Kenneth Oppel Quotes & Sayings

Konrad had gone to the New World without me, and no matter how fast I ran westward, how close I kept to the sunsets, I would never catch up with him now. — Kenneth Oppel

The seed for my novel 'Half Brother' was planted in my mind over twenty years ago, but didn't germinate until late 2007 when I came across the obituary for Washoe, an extraordinary chimpanzee who had learned over 250 words of American Sign Language. — Kenneth Oppel

This way," she said, veering toward the roof's edge. "Can you jump?"
"Oh, I can jump!"
"Then jump! — Kenneth Oppel

The preface? Why would he waste time with the preface? Skip the preface and move on to the meat of the thing! — Kenneth Oppel

It's somewhat disquieting that the same parents and educators who are horrified by the notion of child soldiers have bestowed upon 'The Hunger Games' a double mantle of critical praise and global bestsellerdom. — Kenneth Oppel

The world should have been in Technicolour, but seemed more like black and white. — Kenneth Oppel

I raised my hands, trying to shush her.
"Don't shush me," she said, eyes blazing. "I hate being shushed. — Kenneth Oppel

You flatter me shamelessly. I like it. Good. — Kenneth Oppel

IMBECILE!" the chef shouted. "Next time why don't you just put your whole HAND in the food, hey? Yes, your whole hand, or maybe your FACE! I arrange the food on plates with care, are you understanding what I am telling you? It is part of the art form of cooking, yes? A lovely plate of food is a thing of beauty! And then you, NUMBSKULL, come along and put your fat greasy FINGERS all over my plate, and SHAKE the plate, and move my food all around the plate until it looks like pigs' vomit!"
"Chef Vlad!" I cried out in delight. — Kenneth Oppel

Yes' is a very powerful word. It's like opening a door. It's like fanning a flame. It's the most powerful word in the world. — Kenneth Oppel

If she can bite a vulture, she can jump a crack.
~Victor Frankenstein — Kenneth Oppel

Oh, hello, Matt,' she said, not looking altogether thrilled to see me. 'This is James Sanderson.'
'Pleased to meet you,' I lied. — Kenneth Oppel

I took [Kate's] hand in mine, and felt her fingers squeeze back. And I thought: home. It took me completely by surprise. But I suppose that once you bid farewell to your first home, you're always looking for another - that place where you can feel happy and strong and at your best. For three years I'd called the Aurora home. But now that I lived in Paris, it was not the city itself that was home. It was Kate. — Kenneth Oppel

You see, when medicine works, it is blessed science, and when it fails, it is witchcraft. - Polidori — Kenneth Oppel

'What have you done?' I whispered.
She swallowed, and the guilt in her eyes was extinguished by a flare of defiance.
'This,' she said, 'is my ticket to outer space.' — Kenneth Oppel

Never climb a tree in a long dress," Kate panted, coming up behind me.
"I'll remember that," I said. — Kenneth Oppel

Nadira gave Kate a long hard look. "Mr. Slater has the ship. Mr. Cruse has the coordinates. I have the key. What exactly do you have?"
For the first time Kate looked flustered. — Kenneth Oppel

The world of 'The Hunger Games' is a paranoid survivalist's dream. — Kenneth Oppel

Madame, may I see your dog's chit, please, — Kenneth Oppel

I poo poo the chit.'
The attendant looked stunned. 'You cannot poo-poo the chit!'
I do.' Kate said solemnly. 'I do poo-poo.'
We'll walk. — Kenneth Oppel

I felt like I was seeing Shannon through a new lens, undistracted by Jennifer's nuclear glow. I could see how pretty she really was, how kind her eyes were. — Kenneth Oppel

Beyond the lake, over the mountains, the clouds were illuminated from within by a brilliant stutter of lightning, and in that split second Elizabeth and I were etched against the sky. — Kenneth Oppel

A masterpiece of vagueness. — Kenneth Oppel

No, indeed, 'pig' is very expressive. And an excellent description of a fellow who flirts with his brother's beloved. — Kenneth Oppel

