Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Now this is what I call fantasy. Oppel takes us on a journey of mystical creatures, fantastic ships that ride on air, and gives us an epic battle that forces us to the edge of our seats. The best part of this book was that I was able to suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy the book and this is what makes a quality fantasy text. I loved this book. I was completely enthralled by the majestic nature of the airship and loved imagining every element Oppel described. To top off this incredible setting and description of this fantastical story, Oppel also provides his reader with a humble, brave and likeable protagonist. His love and respect for the Aurora is what ensures the reader loves it too—the way in which he personifies it makes it an admirable character of its own! The best part of Matt Cruse’s character is his respect for the rules and regulations of the ship—his adherence to the tradition and structure of the ship is what makes him so charming. When Kate invites him into her first-class cabin, he very politely declines: “Thank you, miss, but I can’t…I’m crew, not a first class passenger. I can’t just sit down in your stateroom!” (100). It is fitting, then, that he is skeptical of Kate’s conjecture of the magical creatures she believes her grandfather saw. However, like Mina in Skellig, Kate helps Matt to see and believe in things beyond reality. For many teenage boys, the undivided attention of a beautiful young girl would be appreciated and reciprocated, but Matt does not interpret it this way. He does not want anything to get in the way of his potential promotion, even if she is beautiful. The way he talks about the Aurora allows the reader to understand her as practically human—the one constant in Matt’s life, his home. He even uses female pronouns to describe the ship, and does everything in his power to protect her from any and all evil. “The idea of the ship being sawed up like a cadaver made me feel faint. My home, left in ruins, ever to fly again” (281).
The other element that I particularly enjoyed within this text was the author’s connections between the characters on an almost spiritual level. Matt is connected to Kate because he is the one who sights her grandfather; they are both connected to the pirates through the cloud cats and Kate’s grandfather’s presence on the island, etc. These types of connections make a complex text like this more enjoyable because they allow the reader to comprehend the text on an even deeper level.
Not only does Oppel provide us with a magical airship, but we meet mystical creatures and there is a battle to overtake the ship—all the excitement necessary to keep the reader engaged. Alongside all of the excitement, Oppel makes some pretty bold statements about the relationships between men and women and seems to be relatively feminist about the latter’s role in the world. He also comments on privilege versus hard work and the relationships between the classes. It is a smart, engaging and overall FUN book to read that I would recommend to young and old readers alike.