River Stone – Book One of The Burning Days

River Stone – Book One of The Burning Days by Rachel Hennessy

(Midnight Sun) YA Science Fiction  PB RRP $19.99  SBN: 9781925227499

Reviewed by Jeffery E Doherty

Disaster comes to the River People on the day of Pandora’s Blossoming. Most of the adults are struck down with a sickness and the only chance to save them lays in finding a cure inside a city, mostly destroyed in The Burning. Pandora believes in her heart that she is destined for more than her inevitable pairing with her life-long friend Matthew, so she volunteers to find the cure.   

Joined by Matthew and several other young people from the village, she sets out for the city. The group do not realise how unprepared they are until they meet, Bayat, a young hunter from the Mountain People. Bayat decides to accompany them and help the group prepare for the dangers they will face.

River Stone is a post-apocalyptic story set after an event called The Burning. It explores the conflicted feelings of Pandora, while being paired with Matthew by the village elders, develops a deep connection with the confident young hunter. Although there are moments of struggle and high action in this book, it is essentially a quiet, character based, coming of age story of a group of sheltered young people discovering a big and dangerous world.

River Stone is the first book in The Burning Days and is a great lead into the series. Rachel Hennessy has created an appealing cast of characters and left several threads to be explored in the next book. There are questions to be answered about the city and the strange once human creatures inhabiting it. There is a missing friend who Pandora has vowed to find, and will Pandora fulfil her duty to the village by pairing with Matthew or will she choose Bayat.

This is a book I would recommend to readers 12+ years and fans of character driven dystopian fiction.

  

The Kill Order

The Kill Order by James Dashner (Chicken House)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN 978-1-908435-59-0
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Mark and Trina are fighting for their lives.

Most of the human race has been wiped out by sun flares and the intense heat, toxic radiation and flooding that followed these. Those surviving, including Mark, Trina and their band of friends, have set up small communities and are concentrating on rebuilding their lives as best they can. But when a Berg (huge airships) arrives bringing darts filled with a virus instead of supplies, Mark finds himself on the run again. As the virus mutates and people get even more desperate, Mark and Trina rely on friends, two ex-soldiers, and their own survival instincts.

The Kill Order is action packed and addictive. As the intensity builds, it becomes impossible to put down and I had to read it in one sitting. The action starts with the survivors. The sun flares and Marks’s subsequent flight to the mountains is told in dreams and this works surprisingly well. Part of the suspense of the story is in the conflict between Mark’s sleep deprived present and his reliving the horror of his past when he does reluctantly succumb to sleep and dreams.

Tagged as a ‘must for fans of The Hunger Games’, the storyline is completely different but the theme and atmosphere is reminiscent - the dystopian setting, the desperation and the bleak disregard - of those in charge - for the general population.

The Kill Order is for teens. There is violence, death, destruction and some disturbing scenes once the virus takes hold and begins to mutate. But like all dystopian and apocalyptic tales, it will question what you would do to survive, how far would you go to save the ones you love. And fans of the genre will be totally engrossed in the story, cheering Mark and Trina on to the sad but inevitable ending.

The Kill Order is the prequel to the popular Maze Runner series by James Dashner. The first in the series The Maze Runner is currently in production and a movie is expected sometime towards the end of 2014.

The Last Thirteen Book 2: 12

The Last Thirteen Book 2: 12 by James Phelan (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-1-74283-185-9
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

13 books. 13 nightmares. 1 destiny.

This is the second instalment of an exciting new series for young teenagers.

After the cliff-hanger ending in 13, 12 continues by jumping straight back into the action. With his friends scattered, Sam must trust his instincts and dreams to lead him on in the quest. He now knows that as the last of the thirteen, it is up to him to find the other twelve. To do this he needs help, and knowing who to trust is not easy. This time, his search takes him from New York to Cairo and Rome.

12 does not back down from the dramatic pace of the previous book. The nightmares get scarier and a little more shadowy, while at the same time the evil Solaris becomes very real. As the characters become more fleshed out, more is invested in seeing Sam and his friends win.

In this book the issue of parents looms larger as Alex is ‘captured’ by Enterprise – in the same way that the Academy took the kids in the first place. His mother works for Enterprise and Alex battles with the notion that maybe Enterprise is not evil; it just has a different approach to the Academy. There is an even bigger evil out there and maybe Enterprise’s approach is valid too. This introduces the idea that not all is black and white; the lines can often become blurred.

