Pastworld is the greatest theme park ever devised. It's London - the real London - transformed into a living, breathing recreation of the Victorian...
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Nov 28, 2010
Cara
rated it: 
What intially got me hooked was the premise. There is a themepark of old Victorian London that is authentic as it can get in the year 2048, which is called Pastworld. Sounds awesome right? Well it wasn't as awesome as I had hoped.
There are so many perspectives and characters in this book and I won't be able to list them all but our main ones are: the Fantom, evil mysterious murderer of Pastworld, Eve, mysterious girl with uncanny powers and Caleb, son of one of the bigwigs of Pastwor More...
There are so many perspectives and characters in this book and I won't be able to list them all but our main ones are: the Fantom, evil mysterious murderer of Pastworld, Eve, mysterious girl with uncanny powers and Caleb, son of one of the bigwigs of Pastwor More...
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Dec 31, 2009
Laura
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The publisher''s rep told me that this book was akin to Un Lun Dun and Neverwhere - wrong. It's more like England, England with a Truman Show twist (or, perhaps more accurately, Running Out of Time).
Set in the mid-21st century, Pastworld is a replica of Victorian Era London. "Gawkers" come to experience the fog, pickpocketing, fashion and life of that time. Our heroine, Eve, has grown up in Pastworld (she thinks) with her nearly blind guardian, Jack. Jack protects her, More...
Set in the mid-21st century, Pastworld is a replica of Victorian Era London. "Gawkers" come to experience the fog, pickpocketing, fashion and life of that time. Our heroine, Eve, has grown up in Pastworld (she thinks) with her nearly blind guardian, Jack. Jack protects her, More...
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Aug 31, 2011
Millie
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I got almost 50 pages in to this book and had to put it down. The plot looks fascinating and really interesting, but once I got reading I found the righting to be very awkward and constantly formal, there was no easy flow to the words. I had to push and push myself to read each page but in the end I just accepted that it wasn't worth it. One or two parts of the book were interesting, for instance Eve's diary, which is probably the only reason I actually read so much. On the first page you are to
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Aug 05, 2011
Becky
rated it: 
I run a teen book group at the library and they were getting bored of all the vampire/werewolf/paranormal romance thing. So when I spotted this book I thought they should try it.
They read it and returned it the next month and the majority of the group really liked it. One of the girls (whom I share similar tastes in books with) told me I should read it, so I saved a copy to read.
To be honest I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, the plot sounded very strange and a bit nonsensica More...
They read it and returned it the next month and the majority of the group really liked it. One of the girls (whom I share similar tastes in books with) told me I should read it, so I saved a copy to read.
To be honest I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, the plot sounded very strange and a bit nonsensica More...
Jul 14, 2011
Elena
rated it: 
Das viktorianische London ist als Themenpark wiederauferstanden und lockt Touristenströme an. Unter den zahllosen “Gaffern” befindet sich auch Caleb und sein Vater. Doch unvermittelt gerät Caleb in einen Mord und muss untertauchen. Währenddessen wächst Eve behütet und abgeschirmt auf, ohne zu wissen, dass sie sich lediglich in einer Illusion vergangener Zeiten befindet. Als sie hört, dass sie und ihr Betreuer Jack in Gefahr sind, läuft sie weg – ohne zu ahnen, was für eine Kette von Ereignissen
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Apr 02, 2011
Thia
rated it:
I picked this book up not because I'd heard of the author, or because of the cover. I picked this book up because the premise sounded fantastic. Unfortunately, the story failed to live up to its premise, or my expectations.
Eve is a young woman who has been confined to her house for the past two years, living with a father-like man named Jack. She has no memories of before these two years. Outside her door lies Victorian London. But when she escapes, she realizes that her world is act More...
Eve is a young woman who has been confined to her house for the past two years, living with a father-like man named Jack. She has no memories of before these two years. Outside her door lies Victorian London. But when she escapes, she realizes that her world is act More...
Sep 24, 2010
Lyndsey
rated it: 
Pastworld was one of the first books that I received from Bloomsbury for review and to be honest, when I read what it was about, I wasn't very sure that I was going to enjoy it. I do love being proved wrong though and I'm really happy to say that Ian Beck managed to do this.
