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111th out of 116 books
—
22 voters
The Story of Cirrus Flux
London, 1783. Orphan Cirrus Flux is being watched. Merciless villains are conniving to steal the world's most divine power--The Breath of God--which they believe Cirrus has inherited. Now he faces a perilous journey through the dirty backstreets of the city as a sinister mesmerist, a tiny man with an all-seeing eye, and a skull-collecting scoundrel pursue him. Cirrus must...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
June 1st 2010
by Puffin Books
(first published August 1st 2009)
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I think this book was a lot better than Endymion Spring! I had to read them both because (wonder of wonders), I heard it was for Potterheads.
Hmmm. Once again, kindly STOP this comparison.
Having said that, this was okay. It was a children's book, and not (as I'd thought) YA. But this story was much more... cohesive (?) than the other. I'm not saying I totally understood it, since I think there's a lot that Skelton just kind of throws into the air and leaves unexplained (although, again, this is...more
Hmmm. Once again, kindly STOP this comparison.
Having said that, this was okay. It was a children's book, and not (as I'd thought) YA. But this story was much more... cohesive (?) than the other. I'm not saying I totally understood it, since I think there's a lot that Skelton just kind of throws into the air and leaves unexplained (although, again, this is...more
After Endymion Spring, this book was just a let down.
It has such a wonderful premise, I have no idea why he would just let half the story just hang. The end was anti- climatic and I don't really think Cirrus got the amount of time he deserved. He was thrown into the middle of the action, he spent some time there, got out, without really contributing to what was happening.
Maybe it is a little misleading that the book is called "The Story of Cirrus Flux". That leads to the presumption that he is...more
It has such a wonderful premise, I have no idea why he would just let half the story just hang. The end was anti- climatic and I don't really think Cirrus got the amount of time he deserved. He was thrown into the middle of the action, he spent some time there, got out, without really contributing to what was happening.
Maybe it is a little misleading that the book is called "The Story of Cirrus Flux". That leads to the presumption that he is...more
book review for school library system #1
* * *
This story had a lot of similarities to "The Golden Compass" but none of the strong story telling or originality. The language was too complex for a 12 year old, but a 14/15-year old wouldn't want to read the story. It was confusing at times even for me because the fantasy elements were not explained well. The conclusion was lackluster at best, with no real end. It felt like the author simply stopped writing. The main mystery of the novel, having to d...more
* * *
This story had a lot of similarities to "The Golden Compass" but none of the strong story telling or originality. The language was too complex for a 12 year old, but a 14/15-year old wouldn't want to read the story. It was confusing at times even for me because the fantasy elements were not explained well. The conclusion was lackluster at best, with no real end. It felt like the author simply stopped writing. The main mystery of the novel, having to d...more
Quick read, but lots of fun and adventure. I wanted the story to last longer and would like to read more about these characters, who really developed their personalities throughout the book.
I was a little confused through the first 3rd of the book about who the characters were in relation to each other. It is explained later, but I wanted more. There was a lot of excitement, a little bit of mystery, science, and illusion. I will definitely look for more books by this author.
I was a little confused through the first 3rd of the book about who the characters were in relation to each other. It is explained later, but I wanted more. There was a lot of excitement, a little bit of mystery, science, and illusion. I will definitely look for more books by this author.
- Some confusion because of moving back and forth in time.
- Dark passages denoted the past.
- Liked the use of early science.
- Interesting how people were using science, particularly electricity.
- Moving back and forth in time explained history.
- Ending was abrupt.
- Lots of action.
- Hoping there might be a sequel.
- Really like characters.
- First two chapters were a little confusing.
- Really liked writing style and science jokes.
Final votes averaged to 9.025 out of 10.
- Dark passages denoted the past.
- Liked the use of early science.
- Interesting how people were using science, particularly electricity.
- Moving back and forth in time explained history.
- Ending was abrupt.
- Lots of action.
- Hoping there might be a sequel.
- Really like characters.
- First two chapters were a little confusing.
