Ten Little Aliens (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collection)

Ten Little Aliens (Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary Collection)

Stephen Cole

$12.99, Softcover

BBC Books, 2013

978-1849905169

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: 14+

Description: The First Doctor, and his companions Ben and Polly, wind up in a world where they travel with ten human soldiers and try to unravel a mystery in which ten dead aliens suddenly start disappearing. Stuck in an underground like alien constructed compound they might race against time to prevent the disappearing aliens from killing the soldiers.     

Opinion: This is the first book in the new 50^th Anniversary Collection, an 11-book series featuring a classic adventure from all the doctors. I wanted to read this one first not only because it is about the First Doctor but because it was a play on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. However, it is told in reverse—the Doctor and the soldiers come across ten dead aliens and then the aliens’ bodies one by one begin to disappear. This book was good but slow going. If I had to describe it in one sentence I’d say, “Doctor Who meets Agatha Christie meets Starship Troopers.” The best part about the story is when it gets to the biggest action and for a good 75 pages at least turns into a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story as the characters split off into pairs to go hunting for the aliens and you get to follow each pair. The great thing is if you choose a path that misses something pivotal to the story the narration will ask “have you read so-and-so, if not go read it and come back here and choose”. In the end, I think there were maybe, at most, five passages I didn’t actually read. This was a prime example of how CYOA books should be written—it didn’t feel jumpy or scattered. Overall, while it was a slow going book at first it is a must read for classic Doctor Who fans.

Doctor Who (Broadway Books Series)

Doctor Who:

Shroud of Sorrow – Tommy Donbavand

Dalek Generation – Nicholas Briggs

Plague of the Cybermen – Justin Richards

$9.99, Softcover

Broadway Books, 2013

978-0385346788; 978-0385346740; 978-0385346764

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: 10+

Description: Three new adventures featuring the 11^th Doctor, Matt Smith, from Broadway Books. In The Shroud of Sorrow it is the day after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and everyone begins to see the faces of their dead loved one. Police Constable Reg Cranfield sees his father in the mist, reporter Mae Callon sees her grandmother in a coffee stain, and FBI agent Warren Skeet sees his dead partner looking back at him from the rain streaked window of the Texas School Book Depository. At first they all think they are just seeing things—that the grief of losing a beloved president has made them turn inward to their own grief—until the faces begin to talk and scream and move into our own world. Can the Doctor save humanity from the alien force known as the Shroud—a being that feeds on the grief of others? In The Dalek Generation the Doctor travels to Sunlight 349—a world where Daleks are a force of good? Can the Doctor convince the inhabitants the Daleks never have any other mission than to “exterminate”? In Plague of the Cybermen the Doctor  arrives in a world where a horrifying plague is killing the people. Can the Doctor figure out how the Cybermen and the supposedly undefeatable Plague Warriors are connected?

Opinion: As a Doctor Who fan who hasn’t gotten past watching the fourth Doctor (I know, scandalous, right? But, sorry, my heart belongs to the Third Doctor), I have to say that these books were good. First, I was attracted to the actual cover design and layout of the series. They were really nice looking and just fun! I hope Broadway Books releases more. (I swear, and I have it bookmarked in my Amazon account somewhere, that there was a fourth one coming out but I can no longer find it doing a general search!) These books are a great introduction to the world of Doctor Who. Not knowing the 11^th Doctor so well there was enough basic information given that I was able to jump into the world quite easily. I loved Shroud of Sorrow the best probably. I liked the mix of an alternative history with an alien species that lived off of grief. (I also love—and not much of a spoiler alert—the fact that the enigma of clown cars (how do they all fit in there?) is explained away by Tardis physics!) If you have Doctor Who fans—young or old—these books need to be in your collection! They won’t stay on the shelves for long.

“’Taint the Meat . . .It’s the Humanity!” and Other Stories (The EC Library)

“’Taint the Meat . . .It’s the Humanity!” and Other Stories (The EC Library)

Jack Davis

$28.99, Hardcover

Fantagraphics, 2013

978-1606995785

Genre: Horror, Graphic Novel

Age: 14+

Description: A new entry in Fantagraphics’ EC Library, Taint the Meat is a celebration of the main EC Tales from the Crypt artist—Jack Davis.

