Release Date: 24/09/15
Publisher: Hodder
SYNOPSIS:
Ender's Game meets The Hunger Games in this, the second in an extraordinary trilogy from an incredible new voice.
'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.'
Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope. Until Darrow discovered that it was all a lie, and that the Red were nothing more than unwitting slaves to an elitist ruling class, the Golds, who had been living on Mars in luxury for generations.
In RED RISING, Darrow infiltrated Gold society, to fight in secret for a better future for his people. Now fully embedded amongst the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his dangerous work to bring them down from within. It's a journey that will take him further than he's ever been before - but is Darrow truly willing to pay the price that rebellion demands?
A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown's continuing status as one of fiction's most exciting new voices.
REVIEW:
The second book in Pierce’s Red Rising Trilogy and whilst the first burst onto the scene with a massive explosion, for me, the key to whether an author is here to stay or not is how the second book arrives. Firstly is it out within a reasonable time and secondly does it improve on not only what has gone before but also generates a feeling of OMG within the reader due to the sheer quality.
What Pierce brings to the table here is a tale that not only does all that but also allows the characters to not only grow but each work on how their emotions are after the events within the first outing. The writing is solid, delightful prose that keeps you glued alongside well designed characters that have a believeablity about them that really hooks you within its grasp. The pace works wonderfully well and when added to dialogue that just captures the imagination, leaves this as a book that you really don’t want to put down leaving many a reader with the “just one more chapter” feeling.
All round a cracking book that has left me yearning for the final part and one that really has set itself up for one hell of a climax. How the world will turn or change in the final outing is anyone’s guess but at the end of the day part of the fun for me, is imagining how the tale will whirl and finally seeing what conclusions will be reached. I really can’t wait. Thank you Pierce.
Release Date: 20/02/14
Publisher: Del Rey
SYNOPSIS:
A shipwreck. And one lone survivor. For political exile Taeo Ybanez, this could be his ticket home. Relations between the Antarcticans and the Patagonians are worse than ever, and to be caught on the wrong side could prove deadly. For pilot and cartographer Ramona Callejas, the presence of the mysterious stranger is one more thing in the way of her saving her mother from a deadly disease. All roads lead to Cataveiro, the city of fate and fortune, where their destinies will become intertwined and their futures cemented for ever...
REVIEW:
Del-Rey UK is definitely a publisher that likes to bring different things to the reader’s attention and this series by EJ Swift is something that will more than hit the spot if you’re a fan of Dystopian Science Fiction. The characters within as fully rounded, have some wonderful little quirks and when added to the arc really generate a caring response within the reader.
Back this up with great prose, solid pace work and of course some magical twists which when backed with the authors own identifiable writing style all round makes this a book that hit the spot for me as a reader. Top notch.
Release Date: 28/05/13
Publisher: Solaris
SYNOPSIS:
Inside the Seattle Preservation Dome, it’s always the Fifth of October, the city caught in an endless time loop. Outside, the world lies in apocalyptic ruin. “Reformed” graffi ti artist Ian Palmer is the only one who knows the truth, and he is desperate to wake up the rest of the city before the alien Curator of the living museum erases Ian’s identity forever.
Small-town teenager Kylie is one of the few survivors to escape both the initial shock wave and the poison rains that followed. Now she must make her way across the blasted lands, pursued by a mad priest and menaced by skin-and-bone things that might once have been human. Her destination is the Preservation, and her mission is to destroy it. But once inside, she meets Ian, and together they discover that the Preservation’s reality is even stranger than it appears.
REVIEW:
I always look forward to something a little different and when you get a story told from two different perspectives the reader is given the chance to see the world through two different sets of eyes in order to get a fuller picture. The concept is wonderful, the idea’s explored give this the chance for a great apocalyptic dystopian title, but for me, the major problem was the delivery.
It felt that it wasn’t as rounded as it could have been, the pace was lacking in places and for me, the principle characters didn’t have enough hooks to make me really associate with them let alone care about their fates. All round I did like the idea but for me this title just didn’t work the way I wanted it to.
Release Date: 14/02/13
SYNOPSIS:
The second book in the PURE trilogy for fans of THE PASSAGE, THE ROAD and THE HUNGER GAMES. When the end came, the world was divided. Those considered perfect, the Pure, sheltered inside the controlled Dome. Outside, the Wretches struggled in a destroyed world, crippled by the fusings that branded them after the apocalypse that changed everything. Partridge, a Pure, has left the safety of the Dome in search of the truth. Pressia, a Wretch, is desperate to decode the secret that will cure her people of their fusings forever. Together, they must seek out the answers that will save humankind, and prevent the world's annihilation. But the betrayal of Partridge's departure has not been forgotten. As the Dome unleashes horrifying vengeance upon the Wretches in an attempt to get Partridge back, Partridge has no choice but to return to face the darkness that lies there, even as Pressia travels to the very ends of the world to continue their search. Theirs is a struggle against a formidable foe, and it is a fight that will push them over boundaries of land and of sea, of heart and of mind. They can only hope for success because failure is unimaginable...
