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If you have a boy who is a reluctant reader and only into gaming, Oppel is a godsend. He writes books that will enchant any child of 8+ who loves the Indiana Jones movies, Jules Verne or Tintin.-- Amanda Craig --The Times, May 23, 2009
Review
Starclimber is a thrilling roller-coaster ride of a book, full of humor and derring-do and guaranteed to keep readers up long past midnight.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Third book in the series, Again great. Definately a brilliant imagination that can mix the real with fantasy and new with the old. You will know what i mean when you read the series. Brilliant.....
Format:Paperback
This is the third in the "Airborn" Series, succeeding Airborn and Skybreaker. This third novel has been a great anticipation in my book calendar, and one i really wanted to read, but there was something abit odd about it.
Matt Cruse, a young aspiring-to-be captain, is studying in Paris, and on his summer holiday, takes a job at the Celestial Tower- a tower built in Paris, aiming to reach space first... but is whisked away to Lionsgate city, to be invited to be part of the Canadian space race...
He has to pass a grueling set of tests before he can enter, whilst Kate, his love from the previous novels, a young girl aspiring to be a great scientist, gets an easy free pass. This is just one incident forming a crevasse in their relationship, with others being social pressure, parents and a proposal from a rich tycoon's son.
They both end up on the space voyage, and face many more adventures, following their voyage into space, and behold the discoveries they find. I shan't spoil the excitement for you... the plot twists and sudden dangers are still there!
Overall, the book follows the same style of Oppel, the characterisation is flawless once again, and there is all the same action, twists and dilemas the past two books have seen. However, this feels rather predictable, and plain compared to the other two, and seems somewhat detached.
Whilst it does refer to past incidents, which of course has shaped our characters thus far, and the reintroduction of Captain Walken, of which was in the first novel, the links aren't quite of the same exciting type. No shocking revelations and "WOWing" twists, eg Nadira was Spzirglass' daughter! It was just dilema after dilema, which you kinda guessed would come up and all our characters would survive through.
This series has so much potential, and this book falls short of the high standards previously achieved. However, we have to keep in mind that this book is targetted at children, and too much complexion could vex them; yet i think it is more suited to teens and if driven towards that category, it will have so much more scope.
The book is solid, but not exceptional, and perhaps the series will need a shocking event, a new original and refreshing storyline, and perhaps a new prominant rival/ enemy or evil person. The Babelites in this just wasn't threatening or involved enough!
Matt Cruse, a young aspiring-to-be captain, is studying in Paris, and on his summer holiday, takes a job at the Celestial Tower- a tower built in Paris, aiming to reach space first... but is whisked away to Lionsgate city, to be invited to be part of the Canadian space race...
He has to pass a grueling set of tests before he can enter, whilst Kate, his love from the previous novels, a young girl aspiring to be a great scientist, gets an easy free pass. This is just one incident forming a crevasse in their relationship, with others being social pressure, parents and a proposal from a rich tycoon's son.
They both end up on the space voyage, and face many more adventures, following their voyage into space, and behold the discoveries they find. I shan't spoil the excitement for you... the plot twists and sudden dangers are still there!
Overall, the book follows the same style of Oppel, the characterisation is flawless once again, and there is all the same action, twists and dilemas the past two books have seen. However, this feels rather predictable, and plain compared to the other two, and seems somewhat detached.
Whilst it does refer to past incidents, which of course has shaped our characters thus far, and the reintroduction of Captain Walken, of which was in the first novel, the links aren't quite of the same exciting type. No shocking revelations and "WOWing" twists, eg Nadira was Spzirglass' daughter! It was just dilema after dilema, which you kinda guessed would come up and all our characters would survive through.
This series has so much potential, and this book falls short of the high standards previously achieved. However, we have to keep in mind that this book is targetted at children, and too much complexion could vex them; yet i think it is more suited to teens and if driven towards that category, it will have so much more scope.
The book is solid, but not exceptional, and perhaps the series will need a shocking event, a new original and refreshing storyline, and perhaps a new prominant rival/ enemy or evil person. The Babelites in this just wasn't threatening or involved enough!
Format:Paperback
Having explored the far reaches of the skies, Matt Cruse is about to fly beyond them -- into the unknown expanse of space.
Yup. Space. Kenneth Oppel's airship trilogy takes a distinctly sci-fi turn in the final volume, "Starclimber" -- it's focused on the wondrous expanses outside Earth's, and the dangers that go with its first pioneers. It's a little top-heavy with Matt's romantic woes, but Oppel does a truly brilliant job mingling sci-fi, adventure and a sense of lyrical wonder.
Matt Cruise has been working as a tug captain at the Celestial Tower, but he's offered a wildly different job: to become one of the first astralnauts on a space mission.
Unfortunately as he undergoes the grueling training, Matt is distracted -- Kate (who is heavily involved in the suffragette movement) is being pressured to make a "good match" with a rich man. And while both of them are included on the cable-climbing "Starclimber," Matt is horrified when he discovers that Kate's parents have forced her to make a choice -- get engaged or give up outer space.
