Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Publication date: 07 July 2012
ISBN: 9781408815663
First Line - "The boy ran down the rain-soaked street, weaving between abandoned cars."
Sam wakes to see strange vessels gathered in the skies around London. As he stares up, people stream past, walking silently towards the enormous ships which emit a persistent noise. Only Sam seems immune to the signal.
Six months later, Sam is absolutely alone. In his underground bunker he has food and water for a couple of days. He has no choice but to venture above. Spotted by a flying drone, Sam escapes, but not before the drone slashes him with a barbed tendril. That night, drenched in sweat, Sam realises without medical supplies the wound will kill him. This time above ground he is less lucky. Cornered again, Sam thinks he has reached the end - then the drone is shot down in a hail of machine gun fire.
In five minutes Sam learns two things: he is not alone; the drone injury should have killed him instantly - yet he is still alive. The battle for earth is about to begin.
What a great story! It's a middle grade book aimed at a younger audience but despite not being in the correct age bracket (not by a long stretch of the imagination) I was kept entertained to the end. I'll read anything that hints of an apocalypse and I just love a solid End Of The World story and that's exactly what I got with this. One of the things I especially liked about it is that it's set in London in present time, which isn't that common in apocalyptic fiction. I love post apoc even more if it's set in the UK so this one was off to a great start before I'd even turned a page.
Jam packed with Action, Adventure and Mystery. Throw in an alien apocalypse with only a handful of teens/pre-teen survivors and it's a winner no matter how you slice it. I just loved it so I imagine that it would be even more appealing to the target audience. I'm sure any fans of Charlie Higson's zombie series would lap this up.
I'd describe it as a mix of Independence Day and Falling Skies (both of which I love) and will probably appeal to both boys and girls alike as there are strong characters of both sexes in the story.
Sam, the main character is very likeable, as are the other survivors and the alien/mech creatures are suitably scary for the intended age group. There's plenty here to keep adults amused too though. It's a solid apocalypse story. The story is gripping and fast paced and there are enough little plot twists to keep things moving. It's thoroughly entertaining and overall a great read. I thought it was very good and am looking forward to the next in the series which I believe is in the pipeline. I'll definitely be reading it when it comes out.
Who would I recommend it to? Everyone, but if you know a reluctant younger reader with a taste for carnage and destruction in a world with no rules...this is the book to tempt them with.
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