Fly By Night

By Frances Hardinge

Winner of the Branford Boase award, Fly By Night is the stunning YA fantasy novel from Frances Hardinge, author of the Costa Award winning The Lie Tree.

As the realm struggles to maintain an uneasy peace after years of civil war and tyranny, a twelve-year-old orphan called Mosca Mye and her loyal companion, a cantankerous goose, are about to become the unlikely heroes of a radical revolution.

Mosca is on the run, heading for the city of Mandelion. There she finds herself living by her wits among cut-throat highwaymen, spies and smugglers. With peril at every turn, Mosca uncovers a dark plot to terrorize the people of Mandelion, and soon merry mayhem leads to murder . . .

Fly By Night has an unforgettable cast of characters and an inspiring message at its heart – sometimes the power of words can change the world.

Fly By Night is followed by its thrilling sequel, Twilight Robbery.

'Everyone should read Frances Hardinge. Everyone. Right now' - Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Jun 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9780330477161

Frances Hardinge

Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children's novels including, Fly By Night's sequel, Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree.

Reviews for Fly By Night

[allreb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is fantastic. It is, in fact, probably the best YA fantasy novel I've ever read. It's a book lover's book: it's about the love of, um, books. It does deal with religious topics, but unlike a lot of fantasy novels that do similarly, makes it clear that the reader should make up his or her own mind about the issues presented. It's got an awesome main character, who is dynamic and strong but still flawed -- the fact that she's young shows through her inexperience, for example. It's a story about growing up, learning who to trust, and the importance of a) thinking for yourself and b) reading. I can not recommend this book highly enough.

[morganwright_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The girl was kinda dumb to believe that a criminal would be kind to her, and not try to con her out of anything, but other than that, i thought it was good.

[bkjake · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The half I read was sprinkled with interesting bits, but on the whole it just moved very, very slowly and lost my interest. Best used as a year-long bedtime story to bore kids to sleep.

[cassielm_2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The premise is a little more interesting than the actual book. The protagonists aren't particularly likable. The plot is a somewhat intriguing, but not terribly exciting. I suppose my expectations should be lower for a young-adult book, but I've read many that have been excellent. This was mediocre and disappointing.

[cindywho-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A girl and her goose take advantage of an opportunity to leave a backwater town and travel to a city of the fractured kingdom. This world is full of dangerous political intrigue, small gods, and dubious characters. Mosca is a tough and pragmatic 12 year old, alone in the world and hungry for knowledge. I really liked this one.

[crowyhead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up mainly because it sounded interesting and because Garth Nix (a favorite YA author) praised it in such glowing terms in his cover blurb. Cover blurbs are a dangerous way to pick books, but in this case I picked a winner. Desperate to get out of town (and find some stories in the process), 12-year-old Mosca Mye throws in her lot with a con man named Eponymous Clent and takes off cross-country with Saracen the homicidal goose in tow. Mosca is unusual because her father taught her to read -- an unusual and potentially dangerous skill for anyone, let alone a girl. What follows is a fascinating adventure with loads of political intrigue that also manages to be laugh-out-loud funny. Harding has a way with words, and the names alone in this novel are enough to make me shout with glee. There are very few authors who even come close to filling Joan Aiken's shoes, but Mosca Mye is a heroine to rival Dido Twite.

[quondame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an attempt at a madcap adventure cross between urchin in the big city and alert young girl gets caught up in adventure, with the young girl central character being the stone that starts the avalanche that she then dances from boulder to boulder all the way down, being re-re-re-enlightened along the way. Too much a porcupine of a story to strongly captivate or charm - except for the goose which is almost perfectly integrated into the story.

[hobbitlass · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is another one of those books that theoretically should have appealed to me: It has a strong female character, adventure, a love of books and words and writing. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me. I disliked the male protagonist and the trope of young girl in tenuous partnership with unsavoury older man.

[jeeps-4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars.

Wonderful. Took me a little while to get into it, perhaps due to my general aversion to books about books, but then I realized it's about much more than that, and it pulled me in to a story that is charming and smart and unique. Hardinge is an absolute master of simile in a way that evokes an immediate understanding of what she describes. I also wouldn't be surprised if this is a book that ever finds itself banned. Highly recommended.

