Starclimber

Last updated
Starclimber
Author Kenneth Oppel
LanguageEnglish
SeriesMatt Cruse series
Genre Fantasy, alternate history novel, steampunk
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date
August 26, 2008
Publication placeCanada
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages356 (first edition)
ISBN 978-0-00-200745-0
OCLC 213525892
Preceded by Skybreaker  

Starclimber is the third book in the Matt Cruse fantasy series, written by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel.

Contents

Plot

Matt Cruse is piloting an aerocrane for France's Celestial Tower where he narrowly survives a terrorist attack by the Babelites, a group of people who are opposed to humans reaching the heavens. After the incident, he meets with Kate de Vries, and is saddened to hear that Kate will soon return to Lionsgate City.

Canada's Minister of Air wants Canadians to be the first in space, and invites Kate to join the expedition as an expert in aerial zoology, while Matt is offered a chance to become one of the world's first astronauts on board the Starclimber. Matt decides to visit his mother and sisters. While he is there, he accepts a party invitation sent by Mr. and Mrs. de Vries. During the party, Matt is informed that Kate's parents will probably marry Kate to James Sanderson. Upon hearing this, Matt seeks out Mr. Sanderson during the party.

Matt is enrolled in the astronaut program and becomes friends with fellow astronaut trainee Tobias Blanchard. Three people are chosen to be the first astronauts, but Matt is not amongst them. When he leaves the room, Kate follows him to try and cheer him up. When she takes his hands, Matt finds an engagement ring on her finger. Matt leaves, heartbroken, and goes to a bar with the rest of the rejected astronauts-in-training. The other astronauts tell him that he deserved to be chosen. The next morning, Captain Walken tells him that one of the men they chose broke his leg, and offers Matt a spot on the space trip as a replacement. Matt accepts, even though the thought of seeing Kate again is painful.


During the journey, Matt discovers a letter from James Sanderson to Kate, leading him to believe that Kate really is preparing to marry James. That night, he tells Tobias his feelings for Kate, hoping that he can help him with his troubles. Tobias suggests that Matt propose to Kate. When he does, Kate attempts to change the subject, only to provoke Matt into claiming that she is lying to him about breaking off her engagement with James Sanderson.

A few days after Matt's failed proposal, the Starclimber is homebound. However, unexpected astral barnacles are discovered on the cable. The cable snaps, Shepherd is killed, and the Starclimber is left drifting in space with no way to return to the surface. The remaining members of Starclimber are left in orbit around the earth when Matt develops a crude but brilliant brainstorm using an emergency oxygen tank as a propellant and using the toilets' flush mechanisms as maneuvering jets, giving the crew only one chance to reenter the atmosphere. The beginning launch is successful, but Captain Walken is knocked unconscious, and Matt and Tobias are left as the only members of Starclimber's crew who are able to pilot her. Together with Kate and Dr. Turgenev, the four manage to guide the Starclimber into the first stage of reentry. While they are falling, Kate throws away her engagement ring and confesses her love for Matt. However, Dr. Turgenev reveals that everyone already knew, adding that it was "painfully obvious". The Starclimber, after a turbulent fall, successfully lands in Cairo.

Kate receives a telegram from her mother, saying that James Sanderson had eloped with another woman. Once Kate and Matt are alone, she apologizes to him. Matt then proposes to her again, using Sanderson's engagement ring, and she accepts, though they both know that getting Kate's parents' consent will be difficult.

Publication history

Reception

Sylvia Pantaleo of CM: Canadian Review of Materials gave the novel a "Highly Recommended" review and wrote that Oppel "provides enough background information about events and characters that the novel can be read independently of Airborn and Skybreaker." [1] Kirkus Reviews stated that Oppel "has assembled intriguing characters, especially Matt’s fellow astralnauts, who populate a fast-paced narrative that features enough unpredictable plot twists to keep readers riveted to Matt’s story to the finish." [2] Jonathan Hunt of The Horn Book Magazine praised the "action-packed" plot and "superb" characterisation. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Coleman</span> American astronaut, chemist, engineer and USAF colonel (born 1960)

Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, engineer, former United States Air Force colonel, and retired NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and departed the International Space Station on May 23, 2011, as a crew member of Expedition 27 after logging 159 days in space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed White (astronaut)</span> American astronaut (1930–1967)

Edward Higgins White II was an American aeronautical engineer, United States Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He was a member of the crews of Gemini 4 and Apollo 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Collins (astronaut)</span> American astronaut (1930–2021)

Michael "Mike" Collins was an American astronaut who flew the Apollo 11 command module Columbia around the Moon in 1969 while his crewmates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, made the first crewed landing on the surface. He was also a test pilot and major general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

<i>Perelandra</i> 1943 novel by C. S. Lewis

Perelandra is the second book in the Space Trilogy of C. S. Lewis, set on the planet of Perelandra, or Venus. It was first published in 1943.

