Unforgettable characters spark this invigorating apocalyptic tale.
In Lyons’ YA novel and series launch, teens must fend for themselves when crazed, infected beings attack.
Californian Lukas Lincoln’s biggest challenge at Texas’ Camp Hollow Valley, it seems, is finding the courage to talk to a girl. She’s a couple years older than the 15-year-old boy—and also dating his big brother, Caleb. Campers and counselors alike find themselves in a sudden fight for survival when zombie-like creatures viciously assault everyone at the summer getaway. Lukas and others learn that the zombie-things are victims of an infection; many who are bitten or severely scratched by them quickly transform into apparently mindless, frenzied killers (“Furies,” as the infected are soon dubbed). The small band of survivors sees a chance to escape the Furies-littered grounds once camper Aubrey West manages to contact her father, a colonel in the United States Army. (Thanks to the camp’s riflery range, the teens have some weapons.) But this infection is much more serious than they initially believed, and the world outside Hollow Valley may offer no protection at all. Lyons wisely focuses on action and suspense over the violent and intermittently gory bits in such scenes as the youngsters quietly sneaking toward shelter (the camp’s main lodge) without attracting the Furies or, at other times, fleeing masses of the infected. As the story progresses, readers get a clearer view of what’s happening, with hints of a potentially dystopian world developing beyond the camp (“Quarantines were established, and for a short time, they seemed to be holding. But the sheer number of affected victims was just too overwhelming”) and the possibility of a vaccine. Between exhilarating tussles with the Furies, there’s quite a bit of downtime, allowing for sharp character development. Standouts among the memorable, largely sympathetic cast include the resilient Lukas; Lonnie Milliner, whose cerebral palsy never slows him down; and Aubrey, the resident badass. While sequels are sure to follow, this first installment ends with a satisfying punch.
Unforgettable characters spark this invigorating apocalyptic tale. (dedication)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798350944211
Page Count: 376
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Ideas abound, but when the focus shifts from Thomas' determination to take the measure of the house (literally and...
Dies Drear? Ohio abolitionist, keeper of a key station on the Underground Railroad, bearer of a hypercharged name that is not even noted as odd. Which is odd: everything else has an elaborate explanation.
Unlike Zeely, Miss Hamilton's haunting first, this creates mystery only to reveal sleight-of-hand, creates a character who's larger than life only to reveal his double. Thirteen-year-old Thomas Small is fascinated, and afraid, of the huge, uncharted house his father, a specialist in Negro Civil War history, has purposefully rented. A strange pair of children, tiny Pesty and husky Mac Darrow, seem to tease him; old bearded Pluto, long-time caretaker and local legend, seems bent on scaring the Smalls away. But how can a lame old man run fast enough to catch Thomas from behind? what do the triangles affixed to their doors signify? who spread a sticky paste of foodstuffs over the kitchen? Pluto, accosted, disappears. . . into a cavern that was Dies Drear's treasure house of decorative art, his solace for the sequestered slaves. But Pluto is not, despite his nickname, the devil; neither is he alone; his actor-son has returned to help him stave off the greedy Darrows and the Smalls, if they should also be hostile to the house, the treasure, the tradition. Pluto as keeper of the flame would be more convincing without his, and his son's, histrionics, and without Pesty as a prodigy cherubim. There are some sharp observations of, and on, the Negro church historically and presently, and an aborted ideological debate regarding use of the Negro heritage.
Ideas abound, but when the focus shifts from Thomas' determination to take the measure of the house (literally and figuratively), the story becomes a charade. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 1968
ISBN: 1416914056
Page Count: 260
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1968
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A quick, agreeable caper, this may spark some discussion even as it entertains.
Myla and Peter step into the path of a gang when they unite forces to find Peter’s runaway brother, Randall.
As they follow the graffiti tags that Randall has been painting in honor of the boys’ deceased father, they uncover a sinister history involving stolen diamonds, disappearances, and deaths. It started long ago when the boys’ grandmother, a diamond-cutter, partnered with the head of the gang. She was rumored to have hidden his diamonds before her suspicious death, leaving clues to their whereabouts. Now everyone is searching, including Randall. The duo’s collaboration is initially an unwilling one fraught with misunderstandings. Even after Peter and Myla bond over being the only people of color in an otherwise white school (Myla is Indian-American; mixed-race Peter is Indian, African-American, and white), Peter can’t believe the gang is after Myla. But Myla possesses a necklace that holds a clue. Alternating first-person chapters allow peeks into how Myla, Peter, and Randall unravel the story and decipher clues. Savvy readers will put the pieces together, too, although false leads and red herrings are cleverly interwoven. The action stumbles at times, but it takes place against the rich backdrops of gritty New York City and history-laden Dobbs Ferry and is made all the more colorful by references to graffiti art and parkour.
A quick, agreeable caper, this may spark some discussion even as it entertains. (Mystery. 10-12)Pub Date: May 30, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2296-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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