Pastworld

Pastworld: a mystery of the near future: a novel
By Ian Beck
Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2009. 355 pp. Young adult fiction.

In the year 2050, old Victorian London is recreated, formed into a sort of theme park that those living in the current contemporary world can visit in all its authenticity, complete with authentic inhabitants. Caleb Brown and his high-ranking father, Lucius, visit Pastworld, but what was intended as a diversion ends up a calamity as Lucius is kidnapped by the frightening Fantom and Caleb escapes, pinned as a murderer. The Fantom is both the terror and the legend of Pastworld, a figure similar to the ancient Jack the Ripper. When Caleb escapes after his father's kidnapping, he encounters a friendly thief, Bible J, who takes him under his wing. Another mysterious occupant of Pastworld is Eve, who doesn't even realize she is living in a recreated world, but has strange and fascinating abilities and seems to be oddly linked to others in the story. How all the characters' lives cross and mesh leads for an intricate, mesmerizing tale.

A mix of science fiction, steampunk, and historical fiction, this is a story that will span a variety of interests. Despite being riddled with a terrible lack of, or sometimes purely incorrect, punctuation, this book was still a fascinating read. I wished at times for more complete explanations and for further character development, but I still found it a interesting and satisfying read.

CW