[nramos_59318 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The idea is interesting, but the main character rarely had her own thought until more than halfway through. While it serves to show that she was controlled most of her life, it served up a mostly dull book. About 3/4's the way, that changed, but not enough to redeem this.

[thatwoman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Odd. Much like an Edge Chronicle book

[2wondery_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the Audio version first and was so charmed by the author's intricacies of phrasing and the obvious passion for words that I bought the hardcover - because this is one to savour.

[sarahchic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was so fantastic! I honestly read it just because the cover was so quirky, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable read. The whole thing was really quite delightful- a homicidal goose, floating coffee houses, and unconvincing eyebrows?!

[bunwat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I should have liked this book more than I did. I wanted to. The characters are utterly charming, the imagined world is terrific, and there's a decent plot meandering about here and there. Plus a magnificent guard goose!! I'm a big honking geek fan of Joan Aiken, Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander - this is a contemporary novel that's right in the sweet spot of that tradition.

And yet. I kept getting bogged down and wandering off to other pursuits. Its not a good sign when I wander off in the middle of a fight scene to read a magazine. I think Hardinge is one to watch, I've really liked some of her work. I even think this one is a mostly good read. But there's something amiss with the pacing. I'm not saying its too slow, I've liked slow books, I've liked fast books. But for whatever reason, in this one I couldn't find a rhythm.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A mistreated orphan burns down her aunt and uncle’s mill and runs away with the dangerous stranger visiting her village. Further crimes, and goose attacks, ensue. There’s both death and slapstick as Mosca Mye tries to find her place in the world in the midst of political intrigues, floating coffeehouses, unlicensed printing presses, brain-addled princes, and more. That probably sounds uneven in tone, but it’s more that both the death and the slapstick all happen at the same high-drama pitch. The made-up politics of Birdcatchers, Locksmiths and Stationers competing for influence are only slightly more ridiculous than real religious/political disputes.

[marared9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mosca Mye, a young girl in big trouble, finds herself on the run when she joins up with Eponymous Clent, a wanted criminal. Mosca and Clent's adventures will keep the reader guessing in this tale of censorship and political intrigue set in a medieval-style imagined land. In a kingdom where reading is forbidden and words are potentially treasonous, Mosca quickly becomes entangled with a secret printing press and a forbidden school. Unsure of who she can trust, Mosca needs to use her head to survive. I found this one to be particularly delightful to read because of the authors clever turns of phrase and colorful details. I loved the floating cafes, haunts of writers and other miscreants. Overall a great read.

[extrajoker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

first line (of the prelude): "'But names are important!' the nursemaid protested."first line (of the "A" chapter): "It was often said that only divine flame could persuade anything to burn in Chough."This is the first book by Frances Hardinge, whose Verdigris Deep (published in the U.S. as Well Witched) I greatly enjoyed. Fly by Night is a children's historical adventure with wonderful writing, appealing characters, and a tight, interesting plot. I really liked it and think I'd like to have Ms. Hardinge's babies...or, barring that, at least read her latest, Gullstruck Island.

[zeborah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It took me a long time to read this because the prose is so dense with goodness it requires reading with a slow and close attention, and that kind of reading is a very rewarding but also somewhat tiring work, so I had to frequently stop to decompress. Fortunately the level of attention needed meant that between times I didn't forget as much as I might otherwise, so dipping in and out was quite practical. Well worth the effort.

[jcsoblonde · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing. Astounding. Breath-taking. WOW! To be honest with you, I didn't have high expectations about this book. When I read the cover it sounded so-so. But it was a hard cover, brand-new, and $6.99 at chapters. The first couple chapters really didn't seem that great, but then I started to get into it. The next day, I didn't get any housework done because I was reading it all day. I couldn't put it down! It is a fresh, wonderful story. Highly recommended!

[nzf_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fly by Night, a well written Fantasy book, is geared towards Middle School students. The plot is complicated with enough characters and twist to keep readers engaged. Students who enjoy the Fatansy genre will appreciate the plot and array of characters. On the other hand, reluctant readers would struggle to understand the plot and lose track of the characters that drift in and out of the story. They would also struggle with the language of the book, which is written in Old English.I would recommend this book to the middle school fans of the Fantasy genre who are strong readers.

[robertalea-223265 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this story, except for the parts that weren't about Mosca and her travels and trials. The extra parts describing the political climate of the community were tedious to read.