This series has a serialised single storyline which will continue at the rate of one book a month until the conclusion is reached in the thirteenth book. Also check out www.thelast13.com, an on-line companion page with VIP Access. There are 13 prizes to win with each book release, e-newsletters, access code breakers and many more features.

James Phelan is an Australian author who has written adult thrillers as well as the Lachlan Fox series and the Alone trilogy for older teenagers.

The Last Thirteen Book 1: 13

The Last Thirteen Book 1: 13 by James Phelan (Scholastic Australia)
PB RRP $7.50
ISBN 978-1-74283-184-8
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

The Last Thirteen is a new series for young teenaged readers. Fast-paced and gripping, the reader is instantly inserted into the action of a ‘true’ dream Small details are revealed throughout the story, increasing the intrigue and tension until the final cliff-hanger moment at the end of the book.

13 is the first book of this series. Sam’s nightmares have always been bad but his latest dream seems even more real than most. Then, he is whisked away in a hair-raising helicopter ride with two other teens and taken to an Academy in Switzerland for ‘Dreamers’ where he is to be taught how to control his dreams. Here he discovers the race between good and evil has begun and he is one of the last thirteen. And Sam has a pivotal role to play in this race.

This is a great series for younger teens. It is a classic good versus evil (Academy versus Enterprise) story with a shadowy evil figure Solaris, a world-wide hunt for clues, and a search for the teenagers with special abilities, destined to be heroes in a battle to save the world.

Sam is a likeable character, as are the secondary characters and the dilemma the author creates with the two competing agencies and their reasons for being fighting the ‘good’ fight  is interesting. Even without the constant threat of death – the battling agencies tend to use dart guns not bullets – the tension is constantly heightened. The puzzle is often made more complex, not easier, and even though they are following events they have already dreamed about, you never know where the action may take a turn and change paths. 13 is wonderfully dramatic, exciting and addictive.

Instalments of these short, fast-reading books are scheduled to come out each month until the conclusion in December 2014. This will be a popular thriller series for teens. As with many series now, there is an on-line companion page with VIP Access. There are 13 prizes to win with each book release, e-newsletters, access code breakers and many more features. Check it out at www.thelast13.com

James Phelan is an Australian author who has written adult thrillers as well as the Lachlan Fox series and the Alone trilogy for older teenagers.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Kate Egan (Scholastic Inc)
PB RRP $22.99
ISBN 978-0-545-59933-7
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

The Hunger Games trilogy is a popular Young Adult fantasy trilogy. The movies created from them are equally as well loved. This companion is for the second of the trilogy Catching Fire and I found it a fascinating read. Even though it would be great to dip in and out of, I was riveted and read it cover to cover. I was interested not only in how the film was made, but also why and what the producers/director were trying to achieve. This was explored in interviews with the director, author, actors and others.

Catching Fire – The Official Illustrated Movie Guide is a large format book stuffed full of glossy photographs of everything related to the making of the movie – behind scenes, on set, film stills, posters, promos, sketched designs. It gives a little of the back story and what’s in the future, but mostly concentrates on just the making of Catching Fire.

This is a dystopian fantasy, set in a world created very strongly by author Suzanne Collins, and being a very visual concept with incredibly extravagant costuming, the designers of the film had to often think outside of the box. The details about casting, design, costuming, how the actors trained and building the sets are interesting, but also the companion has been well written making it fun and easy to read. And all without giving away much of the plot.

Being a visual film, it translates well into this highly visual companion and I would highly recommend it to those who love the books/movies or for anyone interested in how movies are made. As with the books and movies, this release is for teenagers, not primary aged children.

Now I’m off to see the movie.

Ice Breaker: The Hidden Series

Ice Breaker: The Hidden Series 1 by Lian Tanner (Allen and Unwin)
PB RRP $18.99
ISBN 978-1-74331-434-0
Reviewed by Ann Harth

Petrel lives on an icebreaker seemingly bound for nowhere. When she was an infant, her parents committed an unspeakable crime and were thrown into the icy waters below. Petrel became the Nothing Girl, shunned and ignored by the tribes who live, work and battle on the ancient ship. She steals food to survive, curling into forgotten corners of the ship for warmth and safety from the hatred of the others. Her only friends are Mr Smoke and Miss Slink, two large and intelligent rats.

In this first book of the Hidden Series, Lian Tanner has created a self-contained society on a ship that has been travelling through icy waters for centuries. After a bloody battle 200 years before, the population of the Oyster split into three jealously guarded territories. Although Petrel is not turned away at the borders, she is not welcomed, either. In the eyes of the ship’s inhabitants, 12-year-old Petrel is lower than the rats who have befriended her.