To start with, the cover is stunning and really sums up the story well. Just looking at it I can imagine being taken back to Victorian England and being terrified by strange people lurking in the alleyways. It ce More...
To start with, the cover is stunning and really sums up the story well. Just looking at it I can imagine being taken back to Victorian England and being terrified by strange people lurking in the alleyways. It ce More...
Jun 09, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
I loved every single page of Pastworld. It was engaging and original, and completely unexpected. I was quickly drawn into the world of Victorian London, and couldn't wait for the story to unravel.
One of my favourite aspects of Pastworld, aside from the fantastic idea of recreating Victorian London as a theme park, was the constant suspense. I had no idea where the plot was going, but I knew it was building up to something good. The final revelation was surprising and somewhat shockin More...
One of my favourite aspects of Pastworld, aside from the fantastic idea of recreating Victorian London as a theme park, was the constant suspense. I had no idea where the plot was going, but I knew it was building up to something good. The final revelation was surprising and somewhat shockin More...
Mar 23, 2010
Fleur
rated it:
Excerpt taken from the Little Planet Guide to Pastworld™ London:
“People visit Pastworld for a variety of reasons. For most it is a trip into the past to experience a way of life and an atmosphere of free and rambunctious living that had, until Pastworld’s completion, all but vanished. The great city of London was chosen, after the apocalyptic financial meltdown at the end of the new century to be “reverted”. The city was retro-fitted and restored to the condition of its great Victori More...
“People visit Pastworld for a variety of reasons. For most it is a trip into the past to experience a way of life and an atmosphere of free and rambunctious living that had, until Pastworld’s completion, all but vanished. The great city of London was chosen, after the apocalyptic financial meltdown at the end of the new century to be “reverted”. The city was retro-fitted and restored to the condition of its great Victori More...
Aug 16, 2009
Ann
rated it:
Ages 11+ (grisly murders with body parts strewn about, a few minor instances of language - "scared shitless" would be one of them)
Forty years in the future, London has been reimagined as a Victorian-era theme park. Run by the shadowy Buckland corporation, who hosts vacationing "Gawkers" at a steep fee, Pastworld London is full of crime and poverty - quite different from the sanitized outside world. To remain authentic, even the laws are those of 1890's England, f More...
Forty years in the future, London has been reimagined as a Victorian-era theme park. Run by the shadowy Buckland corporation, who hosts vacationing "Gawkers" at a steep fee, Pastworld London is full of crime and poverty - quite different from the sanitized outside world. To remain authentic, even the laws are those of 1890's England, f More...
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Dec 09, 2009
Alex
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 15, 2010
Lyndsey
rated it:
For such an intriguing concept, this book should have been way more interesting. The main word I think of for this book is- eh. That's it. Eh. I really couldn't care less. I didn't care about the characters at all. The only thing that kept me going through this book was to find out why Eve was important (and the reason isn't exactly awe-inspiring).
There was too much flat description and not enough imagery. The thing I love most about these kind of books is the enchanting imagery.
I actually More...
There was too much flat description and not enough imagery. The thing I love most about these kind of books is the enchanting imagery.
I actually More...
Sep 22, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
The premise of this book attracted me -- Pastworld: a huge domed Victorian London "theme park" where residents of the boring, regulated outside world can experience authentic 19th century conditions, right down to being imprisoned or executed. Eve, a girl with a mysterious past who is unaware that the world she lives in is an elaborate construct, and who is being hunted by different factions for unknown reasons. A young man whose father is one of the designers of Pastworld, and who b
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Jan 28, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Unfortunately, this book fell into the trap that a lot of YA "supernatural" novels do: it tried to do too much. The premise introduced to me in the inside jacket made me want to read. A "theme park" has been set up in London that gives visitors the unique opportunity to live, breathe, and experience an authentic recreation of Victorian-era London. Awesome. It also told me that one of the characters, Eve, has lived in Pastworld her entire life and doesn't know that it isn't re
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Sep 28, 2009
Julie
rated it:
Pastworld is a theme park that is run by the Buckland Corporation. It is a complete authentic reproduction of 17th century London. Everything is authentic, the dress, the lack of electricity, even the 17th century laws. Everyone who visits Pastworld has to be authentic, right down to the luggage they carry and the toiletries they use, the entire theme park has been designed that way.
