Worldshaker by Richard Harland

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My review:
Col Porpentine is on track to become the supreme commander of the Worldshaker, a juggernaut that is basically . . . well, England. Life and society have clear lines on Worldshaker, defined by the Upper and Lower decks. And the Bottom Deck, of course . . . but no one in Col's situation thinks of, much less mentions the Bottom Deck. There, among the pistons and sparks of the tremendous engines, live the Filthies. They're thought to be subhuman and half-animal, but when Col meets Riff, one who's running from her grim fate, he begins to ponder his inborn opinions of them. Riff changes his world - and in a few week's time, those changes become far greater than anything Col can control.

My thoughts:
Hmm. I think I liked this one. Harland's writing interested me - it was like a mirror, if that makes sense. I kept catching glimpses of styles I have read by other authors, and sometimes, I felt like I was reading something I might have written! It was a cool feeling, kind of abstract.

The characters were all intriguing, if not a leetle bit stereotyped. They all seemed like they had depth, and it would've been great if this book was longer to accommodate all of their possible intricacies. I loved all the Filthies Col encountered; they were unique and quirky and dark.

The setting of the Worldshaker was great - so very steampunk. :) My favorite part is when Riff leads Col through the Bottom Deck. I could feel the motion and see the huge moving parts and smell the coal. And all of the mystery around life on the Bottom was fascinating.

Content:
This novel wasn't squeaky clean, but it certainly wasn't abhorrent either.
Romance wise: Col and Riff have this connection throughout the story, but it doesn't amount to much as far as the reader is concerned.
Violence wise: The climax is slightly carnage-strewn.
And there is no bad language! That was refreshing in a YA novel.

Conclusion:
I liked it. That's all I can say. Out of four stars, I give Worldshaker 3.