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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
A little slow to start but once it got going, it was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the setting being on a train- it really made the story a lot more fun and adventurous. The characters were likable and the mystery was well done and interesting. There was some use of "brown face"- the main character has his face painted darker in order to disguise himself as an Indigenous person- which was a bummer and didn't sit quite right with me. However, while it was not a great plot point, it didn't seem malicious, more a lack of knowledge or insight on the author's part. I thought the book was a fun journey with just the right amount of magic and fantasy to keep things interesting. Plus, the cover is just gorgeous!
The Plot was fast and definitely engaging. Buuut, for all that happened to characters, I found myself to net really care.
The book is so fast, you don't really have time to care for the characters, the moments in the story go by so rapidly, that there is no real room to develop and in the end, the main characters kind of are the same, even is the book tries to say different.
It still is a good book.
The book is so fast, you don't really have time to care for the characters, the moments in the story go by so rapidly, that there is no real room to develop and in the end, the main characters kind of are the same, even is the book tries to say different.
It still is a good book.
I like the way Kenneth Oppel writes - his books are a bit magical and adventurous. I imagine boys would really enjoy them. I thought this book was fun but not great. I enjoyed the Airborn series quite a lot and I don't think this is in the same place for me. A fun and quick read.
Somewhat enjoyable but not nearly as much as his Airborn series.
I kind of liked the characters but didn’t love them.
I heard that it was “full of Canadiana”, but other than the occasional mention of a handful of Canadian cities, it could’ve been set anywhere.
There were a couple scenes that didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book; like he wanted to add some super creepy parts that would fit in well in a horror movie. Throw in a splash of extremely graphic violence at the end, and I’d have to say this is not for kids younger than mid-late teens.
I kind of liked the characters but didn’t love them.
I heard that it was “full of Canadiana”, but other than the occasional mention of a handful of Canadian cities, it could’ve been set anywhere.
There were a couple scenes that didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book; like he wanted to add some super creepy parts that would fit in well in a horror movie. Throw in a splash of extremely graphic violence at the end, and I’d have to say this is not for kids younger than mid-late teens.
There's plenty going on in this novel, with circus performers, the occasional Sasquatch, and a wonderful steampunk train. I thought it suffered from an overbusy plot, though, and I find books in the present tense annoying. The Airborn trilogy was better done.
I love Kenneth Oppel. He restores my faith in Canadian authors (most of which tend to be horrid, but I probably have my Canadian education to thank for that--we're required to study Canadian authors, and curriculum more often than not dictates studying the dark, depressing, shocking and violent shades of life. If I were a teacher, all my kids would be studying Oppel.)
Anyway, Oppel is one of my favourite authors on the whole, not just in Canadian fiction. The Boundless was a stellar addition to his collection. The premise was flawlessly executed--a train with four classes and a circus. The train itself was richly sketched--a movie theatre, a swimming pool, a shooting gallery? Anything you can think of, it's a part of that train. As always, Oppel writes a meticulous, high risk adventure--a boy from first-class struggling his way back from the caboose while a bunch of murderers tail him. Oh, and he joins the circus! Seriously. Kenneth Oppel's mind must be bursting with ideas, he's so ridiculously creative.
One element of the story that I thought fell short though was the characterisation of the two main characters, Will and Maren. I found I wasn't interested in either of them, despite Maren being a talented tight-rope walker and escape artist. Will himself was fairly bland, just an ordinary boy rolling with the chaos around him. Rather than being shaped as a character, I felt he was only reacting to the busyness of his circumstances and the colourful setting. Not a terrible character by any means, but not very interesting, either.
That said, there was a character I loved. From the beginning, having a character named "Dorian" reminded me of The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I warmly appreciated how the plot unfurled. Naturally, there's a portrait, I loved Mr. Dorian as a character; he couldn't be more different from Dorian Gray. He's the ambigious type--you're not sure if he's good or evil, and that made him a little uncomfortably attractive, especially with how suave and brilliant he is. He's the ringleader of a circus, adept in magic, and directly orchestrates important elements of Will's journey that we only learn about later. We see flashes of his true nature when he mentions his Metis heritage, and these little pieces really enrichened his character, made him intriguing to me. Which is why
Anyway, Oppel is one of my favourite authors on the whole, not just in Canadian fiction. The Boundless was a stellar addition to his collection. The premise was flawlessly executed--a train with four classes and a circus. The train itself was richly sketched--a movie theatre, a swimming pool, a shooting gallery? Anything you can think of, it's a part of that train. As always, Oppel writes a meticulous, high risk adventure--a boy from first-class struggling his way back from the caboose while a bunch of murderers tail him. Oh, and he joins the circus! Seriously. Kenneth Oppel's mind must be bursting with ideas, he's so ridiculously creative.
One element of the story that I thought fell short though was the characterisation of the two main characters, Will and Maren. I found I wasn't interested in either of them, despite Maren being a talented tight-rope walker and escape artist. Will himself was fairly bland, just an ordinary boy rolling with the chaos around him. Rather than being shaped as a character, I felt he was only reacting to the busyness of his circumstances and the colourful setting. Not a terrible character by any means, but not very interesting, either.
That said, there was a character I loved. From the beginning, having a character named "Dorian" reminded me of The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I warmly appreciated how the plot unfurled. Naturally, there's a portrait,
Spoiler
and it's a life or death situation. That nod toward Oscar Wilde was rather irresistible.Spoiler
his death at the end was abrupt and disappointing for me. He says throughout the book he doesn't believe in magic, but his life motivation centers around finding this canvas that, when he portrait is painted on it, will allow him to live past 39 years. In the end, when this goal is accomplished, it simply doesn't work, and he dies. I felt like I'd pulled the short straw, because I loved him, but alas. And Mr. Beauprey! Ahh, I'm so glad he got to toss two people off the train in the end... (his character was also amazing, if only for comic value.)
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Read to my son for bedtime reading. I think he had a hard time envisioning the train because he’s never been on one and has barely seen them in movies or tv shows.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's like snow piercer, but for kids! Mr.Dorian is absolutely a favorite character, and the ambiguity behind his skills is really nice. A good adventure, thank you Kenneth Oppel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Classism
Moderate: Death, Racism, Murder, Colonisation