Railhead

Starred review from April 25, 2016
Reeve (the Mortal Engines series) sets this exciting science fiction adventure in a far-future universe where humans inhabit 1,000 worlds connected by K-gates, portals that allow inexpensive and virtually instantaneous travel across the galaxy. The only way to pass through a K-gate is by riding sentient and often eccentric trains, "barracuda-beautiful, dreaming their dreams of speed and distance as they race from world to world." Zen Starling is a young "railhead," a train aficionado, who supports his disabled mother through petty theft on a variety of worlds until he's approached by Nova, a strong-willed android, and Captain Malik of Railforce, the agency that polices the interstellar network. Nova wants to hire Zen to work for a mysterious revolutionary known as Raven; Malik accuses the bewildered Zen of already being so employed. A wild chase ensues across many planets, involving numerous spectacular train battles. Featuring gorgeously described alien landscapes, sharply drawn characters (some not even vaguely human), and genuinely awesome technology, this thrilling and imaginative escapade will captivate the Carnegie Medalâwinner's many fans. Ages 14âup.

Starred review from July 1, 2016

Gr 5-8-In this vividly realized interstellar adventure, Reeve grabs hold of readers' imaginations early on and takes them on an exciting ride through time and space. The novel is set in a dystopian future in which the far reaches of the solar system have been mined and terraformed; artificial intelligence and vast connected internets called dataseas control most movement, research, and exploration; and power lies in the hands of a few corporate families. The main mode of transportation is a series of sentient trains capable of traveling thousands of light-years in a matter of seconds. Zen Starling is a human boy who is forced by dire circumstances into a life of pilfering bits and scraps from markets along the train lines in order to help support his mentally unstable mother and sister. A self-professed railhead, Zen often blasts through the K-gates to far distant stations to elude authorities and irate merchants. When he is approached by a mysterious man, known only as Raven, and asked to steal a small item from a train in exchange for a promise to help his family, he readily agrees and inadvertently sets a power struggle and possible coup into motion. His partner and best ally throughout the adventure is Nova, who is an android with human features and feelings. With adept and thoughtful hands, Reeve constructs a big, sprawling, and thrilling universe (a handy glossary is included to sort out all of the intricate networks and relationships), and one in which the trains run on time. VERDICT Sci-fi fans will delight in this lightning-paced and satisfying read.-Luann Toth, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2016
Starlight Express meets Trainspotting--as run through Reeve's fertile imagination. Imagine: a world where solar systems are connected by mysterious train tracks. Onboard, you can rocket light-years in an instant, planet to planet, although some are mined-out wastelands and all are controlled by corporate families now that the Guardians--godlike Old Earth artificial intelligence--stay in the Datasea. Petty thief Zen Starling doesn't think much of Guardians or corporate families; he does what he needs to to support his family. But when Raven, a strange pale man in a world where shades of brown are the norm for humanity, recruits him, Zen (with Motorik companion Nova, upgraded into an individual) finds himself impersonating a member of the Emperor's family, stealing an ancient treasure, and possibly inciting world war. Reeve's writing never flags, with moments of pathos and magic seamlessly interwoven. Dozens of characters collide--the sentient trains; the Motorik; the Emperor's daughter Threnody and her boring but stalwart betrothed; Hive Monks; the Railforce agent who has tracked Raven across lifetimes--each one nearly as fascinating as the world Reeve has created (don't miss the glossary at the end). As he did with the Mortal Engines series, Reeve has crafted something at once weirdly familiar and marvelously original. Thank the stars there's at least one sequel planned already. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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