The tide begins to turn when Petrel spots a frozen boy on an iceberg. She informs the crew and the boy is brought on board and locked away. The tribes argue over his fate, some wanting to extract information from him, others certain he is lethal and wishing to throw him off the ship to die in the icy grip of the sea. Petrel helps him to escape and feels responsible for his fate, but when the ship’s First Officer is murdered, the frozen boy is the most likely suspect. All three tribes join forces to look for the boy and Petrel tries to protect him while conflicted with her own questions about his sudden appearance.

As the story unfolds, the mysteries surrounding the frozen boy, the purpose of the ship and even the deaths of Petrel’s parents are revealed. Lian Tanner skilfully weaves emotion, excitement and surprising twists throughout this fast-paced book bringing them all together in a satisfying conclusion.

Ice Breaker is a suitable novel for 9-13 year olds and many will easily identify with Petrel. She is a convincing character and her introspection helped me to feel like I was experiencing the events of the story right along with her. Petrel’s courage in the face of loneliness and ridicule will work to empower young readers.

Lian Tanner creates bold and colourful characters.  Her professional life includes, but is not limited to, work as an actor, a teacher, a tour bus driver and a juggler. Her Keeper’s Series has won many awards and The Hidden Series promises the same. For more information about Lian Tanner, please visit www.liantanner.com.au

Ann Harth is a published children's author and writing tutor at Australian College of Journalism. She loves to read, write and is committed to creating children's literature that inspires, entertains and triggers a tiny twist in the mind. Her latest middle-grade novel, The Art of Magic, and her book for budding authors, Writing for Children – In the Beginning are available from Amazon.

The Big Dry

The Big Dry by Tony Davis (Harper Collins)

PB RRP $15.95

ISBN 9780732297633

Reviewed by Sharon McGuinness

A country gripped by drought has its people living on the edge, battling every day for survival. Not only is the weather intensely hot and dry, but ‘blasters’, the savage dust and wind storms are a constant threat. ‘Wanderers’ roam the area, stealing whatever food they can, murdering to survive, while unattended children under 7 are taken by ‘Welfare’ for their protection. Living under these conditions is indeed a precarious existence.

George and his brother Beeper live with their father, who leaves one day to buy whatever food he can. When he fails to return, George’s survival instincts take over when he must assume responsibility for his younger brother.

Alone, except for their estranged neighbour, Mr Carey, George encounters Emily, an abandoned  teenage girl who is able to somehow unlock their door, walk into their house and their lives, threatening the little security they have left.

This is a futuristic story – a dystopian world where climate change has created an environmental catastrophe. It is also about the will to survive and family. ‘Sometimes, says Emily, ‘you have to make family out of whoever’s about.’ 

It will suit readers aged 13 and over and is well written – you can almost taste the dust in the air. While the story focuses on a world that fraught with terror, it is still hopeful. The ending remains slightly open, possibly paving the way for a sequel.

Chasing the Valley

Chasing the Valley by Skye Melki-Wegner (Random House Australia)
PB RRP $17.95
ISBN 9781742759548
Also available as an ebook
ISBN 9781742759555
Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

With comparisons to Percy Jackson and The Hunger Games, Skye Melki-Wegner’s first published book Chasing the Valley has a lot to live up to. And that’s where the doubt ends. As soon as I started reading Chasing the Valley I was seduced by the inventive, gripping storytelling and by the calibre of protagonist and storyteller, 16 year-old Danika Glynn.

Told in first person, it’s Danika’s story. She is a scruffer, a homeless teen whose parents were killed during raids on her town by King Morrigan of Taladia. Like any despot, the king keeps his people subservient. His means are unorthodox. He uses alchemy bombs dropped from biplanes that are ‘loaded with spellwork and magic tokens that burst like confetti through the streets.’

As Danika hides in the sewer to escape the latest bombing, she happens upon a group of teens planning an escape. It’s a crew of five, and Danika is not welcome. Their aim is to escape to the sanctuary of the Magnetic Valley. Its hillsides are lined with magnetic rocks that interfere with the magic dropped by the King’s biplanes.

Each teenager develops a proclivity in the form of a tattoo. It is symbolic of the powers they can use in their future, be it wind, water, flame, darkness. Danika proves herself invaluable as the crew escapes when she uses her past as an illusionist, along with her ingenuity, but everything comes at a price. As the refugee crew makes its way to the Magnetic Valley they are pursued by the King’s hunters. There are many graphic scenes, as nothing will stop their reign of terror.

