Even as they explore the natural world, Oppel’s satisfyingly complex characters examine what it means to be human. Drawing on elements of the steampunk genre, there are no airplanes in this alternate world people traverse the skies.

The protagonists’ experiences of social injustices – based on class for Matt and gender for Kate – not only set up plot points but also add to the text’s philosophical meatiness, making it much more than a simple adventure story. The Story Kenneth Oppels novel Airborn takes place in a fantastical past.

While the latter will tickle readers’ imaginations, they become almost secondary concerns in this character-driven series. Oppel once again succeeds in creating a world both familiar and fantastic, with thinly veiled borrowings from real places (Vancouver is recast as “Lionsgate”) and people (Emily Carr becomes “Evelyn Karr”) that anchor the flights of fancy. They will be far too enraptured by this gripping tale, which delivers fast-paced fantasy and rich psychological drama. To Oppel’s significant credit, he makes this love story an integral aspect of the novel without slowing the action or alienating mush-averse readers. More vexingly, these two lovebirds must hide their romance, a performance that makes Matt think he will lose Kate forever. In a gruelling competition to become one of the ship’s three “astralnauts,” Matt must face physical and mental fears. Kate is invited on board for her expertise in aerial zoology, but her rich family wants her to give up science for society.

Series protagonists Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries want to be part of this historic mission, but face serious challenges – from protestors (the Babelites, a group willing to kill to stop the exploration of space), meddling parents, and most insidiously, themselves. In the third book of the trilogy, Starclimber, we head for the heavens, with Canada racing to be the first nation to reach outer space. In the ripping fantasy yarns Airborn and Skybreaker, Kenneth Oppel took readers to the skies. For Matt, Kate, and the entire crew of the Starclimber, what began as an exciting race to the stars has now turned into a battle to save their lives.

Starclimber by kenneth oppel