Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III by Arthur Slade

Empire of Ruins: The Hunchback Assignments III by Arthur Slade

Completion Date: May 8, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the series.

While Modo has spent a quiet winter recovering from his adventure in the dark deeps, talk of ancient Egyptian ruins in the midst of the Australian rainforest has been swirling around London. A temple bulges with riches, but also contains danger: the infamous God Face. No one knows what the God Face is or what it is made of, but it is rumoured to be a powerful weapon; anyone who looks upon it will be driven mad.
Modo's next assignment? Go to Queensland in Australia and discover the truth behind the God Face. He won't be alone: Octavia and even Mr. Socrates will be accompanying him, as well as Mrs. Finchley, Modo's beloved caregiver from childhood days. But hot on their trail is the Clockwork Guild, with a brand-new weapon-mechanical birds, capable of transmitting signals as well as delivering poison.

With an airship battle, an escape from spear-waving natives and an astounding discovery-one that hinges on Modo's true appearance-the Hunchback Assignments series continues to enthrall readers of all ages!

Dear Blog Readers... Did you recently read my review of Catherine Webb's second book and think it sounded like you? Have you been reading and enjoying Scott Westerfeld's latest trilogy? Do you tend to enjoy steampunk novels? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have a series for you! A couple years ago I had the pleasure to read a book called Jolted by Arthur Slade. I was still not really reading young adult fiction back then, but I took a chance and I am so glad that I did. Arthur Slade writes really, really good books. Books that will appeal to all ages. Books that you will wait anxiously for each year. Especially now that he is writing a series and you want to know what happens next. It is only three books in, so it is the perfect time to visit with Modo, Octavia, Mr. Socrates, and all the other characters that make up these fun books.

In a weird twist, this book has an airship. The second book in Catherine Webb's series? Airship. The last book in Carrie Ryan's trilogy, which I just recently read, hot air balloons. A slightly less-techno version of the same thing. Apparently flying is a popular trait in books at the moment. Especially the steampunk ones. (Although, Carrie Ryan's trilogy is a zombie story, not a steampunk trilogy.) Moving on.

Modo is a beloved character. During the three books, you really find that you get to know him. He is often the narrator of his own story, so you get his impressions on the world. Modo has had a very strange life so far and he is only 16 or so. Then there is Octavia. She is the female lead and she is also often the comic relief. I really enjoy how the two characters play off of each other and look forward to further development in later books. Then, there is Mr. Socrates. He is the leader of their organization, so you don't get to really 'see' him during the previous two books. In this book, though, he decides to accompany them on their mission to Queensland. This opens up a very rare chance to really get to know Mr. Socrates. It is an interesting contrast to see what Modo is thinking about Mr. Socrates, the only real father he has ever known, and what Mr. Socrates, in turn, thinks of Modo. It is a unique experience.

Once again I really enjoyed the story and I cannot wait until a new book in the series is released. I hope I have tempted a few people to check this series out. If not, I will have to try even harder when book 4 is released. In the meantime, I am going to catch-up with Catherine Webb.

My thanks to Harper Collins Canada for once again sending me a wonderful Arthur Slade novel!

Series:

The Hunchback Assignments

The Dark Depths (Never reviewed...)

Empire of Ruins

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site