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 Pastworld, who will be on the run for a murder he did not commit. At first I was always slightly confused because it was hard to flip perspectives and keep up with all the characters in the beginning. After awhile I got the flow of things and I do understand why it's setup the way it is, but it makes it hard for the reader to really connect with the characters since you aren't able to spend too much time with them. The story felt more plot-driven than character-driven and I have always favored characters over plot.

You can tell the author did his research on the past and probably s old time London himself. I was kind of disappointed that we didn't get to see how the outside (what the real world is called in Pastworld)was at this time. Then there was times when I felt the author didn't explain sequences enough, but then again I doubt I would have read the whole book if it was much longer. I had a hard time really getting into it, and it should have enticed me more since there is a huge mystery that is suppose to unravel.

Really not bad but not surprised at all how it turned out. I guess I expected to be blown away but I wasn't. Easily was able to figure out what was going on but toward the end it did pick up pace. The ending was nicely done. Ok but could have been much better.2010 male-protagonist science-fiction7 s Vee1,523 467

A steampunk world set in a dystopian future, I really loved Pastworld. You see the world from multiple points of view - 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, if you can imagine the grit of Victorian London.

I found the character Fantom the most interesting, a Westworld Jack The Ripper, cloaked and mysterious, removing heads and hearts. The Fantom is the dark heart of this story and I was constantly in suspense, wondering why he had a fascination with Eve.

One thing that did disappoint me, I really wanted to leave. I loved the world, but I wanted to see what the outside was too. It certainly gave me the feeling of being trapped in there but I think the story really needed to move out of Pastworld and let the reader view life outside of it.re-read6 s Svenja12 60

Die Idee finde ich total super und das Setting der Story klingt mega interessant, aber leider konnte mich die Umsetzung nicht überzeugen. Ich bin von Anfang an nicht in die Geschichte reingekommen, konnte so auch keine Verbindung zu den Charakteren aufbauen und fand es insgesamt einfach langweilig. Nach den ersten 150 Seiten habe ich es nur noch überflogen, aber hatte am Ende nicht wirklich das Gefühl, etwas verpasst zu haben. Das Cover ist trotz allem sehr gelungen und passt gut zur umschriebenen Atmosphäre.4 s Lauren Stoolfire4,045 280

DNF'd @ 17%

I'm a fan of Westworld and the concept behind Pastworld (the city of London has been recreated as a Victorian era theme park that tourists can visit is being plagued by a Jack the Ripper-esque killer) sounded really enticing. Unfortunately I preferred the concept to the execution. I gave the book 60 pages before I gave it up - it's quite dull and I wasn't interested in any of the characters. Plus, the writing style is going for formal Victorian but it comes across as very stilted, unatmospheric, unwieldy, and even sloppily put together.historical-fiction sci-fi steampunk ...more4 s Lore126 3,255

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 started reading Poison Study by Maria Snyder while I was halfway through Pastworld and literally after just a few pages I was infinitely more invested in that story than this one. I had to force myself back to it so i could return it to the library.
I generally to take a book in slowly, ruminate on every word and breath it in. The only way I got through this one was with a quick inhale. I prefer not to speed-read, but this one was begging for it.

Eve, who is kind-of the protagonist, is seen at first only through pages of her journal. These pages are in a terrible font that made me dizzy just looking at it, not to mention trying to read it. These were usually the most interesting parts of the book though, which presented quite a dilemma.
Pastworld's villain, the Fantom, was an uninteresting cardboard cutout of a character. I had no interest in what he was doing or why.
Don't even get me started on Bible J. I'm sorry but how am I supposed to see a man with that name as a love interest. Whether or not you read the Bible regularly, I don't think any woman would find a man sexy if he was named Bible J. Ugh.
Come to think of it, most of the characters were "as thin as the paper they were printed on"; and funnily enough, that phrase perfectly describes them, for this book is "filled to the brim" with cliches. Hah, went a little cliche crazy there.

I really hate to give out any less than 3 stars, because usually if I didn't particularly enjoy a book, I at least feel I learned something or expanded my horizons. Unfortunately with this book, I didn't feel any of that. In the end, it just didn't seem to be worth the effort.
But that's just me. I'm sure others might enjoy it. Maybe I've just been reading too much YA fantasy. Hm, that's a thought....
Nah. Sorry. I'm not convinced that's the problem.
about-strange-cities genre-steampunk genre-urban-fantasy ...more3 s Laura3,914 93

The publisher''s rep told me that this book was akin to Un Lun Dun and Neverwhere - wrong. It's more 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, keeping her indoors and away from most people. One day, Eve escapes.

What follows is a police investigation into the Fantom's (a Ripper-a character) killings, Eve's disappearance, the murder of Jack and the hunt for Caleb, a Gawker accused of murder. To give this a sense of familiarity, the Chief Inspecter is named Lestrade; the phrase "the game's afoot!" is used. And, of course, where there's an Eve, there's sure to be an Adam.

While well-written, there were no real surprises here for me. Younger readers may enjoy it more.

