A Web of Air

Fever Crumb #2

by Philip Reeve

The secrets of flight have been lost for thousands of years.

But in a faraway corner of a ruined world, a mysterious boy is building a flying machine. Birds help him, and so does a beautiful, brilliant engineer called Fever Crumb. But powerful enemies stalk them—either to possess their fantastic invention, or to destroy the secrets of flight forever.

Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia, Adventure

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Philip Reeve was born and raised in Brighton, where he worked in a bookshop for a number of years while also co-writing, producing and directing a number of no-budget theatre projects.

Philip then began illustrating and has since provided cartoons for around forty children's books, including the best-selling Horrible Histories, Murderous Maths and Dead Famous series.

Railhead, published by Oxford University Press, will be published in the UK in October 2015

Pugs of the Frozen North, written with Sarah McIntyre, is out now.

Reviews

[Lover of books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one! It wasn't as sad as the other which was nice!! Can't wait to read the last prequel book!

[Lady Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quite a disappointment to me. I have always loved Philip Reeve's work and his Mortal Engines Collection is easily my favorite series of all time. This volume though was lacking in just about everything I've loved about his writing and stories. Here' two things that really struck me:

The trademark humour was almost nowhere to be found.

Reeve's anti-religious 'message' was very in-your-face and really didn't aid the story at all... and frankly at points was more than a little offensive. FYI Mr. Reeve, rationality, intelligence and religious faith are NOT incompatible.

Too Fever Crumb, while interesting, is not Tom nor is she Hester. And honestly, the first Fever Crumb novel was more palatable because it was an origin story of sorts for Grike (or Shrike depending on what edition you're reading). This volume? Had a whole lot of 'not much' going on. I did like Thursday and if nothing else, I'm looking forward to the next volume, Scrivener's Moon, to tie up Grike's end of the plot.

[Delaina Pacitto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fever and Thursday or nothing,
He gave me nothing, go to book three then lol 😂

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love the social commentary that philip reeve intersperses in his steampunk fiction. mostly because it is off hand, in the way of peoples names or the things that people will remember or misremember about the life we live now x amount of years into a dystopian future.

the mortal engines quartet worked its way up very magnificently, each book better than the last with "a darkling plain" being masterful. to the point that after i finished it i wanted to read the whole series over again.

too bad these prequeals arent living up to that.

"fever crumb" was a good book. a little too much on the young adult side for my liking, but i love the world and the way that he writes. i have been waiting to get "a web of air" for ages and eventually i got one. i was very excited to read it.

it started out strong, and ended up being an overall good book...but i couldve used more depth. i hope this prequel series works like the harry potter series where each new book graduates in its depth and content as the characters it follows age.

this book was a little less young adulty than fever crumb, but still a little bit too much. there were some storylines that couldve been followed through more and depth that couldve been unearthed if the characters were just a little bit stronger or had more pronounced personalities.

i was pretty sure that dr teal was vishniak right after midas flynn was murdered. that mystery could have used some more folds. i didnt really like the end of this book at all. well, i loved the soliloquy that fever goes on with wavey about using religion to influence the people instead of murder. that was spot on.

but that all moved so quickly. we shouldve seen arlo again after he came aboard the london ship, him and fever should have had a moment. basically, this book couldve been helped by about 100 more pages of unfolding at the end and at least 50 more pages of storyline throughout.

still, i am desperately looking forward to the next installment and i hope:
1. that arlo thursday comes back with a flying machine.
2. that ruan turns into a character like fishcake, angry with fever for choosing someone other than him and kind of turning to the darkside of tech as a way to pay her back. (becuase i can see fever going on to london and becoming a high engineer in her mothers care, being instrumental in setting london rolling - especially with her knowledge of the torus and engines in general.)
3. where the heck was shrike??! this is the first book that he wasnt in i think, maybe he wasnt in predators gold...but i cant recall.
4. the writing starts to grow up!

[Arminzerella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engineer, Fever Crumb is traveling with a group of performers as she tries to come to terms with her identity (part Scriven). She has revolutionized their stage lighting and special effects with electricity – quite a novelty in some of the places they travel. When the troupe arrives in Mayda, Fever discovers a kindred spirit in the eccentric, but brilliant, Arlo Thursday, who is attempting to build a flying machine. Word leaks out that the two are on the verge of success and a number of interested parties attempt to steal the secret of flight and/or silence the young inventors. Fever, despite her passion for rationality, discovers an irrational urge to protect Arlo (out of love), and denounces their flying machine as an insult to the gods. Arlo sails off into the horizon – alone – and Fever is left in the clutches of her overbearing mother, who is determined to transform their home – London – into a mobile city.

