Icebreaker

Written by Lian Tanner

Narrated by Ann Marie Gideon

Acclaimed author Lian Tanner's Icebreaker was shortlisted for Australia's Aurealis Award for Best Children's Book. Here 12-year-old Petrel is an outcast surviving in the shadows aboard the Oyster, a 300-year-old icebreaker. Risking everything to save a frozen boy found adrift, Petrel quickly uncovers the disturbing truth about both the ship and a secret mission of death and destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490683898

Lian Tanner

Lian Tanner is the author of the Keepers trilogy (Museum of Thieves, City of Lies, Path of Beasts), winner of numerous awards around the world, including the Aurealis Award for Children's Fiction. She lives in Australia.

Reviews for Icebreaker

[jrlibrary · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Grabbed me at the beginning and then lost me after the boy got brought aboard the ship. I dont think I'll be reading the next one; just a little too weird for me.

[c3nessa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

*Note: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*Interesting story as the location is entirely on a ocean freighter. The story is good in that it moves fast and is easy to listen to. I don't generally enjoy audiobooks because of the narration, however this narrator actually changed voices to suit the characters. I do feel like certain aspects were drawn out unnecessarily. It felt like it was trying to be stretched to create a bridge to the next book. Although I did enjoy listening to this story I don't feel compelled to find out what happens in the next book.

[readysetgo-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Early Reviewer Audio Book:A mysterious demon on a perpetually sailing ship, mechanical rats, a girl who doesn't belong, a fanatical boy.Icebreaker weaves together some fantastical circumstances. The main characters are likeable and very 'human', the book seems to strike the right balance between quick moving action and detailed description.The author and narrator must be British, it's read and written in such a tone. That can be a little irritating but is totally personal preference. The narrator does an excellent job in this reading.I wouldn't mind reading the next book in this series.

[dabofdarkness · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Petrel is an orphan that lives aboard the Oyster, an icebreaker that has been sailing the most southern reaches of the southern hemisphere for hundreds of years. Civilization as we know it would be quite the shock to any of the inhabitants of the Oyster. Society has fallen and new cultures have arisen. For Petrel, with there being little contact with anyone outside of their ship, the Oyster is her whole world. Then one day, the Oyster finds a nearly frozen boy, who Petrel calls Fin, and things begin to unravel for the crew.I really loved how this story was so contained. Nearly all of it takes place on this one, large ship. And this ship has been on its own for perhaps 300 years. Generations of people have been born and then died aboard this ship, never knowing anything else. So, naturally, various classes or tribes have developed aboard this ship. There’s Grease Alley, where the engineers and like reside, then Braid for the officers and also Dufftown for the cooks. There isn’t much mingling except to trade items or services or if the ship is attacked by something. On this ship, Petrel has no place, belongs to no tribe, and is called the Nothing Girl. Who her parents were and what happened to them is somewhat of a mystery and I loved having bits and pieces of this mystery revealed throughout the book.The boy Fin adds another layer of mystery. There are other societies out there, and at least one of them (Fin’s) is very anti-machine. They have a plan to take out the Oyster permanently because they believe the world must be cleansed of all machines. Fin has been taught most of his life that the ‘gods’ of the ship (the engines) are truly evil and will eat a human’s soul. He was hand-picked for this mission and he must not fail! It was very interesting to watch him struggle with what he had been taught from a very young age compared to what he experienced first hand on board the icebreaker.Petrel has some very special friends, two rats that she talks to…. and they talk back. Mr. Smoke and Mrs. Slink are very knowledgeable and have the ability to fix things (like stitching up a cut human or twisting electrical wires together). Petrel is constantly shoved aside by the adults (except for a very few friendly ones) and openly tormented by the other kids (like Dolph with her tar bucket). As such, she has become really attached to these two talking rats.Most of this book held my rapt attention. I loved this whole nearly isolated ship and it’s viable multi-generational population. We don’t know what happened to society as we know it nor why the Oyster went to the Antarctic and then decided to circle it for 300 years. So much knowledge has been lost over the years. The mystery of the past is ever present and teasing. The book did slow down at times with Petrel and her isolation aboard the ship. I felt like that was really hammered into the reader and I got a little bored with the repetition. I got it and I wanted the plot to move forward. I did, as a whole, like Petrel’s character. She doesn’t fit in anywhere because of the caste system the ship has in place and that has really molded her personality.Fin was interesting too but I wanted more about him and the society he came from. We learn bits and pieces along the way but I look forward to Fin’s past being expanded upon in the second book. As the point of view switches between Fin and Petrel, we have just enough to intrigue us but not quite enough to satisfy. The Anti-Machinists are very different and have the means and drive to attack the Oyster, which has been minding it’s own business for hundreds of years. What could drive a society to such ends, expending such resources?Then there is the mystery of the Sleeping Captain. That’s right. The Oyster has no living, awake, and active captain. The Sleeping Captain is a figure that is held in reverence by the ship’s population even though no one in living memory has seen or spoken with this captain. In fact, folks aren’t even sure where the Sleeping Captain resides. During the last 5th or 6th of the book, we get to learn more but there is still plenty of questions left by the end of the book. Again, I was definitely tantalized by what I did learn but not wholly satisfied. I NEED Book 2!I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher (via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer Program) at no cost in exchange for an honest review.Narration: Anne Marie Gideon did a pretty good job with this book. She had the perfect voice for Petrel – a determined young voice that could be compassionate or a little rough as needed. I also liked her voice for Mr. Smoke. Her young boy voices were believable and distinct. She also had a naughty girl voice for Dolph when she was misbehaving. However, when Dolph as nice a handful of times in the book, her voice sounded so much like Petrel’s I had to listen closely to the dialogue to keep the two straight. Other than that minor little quibble, it was a great performance.