REVIEW:
Having read and enjoyed Pure last year, I was more than interested to return to Juliana’s world to see what else would occur for our protagonists as the story developed. So having stocked up on supplies I opened the first page and prepared to embark on a pleasurable read, or rather what I thought would be one.
What unfurled at the beginning was a story that left me wondering if I’d imagined the review I gave the original, it was confusing, it was convoluted and to be honest left me in the what the hell situation for quite some time yet having worked my way past that, I found a story I could sit down and enjoy, the characters were refreshing and whilst this is an adult title, it is one I’d recommend to Teen YA readers as it has all the ingredients that they’d love.
Add to the mix emotional turmoil, some wonderful twists and an author who knows where they’re going and all round it was a title I could (and will) reread again. However if you’re the type of reader that gets put off by a book that takes a while to straighten out this may not be the one for you.
Release Date: 07/02/13
SYNOPSIS:
Nobody leaves Osiris. Adelaide Rechnov Wealthy socialite and granddaughter of the Architect, she spends her time in pointless luxury, rebelling against her family in a series of jaded social extravagances and scandals until her twin brother disappears in mysterious circumstances. Vikram Bai lives in the Western Quarter, home to the poor descendants of storm refugees and effectively quarantined from the wealthy elite. His people live with cold and starvation, but the coming brutal winter promises civil unrest, and a return to the riots of previous years. As tensions rise in the city, can Adelaide and Vikram bridge the divide at the heart of Osiris before conspiracies bring them to the edge of disaster?
REVIEW:
To be honest with you, in recent times there seems to be a hell of a lot of dystopian science fiction making the rounds and for me there’s only so much you can take unless the author does something different to set them apart from the others out there. In the case of EJ Swift, its a city is sailing on the ocean in a post-apocalyptic future where political machinations vie against personal goals as well as beliefs through the eyes of two principle characters Vikram and Adelaide.
Each brings a different viewpoint to the concept and each has to learn to adapt to the way that the city works within as strong world building battles against human nature in a battle for the upper hand. It is cleverly scripted, the character poles apart and for many this title will more than satisfy due to the hard graft that the author has put in to help you adapt to the situation.
But for me when you’re going through with two main characters they need to have traits that really stand out and have to have a hook that allows the reader to care. Whilst this works very well with Vikram, it really got my goat when I was spending time with Adelaide who I couldn’t associate as to me she came across as nothing more than a dislikeable spoilt brat. Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with that and I suspect that the author has a few shocks in store in the future to knock some of that out of her, but for a first novel when you’re trying to get a reader hooked you need at least one facet that appeals to the reader.
All in a solid enough start and definitely one I’m going to stick around but purely because I had trouble sticking with the chapters where Adelaide leads, I didn’t like this book as much as I should have done.
Release Date: 13/09/12
SYNOPSIS:
Harry and Michel live in the basement of a luxury apartment block, guarding the inhabitants. No-one goes outside. The world might be at war - it might even have been plunged into nuclear winter. No-one knows. All Harry and Michel know is that if they are vigilant, 'the Organization' will reward them: promotion to an elite cadre of security officers remains their shining goal. But what if there were no-one left to guard? And if the promised relief shift arrives, how will they fit in to Michel and Harry's studied routine of boredom and paranoia?
REVIEW:
To be honest this is a bit of strange title to review, not because the writing isn’t up there with the best but because I felt differing emotions towards the end of the title, an internal struggle for what I wanted against what happened. Its definitely a strange title and whilst it took a little bit to get used to the authors style it was definitely a book I was pleased I took the time to sit down and read.
The lead character is not only fascinating but one that you want to get to know more about especially after learning how the world has gone to pot with himself and his colleague set to protect the residents from anyone who threatens their existence. Add to this sharp prose, some solid world building alongside a cracking arc but for me it’s the characters and how their personalities effect the plot that really draws you in.
All in, as I said it’s a bit of a strange book but if you love dystopian thrillers then this is one you absolutely have to read. Another great release by Machlehose and one that really allows the reader the chance to read a foreign title that they may not have had chance to that’s every bit as good as those who’ve gone before. A possible classic in the making.
