Larklight facts for kids
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| Author | Philip Reeve |
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| Illustrator | David Wyatt |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Larklight Trilogy |
| Genre | Steampunk |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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Publication date
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October 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 412 |
| ISBN | 0-7475-8240-8 |
| OCLC | 255773817 |
| Followed by | Starcross |
Larklight is an exciting adventure novel written by Philip Reeve and illustrated by David Wyatt. It's the first book in the thrilling Larklight Trilogy series.
This story is a space opera, which means it's an adventure set in space. It takes place in an alternate Victorian era, a time when people explored the solar system for over a hundred years. In this world, most planets can support life! The main character, Art Mumby, tells the story of a huge attack. An ancient alien race, like giant spiders, threatens the British Empire and the entire solar system. Art and his family become very important in stopping them, with help from a pirate named Jack Havock and his crew.
Contents
Unraveling the Mystery: The Plot of Larklight
A Strange Visitor and a Daring Escape
The adventure begins at Larklight, a unique house that floats around Earth's moon. The Mumby family receives a visitor from the Royal Xenological Society, a Mr. Webster. He turns out to be a huge white spider alien! Art and his sister Myrtle manage to escape, but their father is captured.
Art and Myrtle flee in an escape pod. They crash-land on the Moon. There, they are almost trapped by dangerous larvae. Luckily, they are rescued by the pirate Jack Havock and his crew. Art is surprised to learn that Jack is only fifteen years old. Jack is also the only human on his ship! Myrtle is upset about being with pirates and demands to be taken to Fort George, a British base on the moon.
Pirate Adventures and Hidden Secrets
On the pirates' ship, the Sophronia, a British Navy ship appears. It orders Jack to surrender. Jack cleverly distracts the officers by pretending to hold Art and Myrtle hostage. This gives Ssillissa, the ship's alchemist, time to start the engines and fly the Sophronia to safety.
They hide on Venus, which used to be Jack Havock's home. Jack explains that colonists there, including his own family, were turned into trees by a sudden pollination. Meanwhile, the white spiders take Myrtle to the Martian home of Sir Waverly Rain. His factories cover Phobos and Deimos, two of Mars' moons.
Myrtle's Escape and a Race to Earth
Myrtle escapes with a Martian maid named Ulla and her husband, Richard. She learns that Sir Waverly Rain was captured by the spiders and replaced by a spider-controlled robot. They believe the spiders are planning something much worse. They race to London to warn everyone.
Jack and Art visit Jupiter's moon Io. They go into Jupiter's thick atmosphere to ask for help from the Thunderhead. The Thunderhead tells them to protect the "key to Larklight." Not knowing what this means, they try to leave Jupiter. They are abandoned by their ferryman but are rescued by the Sophronia's crew.
The Key to Larklight and a Final Showdown
Jack discovers that Myrtle's locket, which Art now has, is the key to Larklight. It can activate powerful engines that could change the entire solar system. Jack leads his crew to the spiders' home on the Rings of Saturn to trade the locket for Myrtle's safe return.
When they arrive, most of the crew are captured. Art is later brought before Professor Phineas Ptarmigan. This professor used to work at the Royal Xenological Institute, where Jack was held prisoner. Ptarmigan reveals his plan: he wants to use Larklight to destroy the Solar System. He wants to leave the remains for the spiders, whose ancestors had settled on tiny planets. Meanwhile, Ssillissa and her crewmate Yarg free the captured crew, along with Sir Waverly and Art's mother, Emily.
Saving London and a New Beginning
After freeing Larklight from the spiders, the heroes travel to Earth. A giant mechanical spider is attacking London! Myrtle takes control of the machine and uses it to defeat Mr. Webster. She then reunites with her family and Jack.
The story ends by revealing that the white spiders were not completely wiped out, but they were defeated. Ptarmigan is placed in an insane asylum. The Mumby family returns to live at Larklight, but they remove its strange, otherworldly machinery.
The Journey to the Big Screen: Larklight Film
Plans for a Movie Adaptation
Warner Bros. bought the rights to make a movie based on Larklight in 2006. In April 2008, director Shekhar Kapur announced he would direct the film. He and Steven Knight had been working on the script for three months. Kapur said the movie would have a budget of $200 million, making it his most expensive film. Alison Greenspan and Di Novi were set to produce it.
Delays and Changes
The film was planned for release on January 1, 2010. However, after the death of director Anthony Minghella in 2008, Kapur took over his unfinished movie New York, I Love You. This caused Larklight to be postponed.
