Quotes from 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

I couldn't imagine such men at rest, their faces smooth and innocent despite the wickedness of their hearts.

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.

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

Goth. Throbb. Murk. Who named these bats?

A masterpiece of vagueness.

Madame, may I see your dog's chit, please

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.

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.

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

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.'

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.'