Fly By Night - Book Review

Fly By Night
By Frances Hardinge
HarperCollinsPublishers
2005
Originally published in the U.K. by Macmillan Publishers Limited

Dedication: To my inspirational grandfather, the author H. Mills West, and to Rhiannon, Mosca’s godmother

Target Age Group: Girls, 10 – 15 years old

Must Read
Good Read
Should Read

Synopsis

Mosca Mye is a 12-year old girl in the 18th century with one friend: her pet goose Saracen. She is the orphaned child of Quillam Mye, who was rumored to have been exiled to her village of Chough in disgrace. He arrived with books and ideas that didn’t mesh with the village, because everyone knows how dangerous books are – any and all books. When Mosca was 8, her father died and all of his books were burned.

Mosca is left in the care of an uncle, but without the books and words she needs to feed her soul. So when Eponymous Clent, a silver-tongued con man, comes to Chough, she sees her opportunity for adventure. Eponymous reluctantly agrees to take her on as his secretary, and they depart Chough in the secrecy of night.

And that is where Mosca’s adventure begins. She and Clent travel to Mandelion where she meets dukes and ladies, the heads of the powerful guilds and common, everyday folk. But there is unrest in the country – conspiracy, treason, thievery and murder – and Mosca and Clent are caught in the very heart of it.

Book Review

I love reading novels by first-time authors. These are the ones that you can read with no preconception about what the author is or is not capable of. I read that there was a bidding war among publishers for this book, and it’s easy to understand why.

Fly By Night, Frances Hardinge’s first novel, is outstanding. Set in the 18th century, this book is about a love of words, the wonder of growing up and learning who you really are. Our heroine, Mosca Mye, is an odd-looking and strange girl, who loves words more than anything, and loves her pet goose, Saracen, next. She’s drawn to Eponymous Clent because he has such a way with words. Words like mendacity, mellifluous epiphany and amaranth.

This is a wonderfully creative tale of adventure, trust, betrayal, conspiracy, murder, and the choices we make.

Characters

Mosca Mye – Our heroine. A 12-year old girl who is oddly attached to her goose. She doesn’t fit in in her village of Chough and wants to travel. She finds an uneasy kinship with Eponymous Clent. But can she really trust him? Or is he the enemy?

Eponymous Clent – In his words, he is a poet, storyteller, creator of ballads and sagas. In Mosca’s words, he tells lies for a living. When Eponymous meets Mosca, he has 2 choices: take her with him as his secretary or stay locked in stocks with an almost certain future in jail. His choice is clear. But who is he really? Swindler? Balladeer? Spy? Murderer?

Partridge – Captain of a barge called the Meddlesome Maid. Strictly speaking, Partridge isn’t supposed to take on passengers – it’s against the rules of the Watermen, one of Mandelion’s powerful unions. But sometimes Partidge makes an exception…for the right price.

Clam Blythe – Also known as Black Captain Blythe. He’s a highwayman, which is another way of saying he robs for a living. But when he tries to rob a carriage carrying Mosca and Eponymous, he gets more than he ever bargained for – much more.

Vocado Avourlace – The Duke of Mandelion, an odd and eccentric fellow with a penchant for things that have a twin. Everything around him is in duplicate. He is currently the ruler of the country, but will he remain so?

Lady Tamarind – The sister of the Duke, she has control of Mandelion. She is a beautiful, elegant and refined lady. Mosca’s chance meeting with her changes everything. But is that good for Mosca?

Mabwick Toke – The head of the Stationers’ guild in Mandelion. Stationers are the only people who are allowed to own printing presses and print documents. They are also one of the powerful guilds that actually rule Mandelion – or are they part of a conspiracy to wrest control of Mandelion from the Lady Tamarind?

Armani Goshawk – The head of the Locksmith’s union in Mandelion. Are the locksmiths rising against the Lady Tamarind? Are they conspiring against the Stationers’ guild? Or are they in league?

Hopewood Pertellis – A lawyer by trade, and an underground teacher by desire. He teaches common children to read and to think, both treasonous acts. He is believed to have an illegal printing press, which makes him a very dangerous man.

Linden Kohlrabi – A true gentleman who likes Mosca. He doesn’t know that Mosca works for Eponymous Clent, and Mosca doesn’t know he works for Lady Tamarind. But more than that, he knows someone Mosca desperately wants to find out about.