Opinion: I pre-ordered this title the minute I found it available and had to sit through it being pushed back in its release date numerous times (I pre-ordered it in April 2012 and it finally came out in April 2013). I grew up reading the reprinted full-color issues from Gemstone Publishing and loved Tales from the Crypt with a passion. Jack Davis, even if my 10-year-old self had no idea who he was, was the classic artist. This collection, while in black and white, collects every single one of his 24 stories (it seems like it should be more). For any classic fans or teens looking for some classic horror fun, this is much recommended. It includes the classics such as “Bats in My Belfry” (science goes wrong for one professor who wants a bat’s hearing), “Séance!” (in which a mean man tries to debunk a medium by requesting the challenging of his very lively wife), and “The Trophy” (the story that everyone knows even if not familiar with the Crypt version—man is the most challenging form of hunting!). The volume itself is sturdy and worth the expensive price. I just wish it were in color.

The 5th Wave

The 5^th Wave

Rick Yancey

$18.99, Hardcover

Putnam Juvenile, 2013

978-0399162411

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: 12+

Description: The 1^st put an end to all things electronic and plunged the world into darkness. The 2^nd wave introduced a virus that killed most of the human population. Those alive during the 3^rd wave are considered unlucky as the alien drones hunt them down one by one. After Cassie and her family encounter the truth of the 4^th wave she has learned the hard way not to trust anyone. It is now the dawn of the 5^thwave (if one is coming) and Cassie is all alone. As she roams the countryside she faces threats from the Others—it turns out the 4^th wave introduced the twist that the aliens can look human to sow seeds of distrust among the survivors and discourage them grouping together to fight back. She has lost her mother and her father and is separated from her younger brother, Sammy. When he was taken away by the military to a safe haven she promised to join him no matter what and that promise is the only thing that propels Cassie forward. When a sniper bullet tears through her leg and almost kills her she is shocked to find that she has been rescued by Evan Walker, a young farm boy who watched his parents die and then all of his younger siblings and his fiancé. Cassie doesn’t want to trust this young man who claims that she is now his reason for living but she just might need his help to keep her promise to her younger brother.

Opinion: As everyone knows The 5^th Wave is the book getting all the hype this year. I’m surprised though to see that Yancey’s Monstromologist series is now being called a middle grader and this first book in a new series his “first YA” series. This isn’t true as his Alfred Kropp books were his first and, quite frankly, as a fan of the Monstromologist, I would not call this series middle grade—I consider them YA all the way. I was interested when I first heard about this new series and since I enjoyed Yancey’s previous books I was excited he was going to have a new series. First of all, the cover is pretty cool. Its eye catching and I can see many of my teens reading the back blurb (about the different waves) and having their interest piqued. Also as part of the YALSA YA Galley group we received eight copies of the ARC! Sadly, none of my teens have gotten to it yet (we have so many books for them to read right now) but I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. I like the ominous feel of the cover and how if you look really close you can see Cassie standing strong. What was my favorite part of the book? I liked the history of the alien invasion and some of the ideas about it. I liked Yancey’s twist of not just having a typical invasion story ala War of the Worlds but one in which the aliens arrive and just hover above the Earth for a while. The idea of aliens coming and destroying Earth is a pleasanter one than the thought of them arriving and just being there. One could go mad wondering when they were going to make a move or attempt contact. The fact that the aliens knew exactly how to destroy humanity was also interesting—destroy their electronics so they are thrust back into the stone age, infect the birds with a virus that will kill millions of people, so on. I also liked how the story was told from multiple perspectives—Cassie’s, Evans, Ben’s—as it gave a good break in what could have been a meandering nearly 500-page book if only told from Cassie’s perspective. I also liked that the book had a quick pace. It doesn’t feel like you’re reading a huge book since it moves quickly. However, I don’t really understand all the hype when it comes down to most of the plot. Don’t get me wrong—it is a good book. But after I was finished I wasn’t like, “OMG! This is the best YA book every written!” I wasn’t 100% wowed. A number of the elements were totally clichéd and not the big surprises that I think they were supposed to be. SPOILERS!!! For example, the first chapter to follow Cassie’s narration was that of the Silencer who shoots her in the leg and leaves her for dead. We learn that this alien is “not like the others” and while his job is to kill all humans for some reason he can’t kill Cassie (wow—typical romance set up right there). When reading this first section and not knowing about the character you think, “This is interesting.” Once Cassie conveniently meets Evan Walker his odd obsession with her and the fact that he seems to know a lot about her automatically makes the reader realize he is the Silencer . . . and I don’t think the reader was supposed to understand that. It was a little too obvious. I was pleasantly shocked to see that Zombie turns out to be Ben, Cassie’s unrequited crush. Maybe I should have seen that coming since they focused a lot of her feelings for him and whatnot but I was surprised (despite the fact that it, once again, is a very convenient thing for him to be a survivor). The fourth wave wasn’t surprising either—the aliens look human! (Hello—anyone hear about Cylons?) And the whole idea behind the fifth wave is just confusing. I like the idea of rescuing survivors and those who are ill and implanting the survivors with homing devices and then training them to be soldiers to take out the ill people who, conveniently unbeknownst to them, are just regular survivors without the implant. However, what I don’t get is why the aliens would take all the trouble to systematically wipe out human life with some high-tech stuff (the virus, the “Eye” which is a type of sonic boom that destroys anything in its path) and then instead of going around just easily picking off the survivors they create an elaborate ruse to keep the children and train them as soldiers to kill the others. It just seems counterintuitive to save portions of the species, give them all the weapons and military training they need, and then let them do the dirty work. Clearly Ben, Cassie, and Evan were smart enough to figure out the whole idea behind the fifth wave and rebel. Seems like the aliens were just setting themselves up for that. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just kill them themselves? I hope this is explained better in the sequel. Surprisingly the first book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger (it really can be read as a standalone as Cassie’s main goal—to reunite with Sammy—is achieved). I really wonder what is going to be the plot of the sequel.

