- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada; 1st Printing edition (Oct 21 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0006392598
- ISBN-13: 978-0006392590
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.2 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 612 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #96,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
If you thought the hot-air balloon scenes in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy were exciting, hitch a ride on the Aurora airship in Kenneth Oppel's spectacular young-adult fantasy novel Airborn. Oppel, known for his best-selling Silverwing trilogy about the hidden lives of bats, has more in common with the famous British fantasy author than an interest in flight and a predilection for publishing books in threes. Like the popular Pullman series, Airborn is set in an alternative world where the similarities to our own are every bit as fascinating as the differences. In this case, what if some of the early 20th century's more bizarre experiments in aviation had actually worked? In Oppel's imaginary, not-so-distant past, giant luxury airships ply the air like ocean liners (thanks to a miraculous mango-scented gas called hydrium), while flying contraptions with feathered mechanical wings taxi people about--and everything else is slightly altered as a result.
In its story of a charming, flight-struck 15-year-old cabin boy named Matt Cruse, Airborn combines elements of Treasure Island (a dramatic shipwreck, flying pirates, and a mysterious tropical isle) with an upper-deck/lower-deck romance reminiscent of Titanic. When Matt rescues an old man from his punctured balloon, he dismisses the balloonist's tales of beautiful winged cougars as delirium. But with the arrival aboard ship of the free-spirited Kate de Vries, the fatherless boy finds himself caught up in a scientific quest that reveals as much about his own fear of being land-locked as it does about these elusive "cloud cats." A master stylist, Oppel keeps his prose as streamlined and fast-paced as ever while feathering his tale with flight-inspired allusions to the Icarus myth and Peter Pan. Although not as metaphysically complex as his bat novels, Airborn is a soaring aerial joyride for thinking teens. --Lisa Alward
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10–An original and imaginative Victorian-era fantasy. Matt, 15, only feels alive when he's aloft working as a cabin boy aboard the Aurora,a luxury airship that is part dirigible, part passenger cruise ship. When wealthy Kate and her chaperone come aboard, Matt soon discovers that she is determined to prove her grandfather's claims that he saw strange creatures flying in the sky in that area the year before. The man's diary describes them as huge, furry beasts with batlike wings and sharp claws. Soon after Kate arrives, pirates attack the ship and rob the wealthy passengers. A storm forces the damaged Aurora to set down on a seemingly deserted island. Kate and Matt discover the skeletal remains of one of the creatures, and, later, a live but deformed one that lives among the treetops. In their attempts to photograph "the cloud cat," they stumble upon the pirates' hideout and are captured. Can they escape in time to stop the brigands from stealing the Aurora? Will Kate prove the existence of this undiscovered species? This rousing adventure has something for everyone: appealing and enterprising characters, nasty villains, and a little romance. Oppel provides glimpses of the social conventions of the era, humorous byplay between the main characters, and comic relief in the form of Matt's cabin mate and Kate's straitlaced chaperone. Reminiscent of Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines (HarperCollins, 2003), this adventure is much lighter in tone and has a lower body count.–Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your typical Treasure Island,
By Z Wetz "zlwetz" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Airborn (Hardcover)
"Sailing toward dawn, and I was perched atop the crow's nest, being the ship's eyes." This is a normal occurrence for Matt Cruse, cabin boy aboard the Aurora, a luxury class passenger and cargo ship, and a fitting beginning to this book. What should be a normal voyage becomes an exciting adventure as the Aurora is boarded by pirates, caught in a typhoon, and shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island where Matt and his friends make an amazing discovery.This book isn't your typical Treasure Island, however. The Aurora is an airship (think the Good Year Blimp with a full crew and rich passengers) that sails the skies 800 feet above the ocean surface. The airplane has never been invented, and the airships are powered by a light-weight gas called hydrium (a mango-scented gas than all other molecules and pushes any other air out of the space it is in) and propellers to guide the ships through the air. In this tale, the Aurora, and more specifically Matt Cruse, rescues a stranded balloonist over the Pacificus. One year later, the balloonist's granddaughter, Kate, appears as a passenger on the ship, intent on finding a mysterious creature her grandfather saw on his final voyage. Kate shares her grandfather's story with Matt, who aids her in her quest. Together they face many dangers, including the wrath of Kate's overbearing chaperone, Miss Simpkins, who does not feel that proper ladies should associate with the crew of an airship. This book is very well written. Kenneth Oppel describes the events, people and places fully, without letting potentially gruesome incidents get to graphic. All of the plot lines intertwine gracefully throughout the narrative until they connect in the book's climax. The characters are interesting and multi-dimensional. For example, Matt's overwhelming sense of duty and single-minded protectiveness of the Aurora contrasts with his sense of adventure and his new friendship with Kate in which he often must choose between her and the ship. Kate is willful and adventurous. She can take care of herself, but is not beyond asking for help when she needs to do so. Even the "villains" in this book have multiple sides. Captain Szpirglas of the pirate ship loots every ship he can, but is only violent when he needs to be in order keep the crew and passengers under control. He also has a soft and caring side that no one would suspect. The places in this book make it realistic despite the fantasy element of airships instead of airplanes. For example, the Aurora is traveling from the west coast of North America to Sydney, Australia, and the Air Academy where some people study to be airship crew is located in Paris. The book has a historical feel to it, with the oceans called the Atlanticus and Pacificus, the women in long dresses and jewelry aboard the ship, and the notion that women should not have adventures or go to university. The characters, however, have a more modern feel to them, especially Kate, who does not buy into the ideals of her society and intends to make great discoveries of her own and make sure that no one else takes the credit. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fantasies, pirate stories, adventures or teenage heros.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great book by Oppel,
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This review is from: Airborn (Hardcover)
It was weird going back and reading the first book in this trilogy after reading the third novel, but it was well worth it. In this story, set in an alternative world where airplanes were never developed and airships still rule the skies, Kenneth Oppel has created an amazing world, full of adventure and wonder.The story focuses around a trip from Lions Gate to Australia aboard the ship Aurora. Young Matt Cruse and Miss Kate de Vries meet on this journey. In this story we have pirate attacks, ship wreck, an uncharted island, undiscovered species and much, much more. With amazing characters and plot twists I could not put the book down. It is a great read and another awesome book by Mr. Oppel.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Airborn,
By WriterGrl "Melodie" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Airborn (Paperback)
I got this book from the library after accidentally reading Skybreaker first. Unfortunately, because I had read that first I new the basic details of the ending, but it was still an exciting ride, with pirates (yay! one of my favorite book subjects), airships (v. cool), and the mysteriously, ferociously beautiful cloud cats. The romance between Matt and Kate is well balanced and satisfying to girls without taking over the story and scaring guys away. It appears to happen in an alternate version of approximately 1915 or 1920, somewhere around there. It's an alternate time because they have things like electric "torches", movies (presumably silent), and iceboxes, but they have not invented airplanes, or many cars, judging by the sequel. Don't be put off by the beginning, which is almost confusing, poetic, and kind of boring...once they get on the hot air balloon, the excitement picks right up and then from there on it's a breathless, non-stop (I was up till 1 a.m. finishing it) ride to the last page, that will leave you hungering to find out about the characters' future.
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