The Left-Handed Fate
Ratings2
Average rating5
15
Ratings2
Average rating5
Lucy Bluecrowne and Maxwell Ault are on a mission: find the three pieces of a strange and arcane engine they believe can stop the endless war raging between their home country of England and Napoleon Bonaparte’s France. During the search, however, their ship, the famous privateer the Left-Handed Fate, is taken by the Americans, who have just declared war on England, too. The Fate (and with it, Lucy and Max) is put under the command of new midshipman Oliver Dexter . . . who’s only just turned twelve.
But Lucy and Max aren’t the only ones trying to assemble the engine; the French are after it, as well as the crew of a mysterious vessel that seems able to appear out of thin air. When Oliver discovers what his prisoners are really up to―and how dangerous the device could be if it falls into the wrong hands―he is faced with a choice: Help Lucy and Max even if it makes him a traitor to his own country? Or follow orders and risk endangering countless lives, including those of the enemies who have somehow become his friends?
Series
7 primary booksNagspeake Books is a 7-book series with 7 primary works first released in 2012 with contributions by Kate Milford.
Series
2 primary booksLeft-Handed Fate Books is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2014 with contributions by Kate Milford.
Reviews with the most likes.
I am so in love with this world that Kate Milford has created! I loved being on The Left Handed Fate. I loved visiting Lucy and Liao again. I loved the new characters of Max and Oliver. I loved learning more about Nagspeake. This is just wonderful!
If you like light fantasy, adventure, or 19th century ships, you will really enjoy this.
I'm going on a Kate Milford binge after reading The Raconteur's Commonplace Book and needing more background. TLHF was a welcome return to Lucy and Liao, although I thought it was not as successful as Bluecrowne - more muddled and unfocused. The quest for a mysterious object that nobody can really describe or define was not convincing. How on earth could the questers latch onto those particular objects from the cryptic descriptions? I know Nagspeake is not really our regular earth, but still. There were some missing steps, which is unfortunate because usually Milford is careful about making her magic systems coherent.
The romance element was also totally unnecessary and felt tacked-on. Not one of the strongest in the series, although it was fun to visit some new corners of Nagspeake.