(Free ARC provided by publisher)mt-bookpile-pre-20103 s Jersy936 104

This had so much potential but all it delivered was characters that can hardly be described as such and a focus on the least interesting aspects of the plot (in my opinion).
It started of quit interesting, until a certain point I d Eve´s POV. There was not that much to her as a character, but it still was an interesting story. I also wanted to know more about the Phantom. Unfortunately, these two were the most rare point of views and most chapters featured Caleb whom I couldn´t have cared less about. He had no real characteristics and just existed throughout most of the story while his father or BibleMac took the most actions in his chapters. The investigators chaptors were fine, some were quit interesting while most of them were not necessarily needed.

I was ok with the book, not really paying too much attention to Calebs later parts and looking forward to everything else, until Caleb and Eve met each other. It happens a little later in the book than I would have thought and has the most weird and rushed insta-love- moment. From then on I kind of lost interest. The ending seemed a little out of nowhere with no real clues being giving throughout the book and even after the explanation I did not really get why this was a thing (might have been because I just skipped through the pages at this point, might have been explained better than I noticed). The phantom and Eve kind of had some chemistry, though, which surprised me, and I d the short part with the two of them even though I´m not a huge fan of what happened there plot-wise. I also wished it did a little bit more with the Victorian setting.

While this wasn´t utterly terrible it was not really good or intriguing either. With some things being changed it might have been fine, information being shared more reguarily and more clues being given, the writing would need some final touches too, since some phrases were kind of off and the character´s blandness was probably the biggest problem.
However, the concept was great (if not fully utilized within the story), the idea for the mystery was good and I guess for young and less experienced readers this can still be fun. For me, it just could not keep my interest up.
read-2018 science-fiction young-adult2 s Sesana5,587 337

Pastworld is set in a fictional amusement park of the same name. It's a completely immersive, completely authentic recreation of Victorian London. In London. The entire city has been given over to this Colonial Williamsburg on steroids, complete with period authentic laws and police procedures. The performers apparently must live completely authentic lives at all times, and so must the visitors. This means leaving your cell phone behind and passing an authenticity check before you enter the city.

This sort of setup demands an explanation. Why on earth was London, the real London, allowed to be turned into a Victorian recreation, right down to demolishing buildings constructed after the 1880s (many of which would, by 2032, be historic buildings in their own right)? Why is the park allowed to govern itself according to its own laws, apparently without protest? There is one line that indicates that the corporation that runs the park is so powerful that they were able to get parliament to agree to let them do things their own way. But where is parliament now, if they're not in London? And why would you want to go to a completely authentic version of Victorian London in the first place? With authentically poor beggars and an authentically Ripper-style killer? So many questions, zero answers. And I can only suspend my disbelief so far. So for me, the setting falls apart. It's too painstakingly authentic for me to believe that it would actually be visited by tourists, who want a clean and accessible version of the past. The Ren Faire version.

But the setting is required to make the story work. This doesn't become apparent until relatively late in the story. Until then, the fact that this isn't actually Victorian London can be safely ignored, and you can read it as actually being so. There are three seemingly separate narratives that end up coming together. There is Eve, a teenage girl with amnesia who runs away from home to join the circus and finds out that this is Pastworld, not the real world. There is Caleb, a tourist from outside who finds himself at the scene of a murder and being falsely accused of the crime. And then there is the Gentleman, a vaguely (very, very vaguely) Ripper-esque killer with connections to both. How it all comes together is not fully revealed until late, but is not really a surprise.

I don't want to spoil the ending, but I will add one thing about it. I'm not sure that it actually makes sense for somebody to willingly choose to do what an entire group of people have done here. I don't know that the actual solution is really any better than hiring a pair of actors to do the same thing. The one spearheading the concept is obviously a little off, but so many people go along with him, way more than really makes sense to me. Yet one more thing that isn't adequately explained.

The concept of an immersive Victorian theme park is interesting, and I wouldn't doubt that there is something similar to that. But the entire plot, the entire setting, it all needed more explanation to make real sense as something that could actually happen. That explanation just never happened. mystery science-fiction young-adult2 s Jessy Rey115 4

Als ich das Buch spontan angefangen habe, dachte ich einfach: Regen, Nebel, Gewitter – das passt doch irgendwie zu Pastworld, das in London spielt. Leider hat mich das Buch nicht wirklich gut unterhalten.
Die Geschichte an sich ist wirklich interessant.
Past World ist in etwas so etwas wie ein Themenpark, der den Besuchern das frühe Londoner Leben widerspiegelt. Einige der Bewohner von Past World sind dort aufgewachsen und kennen das Leben außerhalb gar nicht.
So auch Evie, sie weiß nichts von der Außenwelt und lebt zusammen mit dem fast blinden Jack in einer bescheidenen Wohnung – aus der sie nur selten herauskommt, da Jack sie wie einen Schatz hütet.
Caleb dagegen ist ein Besucher, der mit seinem Vater nach Past World reist und dem prompt ein Mord angelastet wird – kein gestellter, sondern ein echter.