But despite the fact that Pastworld has a few electronic security measures, crime runs rampant withi More...
But despite the fact that Pastworld has a few electronic security measures, crime runs rampant withi More...
Jan 20, 2010
Alana
rated it:
Gaslit Victorian London fuels the imagination - the fog-ridden world of Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes and Dickens. And even in the sanitized future, it continues to exercise its pull, to the point where the actual London has been turned into a huge theme park dedicated to experiencing the authentic Victorian-era city. And it is authentic - from the clothing, to the dirt and poverty, all the way to the seemingly uncatchable serial killer, the Fantom who haunts the streets of Pastworld looking
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Dec 17, 2009
Hayden
rated it:
3.5 stars, I guess? I enjoyed this book, but it's a strange one and Beck isn't the greatest wordsmith of our time.
It takes place in the future, but entirely within the titular amusement park--a domed London, made over to create as "authentic" an experience of Victorian London as possible for visiting tourists. You get the vague impression that the outside world is very regulated and controlled, and that the rich go to Pastworld to literally slum it. They get their dose More...
It takes place in the future, but entirely within the titular amusement park--a domed London, made over to create as "authentic" an experience of Victorian London as possible for visiting tourists. You get the vague impression that the outside world is very regulated and controlled, and that the rich go to Pastworld to literally slum it. They get their dose More...
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Feb 01, 2011
Sandra
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 18, 2010
Kerstin
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Kurzbeschreibung:
Pastworld - der größte Themenpark, der je errichtet wurde!
Im London des Jahres 2048 gibt es eine atemberaubend reale Welt - die Welt des 19. Jahrhunderts.
Caleb ist eigentlich nur Tourist in Pastworld. Doch er gerät in einen Hinterhalt und steht plötzlich unter Mordverdacht - ein Verbrechen, worauf im Viktorianischen London die Todesstrafe steht...
Eve ist in Pastworld aufgewachsen und ahnt nichts von der Existenz einer Außenwelt. Doch sie spürt den Atem ei More...
Pastworld - der größte Themenpark, der je errichtet wurde!
Im London des Jahres 2048 gibt es eine atemberaubend reale Welt - die Welt des 19. Jahrhunderts.
Caleb ist eigentlich nur Tourist in Pastworld. Doch er gerät in einen Hinterhalt und steht plötzlich unter Mordverdacht - ein Verbrechen, worauf im Viktorianischen London die Todesstrafe steht...
Eve ist in Pastworld aufgewachsen und ahnt nichts von der Existenz einer Außenwelt. Doch sie spürt den Atem ei More...
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Jul 30, 2011
Peter
rated it:
An immensely readable book, probably great for older teens/ young adult readers. As many other reviewers have noted the premise of this book is very interesting. The story is set in "Pastworld" a massive theme park recreating the reality of Victorian London....dirt and warts and all. The characters are straightforward but engaging...although it is predictable what/who they "really" are. The story flows well and the book is easily read. In the outside world it is 2050 and very
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Aug 11, 2011
Can't-Decide-On-A-Name;)
rated it:
Pastworld. A city within a city. A city for excursions and outings. Pastworld is a theme park with a difference, where travellers can travel back in time for a brush with an authentic Victorian past. But what if the Jack the Ripper figure stopped play-acting and really started killing people? For Caleb, a tourist from the present day, his visit goes terribly wrong when his father is kidnapped and he finds himself accused of murder. Then Caleb meets Eva Rose, a Pastworld inhabitant who has no ide
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Mar 04, 2010
Diane
rated it:
It’s Victorian London. Eve has lived here all her life with Jack, a blind man who cares for her. Eve is never allowed to venture out alone. When she decides to leave Jack’s house and join a troop of traveling performers, she discovers something remarkable. Her entire existence is a lie – she lives in “Pastworld” a theme park that recreates Victorian London with amazing accuracy, including a murderer who dismembers his victims.
