The Toyminator, Robert Rankin

This being the second book of the series, I must say that I read it first and can’t find the first book (The Hollow Chocolate bunnies of the Apocalypse). But I’ll review this anyway. It happens in Toy City, where an ex-mayor and unsuccessful detective teddy bear, named Eddie, starts wandering why all the toys of Toy City are, well, combusting, and if touched turn to dust. So does his sidekick Jack – a human (don’t ask! I haven’t read the first book!). And so, through thorough investigating, they land in a new world, a new place. A ‘new’ place we call Los Angeles. And so, Eddie and Jack start investigating, again.

            What they uncover is not what you expect. Area 52, deep in the Arizonian desert, is run by lethal, unsurpassable-by-intelligence chickens. The chickens you eat at fast food stores are all clones of extremely smart chickens. Not what you expect to find in a book.

            Of course, this is an adult’s book and there may be some inappropriate things. Well, there are inappropriate things….

            But oh well, great, hilarious, imaginative read! 7/10 star rating.

            And I’m open to opinions on the first book as well!

 

Maximum Ride – Angel Experiment, James Patterson

The first book of the Maximum Ride series is already promising, and it has a more complicated plot than a lot of stories. So, let me introduce ‘the flock’: Maximum Ride, a 14 year old girl who wants a normal life. Fang and Iggy are also fourteen year olds but they’re boys and Iggy is blind. Nudge is a talkative eleven year old girl, and Gazzy is an eight year old boy who bears his name well (AKA Gasman!), and finally, Gazzy’s sister, Angel. Who can read minds. Oh, and I forgot; they have wings. And because of that they’re being chased by a bunch of crazed scientists.

            When the flock finally escapes from their birthplace, the dreaded school, all seems well and Max starts to believe they have the basis of a normal life. Until Erasers, half wolf – half human creatures, the school’s ‘security’, track them down. Its hardcore fighting, but the Erasers are bred to fight, and are armed with guns, whilst Max actually wants to be human and isn’t bulletproof. So it’s not much of an even fight, and the Erasers go off with what they want – Angel. And they’re heading straight back to the school. And so the action begins.

            A very well written account of someone whose hobby is trying not to be in life threatening situations! Very funny but with an understandable darker side to it. Loved it! 8/10.

The Boy who Dared – The true story of a Hitler Youth, Susan Campbell Bartoletti

 

Helmuth is a 16 year old German boy, who does what every German should do to serve the fatherland. Hitler Youth, essays on nationalism and patriotism and a will to fight for his country. But when his big brother brings back an illegal shortwave radio, where Helmuth can listen to other radio stations than the German stations, his world starts to fall apart.

            Already, Helmuth has doubts about how the Nazis are treating the Jews. Already Helmuth begins to doubt Hitler’s greatness when rights are abolished, one by one. But it won’t matter. The Germans are advancing deep into Russia. 1941 will be a grand year for Germany! But when Helmuth sneaks out the shortwave radio, he realizes that maybe; just maybe, it’s not just the Jews who are in trouble.

            A very sad story about a boy who stood up for what he believed was right, and who was killed for telling the truth. A boy who stood up when it was a crime to do what was right. And even more shocking? This is based on a true story.

Airman, Eoin Colfer

Having read all the Artemis Fowl books, I was eager to see what this book was like, and, I wasn’t dissapointed. Connor Broekhart is the center of the story; it all revolves around him, and the other characters’ stories seem somewhat secondary. Connor is still reasonably young when the story is written, as is accused of murder. Before being sent to the prison island, Connor is insulted and threatened by his dad, who doesn’t realise that he is talking to his son – he thinks he is talking to his son’s murderer. And so, Connor is sent to the Prison island, whislt his beloved country starts falling to pieces.

            But I’ve missed Connor’s most important feature – he wants to, and will, fly. And with his mentor, Victor Vigny, they are supposedly unstoppable. But are they?

             A delight all the way through, and a really good read. An Eoin Colfer, with the same tension as an Artemis Fowl, except without the faries. More down to earth, but great none the less! 7/10 star rating.

 

 

 

Scorpia, Anthony Horowitz

Scorpia is a story of Alex Rider, the reluctant teenage spy, recruited my M16. Except,this time, he’s rather enthusiastic, seeing that this case would probably bring him closer to the death of his parents. First, let’s get a quick look at Alex’s background: his Uncle was killed, and so died Alex’s last relative. Staying with his housekeeper, Alex unwillingly gets involved in all sorts of mish and mash that shouldn’t involve teenage kids.

            This story let’s Alex discover something M16 have been keeping from him, and through this discovery, Alex goes farther and farther away from what we would call the ‘right side of the law’. What will M16 have to do to drag him back?

            This is the most spine chilling of all Alex Rider books. Not a disappointment. But for those unfamiliar with Alex Rider books, they can’t really be called short and easy – you are kept on your toes and in suspense from the first to last word of every page.

 

 

The five people you meet in heaven, Mitch Albom

 

First, there’s Eddie. Eddie Maintenance for the Ruby Pier theme park. Then, there are the five people he’s going to meet in heaven (after he dies, of course).