Thanks to the people at Putnam for the ARC for the YA Galley Group!

Bubble World

Bubble World

Carol Snow

$17.99, Hardcover

Henry Holt and Co. , 2013

978-0805095715

Genre: Science Fiction

Age: 12+

Description: Freesia’s life is perfect. She wakes up in her gigantic beach side house on the tropical island of Agalinas each morning to the cooing of her two pet peacocks and a breakfast coffee served in bed by her mother. Every day is blissful sunshine and she gets to spend it buying clothes upon clothes at fancy dress shops throughout town. When she goes to school she is involved in cultural immersion classes in which she gets to do stuff like eat Korean food. However, her life on the island lately has been having some glitches. Here and there are sudden blackouts. Some students have been there one day and disappeared the next. But most frightening of all is the day that Freesia looks in the mirror and doesn’t see herself anymore—her perfect body and looks are gone, replaced by a slightly chubby version of her with—gasp!—fizzy hair and bad skin. However, Freesia knows that it is better to not think about things too hard. Unfortunately for her though, her perfect existence is about to pop.

Opinion: Bubble World is . . . odd. Unfortunately for it I think that it might lose some readers because of its oddness. The book starts off very unusually. Freesia and her world are just weird. It’s never clearly stated (in the beginning) if her world is some future perfect utopia or if it’s all in her head or if it is a real world in the future. Freesia has her own weird technology (“bubbles” that are her version of a phone—it automatically shows her where and what her friends and enemies are doing), she’s got her own language, her schooling seems to be made up of shopping and partying, and her world even has its own social customs (as couples become “linked” together and if they break up they automatically become enemies). The other problem with the beginning of the book is that Freesia is so self-centered and vapid. You really want to just kill her or at least smack her pretty hard. It’s such an odd start to a book that you don’t know what is going on or what to expect. However, things pick up when a glitch in her world sends Freesia into the real world where she is known as Francine. Turns out Freesia is living in a total virtual reality called Bubble World. It is an experimental learning environment where a teen is emerged in a bubble (which takes up their entire bedroom) and are hooked up to machines and they are supposed to be participating in a highly educational and individualized program in this virtual reality called Agalinas. Freesia doesn’t like finding herself awake on the other side—in real life. She is so separated from her parents (who are nothing like the perfect ones in Bubble World) and her sister who calls her an “it” or a “thing.” When given the chance to go back into the program she jumps at it but doesn’t take the mind wiping drug to make her forget about the real world and what she discovers is shocking. Her best friend and potential boyfriend has been manipulating the system and he knows all about the reality of Bubble World—the creator is taking their parents' money and leading them to believe they are really being highly educated when, in fact, they aren’t learning anything. Unfortunately for them the creator finds out about their knowledge and permanently deactivates their accounts. At first, Freesia is only concerned with getting back into Bubble World but the creator says she broke her contract. When her mother discovers how educationally stunted Freesia really is—and a rival blogger beats her to the story—she realizes a new goal to point out what a fraud Bubble World is. In the end, Freesia does get a chance to go back in but she finds a completely different world than the one she called home and begins to wonder if her real home is the one she exited years before. The only really bad part about this book is how it opens so weirdly and could lose some readers before they get to the good part. Freesia starts off as a vapid girl but, in the end, ends up growing. When she discovers what her best friend looks like in person the old Fressia would be repulsed but the new Freesia actually still cares about him. The world that Snow has created is amazing! The idea of a guy making money and being irresponsible toward his clients was intriguing. The only thing that I didn’t like was that Freesia’s reason for going into Bubble World in the first place wasn’t really explained all that well. All we get is that her long time best friend starting hanging out with a new popular girl and the popular girl made her choose and she didn’t choose Francine. While that is sad and a fact of life sometimes among friendships are we really to believe that she was so depressed (?) that her parents agreed to letting their daughter enter a virtual world where she remained for years? That part seems a little too farfetched to believe. However, overall this book was a surprisingly good read and I can't wait to see what my teen reviewers think.

