Erebos - Ursula Poznanski

Erebos is a computer game, unlike any game ever played before - it seems to be alive, so alive that it crosses over from the world of the computer into the living world. Not just anyone can play - you have to be invited. And then you only get one chance to play.

But there is something sinister about a game that becomes so encompassing, a game that takes the lives of players totally.

An unique story - a creepy story.......

BZRK - Michael Grant

A war is being fought - and the future of mankind is at stake. But this is no ordinary war - it is a war being fought at a 'nano' level - organic controlled organisms that can travel into our very being, build our memories and desires, controlling everything we do.

Two groups are waging this war - and to be honest I wasn't sure which side is the right side to win.

A complicated and action packed tale. You can check out Michael Grant's website here BZRK

Kaitangata Twitch - Margaret Mahy

Very topical after the recent events in Christchurch!

Meredith's family live on a lifestyle block across the bay from Kaitangata - an island which 'punches' itself into the sky. The beauty of the landscape is about to be over run by developers who see a profit in picturesque beauty of the area.

Meredith seems to feel a deep and spiritual connection to the island - she hears voices and dreams of events that have been and that are yet to come. A series of small quakes (or twitches) seem to begin on the island - perhaps signalling the islands disapproval of its' planned future. can Meredith intervene?

An engaging story - desribed as a supernatural thriller - but also a tale of cultural misunderstandings over the value and sacredness of the land.

Suitable for good junior readers.

The dead - Charlie Higson

The sequel to Higson's The Enemy is actually a prequel! But it does go a long way into explain how the London (and presumably the rest of England) has been infected by a mystery virus.

Ed and Jack lead a band of boys who have survived the initial infection, in an attempt to escape the chaos of the adults who have succumbed to the virus.

They come under the 'protection' of Greg, a bus driver, who has collected a number of survivors on his tour bus.

Fast paced and action packed - the boys fight there way through to London - in the hope of finding other survivors, more food and a safe refuge. Pretty gruesome in places - mature teen reader material.

If you enjoyed The Enemy then this is a must. Book number three is due out this year - check out Higson's website here

The strain - Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Yep vampires - but not as we know them!!

Much like The passage, the world of The strain is under attack from the dark and demonic 'Master' and his rapidly increasing vampire hordes - whose stingers (and there are some great descriptions of these in action) replace the more commonly known fangs we associate with vampires . A great opening - which reads like a CSI investigation - a plane lands and all of the passengers appear to have died at the exact same moment of time. Or have they? As the scientific world struggles to comprehend and contain the 'virus' they believe is in action, the story becomes more personal for Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his family.

The story is a complex one - the vampire master is one of 7 ancients who are all linked (aka The passage), but live under a fragile truce which is about to be tested.

The first of a trilogy - and maybe even a film...a fast paced thriller for vampire lovers.

Check out the website here - that's scary in itself!!!

The Passage - Justin Cronin

Another one that I have been watching for awhile - I'm glad that I waited until almost the holidays before I started reading this, as I could not put it down! Engaging from the first page - and a mental challenge as I kept up with the array of characters; the change of settings and timezones.
The post-apocalyptic world has been overrun by vampire / human hybrid creatures. These are not the broody, good looking Twilight types, but bloody, violent creatures that tear bodies apart. Only Amy NLN (no last name) may have the answer.
A pity we'll have to wait till 2012 to find it out!!

Read more here

hush, hush - Bekka Fitzgerald

I have looked at this book on library shelves so many times - the cover really intrigued me - and finally got round to getting it out this week.
Unfortunately it was a little disappointing - a variation of the Twilight theme - instead of a vampire and a human the forbidden love is between a 'fallen angel (who wanted to be human) and a half human (who has no idea of her ancestry).
Nora meets Patch (definitely didn't like the names), feels an instant (but scary attraction). Other angels and dark forces stalk Nora and Patch must protect her (sound familiar?).
I'm sure this will be popular with teenage girls, as will the sequel due out soon (and the sequel and the sequel......)
Read more about the series here ....

The sixth lamentation - William Brodrick

Came across this author's first novel via an accidental conversation with a colleague. A fascinating read into the minds of a range if diverse characters - a Fransiscan monk (an ex lawyer) a Nazi collaborator, a death camp survivor, a woman who risked her life smuggling Jewish children out of Paris and a vast array of their families whose paths cross over the course of the novel.

While no actual historical link for the characters, they are based on people that Brodrick has come across or have links to his family.

The story moves across time periods from the Fall of Paris (1940) to the present day - and the final action is not fully revealed until the last page.

Circle Of Gold (Book of Time, book 3) by Guillaume Prévost & Send Simon Savage by Stephen Measday

Time travel books seem to be very popular at the moment (maybe they have never been out of fashion!

Circle of Gold completes the Book of Time trilogy.
Sam travels time in an attempt to rescue his father who is lost
somewhere in time AND prevent the death of his mother. Until he can control the time he arrives in, he can land anywhere, anytime and in any circumstance - in the middle of a battle, or the middle of a revolution. Action packed and fast-paced.

Send Simon Savage is obviously the first in a series to come. Simon Savage has also lost his father, a scientist who discovered the ability to travel through time. Simon is recruited to by a special government agency, to travel time trouble-shooting a range of problems.

If you like a snap-shot of historical events and eras these will interest you.

Little brother - Cory Doctorow

If you are into gaming and beating any electronic systems created - then you will love this book. Set in San Francisco now, Marcus is an uber-game geek and IT whizz kid. During a reality avatar game, he and his team, are caught up in a terrorist attack and 'detained' as terrorist suspects. Upon release nothing will ever be the same. San Francisco is under the control of the Department of Homeland Security and that means total surveillance of the citizens' lives.

Fast packed and believable in this modern world ....

Maximum Ride - The Final Warning- James Patterson

Any of you who have read the first two in this series, will know all about Max and her flock of human/bird mutants. In the Final Warning they have the task of not just surviving against the Uber-director and his mutant army, but they must also help stop global warming. A greta read - action, science fiction and thriller rolled into one.

To read more about the author click here - James Patterson....

The Airman - Eoin Colfer

An tale of adventure set on a small island kingdom off the coast of England in the 1800's. A thriller, a mystery and a scientific adventure tale all rolled into one. Eoin Colfer is a great builder of characters.

What did you think of the book?