It’s been a couple years since I read Fever Crumb, and it took me a few chapters to really get into this. There’s just enough science and technical details included to whet the appetite – and perhaps encourage readers to research flight and air-flow equations on their own (if they want to know more). One of the things I like about Fever is her determined, no-nonsense attitude. So, I was a little disappointed when she became a victim of alien-to-her emotions and fell in love with Arlo. It seems like EVERYthing I read these days feels the need to get romantic somewhere along the way. As a result of this love, she makes some questionable decisions in order to make Arlo safe. And her rational side *should* be telling her that he’ll never be safe so long as there are people (and powerful organizations) out there who want to suppress what they have discovered – that human flight is possible. Rather a cliff-hanger ending with Arlo barely escaping with his life, and Fever about to be dragged back to the city that almost destroyed her. Enjoyed this installment and look forward to reading “Scrivener’s Moon.”

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading through the reviews it strikes me that this book is heavily affected by your experience of Phillip Reeve's writing. If you a fan of Mortal Engines - this may lack depth. If you have only really read Fevercrumb, this is a step up. If you are familiar with Reeve's world, then the absence of a resolution with Arlo and Fevercrumb will not surprise you as Reeve often works on a longer timeline than just 1 book. Bearing all that in mind here is my original review:

The second in the prequel to the outstanding Mortal Engines books. Fevercrumb - the first prequel was disappointing: written for a slightly younger audience, it had its moments but lacked the depth of the later books. Either I have adjusted or Reeve is getting into his stride here. A Web of Air was much more satisfying. It had a narrative that worked in its own right rather than being driven by its role as a prequel.

Fevercrumb re-appears 2 years on from the events in #1 still looking after Fern and Ruan but beginning to feel frustrated by her role as stepmother and lighting assistant. Her engineer's interest is piqued by rumours of a boy experimenting with flight in the island of Mayda. An adventure follows but Reeve is able to make this children's story more satisfying by interweaving suggestions of previous generations and wider plot lines, as well as exploring betrayal on various levels.

Reeve has got to be in my top ten of children's authors. Great storylines, a fantastic world and wonderful ability to convey complex characters and motives.

[Time to start reading again · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly better than the first book.
Sure, the first book was good, but the climax was a giant beer barrell rolling down the street. The action in the sequel hooked me, and the concept of a concave city with rising and falling houses was sweet. It seemed like Reeve put more thought into this one. Although Fever sort of falls in love, at the end, it all diminishes to nothing and the guy runs off. I mean, not my favorite, but actually better than the alternative, once you consider it. There were a few really stellar moments of literature, and re-introducing flight into a futuristic steampunk world is totally genius. Although it picked at me that everything was lost in the end. Pooh. Ah well, the "Doughnut of Power" (-Arlo) was good while it lasted. All the characters were very strong, and I never expected anything of the sort from Dr. Teal! The descriptive language is strong throughout, using such catching phrases as "the distant farting of brass bugles" and "smells like nameless sprays of colour", but it never distracts from the action so that you don't feel like reading anymore. One thing: Fever kisses Arlo, and for the weakness of it, it's really not worth it. It's like, oh yeah, last thing on my to-do list - kiss him! OK, that's done with, back to flight. It wasn't a, screaming-toes-curling-I-can't-look sort of kiss, but overall, I am glad to have picked up this book.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really like the first of Fever Crumb's books, but it was definitely a less complex book than any of the Mortal Engines series had been. A Web of Air is like the middle ground, a little darker than Fever Crumb had been, but without quite the same narrative complexity of Mortal Engines.

Essentially, the plot is about Fever helping a new character named Arlo Thursday re-discover heavier than air flight. Which, if you've read ME, you know he won't succeed at. There is a romance, which is lacking something. Passion, certainly, but this is essentially Fever's perspective, and she's ill-equipped to express that particular emotion. Far more interesting is the sabotage (and murder) plot, intended to stop the development of heavier than air flight. The ending is what I would expect from one of Reeve's books at this point.