This is a suspenseful, imaginative novel. Although it som More...
This is a suspenseful, imaginative novel. Although it som More...
May 18, 2010
Tessa
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 12, 2012
Amanda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 08, 2011
Marva
rated it:
Lots of good about this book. Interesting premise, well-done background and description of the creepy amusement park setting.
The only downside is what I complain about all the time. Too many words. Many of the passages and scenes felt repetitive. I lost forward motion in a few places. Sort of like slogging through the swamp hoping to find the elusive rare orchid. I persevered, but I really wish it was cut by a few thousand words. The ending was neither surprising nor dramatic given the More...
The only downside is what I complain about all the time. Too many words. Many of the passages and scenes felt repetitive. I lost forward motion in a few places. Sort of like slogging through the swamp hoping to find the elusive rare orchid. I persevered, but I really wish it was cut by a few thousand words. The ending was neither surprising nor dramatic given the More...
Jul 11, 2010
Angela
rated it:
There was just way too much going on here, described without sufficient detail to keep me believing a place like Pastworld would continue to be allowed to operate as a tourist attraction with someone like the Fantom (a Jack the Ripper style serial killer) on the loose.
Not only were there almost a dozen characters to keep track of, they rarely interacted with each other, which meant that we only got to see the story from their points of view for a few brief pages (sometimes less than More...
Not only were there almost a dozen characters to keep track of, they rarely interacted with each other, which meant that we only got to see the story from their points of view for a few brief pages (sometimes less than More...
Dec 07, 2009
Alana
rated it:
This story seems to have too many things to keep track of, in a way that just keeps adding up. It's a girl growing up. But her world isn't real. And there's a boy she likes. And there's another boy with eyes like hers. And then she is graceful. And suddenly she does flips on a rope. And then she's a robot. But is pregnant.
I felt like the plotline itself was very good, but the way the author wrote it was just gave me that sort of feeling that I was waiting for the high point of the book, a More...
I felt like the plotline itself was very good, but the way the author wrote it was just gave me that sort of feeling that I was waiting for the high point of the book, a More...
Nov 14, 2009
Alannah
rated it:
This book about the past in the future is a well written quick read. I got an advance copy of this book from my work and was instantly intrigues by the premises of the novel.
Pastworld is a theme park which duplicates 17th century London, in the middle of 21st century England. People from the preset, “gawkers”, pay big bucks to go to Pastworld and experience the past.
Caleb, a gawker, visiting with his father gets more than he bargained for when he is falsely accused of More...
Pastworld is a theme park which duplicates 17th century London, in the middle of 21st century England. People from the preset, “gawkers”, pay big bucks to go to Pastworld and experience the past.
Caleb, a gawker, visiting with his father gets more than he bargained for when he is falsely accused of More...
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Dec 07, 2011
Vickie
rated it:
Pastworld is amazing. A steampunk world set in a dystopian future? My kind of novel! You see Pastworld from many POV's, from Eve, who's spent her whole life in Pastworld to Cabel, who is visiting with his Father. The settings are rich, full of life and easy to imagine. Indeed, I feel like I've just been running around Victorian London!
This book makes you think too. Can you imagine if London was turned back into it's Victorian ancestor? Would you want to visit - or even live there!
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This book makes you think too. Can you imagine if London was turned back into it's Victorian ancestor? Would you want to visit - or even live there!
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Dec 01, 2010
Jenna
rated it:
I didn't know what to expect after reading the inside flap and looking at the cover. Whatever I thought, it wasn't what I got. Pastworld is a bio-bubble in reverse, reverting a small part of the world back to the Victorian days as an all inclusive theme park where not everyone is entertained, especially those not employed by the Buckland Corperation, the owners of Pastworld.
The story was enjoyable and surprising. I wasn't expecting the ending. The mix of character view points and writ More...
The story was enjoyable and surprising. I wasn't expecting the ending. The mix of character view points and writ More...
