Skybreaker, by Kenneth Oppel, sequel to Airborn
Matt Cruse is no longer a cabin boy on the Aurora, thanks to a generous reward for information leading to the capture of the sky pirate, Szpirglas, he is now studying at the airship academy in Paris, something he has always longed to do.
During a training flight a sudden updraft sweeps the ship he is on far above what they can handle and at the peak of the flight, before he dramatically saves all their lives he sees a ghastly sight.
It has rips in it's fabric skin and icicles hanging from it's ballast tanks, it is an infamous floating treasureship/graveyard called the Hyperion that has been above the clouds since before Matt was born. And Matt is the only one with the coordinates.
Because of Matt's still impoverished state he is greatly tempted by the masses of gold (among other things) rumoured to be hoarded upon the Hyperion. Together with Kate de Vries, a gypsy girl with a key, and a young manly entrepreneur with a ship called a "skybreaker" they set off to skyberia in search of frozen treasure.
However gold attracts more than penniless heroes and they are followed by pirates yet again, these pirates are better equipped, more ruthless and a lot more nasty.
Altogether this is a good read, not quite as clever as the first but certainly a good story with an entertaining plot.
Showing posts with label Kenneth Oppel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenneth Oppel. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Born in the air, flight without care.
Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel
Matt Cruse wasn't born on earth.
He was born high in the sky in a dirigible, one of the fantastic fleet of ships with skeletons of alumiron, held aloft by bags of goldbeaters skin filled with the lightest gas on the planet: hydrium .
He, like his father before him works on these magnificent machines. Unfortunately for him he is a lowly cabin boy and most of his pay gets sent to his mother and sisters, his father died 3 years ago and is therefore unable to support them.
Through a supposed ballooning incident he meets Kate de Vries, a bright and knowledge hungry female (not to mention beautiful as Matt soon realises) in search of her grandfather's dreams. Her search pits both of them against storms, pirates and flying things with pointy teeth.
This book gives any reader a good rolling adventure story that unlike many does not push but slides along and I would recommend this to anybody.
Matt Cruse wasn't born on earth.
He was born high in the sky in a dirigible, one of the fantastic fleet of ships with skeletons of alumiron, held aloft by bags of goldbeaters skin filled with the lightest gas on the planet: hydrium .
He, like his father before him works on these magnificent machines. Unfortunately for him he is a lowly cabin boy and most of his pay gets sent to his mother and sisters, his father died 3 years ago and is therefore unable to support them.
Through a supposed ballooning incident he meets Kate de Vries, a bright and knowledge hungry female (not to mention beautiful as Matt soon realises) in search of her grandfather's dreams. Her search pits both of them against storms, pirates and flying things with pointy teeth.
This book gives any reader a good rolling adventure story that unlike many does not push but slides along and I would recommend this to anybody.
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