Maybe the biggest obstacle to my enjoyment of the book was the narrator of the audiobook I listened to. Most of the time, she was fine, but her accents... Completely unrecognizable, and inconsistent. Arlo is a native of the island of Mayda, and should by rights have the same accent as everybody else who lives there. He doesn't.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talk about a subversive message. The denouement of this book contains the following line (possibly slightly paraphrased) "If you really want to stop something, use religion, not guns or bombs." At which point a "vision" is invoked to save a characters life but ruin his invention.

This isn't why I only give it 3 stars, but is just to say that this message is pretty in your face. Basically, even though I'd loved Reeve's previous book, this felt not only pedestrian but preachy and lacking in humor. That said, it's still a pretty fast paced adventure. It just doesn't live up to his previous works.

[Sayel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising story with unexpected twists

In the style of Philip Reeve, a story about a seemingly weak girl who ends up growing while facing adventures with an unconventional character. The story brings a few twists and take you to a different world of myths and fantasy

[Elizabeth Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from the terrifying story of the invasion of a primitive city of London, thousands of years into the future, we follow the heroine, Fever Crumb, after she has run away from her newly discovered parents, taking orphans, Rewan and Fern, with her to join a travelling theatre company. But Fever is not challenged in her work providing lighting for the productions in the crater city of Mayda so she is intrigued to hear of a mad young genius, Arlo Thursday, who may be developing a craft which can fly. Unwittingly she leads Arlo’s enemies to his hiding place.
Still an admirable young woman, Fever’s emotional senses have developed though they are at odds with her natural logic. In some ways she shows great wisdom, as when she observes, “If you really want to stop people thinking, you don’t use guns or bombs. You use religion.” The novel introduces us to “Angels,” strange, bird like creatures with a limited ability to communicate with chosen people and there is also a fascinating sliding mechanism allowing houses to move up and down the hillside to shop or to see a better view.
This is the middle book of the trilogy, so we are left in limbo at the end of the story. I can’t wait to read more of the development of London into a travelling traction city and also to see if Fever will meet any of the people who cared about her, once again.

[Shebby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just having a hard time getting lost in this world and in these characters. The events and themes are interesting, but I can't seem to get invested. I also have a hard time with books that make such heavy handed references to future events. In the last book it was Grike (whoever that is), and in this book it's the Jenny Haniver (I half expected him to call it the Shenny Shaniver since we're changing everyone's names).

I wonder if part of why I don't enjoy it as much is because the narrator is different. And the stories are too self-contained. It feels like each book is just a new villain of the week, like there's no larger plot. Sometimes I can't put a book down because it's so exciting, and other times I can't put it down so I can get it over with as fast as possible.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fever Crumb grows so much in this installment. Out making her own way with a travelling theatre for the last two years, Fever feels that though she is wasting her time she is not entirely wasting her talent. A new city and new characters provide a brilliant backdrop for Fever to take further steps away from the life she knew in London. Though, London is never as far as she thinks.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Web of Air abandons nearly everything about the first book, which is disappointing considering what it could've been. There was plenty of room for development in the story of London. But instead, this feels like an unnecessary detour.

Nonetheless, I had fun reading it. It isn't a bad book. There are plenty of cool moments in it. And I'm hopeful for Scrivener's Moon.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it better than the first one. Onto book three.

[TheGeekishBrunette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5

The one thing that I enjoy about this author’s writing is how each book has a time gap in between and each book is a new part of the main character’s life. It’s what made me enjoy The Mortal Engines Quartet so much. This prequel has been fine to read through but for me, it doesn’t come close to how I feel for the other.

Fever Crumb is an interesting character. She is smart and loves engineering. There are times that I enjoy reading about her and there are times I don’t. The times I don’t is when she is making fun of someone’s religious beliefs. As someone who has their own religous beliefs it is very off putting.

There are other characters from book one that appear which is nice to see. There are also new faces and I liked seeing Fever Crumb fall for someone. It was cute and not overbearing like some romances in books can be.

I did like that this book has a lot of action and there are definitely some great plot twists scattered throughout. It kept me quite engaged.

Overall, I thought this book was fine even if some topics were off putting. I will continue on with this series since I only have one book left. Hopefully the ending will be great.

