Starcross: A Stirring Adventure of Spies, Time Travel and Curious Hats (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- The Key to Rondo
Hardly a year has gone by since Arthur Mumby, his prissy sister Myrtle, and intergalactic adventurer Jack Havock and his crew defeated a nefarious megalomaniac, and now—wouldn't you know it—the universe is in need of saving once again. Sir Launcelot Sprigg returns as villain this time around, and he's mustered the forces of mind-altering Moobs (who prefer to manifest themselves as innocent top hats) to compel his victims to do his bidding. The righteous defenders of Reeve's alternative British Empire are bound to prevail, though, with Myrtle displaying an aptitude for running the alchemical engine of the starship, the Mumby siblings' millions-year-old mother back in domestic command, and the services of the Threls and their prodigious knitting skills (don't ask—it actually makes perfect sense within the story) to bring the baddies to bay. Readers who delighted in the clever send-up of British imperialism in the debut adventure Larklight (BCCB 2/07) will be equally pleased with this sequel, wherein Reeve manages to make the most outlandish creatures and plot points conform to loopy but unassailable internal logic. With Myrtle showing unexpected mettle, and myriad cosmic nooks and crannies yet to explore, fans will be primed for another installment.
