Scan barcode
sharlappalachia's review
4.0
Meh. 3.5/5. Is Boundless a children's book? Young adult? I don't know! And neither does The Boundless. It has the feel of a children's with the dialogue (and swearing) of a young adult's.
Kind of disappointed. Airborn is one of my favorite series of all time and Boundless is just kind of lacking the charm that made me fall in love with Matt and Kate. I also didn't care for the present tense and third person narrator, and I had trouble understanding Will and Maren's relationship because Maren has very little characterization, even though she's one of the main characters. Brogan was a bit two-dimensional until you understand his backstory. However, I loved when Boundless started to pick up and it reminded me a lot of Airborn...but not quite. Mr. Dorian was a very interesting character and I'm glad that he was incorporated the way he was: not quite a villain, not quite an ally.
But for what it is (not quite a kid's book, not quite young adult/kind of in the same spectrum as Harry Potter), Boundless doesn't disappoint. Adventure and magic and a circus! Who wouldn't like that? It's fast-paced and the writing was good, but not as good as Kenneth Oppel's superior adventure novel, Airborn.
Kind of disappointed. Airborn is one of my favorite series of all time and Boundless is just kind of lacking the charm that made me fall in love with Matt and Kate. I also didn't care for the present tense and third person narrator, and I had trouble understanding Will and Maren's relationship because Maren has very little characterization, even though she's one of the main characters. Brogan was a bit two-dimensional until you understand his backstory. However, I loved when Boundless started to pick up and it reminded me a lot of Airborn...but not quite. Mr. Dorian was a very interesting character and I'm glad that he was incorporated the way he was: not quite a villain, not quite an ally.
But for what it is (not quite a kid's book, not quite young adult/kind of in the same spectrum as Harry Potter), Boundless doesn't disappoint. Adventure and magic and a circus! Who wouldn't like that? It's fast-paced and the writing was good, but not as good as Kenneth Oppel's superior adventure novel, Airborn.
aoosterwyk's review
3.0
There is something magical about Kenneth Oppel books. For some reason they stick in your mind and you find yourself back in the book. I also love his pairings of cool girls with "getting a clue" boys. They are so sympathetic.
Oppel takes us on a steampunk trip through Canada on an immense train which passes through the untamed wilderness, encountering creatures of myth and Native Americans hunting bison.
A circus on board and a class structure reminiscent of the Titanic adds interest and suspense.
A proposed high speed train connecting China to Canada adds relevance.
Oppel takes us on a steampunk trip through Canada on an immense train which passes through the untamed wilderness, encountering creatures of myth and Native Americans hunting bison.
A circus on board and a class structure reminiscent of the Titanic adds interest and suspense.
A proposed high speed train connecting China to Canada adds relevance.
retiredlibrarylady's review
3.0
It takes a while to figure out when this is set and where. The genre is a bit hard to define as well, since there are elements of fantasy, historical fiction, adventure, and mystery. Oppel imagines an amazing train, miles long, with a complete city on-board. Four classes, plus a circus, are separately housed in very different situations. Our protagonist witnesses a murder and then has to hide on this train from a determined murderer and his associates. Excitement builds to a satisfying conclusion. The "good" characters are much better developed than the bad, and it's interesting that a Sasquatch emerges as a character.
surlymanor's review
3.0
Inclusion of brownface scenes seemed thematic and used as some sort of connentary but I don't think it played itself out to actually make its points. Not ok.
pacifickle's review
4.0
That gorgeous cover caught my eye but the story was so action-packed, it surprised me how much I got pulled in! Chapter one threw me for a couple of loops in a good way and it kept going from there. I loved this book! So much to talk about, so many interesting tidbits- railroad building, mystical creatures, circus acts, classism, racism, magic... I could go on and on.
I would caution elementary librarians to only recommend this to their most mature readers as it intimates prostitution and has some violence, but I'd let my personal child read it.
I would caution elementary librarians to only recommend this to their most mature readers as it intimates prostitution and has some violence, but I'd let my personal child read it.
brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel is a fun adventurous story that is historical fantasy of a time we don't see often.
Will's father was a train brakeman and worker on the transcontinental railroad in Canada. Will pores over his father's letters seeping up all the adventures he's had, including an encounter with a Sasquatch. When Will is finally reunited with his father the day the railroad is finished, an accident causes a tremendous reversal in their fortunes and Will's father eventually runs the rail company taking the new and innovative train, The Boundless, for its maiden run across Canada. But there are those who feel they were cheated in the building of the railway, and they want their due. These villains are willing to risk anything including the lives of the passengers and any worker who stands in their way to get it. Will ends up witnessing a murder and with one of the two keys that access the car which holds the great treasures The Boundless carries. Hiding out among a traveling circus on the train, Will must make hard decisions about who to trust, how far he's willing to go to protect the treasure, and come to terms with where his future is headed. Does he become the company drone his father wants him to be or does he make his own path?