The sky pulsed with stars. Some people say it makes them lonesome when they stare up at the night sky. I can't imagine why. There's no shortage of company. By now there's not a constellation I can't name. Orion. Lupus. Serpens. Hercules. Draco. My father taught me all of their stories. So when I look up I see a galaxy of adventures and heroes and villains, all jostling together and trying to outdo one another, and I sometimes want to tell them to hush up and not distract me with their chatter. I've glimpsed all the stars ever discovered by astronomers, and plenty that haven't been. — Kenneth Oppel

Flying into a storm, even its outer edges, did not seem like a good idea to me. And this was no ordinary tempest. Everyone on the bridge knew what it was: the Devil's Fist, a near-eternal typhoon that migrated about the North Indian basin year-round. She was infamous, and earned her name by striking airships out of the sky. — Kenneth Oppel

I believe there is something on this earth that you desire more than anything, and it isn't me. — Kenneth Oppel

I'm just trying to spare you hurt. Her love for Konrad is like the foundation of the earth."
"The earth sometimes shifts. — Kenneth Oppel

I turned around and headed back to the stairwell, planning to go downstairs and buy a chocolate bar from the vending machine. Maybe it would fall on me and end my misery. — Kenneth Oppel

You're like something drawn with the sun's fire, and I can take only little glimpses of you. — Kenneth Oppel

It was as though, in one moment, he had become a stranger. And I a stranger to myself. — Kenneth Oppel

You've no fear of heights," puffed the girl.
"None," I said.
"I've heard that about you. — Kenneth Oppel

They're eating liked starved apes," Baz muttered as he swished past me with more food. "Haven't they had enough yet?" he wondered a minute later when we passed again. "Keep your hands well clear of their forks," he warned me as we pirouetted round each other at the dumbwaiter. "I was nearly stabbed clean through. They'll be eating the cutlery soon!" "And us if we're not quick enough," I added. Baz guffawed then coughed to cover it up. — Kenneth Oppel

Realistically, the chance of any book becoming a film is slim. — Kenneth Oppel

I glanced over at him warily. "Don't start getting any ideas about her. The last time someone took a fancy to Kate, things went very badly for him."
"What happened?"
"He got shot."
"You shot him?"
"Well, no, but he did get shot. — Kenneth Oppel

But chance runs like a river through all our lives, and being prepared for surprise is the best we can do. — Kenneth Oppel

There is a passion in you that scares me. — Kenneth Oppel

'I really don't see what all the fuss is about, Sir Hugh,' said Kate with a polite smile. 'As a man of science you should know that urine is sterile. It's only when it's left to stand that it accumulates bacteria. So, if I were you, Sir Hugh, I'd eat my soup quickly.' — Kenneth Oppel

I could not help staring back, for they made quite a contrast: Kate's pale skin and elegant purple suit, Nadira's dusky skin and exotic fiery sari.
"Do we clash?" Nadira said dryly.
"We certainly do," said Kate. "Would you like me to move?"
"Don't trouble yourself. — Kenneth Oppel

I whirled to see the snake springing up from the ferns and bouncing towards us, fast. This time we turned and ran. Every time I looked around, the snake was still there. I wanted to laugh and scream at the same time. The little creature was ridiculous. It was terrifying, and it was also gaining on us. — Kenneth Oppel

I had no idea there'd be so many Sherpas aboard!" exclaimed Miss Simpkins.
"I'm not a Sherpa," Nadira said. "I'm a gypsy."
"Oh, my goodness!" said the chaperone. — Kenneth Oppel

We used to flock to watch gladiators, public torture and executions. In more recent times, our appetite for mortal violence has been sublimated in sports, photorealistic video games, film and literature. — Kenneth Oppel

Mr. Cruse, how high would you like to fly?"
A smile soared across my face.
"As high as I possibly can. — Kenneth Oppel