Evie und Calebs Schicksal sind eng miteinander verknüpft und zusammen kommen sie einem unglaublichen Geheimnis auf die Spur.
Soweit klingt das alles wirklich spannend und ich hatte die Hoffnung, auf einen etwas anderen Roman.

Leider treffen sich Evie und Caleb erst nach guten 2/3 des Buches überhaupt. Davor springt der Autor zwischen den verschiedenen Ereignissen und Perspektiven hin und her und folgt zumindest für mich keinem ersichtlichen roten Faden.
Auch die komplette Struktur, Entstehung und Geschichte von Past World wird nicht näher beleuchtet. Die Drahtzieher bleiben ebenfalls bis auf einen kurzen Showdown am Ende im Dunkeln.
Störend ins Auge gesprungen sind mir auch die ständigen Wortwiederholungen und generell reißt der Autor einen immer wieder aus dem Lesefluss.

Alle Charakter sind emotionslos. Anders kann ich das nicht sagen, ich konnte keinerlei Nähe zu Ihnen aufbauen und sie blieben mir fremd.
Dann haben die vielen verschiedenen Handlungsstränge die Geschichte immer verwirrender und verworren gemacht, so dass ich irgendwann wirklich nochmal nachlesen musste, mit wem ich denn da gerade durch London laufe,gehe,streife,hetze.

Die gesamte Handlung wirkt konstruiert, allerdings ohne dabei einem bestimmten Konzept zu folgen. Spannung kam zu keiner Zeit auf und auch das Phantom konnte daran nichts ändern.

Und als es dann endlich zum Showdown kam, fand ich die Erklärung für all das einfach nur wirr und abstrus. An den Haaren herbei gezogen und natürlich rettet die Liebe die Situation. Liebe von der ich nichts spüren konnte.

Ein enttäuschender Roman, aus dem man wirklich mehr hätte machen können. Flache Figuren, verwirrende Handlungen und viel zu wenig Emotionen lassen London noch düsterer wirken als es ist. Positiv kann man die authentischen Steckbriefe und Briefe im Buch bewerten, die handschriftlich eingefügt wurden.
2 s Millie93 1 follower

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 told that the narrator is a police officer, righting an account of the crime, however some of his words seem very in-depth and not at all a policeman's account of things. This could, indeed have been improved. Things were said 'the Fantom felt a shiver tingle up his spine and he felt warm' (not an actual line from the film, just an example) which constantly made me wonder how he knew all of these personal things? It simply didn't make sense! Another annoying and confusing part of the book (or the first 50 pages) were that there were SO many different perspectives that it was written from that it became a bit confusing and, to be honest, very tedious as well.

Overall, I did not enjoy what I read from this book as it was awkwardly written and really felt it was trying to fit into any genre, it was trying to be an all-rounder book (it failed, by the way). I couldn't have gone on any further with this boring and tedious book or I would have bored myself to death. There is I chance that I might be wrong about it, that it improves and becomes easier and friendlier to the reader as the story goes on, however that chance is very slim. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK.couldn-t-finish2 s ? Jess 198 359

It was the cover that grabbed my attention. This cover is possibly the best one that I have seen all year. With the foggy, cobblestone lane, gas lamps, Saint Paul's Cathedral looming at the back, the two mysterious figures, the metallic font and catchy hook, how could I possibly look away?
If the cover hooked me, the blurb reeled me in faster then the speed of sound. I thought it sounded incredible. A Dystopian thriller set in a theme-park version of Victorian London? Yes please!
I had purchased the book within seconds, and couldn't wait to start. I had massive expectations...
...But I was incredibly disappointed.

The plot in a nutshell: The year is 2048 and London has been demolished. In its place stands Pastworld, 'the greatest theme park ever invented'. It is a perfect recreation of Victorian London, full of gas lamps, gothic architecture, beggars, waistcoats, traveling circus's and even The Fantom-a mass murderer much Jack the Ripper.
Caleb is a tourist visiting Pastworld, but soon his father is kidnapped and Caleb is charged with murder, so he is forced to run, and soon befriends a street-kid, Bible J.
Eve is a local resident at Pastworld, but when she realizes The Fantom is stalking her-hunting her for an unknown reason, she runs away, and is taken in by a group of Traveling Players.
The Fantom continues his bloody murders, intent on finding both Eve-and Caleb. Together, with the help of Bible J and Detectives from the Modern World, they must stop The Fantom, before he stops them.
The dark secrets of the present, are living in the past...

I was incredibly disappointed by Pastworld. There are so many aspects that I can criticize, I barely know where to start.
1) The characters. I found no emotional connection with any of them what-so-ever. I could not care less for Caleb, Eve, Bible J, Lestrade or any of the other detectives that could easily have been merged into one character. The dialogue from them all was raw and wooden. I could not understand the motives behind any of their actions, and when important actions were taken-there was no emotional detail or thought to proceed/follow it.
The author didnt even give a clear reason as to why The Fantom kills and mutilates.

