The General, Robert Muchamore

It’s going to be hard to write about this book without spoiling anything; there are a lot of major changes that happen, if you are a CHERUB fan. The beginning of the book is promising, what with the urban warfare training compound. But after, the book gets slightly off as James goes gambling. Even though it’s the sort of thing James would do, it’s completely off theme, and I don’t quite understand what Muchamore was trying to prove with this book.

                In previous books, Muchamore tackled difficult subjects, and he would describe the kids involved: Class A talked about how Junior was influenced by drugs, and The Fall had some very interesting points about human trafficking. But The General was just some training exercise. Unless I’m really missing out on something, I doubt Muchamore had an issue in mind when he wrote this book.

                However, the book is still very gripping, and the action (whilst it lasts) is very good. Also, I had to wait a long time for this book, and I think it was worth the wait. And again, it has a great balance of facts and fiction. So I give this book 7/10 , but I’m being particularly critical today; I’ve always given the books a high rating (exclude Dark Sun), and here is a more objective view on the series.

 

Man vs Beast, Robert Muchamore

If humans and animals are equal, wouldn’t be okay to murder one human if such and action would save many animals? That is what the AFM, Animal Freedom Militia is asking, and without an answer, proceeds into harming the many workers at one of the biggest testing factories in the world. Even Mac, an animal rights fighter and the chairman of Cherub, thinks that the AFM has stepped over the line. So three agents are sent in to take action.

            Another branch of Animal rights fighters is Zebra84, a group which has decided to bark but not bite; a group which would harness no violence and would instead stage protests in front of animal labs and such. Cherubs are used to eating meat and wearing leather, so being banned from that and not allowed to eat foods such as egg and milk is a real shock.

            Another great book, and a real gripper. More feeling is inserted, as Lauren states how useless she feels as the other agents make incredible progress, and she shows heart towards people who were injured by the AFM. 8/10.

The Recruit, Robert Muchamore

James Adams is used to a life of luxury: every Christmas, he would write down everything he wanted and his mum would steal it for him. Yes, steal. She was a thief. But one day, James gets into a fight with a girl, and she ends up with three stitches down her cheek. Her big brother comes to beat James up, and James can’t find a good explanation to tell his mum why he’s coming home with a black eye. He won’t have to explain to her…

Cherub is a spy division which recruits orphans with no family bonds, trains them to the limit, and puts them in missions adults would have no chance of solving. Because they’re kids. And no one suspects them. Basic training is supposed to be the hundred worst days of your life: you train till you’re close to tears, and then train some more. And if James survives that, there’s an even bigger surprise waiting…

A great start to a great series. 8/10.

The Sleepwalker, Robert Muchamore

 

When an Anglo-Irish Airliner crashes in the sea, all 345 passengers are killed. Police investigating can only draw a big blank, so when a boy calls the boy with supposed information, only to draw back at the last moment, it’s added to the piles of useless information drawn from the crash hotline. But Cherub thinks differently. They are ready to send in two agents, but for one drawback; psychiatrist reports state that the boy has a history of problems and only wants to draw attention to himself. But it’s the only lead and Cherub send in Lauren and Jake. Anyone who has read previous Cherubs will know that that’s a bad couple. That’s because the two kids hate each other bad. Because all Cherub agents are kids. Spy Kid, buffed up.

            This book was worth the wait, and great, but the story holds no real change to the Cherub community, as some other books have. Muchamore has, however, shown that not everyone gets in Cherub, a thought some readers may have thought when reading previous books. The book has some funny twists to it; a math whiz working in ‘chicken delight fast food’ with his ex… (hint hint!) And the mission is a deep one, unlike the rather disappointing ‘Dark Sun’.

            Another up, for cherub fans, is that Mac comes back, and, don’t miss the official website: www.cherubcampus.com ! Another Cherub book, another standard raiser! 8 ½ out of 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.

The Killing, Robert Muchamore

What can I say… it’s a cherub series book!

The books rock. Meet James Adams, a kid spy who can do just about anything. If you think this is a copy of spy kids or Alex Rider series, forget it. Firstly, there are 500 + cherubs, and secondly, no one knows they’re there.

 

The killing:

When a former cherub, Millie, asks for cherub’s help, they send James and Dave.

James: well built, math machine

                                                Dave:  hunk, girl magnet.

 

Here’s the story:

Leon is a crook into selling stolen cars. It doesn’t get him much and the bar he built (king of Russia) is falling into ruins. So when he suddenly completely renovates the bar and builds another one (queen of Russia), you’re wondering where he got the money to pull off a stunt like that. That’s what Millie’s thinking…

So that’s where cherub comes in: they try to get the information out of Leon’s kids. But suddenly, they realize they’re going to have to cast their net much wider then just Leon’s family if they hope to find out what happened.

A policeman gone bad, a rich crook (who isn’t supposed to be rich) and his family, a confused policewoman, two kids and a love girl… that can’t be good…

 

Unfortunately – just when you were heading off to the book stores with your wallet in hand, there is a let down: bad language. And not just a bit of it. The book, thanks to its… pretty complete descriptions, may not be for younger readers, as stated on the back of it. Trust the author, (Robert Muchamore) to know his way around ‘take out the baddies’ writing, having been a police investigator before having written the series. And, judging from the writing, he could be well into romance stories… (if you  don’t like that, the series isn’t for you either.)  But to make it up, these kids go to the bathroom (unlike many stories, believe it or not), there’s love life, and tons and tons of action. What book could be better than that? 

 

8/10 for laughs, action, and a plot thickening with every page – the perfect teen story.