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Here's a selection of some of the praise
and press mentions Stephen's fiction has collected
over the years in the press.
The Court of the Air (Fantasy)
The Bookseller: Bookseller’s
Choice for April 2007 (Review: Hardback edition,
The Court of the Air)
'A crossover title in the vein of Philip Pullman
… more straightforward and much easier to
read than Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell …
a genuinely engaging read, which has believable
characters in a fantastic setting. The Dickensian
references are a big selling point… It’s
an intriguing and original idea which the author
has managed to pull off rather well.’
Iain Emsley - Yatterings.com: April 2007
(Review: Hardback edition, The Court of the
Air)
'The book starts out as a fantasy but moves into
the rollicking adventure stories in the fashion
of Kipling. It reminds me a little of the joyousness
of Perdido Street Station and the uncertainties
of Pullman’s His Dark Material trilogy.
Hunt moves the story along with verve and creates
a believable underbelly which writhes and squirms.
The devil is in the detail and here Hunt excels
delivering a rattling yarn without ladening the
reader with exceptional detail or ordure. What
is frustrating is the abrupt change in politics
which occurs changing the tenor of the novel.
The novel becomes more than the sum of its parts
- adventure, horror, fantasy and media sf. It
remixes each part and comes out with each part
slightly fresher than before.'
Sue Davies - SFcrowsnest.com: April 2007
(Review: Hardback edition, The Court of the
Air)
Two orphans find themselves on the run from the
authorities. Molly might be called a feisty and
defensive redhead. She has her reasons. As a baby
she was unceremoniously dumped on the step of
the Poorhouse. She's been in trouble almost ever
since. The Beadle despairs of getting his graft
from her as he sends her out on yet another job.
Oliver is also a strange boy. Found after five
years inside the Fey mist, he has been monitored
ever since by the Worldsingers. Somehow he has
always avoided being taken away to the Asylum
or to become one of the Special Guard with a restraining
torc. Oliver has his secrets not least his dreams
being invaded by the Whisperer, a tortured fey-altered
man secured inside the Hawklam Asylum. But it
is only when the disreputable Harry Stave arrives
that Oliver finds his old life is over and is
on the run whilst hardly knowing why.
Both of the orphans are flung into a world they
know nothing about. They have help but who can
tell which side all the players are on.
The world presented through this novel is at
once familiar and yet comprehensively different
to our own. The opening pages did not give any
clues to the environment we have entered. Teasingly,
Molly is presented as Little Orphan Annie complete
with the defiant personality that marks her out
as trouble with a capital T.
A great deal of thought has gone into creating
a fantastical yet believable background to the
adventures. The backdrop is at least as important
as a character and it has to be a smooth transition
from our world to theirs. This one packs in pneumatic
towers, mechanical men and everyone's favourite
aerostats.
Our world is safe and boring in comparison for
this is a desperate place where even the words
'constitutional monarchy' is a vicious understatement
of the ghastly truth. Hunt has included another
favourite of fantasy writers the availability
of crystal grids and the treatment of the land
as a living entity and this conception of the
background is a intricate and involving process
so that we can drop painlessly into this world
and feel almost comfortable.
So to the cast of characters who are linked by
necessity and drawn to each other as the plot
progresses. There are quite a few of them and
teasing out the links takes thought. Supporting
cast is neatly drawn and although time is short
with them there is enough there to get a feel
for who they might be. The main characters are
harder with the necessary internalisation developing
more towards the end of the novel. I feel they
have a lot of growing to do and may need some
further time to do that.
I liked the world that this novel is set in.
Its danger and despair tempered by the exhilaration
of the battle. Hunt is not afraid to decimate
his characters neither and there is no mincing
about with this. It is a gutsy and full-blooded
story with some pretty nasty detail unflinchingly
presented. There are some superb larger-than-life
characters and also the quiet and unassuming steam-men
on whom so much hangs.
Whilst this is a tale of derring-do, it does
not concentrate on swords and sorcery. There is
some sparkling witty dialogue and coy politicking
too. There is noble sacrifice and the bloody nose
of defeat. I enjoyed it so much I read it twice.
