172 Hours on the Moon is a chilling sci-fi thriller by Norwegian author Johan Harstad. It’s a creepy, fast-paced read and I spent the whole day yesterday totally engrossed in it. It’s out in NZ on April 1st and my review will follow soon.
science fiction
BZRK by Michael Grant
I often find myself reading books that are quite similar to one another. I go through stages where I might read a lot of dystopian fiction or horror and they can end up blurring into each other. But every now and again I read something that is completely different from everything I’ve read before. It’s those books that stick in my mind and I remember years later. I still remember being completely unsettled by The Speed of the Dark by Alex Shearer, which I read probably 10 years ago. When Michael Grant made the claim on Twitter that BZRK is ‘unlike anything you’ve read before’ I believed him because he never fails to deliver an original story.
First of all, I’m not going to tell you much about the story as I think part of the experience of BZRK is figuring out what the hell is going on. The story follows Sadie and Noah as they are recruited by a global organization called BZRK. They are at war with another organization called the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation or AFGC. Each side believes that they are right and that they are saving humanity. The war is being fought where no-one can see – inside the human body.
BZRK is disturbing, creepy, action-packed and totally addictive. Like the biots in the story, BZRK will get inside your head and you’ll constantly want to get back to reading it (that is if you don’t read it all in one go). No-one writes quite like Michael Grant. He’s given us a glance inside his dark and disturbing mind with the Gone series (which is one of my favourite series) but BZRK takes it to another level. Trust me, you will never look at the human body quite the same again after reading this book. BZRK has the right mix of action, violence, creepiness, and fast-paced writing that makes it a great guys read. You should hand this book to any teenage male who is a reluctant reader and I guarantee it will hook them in and make them want to pick up anything by Michael Grant. I will eagerly await the second book in this new series, but in the mean time, I’ll be reading the 5th book in the Gone series, Fear which is due out in April.
5 out of 5 stars
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Simon Mayo introduces Itch
Darren from the excellent Book Zone for Boys blog highlighted Itch by Simon Mayo recently and I loved the sound of it. You can read the first chapter for free on the Guardian Children’s Books website.
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A Million Suns by Beth Revis
Beth Revis’ debut book, Across the Universe was one of my favourite books of 2011, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting the sequel, A Million Suns. Being the impatient reader that I am, I couldn’t wait 2 whole months for it to be released in New Zealand so I bought a signed copy from Beth’s local bookstore, Fireside Books and Gifts. It was definitely worth the wait to find out what happened next on board Godspeed.
I’m not going to say much about the story as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. At the end of Across the Universe we were left reeling from Elder’s shocking confession and A Million Suns gets straight back into the story. If you already thought Godspeed was filled with mysteries and lies, then you better think again because everything in Across the Universe was only the tip of the iceberg. Elder has to take up the leadership of his people and it’s not long before he discovers a terrible truth about the ship. Amy also uncovers a mystery that Orion left behind for her, a mystery that will give them the answers they need. If this wasn’t enough to deal with, some of the passengers on the ship start causing trouble and chaos erupts.
I enjoyed A Million Suns even more than Across the Universe. Beth Revis builds on the world she created in the first book, amps up the action, and deepens the mystery even more. I really liked the ways that Amy and Elder’s characters developed in this book. Elder has to deal with the pressure of being the leader of the ship as well as coming to terms with his feelings for Amy, and Amy seems more gutsy. Elder is determined not to turn into Orion or Eldest, but has to work out how to lead the ship on his terms. In some ways this series reminds me of Patrick Ness’s Chaos Walking Trilogy, particularly in the personalities of Elder and Amy and the development of their characters. I keep wondering if this is what Viola’s life might have been like before she crashed on New Earth.
There’s plenty of action and mystery in A Million Suns to keep you reading furiously and find out how it ends. I loved the end of this book and REALLY can’t wait to find out what happens in the final book, Shades of Earth, coming in January 2013.
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Michael Grant’s BZRK book trailer
Michael Grant is one of those authors that isn’t afraid to take chances. His Gone series is gritty, violent and absolutely fantastic! BZRK is the first book in his new series and Michael says ‘you’ve never read anything like it.’
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Beth Revis, author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, answers fan questions
Beth Revis’ A Million Suns releases in NZ on 21 March. I couldn’t wait and ordered a signed copy from Beth’s local bookshop, Fireside Books and Gifts. I’m really enjoying it and my review will follow soon.
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Julianna Baggott’s Pure book trailer
Pure by Julianna Baggot is released in New Zealand today. I’ve just dived into Pressia and Partridge’s world and I’m loving Julianna’s fresh take on a post-apocalyptic society.