2) Detail. This is probably what I was most disappointed about. I wanted lots of juicy detail-fantastic imagery-of the Victorian streets. I wanted a clear picture of the old houses, police stations, cobblestone lanes. Whilst reading certain scenes, I couldn't help thinking: I bet I could write this better.
Also, I wanted more information about the outside world. What is the year 2048 ? What has changed? In this book's 350 pages, we only get a few lines about the outside-world. We are barely even given a reason 'the real London' no longer exists.
I was-and still am-incredibly annoyed about this lack of imagery inside and outside Pastworld.
However, I must make a tiny exception to the scenes in the forest. That was described well-but improvement can still be made.

3) The characters relationships. Okay, so two characters fall in love (its not the obvious guess as to who they are, either), but I can see no reason and meaning behind their feelings for each other.
They only share a few private conversations, and talk about nothing meaningful. Just things : The name of a horse, or: commenting on the tourists.
I found their relationship very hard to believe. Especially at the end, when character 1 puts his own life in danger to save character 2.
Oh, and the creepy-weird-almost disturbing-almost sexual-awkward scene between another two characters. Again, they barely (if ever) spoke to one another before they were alone together. That scene was NOT romantic. It read something out of Twilight. For those of you who have read the book, you know which scene I am talking about. For those of you who havent, it is a few pages towards the end when character 1 asks character 2 to put his hands around her neck, and hold them there, then she puts her hands flat on his face.
Not romantic. Or sweet, at all.

4) The climax. Okay, so credit to Ian Beck, he paced the last half of this book well, and I kind of enjoyed the climax (And build up). The last ten pages are full-throttle action scenes, and the final fight takes place on the roof of the only modern building left in Pastworld, "Tower 42" only minutes from its demolition.
Firstly, I would much rather have seen the final battle on top of The Gherkin, a much cooler, bullet shaped glass sky-scraper just around the corner to Tower 42 (but thats personal preference).
Secondly, Beck doesn't even describe the buildings appearance once, which made the scene hard to imagine, since I didnt know what Tower 42 looks .
Thirdly, there way WAY to many characters involved. I lost track of who was (and wasnt) there, what each character was doing and where they were.

Having said all this, some parts of the novel were enjoyable, and I can possibly see a movie in the future. Ian Beck leaves a fairly open ending, and a sequel is possible. If this is the case, I will still read it, though I will do so reluctantly, and hoping that Beck redeems himself.
Would I recommend it?
Maybe. There is no reason not to do so, but there is nothing that makes me want to shout out and force people to read this book.
All in all, this was a wasted opportunity. A marvelous idea with a poor execution.2-stars-average books-i-own read-in-20101 Rina.P207 1 follower

Es fehlt einfach das ganze Flair aus diesem Zeitalter, gerade London mit seinen dunklen Gassen und tiefen Schatten…..Diese programmierten Clone, das passt nicht……dabei ist es wirklich guter Stoff……es ist nur schlecht vernäht……absolut nicht kribbelnd……
Leider…..1 Muisjemama102 1 follower

Oh, das war toll! Nur das allerletzte Ende am allerletzten Schluss, das war mir ein bisschen too much. Aber vorher, das war gut!1 Christian Benabe5

I tried, but it's pretty bleh. Not into the setting or the story.1 Kerstin733 18

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 eines schattenhaften Verfolgers, flieht vor einer unsichtbaren, tödlichen Bedrohung. Calebs und Eves Fluchtwege kreuzen sich und ihre Schicksale werden untrennbar miteinander verbunden - denn als Kreatur der Vergangenheit und der Zukunft ist das Phantom für Caleb und Eve der Schlüssel zum Überleben und zugleich die größte Gefahr, der sie sich stellen müssen!

Zum Autor:
Ian Beck wurde im sonnigen Seebad Brighton/England geboren. Dort studierte er Illustration und Grafikdesign und versuchte anschließend sein Glück als freischaffender Künstler. Um während dieser unsicheren Monate seine Miete zahlen zu können, jobbte er in der Spielzeugabteilung eines großen britischen Kaufhauses. Und schon bald schaffte er es, sich als Illustrator zu etablieren - unter anderem entwarf er ein CD-Cover für Elton John. Mittlerweile ist er nicht nur ein erfolgreicher Illustrator von Kinder- und Erwachsenenbüchern, sondern auch Schriftsteller. Heute lebt er in London und lässt sich vom stadteigenen Nebel zu spannenden und atmosphärischen Romanen wie "Pastworld" inspirieren.

Ich habe das Bild in einem stabilen, schwarzen Kästchen in meinem Kopf eingeschlossen. Mir ist instinktiv klar, dass ich es beschützen muss. Was einmal mehr beweist, dass ich nicht so bin wie andere. (Seite 308)

Rezension:
Ian Beck ist mit "Pastworld" ein origineller Jugendroman gelungen: Pastworld, die parallele viktorianische Welt zum London des Jahres 2048, ist detailgetreu der Vergangenheit des 19. Jahrhunderts nachempfunden und kann von der Bevölkerung der Gegenwart als eine Art Themenpark besucht werden. Doch viele Einwohner Pastworlds wissen gar nicht, dass es noch eine andere reale Welt neben ihrer gibt.

