Airborn

Today I started to reread one of my favourite books. It is called Airborn and it is by the wonderful Canadian author, Kenneth Oppel.

The story is set in a imaginary past, but a believable one. It takes place on an luxury airship, which I guess is like a giant blimp. It is filled with hydrium, an element that is lighter then helium or hydrogen. It is 900 feet long and weighs about two million pounds on take-off. The story follows Matt. He is a fifteen-year-old cabin boy. Matt is an interesting character. He loves nothing more then the sky and flying. It also follows Kate. She is a rich passenger on the airship and is around Matt's age.

It's weird that things that are so crazy and unbelievable can feel so very normal and believable in a novel. This book has nonexistent elements, impossible animals, and sky pirates, and it all works. It also has adventure and romance.

I love how it is set in the past. I'm guessing around the 30's or 40's from the clothes styles and other factors. It could easily take pace in an imaginary time period or alternate reality though. It's refreshing to step back in another time though. Things are so different, sometimes it's frustrating. Like how women have to be so proper and they are expected to wear certain things at certain times of the day, whether it is dinner or simply lounging around.

The book definitely draws away from that with Kate though. She has set her priorities and she doesn't care how she looks when she fulfills them. She is a woman of science, even though it was frowned upon. Women doing science  No, leave that to the men. Go sew something pretty. She's like bitch please, look at this new animal, zoology here I come!

It is simply a wonderful book that is easy to reread because so much happens. I recommend you go read it. Now. Stop reading this blog and go to a book store. I'm serious. You better have left by now. Why are you still reading this?