            Eddie Maintenance dies when attempting to save a girl from a falling roller coaster (aha! You thought I’d tell you whether or not he succeeds, but I won’t – read the book for yourself), and he meets some pretty interesting people. Here’s heaven through the eyes of Mitch Albom: a place where people who died before you wait to tell you the purpose of your life. Then, once you’ve met those people, you wait for someone else, so you can explain the purpose of their life. Then, you get to do whatever you want. Not such a bad heaven, ‘eh?

            The book is well written, and can be used as a small read, just in the bus or so, but the book has a deeper meaning, noticed primarily towards the end of the story. However, there are some disappointments, one of them being the lack of description used; I finished the book and had only a brief idea of what the Ruby Pier theme park looked like, in the sense that you couldn’t get a clear image of, say, the colour of the roller coaster ride or what the people (excluding Eddie) looked like.

            A 7/10 for a short read, albeit a captivating one.

 

Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl starts of the book with the usual witty and quick beginnings, and an interesting point that Eoin Colfer has put in is the effects of puberty, which is usually ignored by other writers. Colfer also includes the boy’s feelings more, which feels like a gradual step away from the stone hearted person Artemis usually is.

            The story has the usual main characters, and it introduces a few more. Artemis and Butler aren’t, unlike in many other books, the cause of the trouble. In fact, it seems Artemis has finally met his match… And, the book introduces a new species of fairies – the demons. A species lost in time.

            The book is a thrilling, and it has the same qualities as the other books. Only one question I’ve been asking myself – on the —-, whilst —– the ——, Artemis suddenly needs to go to the bathroom, yet, after a sentence, he makes absolutely no action towards it and there is no mentioning of it after – but don’t get me wrong, I could’ve misread the paragraph. Otherwise, 8/10 star rating.

 

 

Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident

 

When the fairies ask for Artemis Fowl’s help again, he readily agrees. At a price. He has to go and save the underworld (that was meant in a good way) from inevitable discovery by the humans. But the case isn’t so easy. Firstly, the LEP (Lower Elements Police, and if you didn’t know that, stop reading this, get the first book of the series and read it in order so as that nothing is spoilt for you) are having to fight more and more goblin bands armed with softnose lasers, guns which were supposedly all burnt centuries ago. And the LEP finally get their hands on one of the guns, an even greater truth is revealed. That truth is putting the entire underworld in danger. Up to Artemis.

            But Artemis does nothing for nothing, so he asks, in return for saving everyfairy (and I’m not suggesting he succeeded!), that his father is saved from the Russian Mafia. Of course, we’re talking Artemis Fowl here, so guaranteed to you are all sorts of mishap that could very well throw Artemis off the title ‘unbeatable’.

            It’s a great book and it’s easy to follow. I loved it. So a high 8/10 star rating. Thanks Eoin!

 

           

           

Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer

 

Most fantasy books are written, I find, to make us jealous. A kid who can leap ten foot in the air and kill his enemy by throwing a boulder at him. But Artemis Fowl is a rather normal boy. Except that he’s super smart. However, he’s not perfect. He has no physical ability whatsoever. And that’s what makes him special; he’s not perfect.

            Fowl is a criminal mastermind, and he is unbound by the limits of normality. After realizing the humans were a much too poor race for him to rob, Artemis Fowl decides to kidnap a species people today fail to believe in: fairies.

            I loved this book, though I maybe found it unattractive at first. I like to read ‘exotic’ books, and being a best seller, Artemis Fowl wasn’t high on my list. I took a look at it when my friend told me how gripping it was, and he was right; I was sucked into the story from the very first page.

            Eoin Colfer’s style of writing is easy to read: some books are over descriptive and the story takes forever, whilst some stories fly by so fast you don’t understand what’s happening, or what you’re supposed to envisage in your head. Colfer has it just right. The book is fun and fast, but your mind can still keep up and you can paint an image of it in your mind.

            The perfect recipe: sci-fi, fantasy and loads of fun! Loved the book: 9/10

 

 

Dark Sun, Robert Muchamore

Dark Sun is the shortest book yet in the Cherub series, and for this reason, I feel it’s a bit rushed. The book also misses out on the main character of the previous books, James Adams, completely. Oh, and the ending is very rushed – and I didn’t really notice that the book was written in honour of the world book day until the very end. However the book stays, fortunately, the same style as the previous books, so they stay as gripping as ever. The book introduces some new characters, and also builds on some older ones.

            The plot is relatively similar to some other cherubs: evil gangster, cherub befriends kids and spoils plan. This time, the main characters are Greg, AKA ‘Rat’ and Andy. They have to foil a plan to create a cheap way of making atomic bombs. The whole plot is over very quickly and things are back to normal.

            There we go: a short review for a short book. I would love to be able to give this book a bad star rating, as I feel that Robert Muchamore didn’t put much effort into writing this. But, it’s a cherub. So, an undeservedly high 7/10 star rating.