A Ticket for Perpetual LocomotionImagine unlimited access to all forms of transport, in every last part of the earth! Picture yourself in the country with an Arabian horse, or standing in the desert sands with a camel signed over to you in a moment's notice! If you landed in the South Pole, a team of explorer's dogs would be obliged to break their journey and transport you across the icy wastelands. All of this is outlined in a hundred languages in the traveller's manual, with a pictorial explanation if all else fails. A Ticket for Perpetual Locomotion is a gem, full of bubbling ideas. It is a remarkable debut. Gates' work is driven by the whirling subplots which all stream together neatly for a climatic twist. When an author unleashes an imaginative concept into reality, trans-global adventures conspire, relatives are thrown into tizzies, best friends turn detective, guarded secrets are blown wide open, and lovers' trails unfurl. This extraordinary read will dazzle the adventure-minded and armchair travellers alike. - Lauren Daniels, for the judges, IP Picks 2005 |