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer
There’s been a bit of a trend in recent years of retelling fairy tales with a modern twist. Plenty of authors have tried, but few get it right (in my opinion). So when I read that debut author Marissa Meyer had written a retelling of Cinderella I was a bit skeptical. However, the more I read about this version of the story, called Cinder, the more I wanted to read it. In Cinder, Marissa Meyer has taken Cinderella’s story and set it far in the future, years after World War IV, in a world with hover cars, droids, cyborgs, and a devastating plague that is wiping out civilisation.
Cinder is a gifted mechanic in New Beijing. While she looks like a normal girl, she’s actually a cyborg – part girl, part machine. She doesn’t remember anything from before her surgery, when she woke up as an eleven year old cyborg. The only family she knows is the man who adopted her (who died not long afterwards), her cruel step-mother Adri, her step-sisters Peony and Pearl, and her her droid, Iko. After her ‘father’ died she was left to her step-mother who blames Cinder for his death. Cinder works all day at her mechanic’s booth in the market, only to pass on anything she makes to her step-mother. It is while she is busy working at her booth one day that the handsome Prince Kai comes to get his droid repaired. Just after the prince leaves, a case of the plague is discovered at the market. These events lead Cinder’s life to be entwined with Prince Kai’s.
When Cinder’s step-sister, Peony catches the plague and is taken to quarantine, Adri blames Cinder. She sends her away, against her will, to become part of the cyborg tests to find a cure for the plague. It is here that she meets Dr Erland, who helps Cinder unlock her past and discover who she really is. However, the truth is dangerous. The mysterious Queen Levana of the Lunar People is coming to Earth to meet with Prince Kai, and Dr Erland warns Cinder that Queen Levana must never see her. But Prince Kai’s droid has revealed secrets to Cinder that she must tell the prince before it is too late.
Marissa Meyer has woven a story that has elements of the original Cinderella fairy tale, while also being unique and breath-taking. Marissa has introduced us to this plague-stricken world that has risen out of a devastating war. It is a world filled with androids that are everything from nurses to escorts, humans that have been patched up with mechanical parts to create cyborgs, hover cars that have replaced automobiles, and a race of people that live on the moon and can manipulate humans.
The Lunars were one of the most interesting parts of the story and it seems that they will be central to the other books in the series (Scarlett, Cress, and Winter). The mystery surrounding them and their bio-electrical powers really hooked me and I want to read the next books in the series to find out more about them.
Both Cinder and Kai are great characters and you really feel for them and the situations that they are forced into. I thought Kai was very different from the arrogant, Prince Charming character that we’re used to from other fairy tale books. He is put under a lot of pressure but doesn’t cave under it. He’s not afraid of Queen Levana and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.
There’s something for everyone in Cinder – mystery, suspense, science, robots and romance. I can’t wait for Scarlett in 2013. Thanks Marissa for a great start to 2012!
5 out of 5 stars
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Six Days by Philip Webb
The recent trend in the publishing world of dystopian fiction is one that I am embracing whole-heartily. I love the way different authors portray our future society, throwing in a corrupt ruler or organisation, a touch of romance and a mystery that their hero has to solve. The majority of recent dystopian novels are set in America (or what was once America) so it was refreshing to read about a future Britain in Philip Webb’s Six Days.
Cass, her brother Wilbur, and their dad are Scavvs. They work day in, day out ransacking what’s left of London, looking for a lost relic that no one has ever seen. London is one of the only cities in the world left standing after the Quark Wars. The Vlads have taken over control of the city and have forced those still alive to scavenge London to look for the ‘artifact.’ Cass’ brother, Wilbur, believes he knows where the artifact is and he’s determined to find it. When Cass has to rescue her brother from what was once Big Ben, they meet a mysterious boy who looks nothing like a scav. Not only is he not a scav, he’s also not of this world, and he knows the truth about the artifact that everyone is looking for. This artifact has the power to begin and end life on earth and the Vlads will stop at nothing to get hold of it.
Six Days is an original, exciting mix of action, adventure, mystery and science fiction. While I was reading it I was reminded of a quote from Shrek, ‘Ogres are like onions,’ because Six Days is also like an onion – there are so many layers to the story. At first it seems like a dystopian story because you’ve got a future society ruled over by the invading Vlads. Then there’s the mystery of the artifact and the race to find it. There’s also the story of where the artifact has come from and it’s link to the mysterious boy Cass meets in Big Ben. All of these different parts come together in one incredible story that rockets along. Cass is a fantastic narrator and will appeal equally to boys and girls (there’s no gushy romance to put guys off). Philip Webb makes you really care for the characters and that’s what got me so engrossed in the story. One of the reasons I like Six Days so much was because it’s not the first book in a trilogy, so Philip has packed so much into one book and you finish it satisfied that the story has come to a conclusion. I can’t wait to see what Philip Webb writes next!
My Best Friends Are Books 