Grab your current read and let it fall open to a random page. Post two (or more) sentences from that page, along with the title and author. Don’t give anything vital away!
“‘When Mr. Hirst pulled the pistol, I tried to take it from him.’
Deryn shut her eyes. Striking an officer – another hanging offense.
‘Very sensible of you,’ Dr. Barlow said. ‘This ship won’t get very far without its master of mechaniks, will it?’”
p. 48 of Scott Westerfeld’s Behemoth
Take one part science, two parts mystery, and a half portion of teenage angst. Mix in water travel, adventure, and an uninhabited island wildlife preserve, and what do you get? Non-stop action!
Now let me back up. I’ll be upfront: I never would have read this novel from the description on the back cover alone. Or even that description I wrote in the paragraph above. No, I picked this one up because it had a mesmerizing cover and a snappy title. It was sitting there, unloved, in a stack of ARCs at the Razorbill booth at ALA last summer while everyone shimmied and squirmed past to reach that last, elusive copy of Robin McKinley’s Pegasus.
Lucky me, I’d already scored my copy, so I was wandering (as all natural born book lovers will, in a bookstore, library or at a conference), letting my eyes drink in the scene and the books. Then out of nowhere – BAM! I’m looking at a girl running away, in a book cover that reminds me of, oh, the movie poster for every action flick ever. But probably most strongly of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. What can I say? It looked dynamic.
So that’s how I came to be in possession of this book. And I will say that I like it best as a paperback (having gone to the bookstore now and picked up a hardback for comparison, of course). It feels immediate and changeable, just as the cover art suggests. But enough musing on the outer wrapping – what’s the book ITSELF like?
Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental disease strain that changes their lives forever.As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot--if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.
Fortunately, they are now more than friends – they're a pack. They are Virals.
Virals was lively action in a captivating setting with mystery, science, and a sprinkling of danger to make life interesting. In other words, plot-driven excitement that put me in mind of the best that a Nancy Drew/CSI/Lost sort of adventure could conjure. For what it was, it was entertaining.
So – down to the meat – what wasn’t it? Number one: a love story. Not that it couldn’t develop in the future, mind you, but this one isn’t it. Number two: big on character development. You may have seen the words ‘plot-driven’ above. I meant them. The book isn’t shallow, but it’s not a platform for deep thoughts or character change, either. It’s an adventure story. Number three: girls-only reading. I think that Virals will appeal mainly to guys. I KNOW it’s got that tomboy and science geek thing down pat, but the next most likely audience (in my opinion) is the male half of the teenage equation. Great adventure reading, mysteries, and unexplained diseases? Should appeal to both sexes.
Final verdict: worth the read. While this wasn’t one of my typical choices, it entertained me for a couple of hours on a rainy day, and the non-stop action was a great diversion. I’ll be looking out for the next installment.
Recommended for: mystery and action lovers, those Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys readers all grown up, fans of Bones, CSI and other mystery/forensics shows, and perhaps that reluctant teen reader you know – guy or girl – who might be thrilled by a little bit of action adventure.
[Full Disclosure: I picked up this book at the Penguin booth at the American Library Association Annual conference in June 2010.]
The winners of my ‘reanimate the blog’ giveaway are:
Yessenia
and Margay Roberge!
Congrats, winners! Each winner will receive $25 US for either the Book Depository or Amazon. Many thanks to all entrants! May your year be happy, healthy, and hilarious. If you didn’t win this time around, stay tuned for another contest coming soon. And, you know, stay awesome.
I don’t like to make resolutions, and I especially don’t like sharing them. Come to that, I don’t like being forced to say what I’m thankful for at Thanksgiving. That information is weirdly personal, and I’m not sure anyone really needs that much access to my thoughts. Very probably that is something to work on in my character. I also feel like sharing resolutions or thankful thoughts ties you to them – you can’t unsay that stuff, and people always seem to REMEMBER.
Be that as it may, I voiced two New Year’s resolutions in public last night. The first was to blog more. Everyone there immediately protested, “But you blog so much already!” Which you, dear reader, already know was unfortunately untrue in November and December 2010. I will get back in the swing of things.
And the second resolution: to learn how to make Beef Wellington. I am rather determined to become a good cook (moving up from ‘fair’), as I am already a good baker (though I’d like to get to ‘excellent’ in that category, now that I think of it). Wish me luck! I will of course share my exploits. Notice I didn’t just say successes. If I fail spectacularly and remember to take photos, you can be sure it’ll go on the blog.
[photo of beef wellington from foodists.ca]
When I look at my two resolutions, I can’t help but think that they are small things. But often the ‘small’ things make such a difference in quality of life and a sense of purpose that they turn into big things. What are your ‘small’ resolutions for the New Year?