Das Buch entwickelt eine direkte Spannung, sobald Caleb mit seinem Vater in Pastworld ankommt, die sich bis zum Ende hin hält und das Geheimnis um Eve ist wirklich verblüffend. Es wird aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt: Aus der Sicht von Caleb, Eve (in Form ihres Tagebuchs) und des Inspektors Catchpole von Scotland Yard, der für Verbrechensaufklärung in Pastworld zuständig und hinter dem berüchtigten Phantom her ist.

Sehr schön gestaltet sind auch die einzelnen Steckbriefe, Plakate, Aktennotizen und Auszüge aus dem kleinen Planetenführer für Pastworld, die immer mal wieder passend in Form von Grafiken in die Handlung miteingeflochten werden.

Gefallen würde mir eine Fortsetzung, denn obwohl die Geschichte in sich abgeschlossen ist, könnte durchaus noch Stoff für Neues sein und der Ausflug nach Pastworld hat mir sehr gut gefallen.

Zur Gestaltung des Buchs: Das Cover zeigt eine neblige, durch Laternenschein erhellte Gasse in Pastworld, man sieht im Vordergrund ein Mädchen (Eve) und einen ihr entgegenkommenden Herrn mit Cape und Zylinder (das Phantom), am Himmel fliegt ein Zeppelin vorüber. Der Titel des Buches ist mit Hologrammbuchstaben gedruckt.

Fazit: Mysteriös, spannend, abenteuerlich, gefährlich: Das ist "Pastworld", das ich sehr gerne weiterempfehlen möchte.

Wertung: 5 von 5 Punkten1 Jennifer Shoffitt24 5

I feel bad that it took me so long to read this one. It was picked out for me as part of the January 'Buddy Books' challenge and I was super excited to read it. The idea was so cool- I mean turning London into a Victorian era theme park?? And there's a creepy murderer on the loose?? That's awesome!! Unfortunately, the idea was better as just that: an idea. I started reading Pastworld and thought that it was just a little slow to get rolling. So I kept reading. And kept reading. And then read Matched. And then read a little more Pastworld...then read Vampire Academy...and then a little more Pastworld. You get the point. I just could NOT get into the book. It seemed there was a ton of dead story that was trying to weave together a couple different plot lines, but it just feel totally flat. I forced my self to keep the faith and wait for Beck to finally get to the point, and he finally did on page 282. If you are reading this and have a deep burning urge to read Pastworld, then skip the next few lines because I'm about to spoil the whole book for you. The Fantom is essentially a genetically engineered Jack the Ripper (named Adam) and Eve is a genetically engineered 'perfect victim' created for him to hunt down and kill over and over again as the ultimate Pastworld spectacle.

The part that drives me CRAZY is that this book could have really been spectacular if Beck had lead with the whole Jack the Ripper thing and built the story out from there. As the reader, it would have been much more interesting to know that this Jack the Ripper incarnate was out after a girl who was totally clueless. But that's just my opinion.

I wasn't a huge fan of the author's writing either. It seemed choppy and read almost a machine gun fire of words: 'He walked into the room. Then he saw her in the corner. She was looking at him.' The most interesting quote in the whole book came from Buckland, and he was only present for 20ish pages in the whole book. "I fear the forces of reaction are biting at our heels."

Overall, I found Pastworld to be a total snooze. It's pretty bad when it takes me 3+ weeks to make my way through a book...especially when I manage to read 4 others in the same amount of time. 111-in-2011-challenge january-buddy-books reviewed1 Denise6,886 124

In 2048, anyone interested in learning about the past has the opportunity to immerse themselves in it in an unprecedented way: By visiting Pastworld, a huge themepark in which Victorian London is recreated to the last detail, with permanent residents living Victorian lives which visitors, known as Gawkers to the inhabitants of Pastworld, can observe and interact with.

Caleb is one of the many tourists drawn to Pastworld. With his father, formerly a big name in the Buckland Corporation that runs Pastworld, he delves into what he hopes will be a fascinating experience - until a man is murdered in his presence, his father is kidnapped and Caleb himself finds himself on the run from the police as the suspected killer.

Eve, on the other hand, has never known a life outside Pastworld. To her, Victorian London is real, and her guardian has kept her sheltered and protected from a danger she knows nothing about all her life. But there is something about Eve that makes her special - and whatever it is, it has put a vicious killer on her trail.

What connects Eve and Caleb, what makes Eve so special, the identity of the killer known only as the Fantom - all these mysteries should make for a gripping, suspenseful story that keeps you eagerly turning pages to unravel. Unfortunately, the book didn't quite live up to the expectations the intriguing blurb and the fascinating premise of the past as a themepark awakened. I didn't feel much attachment to any of the characters and found that the jumble of different storythreads just never really came together to a cohesive whole IMO. So much potential, but ultimately just an okay read.own read-20161 Sandra114 2

In the beginning the book was really thrilling. The idea of a victorian theme park ( larp) in a futuristic world is really great and I haven't read something that before. Ian Beck managed to write the story in a way that it never got boring, because the reader gets only a few information about the characters and how the main characters are sticked together.

