Alien Storm by A. G. Taylor
Sep. 30th, 2010 09:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
A freak virus released by a meteorite storm has given Sarah, Robert and their friends amazing superpowers. But such powers are both a blessing and a curse ...
Deadly meteorites are heading to earth but mysterious Russian billionaire Nikolai Markarov seems delighted. What is his secret and can the group of friends thwart his master plan?
It’s 6 months after the events in METEORITE STRIKE and Sarah, Robert, Louise, Wei, Nestor and Octavio are living in Melbourne, making arrangements and gathering money to escape Australia. Their powers have been growing with practice and Sarah has assumed leadership of the group. But while Dr Rachel Andersen, the new head of HIDRA Australia, is honouring her promise not to hunt them, Major Bright remains determined to bring them down as his stores of the serum that give him his own super powers run out.
When Bright tracks them Sarah and co down, help comes in the form of Alex, an Australian boy with powers of invisibility, who takes them to Russia and the protection of the mysterious billionaire, Nikolai Markarov. Markarov is the perfect host, helping them develop their powers further and offering to keep them safe in his ultra modern citadel. But Sarah remains suspicious and with the meteorites getting closer, the group threatens to tear itself apart with mistrust and old rivalries.
A G Taylor’s sequel to METEORITE STRIKE is a fast-paced, adrenalin fuelled read from start to finish. There’s a lot of plot here, with Taylor balancing storylines that bounce from Alex’s history, to HIDRA’s efforts to cure the fall virus, to Major Bright’s desire for revenge, to the tensions between Sarah and her group (particularly Octavio). With so many storylines and such a wide cast of characters, it’s impossible to do them all justice, and yet the way Taylor wraps them together is satisfying.
Of the teenagers, Sarah gets the most development. She’s grown since the first book, feeling the responsibility she has for the others and determined to do her best for them, but the use of her powers can leave her with an awful headache and she’s not able to share all of her worries. The scenes where she argues with Octavio about the direction they’re going in are well realised.
Major Bright remains a ruthless villain, driven to find the children for his own ends and determined not to let anything stand in his way. Markarov is also an interesting villain – hiding secrets of his own, including one that threatens the very planet itself.
The book ends with an interesting set up for the next book, which promises unexpected alliances and an out-of-this world element to it. I will definitely be getting my hands on a copy.
The Verdict:
An exciting, adrenalin filled sequel to METEORITE STRIKE, this book has tonnes of action, interweaving plot points and some interesting character development on the part of Sarah. There’s an interesting set-up to a third book and based on this, I shall definitely be reading on.
ALIEN STORM is released in the UK on 26th November. Thanks to Usbourne for the ARC.
A freak virus released by a meteorite storm has given Sarah, Robert and their friends amazing superpowers. But such powers are both a blessing and a curse ...
Deadly meteorites are heading to earth but mysterious Russian billionaire Nikolai Markarov seems delighted. What is his secret and can the group of friends thwart his master plan?
It’s 6 months after the events in METEORITE STRIKE and Sarah, Robert, Louise, Wei, Nestor and Octavio are living in Melbourne, making arrangements and gathering money to escape Australia. Their powers have been growing with practice and Sarah has assumed leadership of the group. But while Dr Rachel Andersen, the new head of HIDRA Australia, is honouring her promise not to hunt them, Major Bright remains determined to bring them down as his stores of the serum that give him his own super powers run out.
When Bright tracks them Sarah and co down, help comes in the form of Alex, an Australian boy with powers of invisibility, who takes them to Russia and the protection of the mysterious billionaire, Nikolai Markarov. Markarov is the perfect host, helping them develop their powers further and offering to keep them safe in his ultra modern citadel. But Sarah remains suspicious and with the meteorites getting closer, the group threatens to tear itself apart with mistrust and old rivalries.
A G Taylor’s sequel to METEORITE STRIKE is a fast-paced, adrenalin fuelled read from start to finish. There’s a lot of plot here, with Taylor balancing storylines that bounce from Alex’s history, to HIDRA’s efforts to cure the fall virus, to Major Bright’s desire for revenge, to the tensions between Sarah and her group (particularly Octavio). With so many storylines and such a wide cast of characters, it’s impossible to do them all justice, and yet the way Taylor wraps them together is satisfying.
Of the teenagers, Sarah gets the most development. She’s grown since the first book, feeling the responsibility she has for the others and determined to do her best for them, but the use of her powers can leave her with an awful headache and she’s not able to share all of her worries. The scenes where she argues with Octavio about the direction they’re going in are well realised.
Major Bright remains a ruthless villain, driven to find the children for his own ends and determined not to let anything stand in his way. Markarov is also an interesting villain – hiding secrets of his own, including one that threatens the very planet itself.
The book ends with an interesting set up for the next book, which promises unexpected alliances and an out-of-this world element to it. I will definitely be getting my hands on a copy.
The Verdict:
An exciting, adrenalin filled sequel to METEORITE STRIKE, this book has tonnes of action, interweaving plot points and some interesting character development on the part of Sarah. There’s an interesting set-up to a third book and based on this, I shall definitely be reading on.
ALIEN STORM is released in the UK on 26th November. Thanks to Usbourne for the ARC.
