by Kenneth Oppel
Matt Cruse has returned, but now he's not working, officially: he's learning. Matt is enrolled at The Academy, where many wannabe pilots and airship officers train before they are given a ship. Matt doesn't think too highly of all the theory that is taught there, but he continues to work hard, his tuition paid through by Miss Kate de Vries. While on board a crummy old airship with a rash, impulsive captain (it's part of his internship for the Academy), they come across an old airship, too high up to make out its name. The captain immediately bets that it's the Hyperion, a sort of sunken treasure in airship lore, and wants to go after it. The ship is cruising at an extremely high altitude, buffeted this way and that by the winds. It's too high above the oxygen layer for crew members to be able to breathe comfortably, and much too cold for human life to survive, but the captain of the ship pulls rank and says to go after it. The Flotsam, for that is the name of the ship that Matt is on currently, does what is called a "homesick angel": a steep climb that moves quickly and covers a lot of altitude in a short amount of time. Of course, this turns out to be a very, very, very bad idea, and the crew gets airsick very quickly. Matt seized his chance (he was younger and in better health than the rest of the crew, and so had more of a resistance to altitude sickness) and took the Flotsam down, crash-landing it at a port. Now the Flotsam had no cargo (they jettisoned it all to go after the Hyperion), one of its engines crumpled because of the pressure change, and at least one of the hydrium tanks were ruptured. Matt is lectured by his professor but knew he did the right thing.
Later, Matt tells Kate de Vries about the discovery, and discloses to her a secret: he remembers the coordinates of the Hyperion. She immediately sets out on a mission to find someone who can take them to find it. Along the way, Matt meets a gypsy girl who has the key to the Hyperion's treasure trove. Matt, Kate, and Nadira set off on the quest with Hal Slater, the owner and pilot of a new type of ship called a skybreaker, whose engines are pressurized so they won't explode at high altitudes. A slow descent and a clever navigator set them on the right course, and soon they find the Hyperion. However, pirates have been tracking them and everyone meets up aboard the Hyperion in a climactic battle for the treasure.
All ends well, but if I write much more, I'll ruin the story. Skybreaker is a very good read, providing more in-depth characterization of Matt and Kate and adding a whole new dimension to their world in the sky. I recommend reading both Airborn and Skybreaker to anyone who has even the remotest interest in aeronautics.
Later, Matt tells Kate de Vries about the discovery, and discloses to her a secret: he remembers the coordinates of the Hyperion. She immediately sets out on a mission to find someone who can take them to find it. Along the way, Matt meets a gypsy girl who has the key to the Hyperion's treasure trove. Matt, Kate, and Nadira set off on the quest with Hal Slater, the owner and pilot of a new type of ship called a skybreaker, whose engines are pressurized so they won't explode at high altitudes. A slow descent and a clever navigator set them on the right course, and soon they find the Hyperion. However, pirates have been tracking them and everyone meets up aboard the Hyperion in a climactic battle for the treasure.
All ends well, but if I write much more, I'll ruin the story. Skybreaker is a very good read, providing more in-depth characterization of Matt and Kate and adding a whole new dimension to their world in the sky. I recommend reading both Airborn and Skybreaker to anyone who has even the remotest interest in aeronautics.
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