FOR TEENAGE BOYS
Recon Team Angel Assault by Brian Falkner (Walker Books)
First there were six combat teenagers for an undercover mission but one-by-one they are picked off. Chisnall the leader of the group knows it has to be someone in the team - he suspects them all including his girlfriend Sergeant Brogan. Only he knows all the details of the mission - to find out what the aliens are hiding in the middle of their headquarters. To complete their mission they have to be dropped in by planes, pass themselves off as Uluru aliens and get inside to find out what is there, then dismantle it with whatever means. Only someone seems intent on stopping them.
Brian Falkner writes with incredible skill building up suspense to the climatic ending. This science fiction thriller has all the appeal for teenage boys: guns, warfare, and humour. Brian uses authentic army-speak for operation communication and his futuristic weaponry are convincing.
I asked Brian a few questions about his book:
Where did you get the story idea - did the publisher suggest this theme?
The story idea was mine. It was inspired by seeing an old copy of “WhereEagles Dare” by Alistair McLean lying around somewhere. The first chapter of Assault is called “Where Angels Fear” in tribute tothe McLean novel.
Any more books planned for the series?
There are plans for four books in the series, however if successful, Iam open to writing more.
The weaponry sounds so authentic - is it totally made-up or is it based on real weapons?
For the weapons, I researched the current military weapons andexplosives and then extrapolated them a little into the future. I didn’t wantto write a book about laser guns and other “space opera” stuff. I wanted it tofeel like a real war with real weapons, just slightly removed from where we arenow.
For the alien weapons, I wanted them to be just a little different tohuman weapons. For example the rifle is carried on the back, and springs intothe hands of the user automatically when needed.
In your other books you chose names from kids who won competitions at your school talks - did you do that this time?
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By: Maria Gill,
on 5/15/2011
Blog: KidsBooksNZ (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Pyre of Queens, Brett Avison, A Bigger Digger, David Hair, Add a tag
Pyre of Queens by David Hair (Penguin NZ)David Hair’s first fantasy/horror series was set in New Zealand and began with The Bone Tiki. He will have accumulated a fan base (mainly teenage boys) who will be keen to try his latest four-volume series set in India – called The Return of Ravana. The first book in the series is Pyre of Queens. The author draws upon the Indian epic, the Ramayana, to provide a mythological background for his plot. The timeframe alternates between present-day India and an eighth-century kingdom called Mandore. The ancient story involves a wicked raja who attempts to burn himself and his seven wives as part of a spell to give him eternal life. However one wife is rescued at the last minute by a love-struck poet, thus interfering with the spell and turning the raja and the other wives into zombie-like demons. The poet and the queen are hunted by imperial soldiers, but the military commander is also in love with the queen and ends up helping the pair. However the three fugitives are also being hunted by something much worse than mere soldiers – the furious demon-raja and his hideous demon wives... The present-day story involves a similar triangle of teenagers – two boys and one girl. Eventually they realise they are reincarnations of the ancient Mandore characters, and they doomed to re-enact the old story. Or maybe not...
It’s a very complex plot, best for fantasy/horror fans of about fourteen and upwards. Be prepared for plenty of action, suspense, violence, bloodshed and death. My advice to readers is to first read the section at the end called A Brief Introduction to the Ramayana. That really helped me understand what was going on.
ISBN 978 0 14 330612 2 RRP $25
Reviewed by Lorraine Orman
A Bigger Digger by Brett Avison, illus. Craig Smith, The Five Mile Press
My two little grandsons are in the target audience for this excellent picture book, so I was delighted to be given a copy to review. Yes, it does evoke memories of the Gilderdales’ classic book The Little Yellow Digger but there’s enough of an individual spin in this story to allow the two to compliment each other. Bryn and his dog Oscar are digging in the back yard when they discover ... a dinosaur head! The museum sends round a digger, but dinosaurs are VERY big – soon they need a bigger digger. And so on. I don’t want to give away the twist at the end of the story – suffice to say that things keep escalating. The very last double-spread contains a superb paper-engineered digger – librarians beware, because little fingers will poke and prod at it.
The rhyming text flows well and will be great fun to read aloud. The book’s hardback presentation and lavish design make it a joy to handle. Craig Smith’s illustrations are colourful, action-packed, and extremely inventive – they reward careful study. Heartily recommended for children of about four to eight. I can’t wait to read it to my grandsons...
ISBN 978 1 74248 410 5 RRP $24.99 (Publication date 18 May)
Reviewed by Lorraine Orman
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