Another great full-cast audiobook version! I very much enjoyed this worthy sequel to the excellent "Airborn" which I loved. (SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT READ AIRBORN. And, if you don't want to know a thing about what happens in "Skybreaker" stop reading now and just go read the book!! It's awesome!!!)The story begins with a bang as Matt Cruse finds himself in the midst of a storm while on board an airship. It was strange at first that he wasn't on the Aurora but, of course, he has joined the Academy and is augmenting his coursework by crewing some non-passenger vessels. In the giant updraft from the storm, Matt spots an almost ghostly looking ship and realized it's the Hyperion, long-fabled to hold vast treasure, lost some forty years ago. The captain of Cruse's ship, blinded by lust for the treasure, orders the ship to climb even higher so they can lock onto the Hyperion. Matt knows this is terribly dangerous and altitude sickness begins to consume the crew. Perhaps because he has always felt he belongs to the sky, Matt is ultimately the only one among them capable of any conscious thought or action and while the captain greedily, groggily mutters "keep ascending!" Matt takes control of the ship, taking her back to Paris, saving all their lives. Whew! Quite the opening chapter!!!The story builds from Matt's sighting of the Hyperion. He meets up with Kate in Paris—where he attends the Airship Academy and she is going to University. Kate tells him that Grunell, the man behind the Hyperion and all its cargo, was supposedly an amazing inventor and also some sort of zoologist and that the ship is rumored to have an amazing collection of taxidermy with creatures long thought to be extinct. Kate wants to get the Hyperion for its contribution to Science. Matt is a bit preoccupied with the treasure reported to be on board–not that he longs to be a rich man for himself, but even with his reward money from the end of "Airborn" he barely has enough money to put himself through Academy and send money home for his mother and sisters to live on, let alone live comfortably. As ever, Matt's kindness and humanity radiate throughout the story! But Matt is also he only person who knows the true coordinates of the Hyperion. He also knows instinctively that the man who has come to him claiming to be a relative of Grunell is an impostor—and that point certainly drives home when Matt's life is put at risk. Now assemble the rest of the primary characters for this story. Nadera, a spunky and attractive Gypsy girl, who claims to have the key to open the vaults on the Hyperion. Matt trusts her completely, though her loyalty is often cast into doubt. And Hal, brought into the mix by Kate. He has the "skybreaker" ship that can take them to the high altitudes where they will find the Hyperion. A "self-made" man, he has plenty of courage, a bit of grit, and a gentlemanly demeanor—and he seems to have designs on Kate. I loved the beginning segments of the story! I loved the ending of the story, filled with one mini-adventure after another, made all the more dramatic and poignant since I'd come to care for the characters so much. I'm giving the story only four stars because I don't think it was QUITE as good as "Airborn" because the middle segment (maybe 1/4 of the book) when they are making their way to the Hyperion, seemed to drag a bit. I appreciated Matt's introspection about his deepening feelings for Kate—and his undeniable attraction to Nadera—and Hal's potential aims on Kate-the jealousy and excitement and tenderness and doubt of teenage romances brought into a pleasantly sensitive and thoughtful light. But, given the overarching "feel" of the story, I wanted a bit more excitement/action to be interspersed with the romance bits and I think much of Oppel's target audience would feel the same. However, the second half of the book more than made up for that and I was rapt, so very curious as to what would happen, all the way to the end. I can hardly wait for the third book in the series. It's not coming out on full cast audio until the middle of October so I may just have to read in good-old, hand-held paper form! :-)*Please excuse the spellings since I didn't actually see the names in print.