I think good art should always be entertaining, or at least give pleasure of some sort. And my chief goal as a writer has always been to tell a good story and give my readers a good time. — Kenneth Oppel

Traveling at night toward the stars, I thought yet again how very far away they were, and how you could travel your whole lifetime and never reach even the closest one. But even if you knew you couldn't have something, it didn't stop you wanting it. I wondered if Kate was to be my star, and I'd spend my life gazing upon her but never reaching her. — Kenneth Oppel

You two were in a cave together?' said Miss Simpkins in horror.
'Yes,' said Kate, 'and it was very, very dark. — Kenneth Oppel

I prefer the word aviatrix. It has more zing to it."
"It's very zingy," I agreed. — Kenneth Oppel

I stared at Kate in disbelief.
"I know, I know," she said, walking toward me, hands raised as if to calm a dangerous beast.
"She's not coming," I said.
"She's coming."
"She can't."
"She's coming. — Kenneth Oppel

Let me get you all some punch," I said.
"You're leaving us?" said Isabel, sounding panicky.
"I'll be right back," I promised. "If anyone comes near you, just scream and run. — Kenneth Oppel

What do you make of him?" I asked Elizabeth.
"Apart from the fact he's clearly insane?"
"What can he learn from Konrad's blood?" I said. "Except that he needs it in his body to live!"
"There is something ghoulish about it."
"He's like a vampyre, — Kenneth Oppel

The baby was warm against my chest. I knew I was broken too. I wasn't like other people. I was scared and weird and anxious and sad lots of the time, and I didn't know why. My parents thought I was abnormal, I was pretty sure. They said I wasn't, but you don't get sent to a therapist if you're normal.
Sometimes we really aren't supposed to be the way we are. It's not good for us. And people don't like it. You've got to change. You've got to try harder and do deep breathing and maybe one day take pills and learn tricks so you can pretend to be more like other people. Normal people. But maybe Vanessa was right, and all those other people were broken too in their own ways. Maybe we all spent too much time pretending we weren't. — Kenneth Oppel

We did it!" I said, feeling limp with relief. "It actually worked!"
Dr. Turgenev rubbed his forehead. "I had very big doubts."
"Big doubts?" I said weakly.
The Russian scientist shrugged. "I am pessimist," he said. — Kenneth Oppel

His speech failed to rouse an enthusiastic cheer, but no one dared contradict him. — Kenneth Oppel

They're having a liaison!' the woman in the big hat said to her friend. 'They've found love in a jail cell ... '
'There's no liaison!' I said angrily. — Kenneth Oppel

Here's all I know: that the world is uncontrollable. Chaos reigns. That anything and everything might be possible. I won't subscribe to any rational system again. Nothing will bind me. — Kenneth Oppel

If you were closer, I'd slap you," she said.
"Let me help," I replied, and stepped closer.
She promptly slapped me, which surprised me only a little.
We glared at each other in the near dark, and then she looked away.
"I'm sorry I slapped you," she said.
"That's all right. I quite enjoyed it. — Kenneth Oppel

I know you pretty well."
"Better than anyone I think."
I smiled. Her compliment was like a gift itself, only more precious than anything that could be bought. — Kenneth Oppel

We all knew no respectable physician would remove my fingers just for the asking, and we had no time anyway. — Kenneth Oppel

Nothing's scarier than having a sick child, and one so newly born, and so vulnerable. It's the worst thing for a parent. — Kenneth Oppel

None of us gets to choose how we're born, it's what we make of ourselves afterwards. — Kenneth Oppel

Individuality: ten. Cautiousness: three. Combativeness: nine." She looked over and gave me a wink. "Well, what did you expect from a pirate's daughter? Hope: eight. Amativeness. What's that?"
Kate acutally blushed. "I think it has something to do with your attractiveness to the opposite sex."
"Ten," said Nadira, smiling modestly.
(Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel) — Kenneth Oppel