Both a tale of great adventure and a dark comment
on the danger of fundamental politics; take from
it what you want or what you need.
SFX magazine: April 2007 (Two
Page Interview with Stephen Hunt)
Stephen Hunt talks to SFX about his new novel
The Court of the Air and where he gets
his inspiration from.
LBC Radio: April 5th 2007 (Broadcast
Interview with Stephen Hunt)
Stephen Hunt talks to LBC's Adrian Allan about
his fantasy novel The Court of the Air and
the joys and pains of the path to publication
as a novellist.
The Times April 7, 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders
and marvels."
SFX magazine: May 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"Hunt can take his place alongside such
eminent Magratheans as JRR Tolkien, Mervyn Peake
and China Mieville. Creating a fully-realised
other-world which feels new and different, yet
cohesive and believable is half the battle in
a fantasy novel, and it is a battle Hunt wins
with honours... Hunt's world is so rich and colourful
it keeps you engrossed ... It's a confident audacious
novel."
The Guardian: April 21st 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"The characters are convincing and colourful,
but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish
take on Victorian London where grim, steam-driven
machines work beside citizens with magical powers.
The Court of the Air is aimed at young adults,
but the depth and complexity of Hunt's vision
makes it compulsive reading for all ages."
Death Ray: June 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"Creatures of magic movie in an industrialised
landscape; mechanical men with souls appear in
Punch-style political cartoons. He creates a fantasy
world that's low on cliché, splicing trad
fantasy with steampunk and a touch of Philip Pullman...with
pace, detail, and the pleasure of its sheer scale."
Starburst: June 2007 (Review:
Hardback edition, The Court of the Air)
"Hunt tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking
relish, revealing a vivid, often gruesome imagination.
The Court of the Air brims with originality and,
from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets
up."
The Newcastle Herald (Australia) (Review:
Export edition, The Court of the Air)
‘Hold on to your hat for a frenetic ride
through a fantastic world that is a mind-boggling
and hypnotic mixture of the familiar and the bizarre…
The Court of the Air is a tour de force of the
imagination. Fast paced with a cast of interesting
and beguiling characters.’
Time Out: August 2007 (Review:
Paperback edition, The Court of the Air)
‘Wonderfully assured …
Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it
to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed
tension’
LoveReading.co.uk
(Review: Paperback edition, The Court of the
Air)
A compelling fantasy set in a Victorian-style
world of airships and intrigue, this book is a
real gem. One of those where to talk about it
is to spoil it. A big book that rattles along
excitingly and contains a few good surprises ...
in fact older Harry Potter fans will love it.
It’s the kind of book that makes you want
to jump up and down and press it onto all your
friends. Absolutely wonderful.
- Sarah Broadhurst (ex-buyer, Hatchards)
Historical Novels Review: August
2007 (Review: Paperback edition,
The Court of the Air)
To date, this has to be the best book of
2007 as far as I am concerned. Think Joan
Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of Susanna
Clarke and various other talented crossover
writers and you are there ... It might just
be the book for you if you are thinking
of branching out from reading mainly historical
fiction, and wondering what else is out
there. Not a lot of this calibre…
hugely enjoyable.
Albedo
One, Ireland's magazine of science fiction,
fantasy and horror: Issue 33
(Review: Paperback edition, The Court
of the Air)
Fast-paced and accelerating all the way,
the story rewards reading with close attention,
to the intricacies of the plot, to the creativity
in world-building and language which makes
this world both readily comprehensible and
yet enthrallingly strange.
For the Crown and The Dragon
(Fantasy)
CN Gilmore, Reviewer; Interzone & Foundation
Hunt has no lack of pace, colour ... there's enough
battle, murder and sudden death for everyone.
Locus magazine
For those who like really old-fashioned adventure,
this is an intriguing start to a new series and
an impressive first novel.
Arcane magazine
Stranger and more cynical than a mere Sherwood
Forest chestnut ... the raft of great characters
have a black sense of humour to match.
The Guardian newspaper
A colourful, but tough and uncompromising first
novel.
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