My bad rating results from the female main character. At first she was really cute and I sympathized with her, but after she realized that Pastworld isn't the real world (she thought Pastworld would be a real town, her hometown) she became really annoying. She doesn't react as someone, who was just told that everything she ever believed in was only an illusion. (It was : "Oh... it's only a themepark? Well okay! Whatever, let's go!)

Oh, and before I forget: She can lip read, she can see in the dark (it isn't a magic book or something that, where darksight is normal), she is perfect in walking the wire (but she neeever knew; of course), she can run so fast normal people only see a dark shadow and she has the ability to slow down the time for herself. Of course every male main charakter (ecxept the old ones) loooves her, because she is so perfect and wonderful and her bright blue eyes are so unique. Oh and she loves everyone of them too, and she really wants to get killed by two of them ... yeah... oh .. and of couurse at the end she is pregnant and happy and everything is SO GREAT!

It was a fight to read the last pages really, i didn't expect that such a good beginning ends so horribly bad.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewcircus steampunk1 Librariann1,495 76

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, from the small: smoking in pubs, to the large: the death penalty, by hanging.

Pastworld even has its own Jack the Ripper: the Fantom, a mysterious serial killer, is on the prowl. Tangled up in this odd world are Bible J, the street urchin with a heart of gold, Eve, a teenager who doesn't know Pastworld isn't the real deal, and Caleb, a visitor whose father was one of the park's original imagineers.

Gets off to a quick and engaging start but ends up as a passable sci-fi. The unique premise and cobblestone-pounding plots are the draw, the stock characters are not. Worst sin: a completely guessable twist (I figured it out at page 80) 2009 science-fiction1 WyrmbergSabrina456 20

A book I’ve had on my shelf for sometime that was picked up because of the idea - A Westworld but in Victorian London. Sounded fun.
I have two problems with the book. The first is personal. I found some of the font hard to reach, it made staying with the story tiresome and my eyes hurt.
The second is it took ages for any information to be given about our characters, and then it was almost all dumped into our laps. I wanted more details, more descriptions of the worlds. It just felt a little empty to me.
The story itself is alright; towards the end, everything is figured out and the grand, melodramatic ending plays out. It’s a bit of a let down, though. I wanted more, though I’m not certain how the story could have done that without being longer.
Occasionally, I noticed a word or phrase that felt very out of place in the story. There’s colourful language and then there’s a description that just sits wrong.
An interesting tale for lovers of historical fantasy fiction, but not enough meat for my liking.young-adult-and-childhood1 Alannah29 12

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 murder which in Pastworld is punishable by death. While innocent Caleb tries to hide a real murderer , Pastworld's very own Jack the Ripper, is running around with his band of minions.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I stumbled upon it.



sci-fi1 Karen545 21

This was a weird book with a cool premise. I d the idea of a old world re-created in the future. It was an interesting choice that the author made to hardly talk about the outside futuristic world at all...just a few allusions, but no clear picture. Because it didn't matter to the story.

I d the adventure and the characters, clear up until you start to realize what was going on and then...well...it was just weird. The whole idea of what they had tried to create and do is really sick. It never really explores it or goes into anything awful, and the whole point is that most of them regret it and are trying to stop it, but still. Weird.adult-fiction1 Kim1,107 22

this has the potential of being SOOOOOOOOOOO much better. too many characters, too many points of view, I wasn't invested in any of the characters except for Eve, so when the other characters started up, I wanted to just skip over it and found myself zoning out. loved the idea of this book thoughwheel-a-thon-20151 Andy41 6

I was glad when I finished. That was quite the accomplishment.2 s OldBird - Private record - Semi-hiatus -1,631

I was actually quite surprised by what a page-turner I found this story of a future dystopian steampunk theme park was. I can't say the characters were truly enthralling, but once I got past their oddities (and got over the fact that in a post-Westworld world, the twists are fairly evident) I still found it quite an enjoyable read.

The blurb tells you it's about two characters, but the main focus is more on one Caleb Brown, son of a former "imagineer" who helped to create the experience that is Pastworld. The year is 2048, but in the replica of Victorian London that is Pastworld, it's still a time of top hats and horse-drawn cabs. Populated by real people who must be authentic at all times (save the fact that airships bring in cosplaying tourists), it's a truly immersive experience full of the real grit and gore of a Dickens novel. Caleb has come to Pastworld with his father, but ends up being hunted by the olden days law-men for a murder he did not commit. Turns out there's a lot more going on inside the fake city, and a lot of it involves the murderous villain known as the Fantom. It also involves the strange girl Eve who has no memory of her past and longs to escape from her kindly but stifling mentor. She runs away to join the circus, setting things in motion that she cannot begin to comprehend.

The perspective of the book does jump around a lot. In the end it settles mostly on Caleb with the odd foray into Eve's journal, though a lot of characters get their little chapters. It does mean that the timelines of the story overlap in strange ways as events happen, then are seen from a different perspective. I can't say I cared overly for any of the main characters as they all came across fairly bland and lacking in emotion. I found Eve's journal frustrating to read, though that would mostly be down to the cursive typeface choice.