[spacechick365 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was absolutely fantastic! I loved how the author introduced Petrol and slowly revealed her character so the reader falls in love with her. She meets a stranger she names Fin and finds a few friends. Fin goes through personnel turmoil and has to decide if he is going to side with the Brothers or the crew of the Oyster. The only problem is that the next book doesn't come out until next year.

[bogreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Petrel is a 12 year old outsider on a ship moving through icy seas. All other shipmates are members of one of three nearly-warring tribes. As the daughter of disgraced and deceased parents, Petrel must live in the margins and sneak food for herself in a resource poor environment. Two rats are Petrel's only friends until she alerts the crew to a boy alone on an iceberg. Action and adventure ensue as secrets are unearthed and the ship must face the outside world in this first book of a trilogy.

[charlottem_63 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like Juvenile literature even though I will never see 60 years old again. I read an article where the critic was lamenting the state of things when every adult in the country was reading Harry Potter rather than, “adult literature”. I like adventure stories. No one scoffs at adults who read Robert Lewis Stevenson and he wrote juvenile literature. This story was good enough for me to want to read the next sequel.

[68papyrus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleased to win the audiobook edition of Icebreaker through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. Being a big fan of Lian Tanner's Keepers series I was excited to see what her latest book was about and Icebreaker did not disappoint. Icebreaker centers around a ship named the Oyster that has sailed the same course for three hundred years in an attempt to keep technology safe from zealots who think that machines are evil. Petrel, the main character of the book, a young outcast who doesn't belong to any of the three warring factions aboard the Oyster. Her only friends are two rats, Mister Smoke and Missus Slink who befriend her and look after her in time's of trouble. When Petrel finds a frozen boy on an iceberg her world begins to expand a bit when sh convinces the crew to bring the boy aboard. Although, Petrel befriends him not everyone is as trusting of the new person as she and chaos ensues. I thought Icebreaker was well written with excellent world building and plenty of action to draw you into the story. I'm excited by this latest offering from Lian Tanner and look forward to the next volume.