The specially selected team succeeds in leaving the Earth behind, only to find that space has its own variety of dangers -- including mysterious glowing objects, monstrous space creatures, asteroids, and the threat of a bombing from the fanatical Babelites. But the worst is yet to come, when Matt finds that he must repair a delicate piece of equipment... or the entire expedition will be destroyed.
Just as Oppel's "Airborn" and "Skybreaker" asked what if airships had dominated the skies, "Starclimber" explores the idea of a more technologically advanced Victorian age where space travel is a realistic possibility. He even touches on some timeless topics, such as prejudice against women's abilities (and Kate's rebuttals) and fanaticism (the Babelites, believing it angers God to venture into space).
And despite the slow unfolding of the story, Oppel keeps it interesting with his a lovely prose style (the darting lights and haunting space "music"), and the detailed descriptions of space training and technology. About halfway through it suddenly tightens into a taut action story, with lots of space rescues and bizarre alien life forms.
And though a bunch of bickering strangers in space sounds boring, he injects little moments of comedy into the story ("There is no energy in Paris, no dynamism. An artist like myself must move on. Also, I set fire to the French president"). If there's a flaw, it's that the subplot about Matt and Kate's fragmenting relationship weighs a little too heavily during life-threatening crises.
Matt and Kate have grown up a great deal, but are still very much the same -- she's a impetuous, strong-willed and determined scientist, while he's a lovable, humble pilot who just wants the skies and Kate (although he suffers from some thorny jealousy and doubts about her). The supporting cast is a pretty fun bunch as well, particularly the prickly Miss Karr, pompous windbag Sir Hugh, and the paternal Captain Walken.
"Starclimber" takes everything that was good about Oppel's steampunky fantasy books, and launches them into orbit. A solid finale for a brilliant trilogy, and definitely a good ending for Matt and Kate.
Yup. Space. Kenneth Oppel's airship trilogy takes a distinctly sci-fi turn in the final volume, "Starclimber" -- it's focused on the wondrous expanses outside Earth's, and the dangers that go with its first pioneers. It's a little top-heavy with Matt's romantic woes, but Oppel does a truly brilliant job mingling sci-fi, adventure and a sense of lyrical wonder.
Matt Cruise has been working as a tug captain at the Celestial Tower, but he's offered a wildly different job: to become one of the first astralnauts on a space mission.
Unfortunately as he undergoes the grueling training, Matt is distracted -- Kate (who is heavily involved in the suffragette movement) is being pressured to make a "good match" with a rich man. And while both of them are included on the cable-climbing "Starclimber," Matt is horrified when he discovers that Kate's parents have forced her to make a choice -- get engaged or give up outer space.
The specially selected team succeeds in leaving the Earth behind, only to find that space has its own variety of dangers -- including mysterious glowing objects, monstrous space creatures, asteroids, and the threat of a bombing from the fanatical Babelites. But the worst is yet to come, when Matt finds that he must repair a delicate piece of equipment... or the entire expedition will be destroyed.
Just as Oppel's "Airborn" and "Skybreaker" asked what if airships had dominated the skies, "Starclimber" explores the idea of a more technologically advanced Victorian age where space travel is a realistic possibility. He even touches on some timeless topics, such as prejudice against women's abilities (and Kate's rebuttals) and fanaticism (the Babelites, believing it angers God to venture into space).
And despite the slow unfolding of the story, Oppel keeps it interesting with his a lovely prose style (the darting lights and haunting space "music"), and the detailed descriptions of space training and technology. About halfway through it suddenly tightens into a taut action story, with lots of space rescues and bizarre alien life forms.
And though a bunch of bickering strangers in space sounds boring, he injects little moments of comedy into the story ("There is no energy in Paris, no dynamism. An artist like myself must move on. Also, I set fire to the French president"). If there's a flaw, it's that the subplot about Matt and Kate's fragmenting relationship weighs a little too heavily during life-threatening crises.
Matt and Kate have grown up a great deal, but are still very much the same -- she's a impetuous, strong-willed and determined scientist, while he's a lovable, humble pilot who just wants the skies and Kate (although he suffers from some thorny jealousy and doubts about her). The supporting cast is a pretty fun bunch as well, particularly the prickly Miss Karr, pompous windbag Sir Hugh, and the paternal Captain Walken.
"Starclimber" takes everything that was good about Oppel's steampunky fantasy books, and launches them into orbit. A solid finale for a brilliant trilogy, and definitely a good ending for Matt and Kate.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Adventure
This is the third book in an alternate reality created by world-renowned Kenneth Oppel. In this book, the airplane has not been developed but flying machines, gliders, blimps and... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2009 by Steven R. McEvoy
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
STARCLIMBER is the sequel to Oppel's AIRBORN and SKYBREAKER. This was a fantastic science fiction book for young adults, and will follow in their path of award-winning... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2009 by TeensReadToo
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