Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (2016), 384 pages
Description
"A quest story to find the three pieces of a magical engine which can either win the War of 1812...or stop it altogether"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member khaddox
This book was provided to me as an uncorrected digital review copy by the publisher, via Edelweiss.
The Left-Handed Fate is a ship like no other; rumored to be faster than any other ship on the seas, and carrying a crew of the best seamen on the planet. Captain Bluecrowne, his crew, and his ship
The Left-Handed Fate started out a little slow, and a little confusing, but the longer I read, the more I appreciated the story’s creativity and complex characters. At first, it appeared that maybe I had missed reading another book in the series, but it turns out this is not the case. In order to keep the book from being prohibitively long, Ms. Milford has chosen to condense certain events from the past and presents the beginning of the quest as something that occurred several years previous. The reader is caught up through memory flashes and dialogue between Lucy Bluecrowne, her father, and Max Ault. The book’s main characters are all children who have been pressed into situations that their ages should have dictated were impossible. However, the author has created characters who are not only capable of handling situations far outside what children their age should have been able to withstand, but she does it in such a way that it doesn’t seem strange or out of place. It is very obvious that Ms. Milford did her due diligence when it came to researching the customs and rules of seafaring folk from the Revolutionary War period. The sense of honor and duty she expresses through Lucy Bluecrowne and Oliver Dexter doesn’t come across as contrived, but rather seems like exactly what one would expect from children with their backgrounds and circumstances. I enjoyed this book, and would consider reading other books set in Ms. Milford’s Nagspeake (she has written a number of books with this setting, however this book is intended to be read as a standalone). I would recommend this book for kiddos 11 and older who enjoy historical fiction set on a boat with a steampunk vibe.
The Left-Handed Fate is a ship like no other; rumored to be faster than any other ship on the seas, and carrying a crew of the best seamen on the planet. Captain Bluecrowne, his crew, and his ship
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have been hired by Max Ault to help him locate the pieces of an ancient weapon; a weapon to end all wars. Unfortunately, Max isn’t the only one on the hunt for the artifact, and some of his competition seems to have the ability to appear out of nowhere. How does one evade an opponent who can show up without warning?The Left-Handed Fate started out a little slow, and a little confusing, but the longer I read, the more I appreciated the story’s creativity and complex characters. At first, it appeared that maybe I had missed reading another book in the series, but it turns out this is not the case. In order to keep the book from being prohibitively long, Ms. Milford has chosen to condense certain events from the past and presents the beginning of the quest as something that occurred several years previous. The reader is caught up through memory flashes and dialogue between Lucy Bluecrowne, her father, and Max Ault. The book’s main characters are all children who have been pressed into situations that their ages should have dictated were impossible. However, the author has created characters who are not only capable of handling situations far outside what children their age should have been able to withstand, but she does it in such a way that it doesn’t seem strange or out of place. It is very obvious that Ms. Milford did her due diligence when it came to researching the customs and rules of seafaring folk from the Revolutionary War period. The sense of honor and duty she expresses through Lucy Bluecrowne and Oliver Dexter doesn’t come across as contrived, but rather seems like exactly what one would expect from children with their backgrounds and circumstances. I enjoyed this book, and would consider reading other books set in Ms. Milford’s Nagspeake (she has written a number of books with this setting, however this book is intended to be read as a standalone). I would recommend this book for kiddos 11 and older who enjoy historical fiction set on a boat with a steampunk vibe.
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LibraryThing member sussura
I lived in Fell's Point, where The Left-Handed Fate begins, and still consider it home. To find it captured in time between these pages, and well in the grip of plots and contorted mechanisms was a complete joy.
More soon, once I wrest the book back from a young friend.
More soon, once I wrest the book back from a young friend.
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Lucy Bluecrowne lives aboard her father's schooner, the Left-Handed Fate. As a British privateer, the Fate has been hired by Maxwell Ault, a teenager who has taken on the project his father was working on before his death. He's trying to assemble an ancient device which he believes is a weapon
So, I love Nagspeake and could read about it all day. Kate Milford's world-building is top-notch. I didn't love the sailing-ship bits as much, despite the fact that I normally enjoy books set at sea as well. I found the plot a little too run-around after one macguffin or another; I enjoyed the different scenes and characters that they met, but I had a hard time believing in the importance of the device itself. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book. It probably also didn't help that I was confused about series order, and read this book before reading Bluecrowne. I'll come back to that book soon, as I'm still a big fan of Milford's work, even if this one wasn't a favorite for me.
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strong enough to end all wars. As Britain battles Napoleon's forces on one hand and the Americans on the other, this device could be all too timely. But finding the pieces and assembling them is no easy task, especially since they are pursued by a French vessel in search of the same device, as well as some mysterious men in black who pursue them for reasons known only to themselves. The search will take them to the independent city of Nagspeake, where strange happenings are a matter of course...So, I love Nagspeake and could read about it all day. Kate Milford's world-building is top-notch. I didn't love the sailing-ship bits as much, despite the fact that I normally enjoy books set at sea as well. I found the plot a little too run-around after one macguffin or another; I enjoyed the different scenes and characters that they met, but I had a hard time believing in the importance of the device itself. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book. It probably also didn't help that I was confused about series order, and read this book before reading Bluecrowne. I'll come back to that book soon, as I'm still a big fan of Milford's work, even if this one wasn't a favorite for me.
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Language
Original language
English
Physical description
384 p.; 5.76 inches
ISBN
0805098003 / 9780805098006