While I was at the bookstore recently, I noticed that Airborn was out in paperback. I had thoroughly enjoyed it the first time through, enough that I thought it was worth getting as a bathtub book, and besides my Best Reader hadn’t read it, so the purchase was made. And well worth it. In particular, I was again impressed by a lovely sequence of events that starts off the plot proper, that I had really enjoyed the first time through, but which I wasn’t sure I would enjoy as much when I knew what was coming.
You see, Our Hero is up in the crow’s nest of the zeppelin, taking a night watch, having just found out about the Mysterious Flying Creatures. He muses about them, not sure whether or not to believe in them, when he spots ... an albatross! Whew. Not a Mysterious Flying Creature at all. Still, better shoo it off, as seabirds can cause damage to the gasbag, and there’s a nice little scene where Our Hero climbs around shooing the bird away, and then he clambers back into the crow’s nest, all problems solved, and that’s when the sky pirates arrive.
Now, I’m pro- sky pirate anyway (at least pro- story-with-sky-pirates), so it’s always nice to have them show up, but the way the suspense is handled is really lovely. It’s not innovative, it’s not original, it’s not going to change YA specfic forever, it’s just really well done.
I haven’t yet read the sequel (Skybreaker), but I’m on the waiting list at the library. And I once again passed up the chance to read Mr. Oppel’s bat books. I’m glad I bought this one, though.
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.
Hee! You might well have noticed this already, but your two posts about this book are both from February 21st.
Anyway, you’ve reminded me that I meant to go look for this at my local library. Time to add it to the list of things to check in the catalog.