- Mike Lancaster
Publisher: Egmont
**Warning – will contain spoilers to
0.4, the first book**
In the far future, people no longer know what to believe...Did Kyle Straker ever exist? Or were his prophecies of human upgrades nothing more than a hoax?
Peter Vincent is nearly 16, and has never thought about the things that Strakerites believe. His father — David Vincent, creator of the artificial bees that saved the world's crops — made sure of that. When the Strakerites pronounce that another upgrade is imminent, Peter starts to uncover a conspiracy amongst the leaders of the establishment, a conspiracy that puts him into direct conflict with his father.
Peter Vincent is nearly 16, and has never thought about the things that Strakerites believe. His father — David Vincent, creator of the artificial bees that saved the world's crops — made sure of that. When the Strakerites pronounce that another upgrade is imminent, Peter starts to uncover a conspiracy amongst the leaders of the establishment, a conspiracy that puts him into direct conflict with his father.
Last
year I read 0.4 and was completely blown away by how many ideas were packed
into a relatively short book (Read my review here). So when 1.4 was released
recently I knew I wanted to read it pretty soon. This is set many years later
when the human race is a very different format to what is normal now. People
can access the ‘Link’ with their minds at will. The Link is essentially a
multi-purpose internet with music player, photo taker, memory storage and game
player – pretty much anything you want. Peter Vincent is a typical teenage boy –
albeit one with a famous scientist father and a fairly privileged upbringing.
When he meets Alpha, a Strakerite, who believes the Kyle Straker tapes – that the
human race is upgraded by unseen aliens on a regular basis and sees some
unusual activities on the Link, suddenly Kyle Straker’s claims are not so
ridiculous...
While
this does feature entirely different characters, this isn’t a repeat of 0.4 – there
is more of an exploration of humanity and what it means to be human. It also
explores the influence of all-powerful aliens interfering with human evolution.
And all in three hundred pages. The writing is simple but powerful. Mike
Lancaster seems to have captured the feelings of a teenage boy trying to live
up to his father’s legacy perfectly. I really felt for him and Alpha
throughout.
Alpha
is a fun character but I confess I didn’t completely understand why she fell
for Peter so quickly. I did enjoy the different yet familiar world of the future
where they lived. While the beginning is a little slow, that time is spent
building a world different from our own. It was a place where you could
recognise many of the current trends taken to the extreme. When the action
really starts to take off, it’s fast paced and Peter uses his brains to solve
problems – which is a nice change from an action man.
A
thinking science-fiction story that’s not afraid to ask some big questions – or
leave you thinking. Enjoy! J
Recommended
for fans of Charlie Higson and Suzanne Collins. 8 out of 10
Oh this also looks like a book I couldn't just dive into, but start from the beginning. I like those stories that keep you thinking. I'll have to check these out!
ReplyDeleteFreaky! Not to know if you exist or not 0_0 But that does manage to make me really curious about this one
ReplyDelete