KENNETH OPPEL (1967 -) is a Canadian author of Fantasy and Science Fiction novels. His books are marketed toward young adults but fit well within the definition of Heinlein-esque juveniles. Three of his four Silverwing novels (about anthroporphic bats) and two of his “Matt Cruse” novels (set in an alternate world where airships ply the skyways) are available as audiobooks.
Commercial audiobooks:
Silverwing (book 1 in the Silverwing saga)
By Kenneth Oppel; Read by John McDonough
7 CDs, 6 Cassettes, or Playaway Digital – 7.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Recorded Books
Published:
ISBN: 9781402534607 (cd), 1402507526 (cassette), 9781436149167 (PD)
Shade, a young silverwing bat, is the runt of his colony. Determined to show how brave he is, Shade breaks one of the ancient rules that governs the bats. As punishment, owls burn the bats’ roost, forcing them to migrate earlier than normal. While on the trip south to the Hibernaculum, Shade becomes separated from his flock during a rain storm. His destination is millions of wing beats away. Now he must find a way to make the journey on his own. Along the way, he’ll meet up with bats of different species–some friendly, some not. Shade will have to learn quickly which ones to trust if he’s ever going to see his family again.
Sunwing (book 2 in the Silverwing saga)
By Kenneth Oppel; Read by John McDonough
8 CDs, 7 Cassettes – 9 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Recorded Books
Published:
ISBN: 9781402580550 (cd), 1402507542 (cassettes)
Shade, a young silverwing bat, is searching the countryside for his father when he discovers a huge glass building. When he flies inside, he finds a forest haven where, safe from predatory owls, hundreds of bats are finally living in the sunlight. But when he tries to find an exit, Shade quickly realizes that instead of a paradise, the building is really a prison. From there, bats are taken to laboratories, where they are fitted with bombs and used in human warfare. Even as Shade manages to escape, he knows that the fate of his entire species is in great peril. It’s up to him to foil the dark force that plots against the silverwings.
Firewing (book 3 in the Silverwing saga)
By Kenneth Oppel; Read by John McDonough
7 CDs, 7 Cassettes – 9.75 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Recorded Books
Published:
ISBN: 9781428173392 (cd), 9781402569180 (cassettes)
Griffin is just a newborn bat when he falls through an underground fissure into the most dangerous of all places, the Underworld—the land of the dead. Though his father, the heroic Shade, will try to rescue him, Griffin bravely sets off on his own adventure to find the Tree that will take him home. Will he make it?
Airborn (book 1 in the Matt Cruse series)
By Kenneth Oppel; Performed by a FULL CAST
10 CDs – 10.5 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1933322543
|READ OUR REVIEW|
Skybreaker (book 2 in the Matt Cruse series)
By Kenneth Oppel; Read by David Kelly and the Full Cast Family
10 CDs – 11.5 hours – [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Published: 2008
ISBN: 9781934180150
High in the sky, far above the normal lanes of travel, drifts a ghost ship carrying unbelievable treasure. Matt Cruise, hero of the wildly popular Airborn (an SFFaudio Essential, find the review here), is on the trail of that treasure, with the help of his charming society friend Kate de Vries and a mysterious gypsy girl named Nadira. With them flies Hal Slater, roguish captain of a boldly designed Skybreaker aircraft that can reach heights previously undreamed of. But between Matt and his destination stand ruthless pirates, and an even more ruthless businessman. And what Matt’s crew will find when they finally do reach the Hyperion is far more valuable, far more exciting, and far more dangerous than they ever imagined.