The Story of Cirrus Flux

by Matthew Skelton

Book Overview

London, 1783. Orphan Cirrus Flux is being watched. Merciless villains are conniving to steal the world's most divine power-The Breath of God-which they believe Cirrus has inherited. Now he faces a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 038573381X
• ISBN13: 9780385733816
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.6" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Good book for both boys and girls in 4th through 7th grade.

This was a quick paced book that made me wish it was a bit longer. Probably good for the 4th 7th grade set that is ready for a little tension in there reading material. The characters are well developed and interesting. Might also be a good book for some older kids with more difficult time with reading fluency. It is very visual and the author does a good job of giving the reader the look and feel of that period. I find that both myself and my kids love the more visual authors so this one was well liked in our house.

Well written

A well written interesting book. Its a fairly simple plot that isn't super difficult to figure out the twists, but the world is really interesting and unique. The characters are also very interesting and different. Definitely worth reading. My only wish is that the book was a bit longer so that the plot could have been expanded a bit.

Renews your sense of wonder and excitment

The Foundling Hospital has been home to countless orphans in London, England, and that is where Cirrus Flux finds himself currently situated in the late 1700s. Cirrus knows nothing of his parents, nor anything of his past, and spends all of his time running around with the other foundlings and hoping that one day he will get picked for a new family. The only clue to his identity is a metal sphere that he keeps safely on a necklace draped around his neck. While Cirrus does not recognize the sphere, he keeps it close, as it is the only connection to his family. Cirrus also doesn't realize that people are willing to do anything --- including killing --- to get their hands on this sphere. The sphere is rumored to hold the Breath of God, discovered by Cirrus's father, James Flux, on a voyage to the Antarctic Circle. James shared this information with only a few people. The first was his best friend, Felix Hardy, a trusted companion on sea voyages. The other was the Guild of Empirical Science, who was so infatuated with James's findings that they demanded he go, find the source, and bring back more. Those most interested among the Guild was Madame Orrery, a mesmerist who can wipe away people's memories. James Flux, however, runs into a few problems before he could recover more of the Breath of God. First, his wife dies in childbirth. With the impending voyage ahead of him, James has no choice but to hand Cirrus over to the Foundling Hospital. Second, James's journey ends in disaster with his life being lost at sea. Felix Hardy pledges to watch over Cirrus, while the Guild of Empirical Science and Madame Orrery, now disgruntled, give up --- but do not forget. Twelve years later, Cirrus remains at the Foundling Hospital watching his friends leave one by one to new homes. To make matters worse, a mysterious man with a bizarre flying flame appears to haunt Cirrus from outside the hospital's walls. On top of all that, Cirrus is awakened in the middle of the night by a girl who is about to change his life. Another foundling, Pandora, warns Cirrus that he is in great danger. Recently apprenticed to Madame Orrery, Pandora learns of a sinister plot to capture Cirrus and his sphere no matter what the cost. She puts her own life at risk to help him escape and thus begins an exciting and terrifying adventure across 18th-century London. With scientific discoveries being made almost daily, it is sometimes easy to forget the initial excitement and sense of awe associated with these amazing aspects of the world. THE STORY OF CIRRUS FLUX takes readers back to a time when the exploration of the unknown was the major focus of fanatical devotees who sought to impress each other with their latest findings. Matthew Skelton reminds readers of the joy surrounding these discoveries and of the fact that the most satisfying adventures are not found huddled up and hidden, but out in the open in the most unexpected of places.

A story of power, survival and a showdown for world power

Matthew Skelton's THE STORY OF CIRRUS FLUX is set in 1783 London, where orphan Cirrus Flux is being watched by villains who believe he's inherited a divine power. His journey through city back streets involves encounters with sinister characters in this story of power, survival and a showdown for world power.

Promising premise, doesn't quite deliver

I picked up The Story of Cirrus Flux as a present for my 11-year-old sister. While she hasn't read it yet, I finished it off in a matter of hours, and while I am largely pleased with the story, it could've been much better. It's an enjoyable romp through the streets of an alternate London in 1783 that follows the intertwining fates of two orphans beset by an array of interesting villains. The children themselves are not very enticing as characters. They are flat and cliched. The involvement of the girl, Pandora, seems poorly fleshed-out. Her appearance in the story seems sort of like an excuse to have a female co-lead. Also poorly explored is her reasoning for putting everything on the line to help Cirrus Flux, the titular character (although one could argue, convincingly, that this should be The Story of Pandora, as she occupies many more chapters). The villains, on the other hand, are a very interesting bunch, as are the supporting characters. Madame Orrery, Mr. Sidereal, and Mr. Leechcraft are all excellent characters that could've stood up to a much greater degree of backstory and characterization. Since the author chooses to write almost exclusively from a third-person limited view of each orphan, we don't get nearly enough backstory on how these people got to be the way they are, or why they are searching for the Breath of God, or what the Breath of God actually is. The same goes for the two main supporting characters, the director of the orphanage and the father's best friend, Felix. All in all, the book seems artificially short. I don't know if that's to make it more appealing to younger readers, or if the author is hoping for an easy movie deal, but there was much left out of this book that could have made it significantly better. I would have been much happier if the author had spent more time describing and drawing the world of this alternate London in the 18th century, or concerned himself more with the backstory of his characters. The ending comes much too quickly, and not enough is explained. I would not be surprised if there were a sequel in the works. If there is, I hope the author takes greater care with it to build on the excellent world he's created. It must be noted that the writing is actually excellent. I find that the older I get, the more Young Adult books I read. The writing is often atrocious or condescending. This was very enjoyable to read, moved very quickly, and felt comfortable using elevated language. The author does a good job of integrating "big words" with context clues to help children understand them and broaden their vocabulary, so points for that. I rated this book as a 4-star because I believe children and YA readers will like it, but for an adult it stands as a 3-star book.