Publishers Weekly
In this exciting steampunk adventure, Carnegie Medal–winner Reeve takes readers to a far future that looks back at our era with a darkly humorous sensibility (how's “Blog off,” for an expletive?), while laying tantalizing groundwork for his Hungry City Chronicles quartet. Fever Crumb, a 14-year-old orphan, is the only girl ever accepted into the Order of Engineers and has been raised in seclusion by obsessively logical scientists in an enormous head, part of an unfinished statue of London's deposed ruler, the hated mutant “Scriven,” Auric Godshawk. But Fever's thoroughly rational nature is thrown into flux when she's sent into the bustling, violent city on her first job, working for an eccentric archeologist who may have discovered Godshawk's secret cache of scientific inventions. As invaders near the city's outer perimeter, the streets of London erupt in mob violence, and Fever finds herself proclaimed a mutant and pursued by an implacable enemy. Beautifully written, grippingly paced, and filled with eccentric characters and bizarre inventions (such as foldable assassins made of paper), this is a novel guaranteed to please Reeve's fans—and very likely broaden their ranks. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)
Kirkus Reviews
Rejoice! Reeve returns to the vivid, violent, steampunky world of his Hungry Cities Chronicles. In a still-stationary London, signs of the genocide that killed the mutant Scriven overlords are fading. Teenage Fever Crumb, orphaned in the Skinners' Riots and the only female raised by the eminently rational Order of Engineers, is recruited by an archaeologist who has found a hidden Scriven workshop. But nomads are moving in, Fever is beset by unfamiliar memories and civil unrest is once again taking over. Filled with humor ("blog," as in who gives a, is a swearword) and tackling issues of love, family and power, the author balances the occasional cheap laugh (the Hari Potter cult) or violent death with a finely wrought coming-of-age story starring an unlikely and occasionally unlikable heroine who (like Hester Shaw) becomes a figure of pathos and dignity. Bonuses: the start of Municipal Darwinism, Grike's origins and a glimpse of the real Great Quirke. An essential read for fans and a great entry point for newcomers to the world; here's hoping there's more to come. (Science fiction. 13 & up)
From the Publisher
Praise for Fever Crumb
"Reeve's captivating flights of imagination play as vital a role in the story as his endearing heroine, hissworthy villains, and nifty array of supporting characters." - Booklist, starred review*
"Beautifully written, grippingly paced, and filled with eccentric characters and bizarre inventions... this is a novel guaranteed to please Reeve's fans-and very likely broaden their ranks." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Well imagined... A must for any fantasy collection." - School Library Journal, starred review
"An essential read for fans and a great entry point for newcomers to the world; here's hoping there's more to come." - Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
Gr 5–7—Reeve's "Hungry City Quartet" (HarperCollins) remains a landmark of visionary steampunk imagination, with a future where traction cities roll about chasing down smaller cities, which they devour for parts in an exercise called Municipal Darwinism. Returning to this future, Reeve gives readers a story that takes place decades before the rise of the traction cities and examines the social and political milieu that led to that major societal change. Fever Crumb is the adopted daughter of Dr. Crumb, and the only female member of the Order of Engineers. Taken from the safety of the Order into the streets of London, Fever discovers a world where bands of Skinners have virtually exterminated a mutant race of people with speckled skin known as the Scriven. Suspected of being a Scriven herself, Fever must elude capture while she searches to find out who she really is. The answers she finds have far-reaching implications for the future of the world. Reeve is not just an excellent writer, but a creator with a wildly imaginative mind. The future London setting of this story is well imagined and feels like a place Charles Dickens might have described had he been a science-fiction writer. Plot details such as the origin story of the resurrected cyborg Stalker Shrike will resonate with fans of the earlier titles, but this book can also be read independently by those who are new to Reeve's work. A must for any fantasy collection.—Tim Wadham, St. Louis County Library, MO
School Library Journal - Audio
Gr 5–8—Fever was adopted as an infant by the Order of Engineers in a future London. The only female, she is raised by Dr. Crumb almost as an experiment in the training of women (who are not thought capable of logic). Dr. Crumb agrees to send Fever out to assist an archeologist on a clandestine undertaking. While on the mission, Fever discovers a great deal about the world in which she has been born and some things about her own background. Philip Reeve's riveting story (Scholastic, 2010) will be recognized by fans as a prequel to "The Hungry City Quartet" (HarperCollins), but it stands entirely alone. Set in the London of an uneasy, warring future, Fever and other memorable characters come brilliantly to life through the author's resonant narration. At the novel's conclusion, Reeve's shares a deleted chapter from the print version (it made the book too long) which provides greater insight into the characters' world and their motivations as well as the author's writing process and the impetus for his work.—Maria Salvadore, formerly Washington DC Public Library