[Mariann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fever Crumb liitus praamiga reisiva (?) rändteatriga, ms nüüd jõuab maailma lõppu Maydasse. See on hästi huvitav linn, ehitatud sõjas tekkinud kraatri seintele. Üks omamoodi asi asula juures on üles-alla liikuvad majad. Kusjuures, kuna linnas vaadatakse tehnika peale halvasti, majade liigutamiseks kasutatakse mingeid veepaake, mootorid jne on tabu. Ometi elab just selles linnas poiss, kes on taasavastanud lendamise saladuse. Siinkohal peaks vist mainima, et tegu on tuleviku maailma, kust on üle käinud suur sõda, mille käigus tipptehnika saladused jäid inimestele kadunuks ja palju asju tuleb uuesti avastada. Näiteks Ameerika on kadunud mander, mis arvatakse olevat elamiskõlbmatu. Igatahes saavad inseneriteadmistega Fever Crumb ning lendamisest unistav Arlo Thursday kokku ja tüdruk otsustab, et jääb nüüd saarele talle appi. Loomulikult on teisigi, kes on kuulnud poisist, kes kohe-kohe taeva on tõusmas ning vaenlasi on iga nurga taga. Raamatu teevad veidi lõbusamaks-erilisemaks inglid, kes on siis intelligentne linnuliik. Sarnaselt inimestele on nemadki oma tarkusi unustamas. See tegi mind tegelikult kurvaks.

Siiani kõige nõrgem Philip Reeve'i raamat minu jaoks kahjuks. Esimesest osast väga ei mäletanud midagi, meelde ka väga ei tuletatud. Esimene suurem äratundmishetk oli siis, kui äkki ilmus juttu Jenny Haniver. Sama nimega laev oli ka Surelikes Masinates. Peale seda hakkasid Fever Crumbi ehk peategelase kohta ka mingid detailid meenuma. Vahepeal ausalt googeldasin eelmise osa kokkuvõtte, et lõpuks loosse sulanduda. Kahjuks ei meeldinud ta selles romaanis mulle, käitus kuidagi rumalalt ja läbimõtlematult.

Kui lendamisest rääkida, siis mulle on meeldinud: E.Colfer "AIRMAN" ja GRR.Martin/L.Tuttle "Windhaven"

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I didn't like this book as much as Fever Crumb. For all that she was rational and logical, Fever was incredibly stupid when it came to people. Why did she trust everyone she met, to the extent that she told several people about Arlo and his plans to build a flying machine, even though he told her he was in danger and that secrecy was paramount? She knows that people lie and have hidden agendas, yet she couldn't seem to put this knowledge into practice, or consider the consequences of her actions.

I also disliked Philip Reeve's militant anti-religionism. (And for me, that's saying a lot.) There's a bit near the beginning of the book that made me laugh, where AP says, "Even so, we have to respect other people's beliefs..." and Fever replies, "No, we don't. Not if the things they believe in are stupid."

But then right near the end of the book, Fever says to Wavey: "If you really want to stop people thinking, you don't use guns or bombs. You use religion. [...] All over the world, all sorts of good things are banned and forbidden in the name ofone religion or another. You don't have to hurt Arlo. Please don't. You can stop his ideas being used. Just bribe a few priests. It's the job of priests to control knowledge and stand in the way of progress: it's what they're for. Let them spread the word that the gods never meant us to fly."

I get that she was desperate to save Arlo's life, but to me that felt more like the author talking than Fever? It made me wince. He makes Philip Pullman's atheism look subtle.

[Kat Heckenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally loved the first book in this series, Fever Crumb, and this one didn't disappoint as far as writing goes. Still love the main character, Fever, with her quirky, scientific brain. Love the steampunk feel. The plot was full of adventure and mystery, and the new characters were interesting.

My disappointment comes from the fact that the book had a really in-your-face anti-religious message. I mean, it couldn't have been more clear if the author had written in big letters across the last page: If you have any religious faith at all, you're a big, deluded moron out to stop scientific advancement and are therefore the cause of all the woes of this world. :(

I will not knock my rating down, because the book is well-written and I enjoyed it, but reader beware if you are sensitive to such messages.


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book 1

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[Emerald Bixby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better paced overall than the first in this trilogy, really exciting, felt rich and driven again instead of verbal-story-dump-y in the way the previous one did. The very ending does feel kinda rushed and weird, with Fever doing some actions that felt very out of character and sudden (maybe some more explanation of her thought process could have saved that) and the whole last couple of chapters feeling more like a disconnected dream sequence than an actual series of events ... so I can't really *not* knock off a star for that, it just felt really underdeveloped all of a sudden and just thumped awkwardly to the end after being so exciting and so good.

