Hurrah, Matt and Kate go off adventuring again. Of course they find a new species, mysterious events abound, danger lurks, sky pirates chase, romantic misunderstandings complicate and all things good I expected from the first book. And the Full Cast Audio performance is a delight as usual. I can't wait for the third book, but this is one that is so enhanced by the audio readings that I have to hold out for Full Cast Audio to work their magic again.
I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of fun! ( )

An excellent addition to the adventures of Matt Cruse, this text is in many ways better than its predecessor. For one, since Cruse is older and his life more complicated, the tension and layers of conflict deepen and move past the surface level of the simple page-turner adventure story. Although the book has less swashbuckling, the story is no less fun. Oppel makes light of many of the same issues that teens will struggle with in their pursuit of adulthood, including complicated romances, the battle with greed, and loyalty to friends and personal ethics. At a larger level, even though this text takes place in a parallel world to our on earth, it does still deal with some of the same complex social issues that have arisen over the past few centuries, including the European racial stereotype of Gypsies and the battle between costly fossil fuels and inexpensive, renewable energy sources. Overall, the text takes too much of a lighthearted approach to the issues to be considered a true social commentary on them, but they do act as good layers of conflict that make the text more complex. I recommend this book to both adults and kids, with its main audience falling within the range of 8-13, geared more toward boys.-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com ( )

Matt and Kate are back together for another action packed adventure in an airship. ( )

Forty years ago, the airship Hyperion vanished with untold riches in its hold. Now, accompanied by heiress Kate de Vries and a mysterious gypsy, Matt Cruse is determined to recover the ship and its treasures. But 20,000 feet above the Earth's surface, pursued by those who have hunted the Hyperion since its disappearance, and surrounded by deadly high-altitude life forms, Matt and his companions soon find themselves fighting not only for the Hyperion—but for their very lives. It was just as good as the first book. ( )

i love airships, i love a good story, i love steam, it all comes together here. ( )