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Tapper Watson and the Quest for the Nemo Machine
Tapper Watson is an ordinary Erisian boy who loves adventure stories. When his uncle sends him away on a space submarine to other worlds, he just wants to go home again.
On an unscheduled visit to Earth, he meets Fern Shakespeare and a talking plant called Morse, and their real life adventures begin. But chased through worlds by a pair of trigger-happy lobster mobsters in search of the mysterious Nemo Machine, Tapper begins to realize that he might not be so ordinary art after all…
On an unscheduled visit to Earth, he meets Fern Shakespeare and a talking plant called Morse, and their real life adventures begin. But chased through worlds by a pair of trigger-happy lobster mobsters in search of the mysterious Nemo Machine, Tapper begins to realize that he might not be so ordinary art after all…
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 7, 2023
5 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Claire Fayers
10 books89 followersPlease note: I don't often visit Goodreads so I don't accept friend requests and I'm unlikely to see questions posted here. If you'd like to get in touch, please send me a message through my website.
Claire Fayers writes comic fantasy featuring swashbuckling pirates, evil magicians, heroic librarians and man-eating penguins. She grew up in South Wales, studied English in Canterbury, and is now back in Wales where she spends a lot of her free time tramping around castles in the rain, looking for dragons.
Claire Fayers writes comic fantasy featuring swashbuckling pirates, evil magicians, heroic librarians and man-eating penguins. She grew up in South Wales, studied English in Canterbury, and is now back in Wales where she spends a lot of her free time tramping around castles in the rain, looking for dragons.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 16, 2024
What a blast! From the first page, we, the readers, know we're in for something new and an out-of-the-box adventure! A submarine, navigating rivers that flow between planets, full of memories that show up in brief pictures and flourishes of color, lobsters as bad guys perhaps, Tapper's cousins - as he is cousin sixty-eight, and an 11-year-old human girl Fern who says she can repair the submarine. And so many more extraordinary characters. It is a delight following Tapper and Fern as they find friendship is not easy, things are not what they appear, and find and destroy her father's brilliant invention turned weapon that is actually hurting the creatures of the rivers. I am hooked on this quirky series with its underlying message of good will.
September 30, 2023
Take a pinch of Greek mythology, add a spoonful of Star Trek, stir in an ordinary girl from Swansea and a neurotic alien boy, far from home – and SHAKE. Garnish with the leaves of a talking plant, and serve it on a submarine to Octopods and Dragonae: this is Claire Fayer’s charming, funny and kinetic new adventure for middle-grade readers, Tapper Watson and the Quest for the Nemo Machine. Told in clear, agile prose that carries us lightly along the intergalactic rivers that connect the known worlds of the universe, it’s a glorious mash-up of science fiction and ancient tales of heroism. Readers of 8+ will love it, and hopefully demand a sequel!
December 21, 2025
A bit of a rough first couple of chapters, but when it gets going, it's a really fun adventure with little bits of Greek mythology throughout just to keep you on your toes.
The cast of characters is endearing, the plot surprising, and the entire thing super enjoyable. I did feel that there could maybe have been a more fleshed out relationship between the kids but otherwise really good.
The cast of characters is endearing, the plot surprising, and the entire thing super enjoyable. I did feel that there could maybe have been a more fleshed out relationship between the kids but otherwise really good.
August 23, 2023
This is a fantastically imaginative and hilarious science fiction adventure that starts in Wales and bops around through the universe, with wonderful characters and so much humour along the way. I loved it!
September 21, 2023
This is one of the best middle grade science fiction novels I have read for a long time.
This is a highly original fast-paced quest to find the Nemo Machine before it gets into the hands of Cousin Twenty-Three, the claws of the Lobster Mobsters, or the tentacles of the innocent-looking Zymandian octopods.
Our two 12-year-old reluctant heroes are from very different worlds. Tapper Watson is from Erasia and is the youngest of sixty-eight cousins and has recently become the apprentice to Argo and Belladonna on their submarine at the insistence of Uncle Five. Fern Shakespeare is from Earth and works during the holidays with her volunteer mechanic dad in their submarine repair / guided tour shop in Swansea. She has a brilliant plant that talks using Morse code and helps them on their adventures through the Lethe, the river that connects the different worlds and contains all the memories of everyone who ever lived. The rivers only draw back is it can make people lose their memories if they swallow any.
Sometimes the memories in the Lethe appear as Echolings. Fern’s dad is the inventor of the Nemo Machine, which can retrieve these memories from the river. Tapper has an unusual talent that he can hear the Echolings. When one that is the spitting image of Tapper climbs out of the river to talk to Tapper, Argo throws a stone at it and the Echoling explodes, showering water over Fern’s dad who accidently swallows some causing Lethamnesia. His only hope is to restore his memories is to find the Nemo Machine.
The plot is action packed but not at the expense of the character development. I particularly liked the friction between Fern and Tapper. Their behaviour and reactions are very different from each other. In fact, every character is well-rounded with their own good and bad traits. The different aliens were hilarious but my absolute favourite had to be the lobster monsters and how one dreamed of being a language teacher.
A great book for all young sci-fi fans and readers who love adventures.
This is a highly original fast-paced quest to find the Nemo Machine before it gets into the hands of Cousin Twenty-Three, the claws of the Lobster Mobsters, or the tentacles of the innocent-looking Zymandian octopods.
Our two 12-year-old reluctant heroes are from very different worlds. Tapper Watson is from Erasia and is the youngest of sixty-eight cousins and has recently become the apprentice to Argo and Belladonna on their submarine at the insistence of Uncle Five. Fern Shakespeare is from Earth and works during the holidays with her volunteer mechanic dad in their submarine repair / guided tour shop in Swansea. She has a brilliant plant that talks using Morse code and helps them on their adventures through the Lethe, the river that connects the different worlds and contains all the memories of everyone who ever lived. The rivers only draw back is it can make people lose their memories if they swallow any.
Sometimes the memories in the Lethe appear as Echolings. Fern’s dad is the inventor of the Nemo Machine, which can retrieve these memories from the river. Tapper has an unusual talent that he can hear the Echolings. When one that is the spitting image of Tapper climbs out of the river to talk to Tapper, Argo throws a stone at it and the Echoling explodes, showering water over Fern’s dad who accidently swallows some causing Lethamnesia. His only hope is to restore his memories is to find the Nemo Machine.
The plot is action packed but not at the expense of the character development. I particularly liked the friction between Fern and Tapper. Their behaviour and reactions are very different from each other. In fact, every character is well-rounded with their own good and bad traits. The different aliens were hilarious but my absolute favourite had to be the lobster monsters and how one dreamed of being a language teacher.
A great book for all young sci-fi fans and readers who love adventures.
February 3, 2024
Brilliantly Bonkers!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews