Great historical fiction with a bit of creative license to make a rolicking colonial American adventure of a group venturing into the wild western wilderness. Teenager main character Billy Bartram has been invited by his father to join a special expedition in the year 1754 with the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. His father's passion & expertise, botany, equals his fascination with the rumors of an ancient Welsh kingdom, established in the far west of the North American continent. Billy has a gift for sketching, documenting the many plants his father grows back home at their farm, and hopes to document more in their exploration west. "Traveling in a massive flying aeroship, Billy and a secret society [of APS philosophers] & scientists venture west in search of the lost kingdom of the Welsh prince Madoc, to seek aid in the coming war with the French. But the wilds of colonial America hide a host of dangers- from a terrifying bear-wolf that haunts their every move, to a party of French soldiers hot on their trail, to a spy and traitor in their midst. Billy will face hazards greater than he has ever imagined as, together with his father, he gets caught up in the fight for the biggest prize of all: America" book jacket. Definitely filled with plot twists and turns, Billy's friendship with Jane, the talented stowaway daughter of one of the philosophers, adds some relationship interest; the most realistic portions of the novel reflects his conflict with his father, who demosntrates his hatred of Native Americans, and makes some mistaken decisions during their trials. ( )

I have been a fan of Kirby’s book for a long time. I loved his Clockwork Three novel and also enjoyed his Dark Gravity Sequence series. This was an okay middle grade adventure steampunk novel by Kirby. I enjoyed some aspects of the story but through the whole thing was a bit simple and slow at points.

Billy Bartram is ecstatic when his father decides to let Billy accompany him on a journey into the American wild west. The society that Billy’s dad is part of is seeking the lost people of the Welsh Prince Madoc in hopes that they can enlist their aid for a war against the French. This is one of those alternate history sorts of books; but there are some elements of magic and some steampunk elements as well.

I loved the adventure and some of the crazy things Billy and his fellow travelers run into. However there just wasn’t enough of the adventure, creativity and wonder. Too much time ends up being spent on the politics between the different groups.

A lot of time is also spent dealing with Billy’s father’s hatred of Native Americans. Billy doesn’t understand this seemingly unfounded hatred his father has. This theme of hatred towards minority groups (and the sense of wrongness Billy gets from it) is really a driving theme of the book.

There was a lot in here that could have been amazing. I would have like to watch the scientists acquire interesting and wondrous specimens on their journey; instead their journey is plagued by infighting and trying to determine who a traitor in their midst is. The sense of wonder prevalent at the beginning of the story quickly degenerates into a snarl of human selfishness and scheming.

Overall this was an okay book but I was expecting so much more. The book out starts out full of promise but quickly degenerates into a treatise about human hatred and politics. There are some good lessons in here about tolerance and exploration but it didn’t work well with the beginning of the story. Not Kirby’s best work but there are some interesting elements here. ( )

This book did not engage enough to continue after the first several chapters. Kirby is a competent writer, but the characters were mostly flat. He had a great opportunity to embellish the story with diverse eccentric characters among the crew of scientists, but this was not developed, at least early on. The simplistic story might be better suited for younger readers, but didn't captivate me. ( )

I liked this book for a number of reasons. The first reason I liked it is because the main character was well developed. He changed to become a better person throughout the book. At first he wanted to be liked his father but after seeing how he treated others he changed his mind. The young boy found his own path after the experiences he faced in the book and became a strong, confident character in the end. The boy's father also was well developed. He had reasons why he treated people in the book the way that he did. But in the end of the book he realized that all of his views were not correct and he changed to become a better person. The second reason I liked the book is the plot was exciting and suspenseful. There were many challenges that the characters in the book faced and the reader does not know what will happen in the end. The philosophers in the book face a bear-wolf, their ship crashing, a long trek through the forest, and a war. The reader does not know if all of the characters will make it through each challenge and it is very exciting to find out. The main idea of this book is to teach children to find their own way in the world and become their own person. ( )

A remarkable adventure by award-winning author Matthew J. Kirby brings a fantastical American West filled with secrets and spies and terrifying creatures to vivid life.

In this extraordinary adventure story, Billy Bartram, his father, and a secret society of philosophers and scientists venture into the American wilderness in search of the lost people of the Welsh Prince Madoc, seeking aid in the coming war against the French. Traveling in a flying airship, the members of the expedition find their lives frequently endangered in the untamed American West by terrifying creatures, a party of French soldiers hot on their trail, and the constant threat of traitors and spies. Billy will face hazards greater than he can ever imagine as, together with his father, he gets caught up in the fight for the biggest prize of all: America. ( )