The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel

from goodreads

4 stars

I cannot believe it is March already. While time sometimes seems to be going slowly, the days just fly past.

On Sunday I watched the Oscars with one of my book club friends. It was so much fun. I don't know what it is about award shows but I love watching them. I don't care about the dresses, or the speeches, or about the celebrity of it, really. Perhaps I like seeing people who have worked hard at their craft be celebrated and in awe and humbled by their achievement.

While watching it we were excited about seeing the film Mad Max: Fury Road win so many Oscars. When you think of the Oscars you think of more artsy and make you have to think movies receiving attention. No matter what type of movie is made, every one on them are working hard to do their best for it.

Do you like watching award shows?

Synopsis

I am taking the synopsis from goodreads as it is better than anything I could come up with to capture the fun and intensity of this book.

The Boundless, the greatest train ever built, is on its maiden voyage across the country, and first-class passenger Will Everett is about to embark on the adventure of his life!

When Will ends up in possession of the key to a train car containing priceless treasures, he becomes the target of sinister figures from his past.

In order to survive, Will must join a traveling circus, enlisting the aid of Mr. Dorian, the ringmaster and leader of the troupe, and Maren, a girl his age who is an expert escape artist. With villains fast on their heels, can will and Maren reach Will's father and save The Boundless before someone winds up dead?

My Thoughts

This is my first Kenneth Oppel book. I am definitely going to have to check more of his stuff out.

I love the idea of this monstrously long train full of secrets, deceptions, mythical creatures, different kinds of people with different stories. It was really cool to see the people from the caboose all the way up to the engine.

I love that there is a sense of normalcy, that things are familiar, but, there is enough fantasy to let your imagination go. It is a dark and mysterious story, it can be intense at times, but it is fun. Because of all the different aspects of the book you really can't pigeon hole it into a certain genre. There is history, adventure, mystery and fantasy. It is all delightfully mishmashed together.

I would love to see what happens to Will and Maren after their adventure on The Boundless. I think they would lead really interesting lives.

This is definitely a book that I would recommend for ages 13+. It does deal with some nefarious characters that might not be the best for younger audiences.