turrean's review against another edition
3.0
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.
roseice's review against another edition
4.0
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.)momoclouds's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
muse2323's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
4.0
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.
reggiethebird's review against another edition
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
4.0
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: Classism and Gun violence
Moderate: Racism, Murder, Colonisation, and Death
elentarien's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. Short - but then most books of this level do seem short to a fast reader. :)
I loved the fact that the story took place in Canada. . . and apparently in the same 'world' as the Airborn series. (Guess based off the fact that "Lionsgate City" was mentioned several times and also featured in the Airborn series)I suppose that should have warned me that the 'supernatural' stuff might be more real. Strange creatures in Airborn, and apparently, in this one sasquatches and the like are real. Which is kind of cool. :)
The only thing I really did not like was the 'present tense' narration style. I really dislike the oddness this creates in reading and it seems to break the immersion at times when one is suddenly jarred out of the story because its 'now', not 'then'. But I suppose thats a personal preference. . .and at least the author stuck with it and did not keep switching around throughout the story.
All in all, this was an exciting, fun read, and I would not mind reading more about this boy, the train. . .and the circus girl. :)
I loved the fact that the story took place in Canada. . . and apparently in the same 'world' as the Airborn series. (Guess based off the fact that "Lionsgate City" was mentioned several times and also featured in the Airborn series)I suppose that should have warned me that the 'supernatural' stuff might be more real. Strange creatures in Airborn, and apparently, in this one sasquatches and the like are real. Which is kind of cool. :)
The only thing I really did not like was the 'present tense' narration style. I really dislike the oddness this creates in reading and it seems to break the immersion at times when one is suddenly jarred out of the story because its 'now', not 'then'. But I suppose thats a personal preference. . .and at least the author stuck with it and did not keep switching around throughout the story.
All in all, this was an exciting, fun read, and I would not mind reading more about this boy, the train. . .and the circus girl. :)
ashley_elizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
3.0
Solid 3 stars. A train adventure story is not something I've read much of, but this was pretty fun. The Boundless (the name of the train) certainly sounds like a marvel, and picturing some of its features was part of the entertainment of the book. Some of the "messages" were a bit overt and heavy-handed, though, which got annoying quickly and negatively affected my reading experience despite agreeing with the overall point being raised. That being said, I'd still likely recommend it to any young person!
shighley's review against another edition
3.0
Very intriguing premise. It just seemed a bit long to me. I started it in 2015 and booktalked it to several students, but never got around to finishing it until now. I was especially drawn to it due to the fact that the setting was Canada, it took place on a train, and that a Bigfoot was involved. It would be interesting as a movie!
natho_100's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0