The Boundless

By Kenneth Oppel and Jim Tierney

The Boundless, the greatest train ever built, is on its maiden voyage across the country, and first-class passenger Will Everett is about to embark on the adventure of his life!

When Will ends up in possession of the key to a train car containing priceless treasures, he becomes the target of sinister figures from his past.

In order to survive, Will must join a traveling circus, enlisting the aid of Mr. Dorian, the ringmaster and leader of the troupe, and Maren, a girl his age who is an expert escape artist. With villains fast on their heels, can Will and Maren reach Will’s father and save The Boundless before someone winds up dead?

“Canadian railway history, fantasy, a flutter of romance—and a thoughtful examination of social injustice—collide in this entertaining swashbuckler from the author of Printz Honor–winning Airborne” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Release date: Apr 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781442472907

Kenneth Oppel

KENNETH OPPEL is the bestselling author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and was adapted into an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the Times (UK). Kenneth Oppel is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, The Boundless, The Nest, Every Hidden Thing, Inkling and the Bloom trilogy. His latest novel is Ghostlight. Ken Oppel lives with his family in Toronto.

Book preview

Reviews for The Boundless

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

William is an artist whose family circumstances drastically change when he and his father save a railroad tycoon's life. Several years later, his dad is the chief engineer of The Boundless a gigantic train that speeds across Canada. William stumbles upon a murder and theft and soon finds himself being harbored by the circus folk upon the train who have a heist in mind as well. Lots of action and chasing throughout and above the train. A quick, exciting read, although the cover and premise might make it difficult to get students to start the book.

[jadedog13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the book jacket:
Will Everett has always wished for an adventure. Little does he know his adventure starts the moment he boards the Boundless. There is a murder, and now Will protects a key that can unlock the train's hidden treasures. Villains are fast on his heels and strange creatures are lurking outside the windows, as the Boundless hurtles across the country. Together with Maren, a gifted escape artist, and Mr. Dorian, a circus ringmaster with amazing abilities, Will must save the Boundless before someone else winds up dead.
His adventure may have begun without him knowing... but how it ends is up to Will.

I read this book with my 11-year old son so it took us a long time to finish. We usually read at night before he goes to bed. He really enjoyed this book. I liked it, but it isn't my usual type of book. There was plenty of adventure and edge of your seat moments. Will is a very believable character and his friendship with Maren has its ups and downs. Mr. Dorian seems to be a genuinely good guy who really cares about Will & Maren. His magic tricks are a fun part of the book. The villain, Brogan is a great example of a man with a "perfect" plan that is falling apart because of a young boy. He gets more and more reckless and angry as the book goes on. There are unusual beasts in this book, Sasquatch, Wendigos, the muskeg hag. Good guys, bad guys, magic, circus acts, danger... all of these things really appealed to my son and made this a fun read.

Recommended to:
Middle grade readers, boys or girls that like adventure stories.

[ronrose1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This a ripping good tale of adventure on an early train trip across the wilds of Canada. In a continuous series of escapades, young Will Everett survives an avalanche; comes face to face with a Sasquatch; rides across country on the world’s largest train; joins a circus on the train to escape from a murderer; and has his heart stolen by a beautiful girl who performs in the circus. I haven’t had this much fun reading about a train trip since that Potter kid boarded the Express on track 9 3/4. Book provided for review by Amazon vine.

