncle's mill while escaping from the overly sodden town of Chough. This much we know. She did, however, have every intention of freeing a rapscallion caught in the stocks that very night. The man's name is Eponymous Clent and he's a con man of the most florid degree. Mosca grew up learning how to read from her bookworm father and now, orphaned and trapped in a life she does not like, she sees Clent and his beautiful way with words as a means of getting out of town. They won't be skipping out alone, of course. Clasped firmly under her arm is Mosca's faithful and deadly goose Saracen. On their travels the two run afoul of a ship's captain, rescue a lady from a highwayman, and then dig themselves deeper and deeper into the political intrigue and schemes of the town of Mandelion's rulers, guildsmen, and potential oppressors. Who could know that the very fate of a nation rests on a single eyebrowless girl's slim shoulders and the wingtips of a particularly snarky bird. What my little description here doesn't do is give you an idea of where this book takes place. Hardinge has created what she calls a Fractured Realm. This world bears some similarities to England at the beginning of the eighteenth century, but with definite differences. In this land, Parliament has dispossessed all royalty and has been trying to figure out which potential ruler should have the crown for several decades now. In their stead, Guilds of skilled working men have grown strong and powerful. The

Twelve-year-old Mosca Mye, orphaned by her exiled intellectual father, runs off in search of books and adventure. The books are hard to come by since most of them have been burnt in great bonfires (unapproved books are thought of as nasty things whose words crawl about in the brain until they drive one mad). Adventure, however, is found around every corner in this twisty, surprising story, which follows Mosca, her ferocious and heroic goose companion, and the questionable wordsmith Eponymous Clent on a quest for survival in the city of Mandelion. Unfortunately, Mandelion is a tinderbox of madness, corruption, plotting Guilds, and a kindling war just waiting for Mosca's unwitting spark to set it off. Mosca reminds me of a Philip Pullman's Lyra in that feisty "I'll do what I think is right even though everyone says no" sort of way--though she's not heroic in the ordinary sense. Frances Hardinge's writing style is a feast of vivid description, dead-on dialogue and the occasional portrait of human gestures that are both accurate and hilarious. In a world where religious intolerance and censorship are the norm, Mosca yearns for the chance to choose for herself what is right and discovers that maybe books aren't as dangerous as she's been told. An absolute joy to read, Fly By Night is the best intermediate fantasy novel I've read since Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy.

This is a sophisticated tale, full of atmosphere and adventure. The language is as rich as a fruitcake, so it won't appeal to reluctant readers. Kids with reading ages ahead of their years will find it a delight, however. There are too few books that cater for the other end of the spectrum - challenging language and complicated concepts,whilst remaining emotionally appropriate.