So many questions set up. When the crew finds the King’s biplane wrecked in the forest, why is the pilot missing? Why were the alchemy bombs still attached? And who is the mysterious traveller Lukas, the boy with alchemy charms around his neck and the proclivity of a bird?

This dystopian fantasy has themes of survival, heroism, magic, betrayal and a touch of romance. It’s a riveting read for teens and almost teens. Author, Skye Melki-Wegner’s star is rising and I can’t wait to read the next two in her stellar trilogy.

Light

Light by Michael Grant (Egmont)

ISBN 9781405257589

PB  RRP $22.95

Reviewed by Nean McKenzie

Light is the sixth and final book in the YA series about the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) — an isolating dome in California, under which no one is more than fifteen years old. The many characters, each with a unique mutation, follow on from the previous books: Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague and Fear. Under the FAYZ, kids continue to struggle for survival against starvation, each other and the evil presence of the Gaiphage, now in the human form of a scary girl called Gaia. The big difference in Light is the dome is clear, enabling adults from the outside world to look in. And they're horrified.  

With the dome clear, there are new problems under the FAYZ. Kids who can see their parents, stop working to produce food. Sam (the main character) and his friends are not confident they will make it out of the dome, even though the end is in sight. It is more likely they'll starve or be killed by Gaia who is growing in strength. She now possesses all the powers of each kid, including Sam's laser-shooting hands and Lana's healing powers. But they must unite and fight against her.

This story is about redemption and facing consequences. In the back of each kid's mind is the same question: what happens if they do get out? They know the adults will not understand the sometimes terrible things they have done. But first there is the difficulty of surviving. In the end a key character must be sacrificed to save not only those inside the FAYZ, but also the world outside. The 'end game' comes quickly.

Light is a long book, at 434 pages. (The whole series is around 3000!) The story is not for the squeamish with decapitation, severed limbs and cannibalism. There are some violent fighting scenes as well. There is a  recommended age of 13+ but it will depend on the teenager. Light is fast paced and jumps between the many characters skillfully.

After the conclusion there are four end chapters called 'aftermath,' which describe how the survivors of the FAYZ fare in the real world. This ties up loose ends and enables readers, who have stuck with these characters for the whole series, to finally say goodbye.  

The Forsaken

The Forsaken by Lisa M Stasse (Orchard/Hachette)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN 9781408318805
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

As soon as I read the blurb on The Forsaken, the books, Lord of the Flies and George Orwell's 1984 sprang to mind. This is the first book of a planned thriller trilogy, set in the future where Aleena Shawcross is a victim of a police state after a global economic meltdown. Canada, the US and Mexico have been formed into the United Northern Alliance (UNA), and freedom is a thing of the past.

Aleena's parents were taken away when she was ten years old and she lives in Orphanage Forty-One. Minister Roland Harka controls this new nation and every high school student in their junior year takes the Government Personality Profile Test. Failing the test means banishment to Prison Island Alpha. The test predicts a propensity for criminal activity in advance. The orphans have been told psychopaths, murderers and other teenage ill-doers roam the island where there are no rules and no escape.

Now, in 2032, Alenna has turned sixteen and is about to take the test. She is confident she won't fail, but after being subject to the serum injections, she wakes up to find she is on the Island. Feeling ill and disoriented, Alenna is somewhat comforted to find another new arrival, although she is prepared to run in case he is a psychopath. David seems normal enough and he suggests they stick together for protection.

Almost immediately they are captured by a gang of masked teenage boys, or "drones". They belong to the Orange Sector headed by a person they called the Monk. But a girl from the Blue Sector, manages to free Alenna and take her to her village. David, who is hampered by an injured foot, can't outrun his captors and is taken away.

Life on Prison Island Alpha is dirty and dangerous. The average life span is 18 years. There are threats not only from the drones but from mechanical sky-born weapons and mysterious illness.

David reappears with information about Alenna's parents who have inscribed their names and hers on a rock at the entrance to the dangerous Grey Sector. It is somewhere in this Sector the teenager villagers believe their escape route lies to get off the Island. Alenna is determined to survive and discover what happened to her parents. When a plan is formed to go into the Gray Sector, she volunteers. Terrifying adventures lie ahead as more sci-fi elements kick in.

While much of the storyline is dark and depressing, the thriller aspects keep the reader turning the pages. To the author's credit she completes this first book in a very satisfying way and opens up a wider scenario for the second. With its mix of bleakness, endurance, death and hope, mid-range teenagers should find this book a powerful read.