Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really a great read for anyone, not just young people, 10 Oct 2005
I came across Oppel by chance and as I sometimes enjoy children's fiction, despite being over 40, and I like fantasy, and the plot sounded appealing, I gave it a try. How lucky I was! This is a terrific book and shows how so-called "junior fiction" can sometimes be much more than that. Set against a slightly mythologised and appealingly different high late Victorian / early Edwardian backdrop, the book features massive luxury airships touring the planet, devoted and brilliant airship crews, vicious pirates, mythic beasts, beautiful landscapes, treasure island and a lovely girl all in one! The main characters are the young airship apprentice Matt Cruse, who is anxious to get ahead in life despite a tragic and poor background, and Kate de Vries, wealthy, talented and beautiful but also tragic through the recent loss of her grandfather. Together they discover an incredible secret - first noted by her grandfather - a whole new and fantastic animal species. What follows is gripping adventure, beautiful description and a fantastically enjoyable and well written story. Brilliant!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow start, but worth sticking with, 23 April 2005
Matt Cruse is a cabin boy aboard the giant airship Aurora, one of the many dirigibles that cruise the world, in this world-that-might-have-been. But, when he helps in the rescue of a runaway hot air balloon, he finds the dying pilot ranting about beautiful flying creatures. Little does Matt realize that this is the start of a grand adventure that will take him halfway around the world, up against storms and pirates, and on to the end of his rainbow! My thirteen-year-old daughter gave me this book, and I must admit that I did not know what to expect. Now, the book does start out rather slow, and the first third might leave you wondering if this is really the book for you. But, don't give up on this book, its well worth your time! I think it is correct to compare this book to the works of Robert Louis Stevenson; the author does an excellent job of creating an entirely new world, where airships cruise the skies and airplanes were never invented, where men wear top hats and women wear hats with feathers and flowers. I enjoyed the radical setting, the characters, and the plot which became quite gripping all the way to the end. So, if you are interested in an exciting read, one that harkens back to a different day and age, then this book is for you!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I LOVE KENNETH OPPEL, 15 Jun 2005
if you like a mix of artemis fowl and indiana jones, you'll love it. there's a strange way of things turning out well in the end but terribly bad in the middle that'll keep you reading for ages.
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by Kenneth Oppel
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