I enjoyed how Will is not the stereotypical fantasy hero. He is a talented artist and decent human being, but for the most part he is an ordinary boy who always feels like he's watching life happening around him. He sees the stories, he's never a part of them. He longs for more. After the reversal in his family's fortunes, he went from being a starving urchin to an educated and polished young man. He longs to go to art school, but his father wants him to begin as a clerk with the railway. Will reluctantly knows that he will cave to his father's wishes. Once the action really gets underway, it isn't so much Will's intrinsic bravery as his survival instinct that keeps him going. He also has a keen sense of right versus wrong though, and he desperately wants to do what is right and be stand-up sort of man. As a foil to Will, we have Maren, a tightrope walker with the circus. Maren is a determined girls with plans and sees nothing wrong with bending certain rules and laws to make those plans happen. She does defy gravity on a regular basis after all. Her courage, gumption, and survival skills inspire Will while his loyalty, conviction, and trust move her. They make a great team. Mr. Dorian, the circus master, is the most fascinating character in the book to me. Also not above bending rules, he isn't even likeable most of the time, yet he hides Will, provides for his workers well, and commands their loyalty. He is not without honor even when he goes about attempting things not quite honorable. I really liked the duality of his character, which is in all ways a lighter variation of another great literary character bearing the same name.
The book is an alternate history in which Sasquatch and creepy swamp witches exist and attack humans. There is also the sort of technology that can make a miles long train stay together as it travels across a continent. The combination of this alternate history and the historical setting make for an adventurous and fun read. It was hard for me to put down and I couldn't wait to see how it all ended. Also, it appears to be a standalone and we don't get enough of those anymore.
The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel is a fun adventurous story that is historical fantasy of a time we don't see often.
Will's father was a train brakeman and worker on the transcontinental railroad in Canada. Will pores over his father's letters seeping up all the adventures he's had, including an encounter with a Sasquatch. When Will is finally reunited with his father the day the railroad is finished, an accident causes a tremendous reversal in their fortunes and Will's father eventually runs the rail company taking the new and innovative train, The Boundless, for its maiden run across Canada. But there are those who feel they were cheated in the building of the railway, and they want their due. These villains are willing to risk anything including the lives of the passengers and any worker who stands in their way to get it. Will ends up witnessing a murder and with one of the two keys that access the car which holds the great treasures The Boundless carries. Hiding out among a traveling circus on the train, Will must make hard decisions about who to trust, how far he's willing to go to protect the treasure, and come to terms with where his future is headed. Does he become the company drone his father wants him to be or does he make his own path?
I enjoyed how Will is not the stereotypical fantasy hero. He is a talented artist and decent human being, but for the most part he is an ordinary boy who always feels like he's watching life happening around him. He sees the stories, he's never a part of them. He longs for more. After the reversal in his family's fortunes, he went from being a starving urchin to an educated and polished young man. He longs to go to art school, but his father wants him to begin as a clerk with the railway. Will reluctantly knows that he will cave to his father's wishes. Once the action really gets underway, it isn't so much Will's intrinsic bravery as his survival instinct that keeps him going. He also has a keen sense of right versus wrong though, and he desperately wants to do what is right and be stand-up sort of man. As a foil to Will, we have Maren, a tightrope walker with the circus. Maren is a determined girls with plans and sees nothing wrong with bending certain rules and laws to make those plans happen. She does defy gravity on a regular basis after all. Her courage, gumption, and survival skills inspire Will while his loyalty, conviction, and trust move her. They make a great team. Mr. Dorian, the circus master, is the most fascinating character in the book to me. Also not above bending rules, he isn't even likeable most of the time, yet he hides Will, provides for his workers well, and commands their loyalty. He is not without honor even when he goes about attempting things not quite honorable. I really liked the duality of his character, which is in all ways a lighter variation of another great literary character bearing the same name.
The book is an alternate history in which Sasquatch and creepy swamp witches exist and attack humans. There is also the sort of technology that can make a miles long train stay together as it travels across a continent. The combination of this alternate history and the historical setting make for an adventurous and fun read. It was hard for me to put down and I couldn't wait to see how it all ended. Also, it appears to be a standalone and we don't get enough of those anymore.
bookgirl4ever's review
3.0
Not as great as Oppel's other series (Airborn and Frankenstein). Most of the book seemed to be written by someone else, until the end and I found myself thinking, "That's Mr. Oppel!" Still the story was enjoyable and I like that the main character Will is painfully shy at times yet sticks up for himself and is a hero in the end. I felt like my teenage self could relate to him.
Thank you Edelweiss for providing this egalley.
JHS/HS
Thank you Edelweiss for providing this egalley.
JHS/HS
alexvalpeter's review against another edition
4.0
On paper this book has everything that I theoretically love: historical fiction, a long train journey, a traveling circus, , and a sprinkle of magic. It does deliver on all of those things for me personally, but it fell a little short in other places. One of my biggest complaints is the romance between . The constant pining and cheeks flushing and hands brushing was incredibly annoying and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes many times . Maybe I wouldn’t have cared if I had read it when I was part of the target age range for this book, but I think the story would have been better if they were just friends, which is what I usually expect from middle grade books and part of the reason I like them. Overall still a great and compelling story, solid 4 star read for me.