Amped by Daniel H. Wilson

The Blurb On The Back:

What is in Owen Gray’s head … and who is trying to kill him for it?

Twenty-nine-year-old Owen Gray always believed the miraculous device in his brain had been implanted for purely medical reasons, as a way of controlling the debilitating seizures he suffered in his youth. But when the Supreme Court rules that ‘amplified’ humans like Owen are not protected by the same basic laws as pure humans, his world instantly fractures. As society begins to unravel and a new class war is ignited by fear, Owen’s father, a doctor who originally implanted the ‘amp’, confides something that will send him on a harrowing journey – and he is now in grave danger.

All roads lead to a dusty community in rural Oklahoma, where Owen must find the one man who can explain what is really in his head. There he also meets Lyle Crosby, a dangerous and unpredictable leader of the fast-growing ‘amp’ movement, someone whose stunning physical abilities and ruthless ideas show Owen how to harness his own startling gifts – but threaten to draw him into a world from which there may be no moral return.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Daniel H Wilson’s SF techno thriller is an unsophisticated, predictable read built around a dull main character who exists within an inconsistent and illogical world constructed solely to serve the meandering plot. None of the side characters rise above stock constructs and the villain is a cardboard cut out who left me rolling my eyes. I’ve read a number of Wilson’s books now and while the ideas are great, the execution tends to leave me cold and I doubt that I’ll check out his next work.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free copy of this book.

The Fallen by Charlie Higson

The Blurb On The Back:

First the sickness rotted the adults’ minds. Then their bodies. Now they stalk the streets, hunting human flesh.

The Holloway crew are survivors. They’ve fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive – just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives, unless there’s another way …

The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Roads where not only crazed, hungry sickos hide in the shadows.

Suddenly it’s not so clear who – or what – they’re fighting.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The sixth in Charlie Higson’s ENEMY SERIES is another dark and twisted survival YA tale, filled with violent scenes as the characters continue their struggle to survive. I loved the Twisted Kids and the cause of the Sicko virus is gloriously explained. However, I missed Sam, the Kid and Shadowman and the way Higson jumps between timelines in books left me frustrated given that the story had previously felt as if it building to a central point. There’s also an increasing repetitiveness to the Sicko skirmishes while the wide cast of characters mean that some of the character deaths lack impact. I still enjoy this series and the jaw-dropping cliff hanger ending will ensure I buy the next book but I need the plot to start coming together in a definite direction.