<i>The Bourne Identity</i> (novel) 1980 spy novel by Robert Ludlum

The Bourne Identity is a 1980 spy fiction thriller novel by Robert Ludlum that tells the story of Jason Bourne, a man with remarkable survival abilities who has retrograde amnesia, and must seek to discover his true identity. In the process, he must also determine why several shadowy groups, a professional assassin, and the CIA want him dead. It is the first novel of the original Bourne Trilogy, which also includes The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline Baynes</span> English illustrator of childrens books (1922–2008)

Pauline Diana Baynes was an English illustrator, author, and commercial artist. She contributed drawings and paintings to more than 200 books, mostly in the children's genre. She was the first illustrator of some of J. R. R. Tolkien's minor works, including Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootton Major, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. She became well-known for her cover illustrations for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and for her poster map with inset illustrations, A Map of Middle-earth. She illustrated all seven volumes of C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, from the first book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Gaining a reputation as the "Narnia artist", she illustratred spinoffs like Brian Sibley's The Land of Narnia. In addition to work for other authors, including illustrating Roger Lancelyn Green's The Tales of Troy and Iona and Peter Opie's books of nursery rhymes, Baynes created some 600 illustrations for Grant Uden's A Dictionary of Chivalry, for which she won the Kate Greenaway Medal. Late in her life she began to write and illustrate her own books, with animal or Biblical themes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Hauck</span> American captain and astronaut (born 1941)

Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck is a retired captain in the United States Navy, a former fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. He piloted Space Shuttle mission STS-7 and commanded STS-51-A and STS-26.

<i>The Bourne Supremacy</i> 1986 novel by Robert Ludlum

The Bourne Supremacy is the second Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum, first published in 1986. It is the sequel to Ludlum's bestseller The Bourne Identity (1980) and precedes Ludlum's final Bourne novel, The Bourne Ultimatum (1990).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelley Eskridge</span> American writer

Kelley Eskridge is an American writer of fiction, non-fiction and screenplays. Her work is generally regarded as speculative fiction and is associated with the more literary edge of the category, as well as with the category of slipstream fiction.

<i>Master of the Game</i> (novel) 1982 American novel by Sidney Sheldon

Master of the Game is a novel by Sidney Sheldon, first published in hardback format in 1982. Spanning four generations in the lives of the fictional McGregor/Blackwell family, the critically acclaimed novel spent four weeks at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and was later adapted into a 1984 television miniseries.

<i>Airborn</i> (novel) Novel from 2004 by Kenneth Oppel

Airborn is a 2004 young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. The novel is set in an alternate history where the airplane has not been invented, and instead, airships are the primary form of air transportation. Additionally, the world contains fictional animal species such as flying creatures that live their entire lives in the sky. The book takes place aboard a transoceanic luxury passenger airship, the Aurora, and is told from the perspective of its cabin boy, Matt Cruse.

<i>The Apocalypse Watch</i> 1995 novel by Robert Ludlum

The Apocalypse Watch (1995) is a novel by Robert Ludlum. A TV movie based on it aired in 1997 which starred Patrick Bergin and Virginia Madsen. This was Ludlum's second novel to focus on a neo-Nazi conspiracy to take over the world, after The Holcroft Covenant (1978).

<i>Bringing Down the House</i> (film) 2003 film by Adam Shankman

Bringing Down the House is a 2003 American comedy film written by Jason Filardi and directed by Adam Shankman and starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah alongside Eugene Levy, Jean Smart, and Joan Plowright. The film features Martin as Peter Sanderson, a lonely lawyer who meets a woman on the Internet, only to learn she has escaped prison to prove her innocence. She then proceeds to wreak havoc on his own upper-class life. The film was released on March 7, 2003 by Touchstone Pictures and was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures.

<i>Sharpes Tiger</i> Book by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Tiger is the fifteenth historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell and was first published in 1997. It acts as a prequel to the "original" Sharpe series, which begins in 1809, while Sharpe is a captain in the Peninsular War during the Talavera Campaign in Spain. In Tiger, Sharpe is a private in the 33rd Regiment of Foot, serving in southern India during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799.

<i>Sharpes Rifles</i> 1988 historical novel by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Rifles is chronologically the sixth, but the ninth published, historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1988. The narrative follows Sharpe and his unit as they are caught up in the French invasion of Galicia, Spain in January 1809 during the Peninsular War.

<i>Darkwing</i> (novel) 2007 young adult fantasy novel by Kenneth Oppel

Darkwing is a 2007 young adult fantasy novel by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. It is the prequel and fourth book of the Silverwing series, and takes place 65 million years before the events of the first book. It describes the origins of the war between the birds and the beasts.

<i>Skybreaker</i> 2005 novel by Kenneth Oppel

Skybreaker, sequel to Airborn, is a young adult fantasy novel written by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel. It continues the adventures of young airship student Matt Cruse, and Kate de Vries, a budding scientist.

<i>Prince of the Blood</i> (novel) 1989 novel by Raymond E. Feist

Prince of the Blood is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book of the Krondor's Sons series and was published in 1989. It was later followed by The King's Buccaneer in 1992. A 15th anniversary "author's preferred" edition with portions of the book significantly rewritten was released in 2004. The novel focuses on Borric and Erland conDoin, and their personal growth as they journey to the Empire of Great Kesh and unwittingly become involved in a plot against both their own lives and the Empress herself.

<i>Shadow of a Dark Queen</i> 1994 fantasy novel by Raymond E. Feist

Shadow of a Dark Queen is a fantasy novel by American writer Raymond E. Feist. It is the first book in The Serpentwar Saga and was first published in June 1994. It was followed by Rise of a Merchant Prince which was published in 1995.

<i>The Lemon Table</i>

The Lemon Table is the second collection of short stories written by Julian Barnes, and has the general theme of old age. It was first published in 2004 by Jonathan Cape.

References

  1. ↑ Pantaleo, Sylvia (September 26, 2008). "CM Magazine: Starclimber". The Manitoba Library Association. ProQuest   218812921 . Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  2. ↑ "STARCLIMBER". Kirkus Reviews . 15 January 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  3. ↑ Hunt, Jonathan. "Starclimber". The Horn Book Magazine . ProQuest   199325130 . Retrieved 21 September 2024.

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.