AIRBORN

Kenneth Oppel has spun a yarn that yet again exceeds my expectations!
Airborn was the first book I read that Kenneth Oppel wrote and I have to say, it left me craving for more of his fantastic literature.
For me, Airborn has magical qualities and holds a special place in my heart because of Kenneth's ability to blend a heap of adventure, breath-taking suspense and a pinch of romance all into an amazing story: Matt Cruse is the cabin boy of the Aurora, the 900-foot luxury airship he has called home for the past two years. While crossing the Pacificus, he fearlessly rescues the unconcious pilot of a crippled hot air balloon.
Before he dies, the balloonist tells Matt about the fantastic, impossible creatures he has seen flying through the clouds. Matt dismisses the story as the ravings of a dying man, but when Kate de Vries arrives on the Aurora a year later, determined to prove the story true, Matt finds himself caught up in her quest. Then one night over the middle of the ocean, deadly air pirates board the Aurora. Far from any hope of rescue, Kate and Matt are flung into adventures beyond all imagining . . .

Airborn is currently available in these editions and prices

Original Hardcover: Unavailable
Trade Paperback: Unavailable
Mass Market Paperbound: $9.99
Audio Book: $45.00

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.

I love this book. I first read it when I was in high school and fell instantly in love with Matt Cruse, Kate DeVries and their larger than life adventure! Reading it now, I can still honestly say that this is a great book. Kenneth Oppel is clearly a gifted, talented, genius of a writer! I highly recommend this one!

Matt Cruse is a young apprentice aboard the massive airship, Aurora. Matt has aspirations to one day be a Sailmaker as his father had been. The Aurora is 900-feet long, and the majestic flagship of the Lunardi line of airships. It weighs more than the Eiffel Tower, yet it is lighter than air, due to the physical properties of hydrium which is contained in precious bladders inside the ship's hull.

In the opening chapters of the novel, Matt sees a rogue hot air balloon from his domed crow's nest atop the Aurora. Matt reports the sighting, then -- showing no fear of heights -- he helps to get the balloon onboard in an attempt to save its ailing captain. When the old rescued explorer wakens, he asks Matt if he had seen beautiful creatures hovering in the sky. Matt is intrigued, but he is convinced to treat the old man's claims as hallucinations brought on by his dire illness.

One year later, Kate de Vries boards the airship in grand fashion! The granddaughter of the old air-mariner, Kate has come in search of the airborne creatures described in her grandfather's flight logs.

Matt and Kate are propelled by author Kenneth Oppel on numerous adventures. The action is relentless in this book, and the plot is far from predictable, as the air is filled not only with the possibility of new and exotic creatures, but also is rife with pirates. Matt and Kate must endure dangerous crashes, pirate invasions, poisonous hopping snakes, abandonment on a tropical island and a crabby chaperone!

Ever present in Airborn is the majestic airship, Aurora. Oppel describes the ship beautifully, and we become enamoured with its labyrinthine walkways and delicate goldbeater's skin. We struggle with Matt and the crew to keep the ship aloft. We fight bouts of vertigo as Oppel has Matt traverse the airship's interior and exterior!

Reminiscent of Philip Pullman's creative world-building in His Dark Materials trilogy, Oppel creates a world similar to, but also unlike, our own. Oppel has the airship cross the Pacificus Ocean from Lionsgate City. The airship is buoyed by the precious gas hydrium. It is a world where ornithopters and vividly rendered creatures occupy the skies. The setting captures the luxury and grandeur of early twentieth century flight, and embraces the piracy and lawlessness of an earlier time. The Aurora is the Titanic of the skies, and Matt and Kate must deal with their different stations in society.

Matt Cruse is not alone in being 'airborn'. Ken Oppel's story introduces us to memorable airborn creatures, a wonderfully wrought airborne airship, and a plot that keeps the reader's heart rate aloft. You will cheer on the young Matt Cruse, as eagerly as you cheered on Jim Hawkins in his attempt to defeat the dastardly pirates in Treasure Island.

Airborn will keep you reading into the starry night!