- Really liked writing style and science jokes.
Final votes averaged to 9.025 out of 10.
A kids book and a pretty good story with a disappointing ending.
Cirrus has been left at a hospital to be raised while his father goes on an expedition to the end of the world. His mother died in childbirth and his father had nowhere to put him while he went on his exploration so he left him where he himself had been raised, intending to pick him up when the exploration ended.
Cirrus has been left at a hospital to be raised while his father goes on an expedition to the end of the world. His mother died in childbirth and his father had nowhere to put him while he went on his exploration so he left him where he himself had been raised, intending to pick him up when the exploration ended.
I'll give this a "3" because the writing style was very good and the author did a great job at immersing the reader into 18th century London. However, the plot was lacking, as very, very little actually happens. Also, the whole "Breath of God", the main plot device, wasn't even explained.
Entertaining, but lacking in depth.
Ive never read anything by Matthew Skelton before but was pleasantly entertained by his sophomore work.
Skelton uses a lot of word play within this work but I wish he focused more on character development...
Everyone seems to say his debut novel was great so I'll have to give that a shot
I had a hard time with this story at first, but sticking with it was worth the time, for shortly into it, I was compelled to witness the outcome. It read a little bit like a Dickens' story to me, perhaps mainly because it was about orphaned children in Victorian England and their escape from brutal adult figures who are preying upon the unfortunate lads (and lassy) for some mystical reason, unbeknownst to the children. Ehhhh, Dickens is definitely better, but I would not be surprised if Skelton'...more
Another 12ish aged orphan boy finds he's more than he thinks he is. Yawn. But, not a bad read for younger tween boys. Added bonus if you are a fan of victorian England.
God, this was a let down. When I first started reading, it looked exactly like my cup of tea and I was reminded of Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. After a few chapters, however, everything started to go downhill: I was really hooked until halfway through the book, there seemed to be little plot of which to speak, and everything just took a little too long to come together, and things that should have been explained were not. Also, seriously, one of the most anti-climax endings I've read in a s...more
During the Age of Enlightenment, there is some fantasy, but most of it fits in to the ideas of science of the times.
Terrible. Very disappointed after the wonderful Endymion Spring
The Steampunk aesthetic of the story was very entertaining.
boring, interesting concept poorly developed 1
A story of 1700's London style life for an orphan. But this story includes magic and mayhem. Told from the view of two different characters as their lives cross. The story reads fast and flows well, though the ending struck me as a bit abrupt. A light read for early teens or so with a little bit of grittiness to it.
It wasn't all that good. It was a really quick read so I finished it.
O
I guess the best 'sell' on this to students would be as a type of steampunk for younger readers. It had a good plot, although the flashbacks made it somewhat difficult to follow. I'm wondering if there will be a sequel, it seemed to leave the reader hanging at the end, and wanting more info (ie- explore this concept of Pandora having a twin, and did James Flux really die in that storm?)
Oct 03, 2010
Heather
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010,
kids-books-i-would-recommend
I'm seeing a lot of poor reviews, but I really enjoyed this one. The story is not so much about "The Breath of God," but more about the young foundlings, so anyone expecting The Golden Compass is going to be baffled, but anyone just looking for an adventure ought to enjoy it.
I ADORED this book. Riveting writing, fascinating plot, exciting adventures, and charming characters. The book on CD is wonderful, and the book itself is a treasure.
Loved the hot air balloon and the title. Last week I was able to look without grabbing, but not this week.
Great historical setting and lots of great characters. Pacing is off.
May 16, 2013
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May 13, 2013
Betty
marked it as to-read
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marked it as to-read
May 03, 2013
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marked it as to-read
May 01, 2013
Chris
marked it as to-read
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Matthew Skelton was born in the UK but spent most of his childhood in Canada. He started writing while working as a teaching assistant at the University of Mainz, continued when he came back to Oxford to work as a research assistant. In 2002 he won Richard and Judy's short story competition. Endymion Spring is his first novel.
More about Matthew Skelton...
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