But this is a plot-driven story, not a character-centric one, and I enjoyed the strands of the mystery all coming together even when it was possible to call it by about a third of the way through. The stop-start nature of the narrative was a little odd, but in the end I didn't mind because it could be quite clever in how the timelines overlapped.

The only real downer was towards the end when things got... weird. Caleb putting his hands round Eve's neck and her wanting him to. Um. That never really got explained properly, and at the time it was happening it seemed completely inexplicable. Maybe for story reasons I could later understand her pre-programmed urge to be the victim, but what about Caleb? Was his father lying? And then all the parts where they can "slow time" - I didn't find the explanation of that overly satisfying. Oh yeah, we gave you secret super strength/speed/agility somehow? And just why would you clone an authentic biological murderer and victim when they say they can make automatons? There's also an echo of unfinished business about the ending, of characters getting no closure and of things about the outside world left unsaid that you wish you could grasp.

Maybe I could have wished for a little more world building and a little more heart, but the concept is pretty cool and the flow of the mystery kept me hooked for a day of reading.dystopia e-books sci-fi ...more Joanna1,965 36

Inhalt:

Pastworld - der grösste Themenpark der Welt. Lassen Sie sich ins London des 19. Jahrhunderts versetzen! 100% authentisch!

Caleb begleitet eigentlich nur seinen Vater nach Pasworld, doch dann werden sie überfallen und plötzlich ist alles gaz anders. In Pastworld werden Mörder gehängt und irgendjemand will Caleb tatsächlich einen Mord anhängen! Wer sind die Zerlumpten Männer und was wollen sie von Caleb und seinem Vater?

Meine Meinung:

Ein Vergnügungspark, der das 19. Jahrhundert detailgetreu nachstellt? Dort würde ich sofort hinfahren! Doch das ist gar nicht so einfach: Die Erbauer bemühen sich um 100% Authentizität. Das bedeutet keine Handys, keine Computer, keine Autos. Das bedeutet Pferdekutschen, altertümliche Bekleidung und ein monatelanges Training bevor der Urlaub überhaupt erst losgeht.

Ian Beck lässt seine Geschichte in einer vergangenen Zeit spielen, obwohl wir uns eigentlich in der Zukunft befinden. Im Jahre 2048, um genau zu sein. Ein sehr interssantes Konzept, das teilweise sogar etwas steampunkig anmutet. Auch die Idee mit dem mysteriösen Phantom, das Leute auf spektakuläre Art und Weise umbringt, birgt Spannung. Eigentlich ist das Buch sozusagen ein richtiger Krimi.

Der Autor nahm sich viel Zeit, um sich seinen Themenpark zu visualisieren. Man erfährt, welche Regelungen in Pastworld gelten. So hat man zum Beispiel einen errechneten Betrag, den man an Arme und Bettler spendet. Dass dazwischen immer wieder modernste Überwachungskameras in Rattenform auftauchen, lässt uns aber nicht vergessen, dass Pastworld nichts weiter ist als ein Vergnügungspark.

Alle bisher gelisteten Punkte sprechen eigentlich dafür, dass mir das Buch gefallen könnte. Oder gefallen hätte. Leider konnte es mich keineswegs überzeugen. Der Mittelteil gefiel mir ganz gut und den habe ich auch zügig und erwartungsvoll gelesen. Der Beginn und das Ende dagegen fand ich eher katastrophal.

Unterdessen kenne ich meinen eigenen Büchergeschmack gut genug, um zu wissen, von welchen Titeln ich die Finger lassen sollte. Als ich "Pastworld" auf die Wunschliste setzte und auch bekam, hatte sich dieses Feingefühl wohl noch nicht entwickelt. Denn mit dem Wissen, das ich jetzt habe, häte ich von Anfang an gespürt, dass Becks Buch nichts für mich ist.

Für Jugendliche bietet das Buch einen guten Einblick in die Vergangenheit, ohne angestaubt zu wirken. Immerhin blitzt immer wieder etwas Hightech durch. Ausserdem kommt alles vor, was junge Leute bewegt: Stress mit den Eltern, erste Liebe, Mordverdacht Freundschaft und die Suche nach sich selbst.

Mir persönlich passte jedoch die Umsetzung nicht. Geschrieben ist das Buch in einer zur Zielgruppe passenden Sprache, oft sogar etwas im viktorianischen Stil eingefärbt, aber ohne zu überfordern. Damit hatte ich gerechnet, ein Jugendbuch muss sich flüssig lesen lassen und das ist hier gegeben. Also keine Angst vor dem Umfang des Buches - das meiste davon ist Mogelpackung (die Seiten sind recht dick und gross beschrieben).

