Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious. In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies. Kenneth Oppel has created a riveting story. It's the kind of book where you tell yourself you are just going to read one more chapter, but you don't stop until you've read five chapters and it's 11:30 at night, and you have to get up early in the morning (true story). But the story isn't only action. It also has feeling, and a bit of romance. It's also chock full of appealing main characters and nasty villains. At times, I felt as if they weren't fully developed, but I guess that's what the other books in the series are for. And the world that Mr. Oppel has crafted. It's in some ways the same as ours, yet so colorful, and completely different. The story is set in the Victorian era, but in an alternative history where airships rule the skies. It's so different from anything I've read before, and so creative that I couldn't help loving the story. I immediately read the rest of the series. (Though maybe not quite as good as this first one, I decided them just the same.) I give the book 4 stars, and I recommend it for young adults that like exciting stories set in exotic locales. (And, I mean, who doesn't?) Kenneth Oppel is an excellent author and I look forward to reading more of his work. Content Warning - MildThere some mild cursing, mostly from pirates, and a bit of mild kissing.
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About MeHey there! I'm Grace, a tea drinking, book loving, Child of God. I also draw maps of fictional places. ArchivesCategories
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