[sgrame_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story begins when Will is going to meet his dad who labors hard for little money as he lays rails for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Through an unusual turn of events, Will and his dad make an excellent impression on the owner of the railway as his dad bravely saves the man during an avalanche. Fast forward 3 years, and Will's dad has taken over the railway and they live in the lap of luxury. Will seems to be missing something, though, and finds the adventure he is looking for on a trip to the far west coast. He reconnects with a tight rope walker named Maren and the head of Zircus Dante, Mr. Dorian who both end up saving his life a few times. The natural danger of greedy rail workers with no ethics is intertwined with sasquatches and the hag from the muskeg who lures her victims to death in the sinking bog through hypnosis. A good coming-of-age read, the excitement never ends in this novel. The 332 page book is highly recommended for boys and girls in grades 5-8.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Boundless by Kenneth Oppel is steampunk tucked into an adventure novel.The story seems to take place during the mid-1800s when trains were built to go all of the way across the continent. In Boundless, the train is an engineering marvel. Will learns of the Boundless before it's even built. His father works for the railroad company. He's an honest man who works hard despite the very real possibility that the company will falter financially. When the last stake is hammered, Will is there. The owner, Mr. Van Horne, takes a liking to Will and has invited him to watch. After the stake is hammered, a joyous celebration ensues with gunfire, which causes an avalanche. Will's father saves Van Horne and over the next three years, Will's father advances through the company. Now his father is taking the Boundless on its maiden voyage. Van Horne has died sometime in the last three years, and his body is in a special train car. There are riches to be found in this car, making the voyage dangerous, as people are bound and determined to steal. Will is in possession of the key that allows entry. Most of the novel entails Will barely escaping near death many times. What makes this exciting is that they are on a train. There's no where to go but be thrown onto the tracks. If the train leaves you behind, the sasquatch will get you. It's very dangerous. Only a few circus people are there to help Will as he tries to get back up to his father to warn him.One can't help thinking of the Titanic's maiden voyage. It was a marvel as is The Boundless, which is many miles long, carrying a circus, animals, the very poor, third class, second class, and first class, along with food and other provisions needed if there is a problem on the rails. It's a moving city going through very dangerous terrain. You know those movies where it's one death-defying moment after another? There's little plot but it's fun. That's what this is--enjoy!

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Will finds more of an adventure than he planned on when he joins the maiden voyage of the new train "Boundless" which is 7 miles long. After witnessing a murder, he becomes the target of a group of larcenous brakemen intent on robbing a fortune entombed with the railroad's deceased owner in a special railway car. Adventure abounds with circus tricks, magicians, and a variety of possibly real beasts of legend.

[rakerman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set mostly on board an incredibly long train crossing Canada, a tale of adventure. Reminiscent of Skybreaker in terms of themes.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The BoundlessByKenneth OppelMy "in a nutshell" summary...Pretty much...this is a great adventurous train escapade! With danger! And clowns! And very very bad guys!My thoughts after reading this book...I fell right into this amazing tale with relish and gusto. It felt so good to read this book. First Will was hungry and poor and almost in a flash he wasn't! The train...The Boundless...was amazing! But I am moving way too fast...here is what happened...briefly.It's three years after we first meet Will...his father still works for the railroad but now he is an executive. Mr. Van Horne...the designer of the railroad...has died but his dream of this amazing train has been fulfilled. The train is magical, massive and it carries Mr. Van Horne's funeral car which is loaded with the sort of magical stuff that the bad guys want.Will finds himself in the midst of all of this mayhem. He is on board the first class car when it stops. He is searching for his friend Maren when he sees someone get killed. The train is so massive that he barely gets back on. This is when the action really starts. It's an awesome adventure that can only be revealed by sitting down with this fun book!What I loved about this book...The thrills and chills and spills! Will kept falling off of the train! The circus, the Sasquatch, and the amazing train itself!What I did not love...Brogan...the baddest bad guy in any middle grade novel! He was despicable! Mean! Evil!Final thoughts...One of those unputdownable delight filled YA books...I am hoping that the adventure will continue in a second book!

[inky_fingers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a creative setting for a book! I really enjoyed the beginning, where we were learning about the world. But the book kind of lost me in the middle where it was focused on the action, which seemed a little predictable.

[adamwolf_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this. It was a little magical, but not *too* magical. The concept could have felt conceited, but it did not.

I liked it as much as I liked Airborn, but not as much as I liked Every Hidden Thing.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, steampunky, train-based adventure in an alternate wild West where the Sasquatch run free. Will is working on finding his own adventures and deciding who he will become -- the ambitious clerk his father hopes for, or the artist his heart desires. In the meantime, giant trains, circus folk, a crazy funeral car treasure heist and adventure abounds. I'm glad to have a Kenneth Oppel title to recommend to those readers a little young for the Airborn series.

Advanced reader copy provided by edelweiss.

[shannonrose4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A high speed adventure with all your classic favorites: trains, circus and magic. With crime and mystery too!

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a Young Adult book, but I really enjoyed it. The Boundless is the largest and longest train ever built. It is carrying the body of Cornelius Van Horne who built it and the railroad. Will Everett and his father (chief engineer) are on the train for its maiden voyage. Will witnesses a murder and recognizes the murderer from an earlier adventure with a Sasquatch. Can Will survive? Can he save his father? A fun read.