Live-Forever Machine, The

by Kenneth Oppel

A novel for young adults

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Teen, Canada, Juvenile, Fantasy

Paperback

First published June 30, 1990

About the author

I was born in 1967 in Port Alberni, a mill town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia but spent the bulk of my childhood in Victoria, B.C. and on the opposite coast, in Halifax, Nova Scotia...At around twelve I decided I wanted to be a writer (this came after deciding I wanted to be a scientist, and then an architect). I started out writing sci-fi epics (my Star Wars phase) then went on to swords and sorcery tales (my Dungeons and Dragons phase) and then, during the summer holiday when I was fourteen, started on a humorous story about a boy addicted to video games (written, of course, during my video game phase). It turned out to be quite a long story, really a short novel, and I rewrote it the next summer. We had a family friend who knew Roald Dahl - one of my favourite authors - and this friend offered to show Dahl my story. I was paralysed with excitement. I never heard back from Roald Dahl directly, but he read my story, and liked it enough to pass on to his own literary agent. I got a letter from them, saying they wanted to take me on, and try to sell my story. And they did.

Reviews

[Nathaniel]

I’m glad I read this book. Kenneth Oppel has been one of my favorite authors for a while because most of his books are excellent. This book, though, comes from an earlier time and seeing his growth really helps me as a writer. This story lacked a lot that his newer stories hold but I’m so happy to finally own a copy to further my Oppel collection.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I choose this book after reading some of Kenneth Oppel's other books, especially Airborn, a great book. I'm glad now that this isn't the first book I read by Kenneth Oppel because it would have left a bad impression of him in my mind. The book certainly lacked the magic of Airborn. You can till it was certainly one of his earlier books for several reasons. A few of the reason are and not limited to: a lack of depth in character, no raising climax, flat one dimensional story line, and the lack of anything memorable. The story is certainly meant for children, but there are children books hundreds of times better than this. This book has its place as one of Oppel's first books and he learn a lot from it because his other books are better than this. I guess everyone has to start from somewhere! I recommend Kenneth Oppel's book Airborn, a three book collection, a great read.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting in a cafe yesterday. It was not as exciting as Airborn, though K. Oppel is a very good writer. I would recommend starting with one of his other books.

[Ania Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Oppel è stata una piacevolissima scoperta. Racconti e romanzi per young adults, sì, verissimo, ma è vero che anche noi adulti amiamo leggerli. Sia per riconnetterci al nostro fanciullino sia per staccare dalla quotidianità, una lettura simile fa sempre bene. Oppel con la sua scrittura sobria e senza fronzoli va dritto al punto. Una bella avventura che consiglio a chi voglia spendere una giornata tra i misteri, toccando con mano presente e passato.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Oppel. Eric, lonely with Mom dead, takes jock Chris below ground to save city from heat and museum from immortal Coyle. Help is unexpected for boys and immortal Alexander.
Typos: 2.1 I felt IS It felt
8.6 ?V IS TV 9.21 unmak IS unmake
10.6 the IS the 12.18 consumption is TB, curable

[Donna Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anything by Oppel is worth a read. This is one of his earlier books, and I don't feel the 1980s setting aged that well. That didn't stop me from enjoying it.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was a bit anticlimactic for me, but overall, I enjoyed this.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is told in a classic science fiction style. It reminds me of early Robert A. Heinlein or Piers Anthony. It is very well written and draws the reader in and captures the imagination; you keep turning the pages wondering what will happen next, and often it is not what you first expected. If it was written in homage to Sci-Fi masters from old it achieved its goal, and if it was just written as a story, it was exceedingly well done.

It is the story of Eric, a fourteen-year-old who is tall and gangly - a bookworm and history buff. He lives across the street from the museum of history and spends time there every day. It started when he was young, as trips with his father, and now is just part of his routine. Each trip he tries to find 5 new facts to memorize. On one such visit he witnesses a confrontation between a museum curator and an intense young man, who smells of smoke, and oil and machines. As the two war, first with words and then ancient weapons, Eric realizes something is off. The curate dropped something in their tussle, and Eric retrieves it; it is a locket painted on wood and dated from 1445 and is a beautiful woman named Gabriella della Signatura. The picture captivates Eric, and though he doesn't want to return it, he does, only to discover that the curator is named Alexander and he has been wagering a war with his young adversary Coyle across centuries and around the globe, going back to when both of them worked at the great library of Alexandra. Eric tells what he is discovering to his friend Chris, and together they end up going on an adventure in the underworld below the city in the tunnels, pipes and shafts to save the history Eric loves, and to retrieve Alexander's Life-Forever machine. Soon they find they are just pawns in a life and death game that has played out across time. Can a bookworm and a jock save their city?

This was a wonderful book, and I know it will become one of my favorites and be read again and again over the years.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the bits about history and the morals of the story, but it was a bit difficult to follow at times.

Regardless, excellent story at heart. :)

[Jaspar21 NOTHING!!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Deleted the book by mistake thats why it says i added it in november.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was amazing

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, well written story... The Live-Forever Machine itself wasn't at all what I was expecting it to be, haha.

[Jillian]

Might come back to this over the summer!