Fangen wir mit den Figuren an: Caleb und BibleMac fand ich grossartig, die mochte ich von Anfang an und hätte sie gerne als meine Freunde. Deshalb las ich auch den Mittelteil der Geschichte mit ganzer Aufmerksamkeit. Denn dort geht es hauptsächlich um diese Männerfreundschaft. Beide Jungs sind gut gezeichnet, der eine eher düster und etwas mürrisch, während der andere genau das Gegenteil davon ist. Diese Kombi macht wirklich Spass.

Dann ist da aber noch Eve, die dritte Hauptfigur. Mit ihr Begann das Buch auch und sie spielt eine zentrale Rolle. Und mit ihr hatte ich meine liebe Mühe. Sie ist zu perfekt. Auch wenn das später erklärt wird, mag ich trotzdem keine perfekten Charaktere. Niemand ist perfekt, kein Mensch. Aber das wird gegen Ende der Geschichte erläutert, zumindest Ansatzweise. Einige Fragen bleiben aber doch offen.

Auch ihr Verhalten leuchtete mir einfach nicht ein. Sie verlässt den Mann, der sich jahrelang um sie gekümmert hat, ohne ihm etwas zu sagen, ohne ein Danke. Sie hat ein wenig Geld und keine Ahnung, was sie nun tun soll. Spendet aber als erstes Geld an einen Armen und kauft sich einen teuren Kuchen. Oliver Twist lässt grüssen. Dann erfährt sie, dass Pastworld nur ein Vergnügungspark ist und nimmt es einfach hin. Ihr ganzes Leben war eine Lüge und wird auf den Kopf gestellt. Aber das ist in Ordnung so. Das kann ich einfach nicht verstehen. Niemand nimmt so eine Botschaft auf, ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken.

Ein weiterer Punkt, weshalb mir das Buch nicht gefallen hat, war Becks Sprache. Wie bereits erwähnt, liest sich das Buch flüssig. Aber leider kommt dabei keinerlei Spannung auf. Auch keine Gefühle. Angeblich ist BibleMac in Eve verliebt und umgekehrt. Aber für mich war da gar nichts. Es war eher so, als hätte der Autor einfach noch rasch eine Romanze reinquetschen müssen. Von der angeblich grossen Liebe habe ich aber nicht viel entdeckt. Es gab auch keinen Platz, an dem sich diese Gefühle hätten entwickeln können.

Weiter schien mir das Buch eher von einem Schüler geschrieben als von einem Erwachsenen. Es kommt kein Tempo auf, auch nicht als der Endkampf bevorsteht. Diese Szene fand ich sowieso übertrieben und alle Charaktere verhielten sich so abgedroschen, dass ich die letzten Seiten mit einem Stirnrunzeln las, das ich nicht mehr aus meinem Gesicht gekriegt habe.

Beck hat die Existens von Wörtern wie "plötzlich", "im selben Moment" oder "auf einmal" noch nicht wahrgenommen, wie mir scheint. Er schreibt eher gemütlich und alles geschieht nacheinander. Aufgereiht wie bei einer Perlenkette. Und dann... Und dann das... Und dann jenes... Selbst jungen Lesern darf man etwas Spannung und Aufregung zutrauen. Die fallen schon nicht gleich tot um. Denke ich mal. Ich hab mit 12 bereits aufregendere Bücher gelesen und 15 Jahre danach lebe ich immer noch.

Fazit:

Leider definitiv kein Buch für mich. Obwohl Ansätze da waren, hat der Autor sie nicht ganz ausgereizt. Die Romanze hätte man weglassen können, dafür mehr Gespühr und Gefühl auf Spannung und Lesefluss verwenden können.

Gestaltet ist das Buch jedoch ziemlich schön und da es sich auch ganz einfach weglesen liess, habe ich nicht daran gedacht, es abzubrechen. Aber eigentlich hätte ich diese Lesezeit auch mit etwas Besserem verbringen können... Megan589 1 follower

This one is interesting, but not my favorite book. I loved the idea of making a theme park based off of a different period of time. It would be cool to actually see how people lived, but I wouldn't want to be in the middle of a crime or anything. I d seeing all of the different characters. It did get a little confusing in some parts but it was still good. I wish it would've stayed with Eve a little more. I d reading about her more than the others.

Gonna keep this short as my dog is being grumpy lol. 2017-reading-challenge own-real-books Lisa54 5

I read this book a few years after it first came out and I've been thinking about it ever since. I really loved this book, I loved the concept and the story and I wished something this existed in real life so I could visit it. I was obsessed with Victorian London in high school. Recently I have been watching the show Westworld and it's reminded me so much of this book. I don't know if this book had anything to do with the idea behind that television show but it has got me thinking about Pastworld again and I think I am going to search for a copy so I can re-read this lovely piece! Becca Owen493 2

I do really enjoy this book, I have read it many times.
I love the concept behind it, recreating the past and turning it into a theme park. It would be amazing for schools, however abiding by those laws must be a big thrill.
The characters I really , they all have an interesting story and they all interlink towards the end, and the plot finally sinks in.
I do really the Fantom and what his role is meant to be, although a bit twisted.
The story flows well and it doesnt normally take me long to read. I would recommend it for those that enjoy history, mystery etc.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Alessandro SchümperlinAuthor 3 books

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