But that's not why I'm disappointed right now. No, I'm disappointed in an entirely appropriate low-point-before-the-trilogy-resolves kind of way 😭 I feel comfortable expecting some major resolution from the third book, because by golly it's NEEDED.

[Oleksandr Fediienko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Детальніше – у 16 випуску подкасту "небагатослів".

Фівер Крам, яка тепер веде самостійне життя подалі від ордену інженерів (тепер - гільдії інженерів), стає справжньою інженеркою. Її винаходи поки що не надто вражають, та все ж. У свої шістнадцять вона змайструвала театральні прожектори, які подають яскраве червоне світло; фігурно затемнений прожектор, щоб створити ілюзію півмісяця; рухомі декорації, прикріплені до диску, що обертається; регулю��ала освітленість завдяки зміні рівня соляного розчину, через який проходить струм, який живить прожектори; використала мозок Сталкера (який, підозрюю, працює на ядерному синтезі) в якості двигуна для літака; цілеспрямовано використала релігії для вибіркової боротьби з науковим прогресом, для придушення конкурентів. А ще потрапила у пригоди, зустрівши юнака, який мріє віднайти секрет польоту.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this less compelling than the first one in the series: Fever Crumb. It has the same flawed yet appealing heroine, and the world is certainly as interesting as it is in the other Mortal Engines books. Reeve is also an excellent writer, with touches of poetry here and there in the description and with a firm grasp on character and plot. The only problem is that the central action, the re-invention (and then the disinvention) of heavier-than-air flight doesn't involve Fever Crumb except as a matter of curiosity. This makes the story seem tangential and etiological (given the dominance of dirigibles in the future world of the Mortal Engines series). Also, if you like happy romantic endings, you will not be satisfied.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's me, but I can't just finish Philip Reeve's sequels. I loved Fever Crumb and I was so excited about Web of Air. I read (not skimmed) half of the book, but the plot was dragging and tacked together. Arlo Thursday is a very likable recluse and a good match for Fever. Maybe there was not enough genuine interpersonal conflicts? Maybe this is less of an issue for other people (like guys)?

I had the same problem with the Mortal Engines. I loved the first book and read the second two, but just couldn't finish the fourth. Still he's a great author and I'd recommend his books to everyone, boys especially!

[Raziel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Old myths are very powerful”, Arlo Thursday

“she was falling in love... And although she knew it must just be a matter of chemicals and instincts, it still felt wonderful and frightening and strange.”

“If you were sensible you’d see that it can’t work. If you really want to stop people thinking, you don’t use guns or bombs. You use religion.”, Fever Crumb

“It’s the job of priests to control knowledge and stand in the way of progress: it’s what they’re for.”, Fever Crumb

“Probably part of the job of being a priestess was making people believe you knew everything.”

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although intriguing and personal, A Web of Air failed to fulfill my expectations. The previous Mortal Engines intalments packed a real punch, and even the prequel Fever Crumb was a ripper.
However, I found the characters in this particular episode were not created well. Somehow, they seemed to be stereotypical and bland.
All the same, Web of Air had a hard target to beat, and it did not fail. I would reccomend it to anyone who is reading the series, although it is not the best.

[Geoff Lynas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with the rather downbeat and unsatisfying ending of this book. My bad though, as I thought it was the last in the short series. Turns out there's a third book yet to read. One last visit to Philip Reeve's very grim far future. If only the good guys were easier to spot. They all seem only marginally less brutal than the villains. At least he gave up on the irritating naming conventions of the previous book. Thank you.

[Jules Readner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snacks? Snacksies?
A snack?

I might be on the spectrum but for me, Fever is the most relatable character of Reeve yet and I adore her! I also share his love for endings that range from bittersweet to sad.

I also liked the fact that, like Fever, we didn't get closure. We didn't get that moment that we wanted that made everything ok. Because live doesn't work that way. Sometimes it hurts and that's okay.

I really liked this one!

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of flight. A great read. The ending really killed me though I wish there was a sequel! I need Fever and Arlo to get back together :( The first book "Fever Crumb" gave me high expectations which this book delivered. Loved it

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardcover

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

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