I have not read a book this captivating in a long time! There are many reasons why this book is legit. First, the story is not too cheesy. Its predictable enough that I know what is going on, but not so revealing that I know how the story will end. It starts off with Matt Cruse, the main protagonist, aboard the ship Flotsam. After finally achieving his dream of attending the Academy, he is sent on this ship to gain field experience. They run into a huge storm, and in the eye of it spot the ship Hyperion. Hyperion is famous for carrying an inventor named Theodore Grunnel. Grunnel was apparently an extremely wealthy man, who took his fortunes and inventions aboard the ship with no intention to come back. Naturally, the captain wants the booty. They chase the ship high up into the sky; consequently, they fly to high and their ship malfunctions, plummeting them to the ground. I would definitely say that this book starts off with a bang. Just another reason why it was so great. I have read way too many novels that take the first chapter or two explaining the characters lives, the setting, other random tidbits that are boring. After barely surviving, Cruse makes it back to the Academy in Paris. As the lone survivor of the crash, he is the only one with the coordinates of the plane. I love how realistic this novel is. He has to decide whether or not to stay in school or go for the ship. He knows how poor he is, and this is constantly on his mind. Things get even more crazy when he meets Nadira, a gypsy who falls in love with Matt. The problem is Matt already loves Kate. Throughout the novel, Matt constantly questions how much his own self worth. The money is used as a tool for this questioning. On top of this, greek mythology is thrown in towards the end. Icarus and Prometheus are intertwined with the life of Matt Cruse. Very cool concept. There are pirates, crazy flying squids, gold, gun fights, and turns of fate throughout the novel. The only thing that bothered me was the end. Cannot wait to read the next book.
What do You think about Skybreaker (2007)?
Despite being intended for a younger audience, Skybreaker was a rather interesting and engaging novel. Kenneth Oppel introduces the reader to the world of Matt Cruse- a world that diverged somewhere in history from our own and saw the rise of travel by "air-ships"(blimps and zeppelins essentially) rather than airplanes. This novel follows Matt Cruse and his unlikely partners as they attempt to breach altitudes never climbed before in the hunt for a lost airship containing riches beyond their wildest imagination. But, what started as a good-hearted quest for adventure and fame quickly turns sour: soon pirates come involved and their journey for riches quickly becomes a race for their lives.As mentioned above, I would recommend Skybreaker for younger readers but, as detailed, it still features a rather interesting story that, personally, left me engaged. All and all, I rather enjoyed reading this story.
—Thomas Hooker
I took this book from the library for my daughter to read, but could not resist dipping into it myself, and was quickly hooked. The book, and "Airborn" the previous book in the series (if this becomes a series) is about airships - I have not read the previous book, but there is enough detail in this book that it is not totally necessary to have read the first to understand the second.The Protagonist, Matt Cruse, is a 16 year old going through the Airship Academy, and the book is about an adventure he is drawn into. He is on work experience when we join the book, and the ship he is on is caught in a storm, and nearly wrecked. The storm shoots them really high, and that is when they see ... well, you'll just have to read it. You won't regret it, the book is a really good read.
—Manda
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel is about a 16 year old airshipman named Matt Cruse who becomes the only person in the world to have the coordinates of a forty year old ship called the Hyperion. The Hyperion was supposedly carrying a lot of riches and bringing it back to Earth means instant wealth. Matt Cruse teams up with Kate De Vries, Hal Slater, and a gypsy named Nadira to bring back the Hyperion and all it's riches. However there are many elements that make the journey a lot more difficult than it was meant to be.Matt Cruse is 16 years old and has no fear of heights. His father worked aboard an airship named the Aurora. When Matt was only twelve his father passed away leaving Matt having to provide for his mother and two sisters. Matt got a job also aboard the Aurora and worked there for three years. Matt was fearless and often offered to do things that no one else would. Eventually his heroics lead him to a big amount of money that was just enough to get into the Airship Academy. He studied there until he learned the coordinates of the Hyperion on one of his many adventures.I like that the plot builds throughout the book and you are constantly learning things that were hinted at earlier on. An example is that you hear about a character in the beginning from an old book or a journal that the main character found, and then he comes back in the end but by a new name. And I love that Kate De Vries is determined to learn and discover new things no matter what others say.I recommend this book for people who like adventure, fiction, and a little bit of science.
—Alison