[denise701 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

received this book (audiobook) as the Early Reviewers win. It's the story of a young girl, Petrel, who lives on an icebreaker, and Fin, a young boy who has been sent on a mission to kill a "demon" that lives on the ship. I loved the main character, who has be isolated from the rest of the crew because of a "crime" her parents committed (we eventually learn what this is). Despite being ostracized by the rest of the crew, she is not without friends or resources. She is anxious to make a friend of Fin in order to ease her loneliness, but because of his upbringing, he has become closed off to his own feelings.I became quite engaged in the story, and after a certain point, I really had a tough time turning off my car's engine (I listened to it in the car) to go to work--or wherever.I highly recommend it. It was quite moving at the end.

[vaterolsen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Petrel is a 12 year old outsider on a ship moving through icy seas. All other shipmates are members of one of three nearly-warring tribes. As the daughter of disgraced and deceased parents, Petrel must live in the margins and sneak food for herself in a resource poor environment. Two rats are Petrel's only friends until she alerts the crew to a boy alone on an iceberg. Action and adventure ensue as secrets are unearthed and the ship must face the outside world in this first book of a trilogy.

[bookwren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Icebreaker is a whirlwind adventure set in future Antarctica on a huge ship divided into “tribes.” Only Petrel is tribe-less, called the “Nothing Girl.” Yet she knows the ship better than anyone and wanders its decks and hidey-holes with ease. Existence is harsh, but Petrel is a survivor with quick wits and courage. When she spots a boy on an iceberg, she unlocks a long-held secret that will change her world forever. Tanner writes eloquently of the frozen landscape, of people, their fears and loyalties, and of the power of trust and friendship.

[prop2gether · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Petral, an orphaned girl on the ship Oyster, whose best friends are rats, finds a nearly drowned boy. His mission is the start of the trilogy for Icebreaker. This book on disk was narrated by Anne Marie Gibson, and nicely done. Recommended for the teen reader, but not a poor choice for fans of the dystopian genre.

[hredwards · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won this in the early reader giveaway and was reluctant to start it. But... I was pleasantly surprised!! This is a quick paced adventure story set in the future on a sea going vessel. Petral is a girl without a past who hides on the ship away from everyone else scavanging what she can. The ship sails on through icy waters, the only known world. The crew has split into three groups barely getting by, cooperating only to survive. But one day a boy is spotted on the ice dead ahead and Petral contrives to save him and starts events in motion that will change him, her and the future of the world. I look forward to more of this series.This was a recorded audio book and was well performed and easy to listen to. Thouroghly enjoyed it !!

[tuusannuuska-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Picked this up for the sports setting, got a heaping dose of great representation as a bonus.

The author is a Buffalo Sabers fan (sending all the strength in the world to them, though at least it isn't the Flyers) and the college hockey setting read a little more realistically than what you generally get with hockey romance. While the hockey world is the basis on which the character's rivalry is built, as well as the cause of the underlying conflict, it isn't really the focus of the story. The more important topic, at least in my mind, is mental health and the intense pressure kids can be under without any way to really cope with it. Every action and choice gets ecplipsed by the question "How will this affect my future career in the league?"

There's also a lot of commentary on the disparity between the attention women's hockey gets in contrast with men's hockey (for example, a promising male prospect is already a lot more of a hot commodity than an Olympic medal winning female player) and there's pretty organic feeling representation of different sexualities. We get straight, gay, bi, and poly characters and they aren't really used as devices to have discussions about their sexualities, instead just existing and living life.

The main character has been heading toward a career in professional hockey since his conception, as both his parents (as well as a grandparent) are all past pro players, and he's basically been raised (largely by billet families) to become the first over all pick in his draft class. Because of his untreated depression and anxiety he's mostly just going through the motions and pushing himself for fear of failure more than any real passion for the sport, and it all starts coming to a head during the year leading up to the draft.

Over all this was a really good YA sports romance with the rivals-to-lovers trope. Good writing, well crafted characters, and minimal toxic masculinity.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While it certainly contains the elements of a LGBTQIA hockey romance, perfect for fans of Check, Please!, this novel is more of a character exploration of a particular athlete and his struggles with his public persona, his family expectations, and his mental health.