How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Tom gazed at [Katherine] in wonder. He had seen pictures of Valentine's daughter, but he had never realized how beautiful she was. (2.22)
Don't worry if you missed this line; you'll be reminded about how beautiful Katherine is on pretty much every page for the next three or four chapters.
Quote #2
[Tom] wondered if [the assassin] was pretty: a beautiful assassin from the Anti-Traction League. (3.4)
If the assassin were a dude, do you think Tom would give two hoots what he looked like? Why does the assassin's appearance even matter to Tom?
Quote #3
She was no older than Tom, and she was hideous. (3.7)
The first thought that runs through Tom's head isn't: "I caught the assassin!" It's: "This girl is uglier than a tarantula sandwich." Why does he place such value on physical appearance, even in a life-or-death situation?
Quote #4
[Tom] missed Katherine Valentine, although he had known her for only a few minutes. Sometimes, if he closed his eyes, he could see her face quite clearly, her kind gray eyes and her lovely smile. He was sure that she didn't know what sort of man her father was... (6.1)
Tom, sweetheart, you're not sure what sort of girl Katherine is. All you know is that she's a babe. Does that mean she's also a good person?
Quote #5
What a horrible, ugly, vicious, self-pitying girl she was! (15.6)
While we might agree with pretty much everything here, it's interesting that Tom always manages to shoehorn "ugly" into his criticism of Hester. It's not like she she's an America's Next Top Model contestant, and it's her job to look attractive for him. Give it a rest, dude.
Quote #6
[Bevis Pod] pulled down his mask, and he was unexpectedly handsome. (16.43)
It's nice that author Philip Reeve is an equal-opportunity ogler. Not only does Tom first notice the physical hotness of his would-be significant other, but Katherine, too, notices the studliness of her love interest right off the bat.
Quote #7
[Tom] was in love with the image of Katherine Valentine. (19.8)
This is a good point, although we're not sure if Tom realizes it himself yet. He's in love with the image of Katherine, and that image is flawless, like a retouched Vogue magazine cover. Can an image like that ever reflect the true person?
Quote #8
"You're going to stay here with me, like the son I never had, and I'm just thinking that maybe the lads would accept you a bit more easily if you had a better-looking girl; you know, more lady-like." (19.9)
This is Peavey's blatant attempt to set Tom up with his daughter, but he does it by playing on Tom's tendency to prefer superficial beauty. By this point, however, Tom is beginning to see Hester's other strengths.
Quote #9
This place was old, and beautiful. [Tom] wouldn't let it be smashed! (28.5)
Tom extends his shallow view that beauty equals value to the town of Shan Gau. We guess this means that if the town were gross-looking, Tom would let it get destroyed. We hope Tom's never in charge of saving Baltimore.
Quote #10
Above the clouds, the rockets flare and bang, and the light of an exploding airship washes across the upturned faces of the crowd, who murmur, "Oooooooooh!" (34.11)
As we all know, appearances can be deceiving. Here, the crowds of London mistake a violent explosion for fireworks. Of course, seeing how bloodthirsty they can be, they might have cheered even if they did know exactly what was going on. By the way, appearances can be deceiving? Now there's a lesson the characters in this book might want to consider.