The noise kept up and did not stop. My head rang. I saw Shepherd take the chewing gum from his mouth, break it into two, and stick it in both ears. He kept working. — Kenneth Oppel

Behind us I saw the water, still welling up from the tunnel, curving round in a frothing serpentine torrent to plunge down the other descending passage. For a moment we all sat there and watched, numb and exhausted. — Kenneth Oppel

When I'd written my 'Silverwing' series - I'd imbued the bats with full human awareness and vocabulary. — Kenneth Oppel

I tried to lure sleep to me, but she slowly shook her raven tresses and would not come back. — Kenneth Oppel

If my heart were a compass, you'd be North. — Kenneth Oppel

The more I worked on 'Half Brother,' the more it seemed to me the story was really about love in all its possible forms - how and why we decide to bestow it, or withdraw it; how we decide what is more worthy of being loved, and what is less. We are masters of conditional love. — Kenneth Oppel

It's the way you look whenever she mentions her fiance. My cat looks like that before he hacks up a hairball. — Kenneth Oppel

Everyone watched, wondering if this could be the same lunatic who'd nearly berthed his ornithopter in the restaurant.
I swallowed, for it seemed he was headed straight for my table.
He pulled off his helmet and a mass of dark auburn hair spilled out. Off came the goggles, and I was looking at the beaming face of Kate de Vries. — Kenneth Oppel

Why do you need to fly so much?" she asked.
"If I don't, it'll catch up with me." The words just came out.
"What will?"
I took my hands from my face, panting. I stared out at the storm.
"Unhappiness. — Kenneth Oppel

I'm glad being shipwrecked appeals to you."
"Captain Walken made a point of avoiding that word."
"Well, he was trying to keep everyone jolly, wasn't he. It's no good having everyone running around screaming and eating each other."
"I wouldn't run around screaming," she said. "I can see eating someone in a pinch, though. If it really came down to it, I mean."
"I don't doubt it."
"Come on, Matt Cruse, don't you find it just a bit exciting, being here?"
"No."
She looked at me as if I'd suggested we stop breathing for a few hours. — Kenneth Oppel

There's fancy math to explain all this, of course. ( ... ) But when you saw the Aurora, saw her floating and rising, you forget all about the match and just stared. — Kenneth Oppel

I give you my wings. — Kenneth Oppel

One of the reasons I wrote 'Airborn' was that I'd fallen in love with the great passenger airships which flew in the '20s and '30s. Their time was short-lived. They were frail, they tended to crash; and they could never be as fast, safe and efficient as the airplanes that replaced them. — Kenneth Oppel

I'm cursed with this puritanical streak that makes me want everything to be about something. It's a terrible affliction. — Kenneth Oppel

I wrote 'Airborn' after completing three books about bats. I loved my bats, but what a treat it was to write about humans again. They could eat food other than midges and mosquitoes, they wore clothing, they slept in beds - all this struck me as wonderfully novel. — Kenneth Oppel

You can't eat [literature], that's the problem," he said. "I've tried, it's very dry, and not at all nutritious. — Kenneth Oppel

Marry me." I said.
She lowered her teacup, shaking slightly, to the saucer. "Aren't you going to get down on one knee?"
I got down on one knee and took her hand.
"Will you marry me, Kate?"
You can't propose properly without a ring." She said.
I reached into my pocket and took out James Sanderson's ring, which I'd picked up off the floor of the Starclimber when we'd crash landed.
"That's a nice looking ring." said Kate with a grin.
"Cost a fortune." I said. "And now, for the third time. Kate de Vries, will you marry me?"
She leaned forward and took my face in her hands and kissed me.
"Yes," "Yes, and yes and yes. But it will probably be terrible."
"Probably," I agreed.
"Honestly," she sighed, "I don't know what kind of life we'll have together, with me always flying off in one direction and you in the other."
I smiled. "It's a good thing the world's round," I said. — Kenneth Oppel

Is there anything you can't do, Mr. Cruse?" she said.
"I can't sing," I said. — Kenneth Oppel