Thanks to the people at Henry Holt for the ARC for the YA Galley Group!

Doctor Who Omnibus, Volume 1

Doctor Who Omnibus, Volume 1

Various

$29.99, Paperback

IDW Publishing, 2013

978-1613773482

Genre: Science Fiction, Graphic Novel

Age: 12+

Description: An omnibus of Doctor Who comics featuring the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). It contains “Agent Provocateur” in which a jaunt to find a milkshake nearly kills the Doctor and Martha and six one-shot stories, including “The Whispering Gallery”, “The Time Machination”, “Autopia”, “Cold-Blooded War”, “Room with a Deja View”, and “Black Death, White Life.” The highlight of the collection is the multi-part “The Forgotten,” in which the Doctor can’t remember who he is when he and Martha awake in a museum dedicated to the ten doctors’ lives.

Opinion: A must have for any Doctor Who fan, especially the Tenth Doctor. The first story is fun and whimsical. My favorites of the one-shot comics was “The Whispering Gallery” as it will have you misting up in the end. “The Forgotten” is the best. It not only features the beloved David Tennant but does play homage to the other Doctors that came before him. Any true die-hard Whovian will enjoy seeing the prized items of each Doctor (the Third Doctor’s jeep, the Fourth Doctor’s Jellie Babies) and the fun glimpses into the adventures of the previous Doctors. Also, I love how the older Doctors’ adventures that were black and white on TV are black and white in the comic! As with any other collection of stories, the art and the writing varies from each story to the next. Some art styles where definitely better (more realistic?) than others but, overall, most of the stories were fun.

The Testing (Testing #1)

The Testing (Testing #1)

Joelle Charbonneau

Houghton Mifflin, 2013

$17.99, Hardcover

978-0547959108

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Action

Age: 12+

Description: Malencia “Cia” Vale is excited and nervous for graduation day. Her entire Five Lakes Colony is celebrating and wondering, with bated breath, if anyone will be chosen for The Testing. The Testing is a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest graduating students from all the Colonies and gives them a chance to earn their way into university where they will become the possible future leaders of their world which is slowly revitalizing itself after a huge war almost destroyed civilization. Cia has been working all her life in the hopes of being accepted to The Testing. However, no one from Five Lakes has been invited in a long time. So she is very surprised when not only she but a few other classmates end up making the grade. As Cia prepares to leave her life and all she knows behind (candidates never go back to their hometowns) she is surprised to learn from her father the dark truth about the program. He was accepted when he graduated high school and he tells her of nightmarish memories he remembers—he is pretty sure they wipe the memories of all participants who pass. He warns her to trust no one. Armed with that knowledge, she heads off to Tosu City to find what future awaits her in The Testing. What she isn’t expected to find is lots of secrecy, lies, and some students who will purposely kill for a spot in the class who passes.

Opinion: As my teens who have read the ARC have said, The Testing is going to be the new Hunger Games and, for me personally, I think it is even better. I have to admit (even though it is darn near blasphemous in the library world) that I didn’t really like the Hunger Games. I felt it was a rehash of Battle Royale which was infinitely better in many ways. In my opinion Katniss isn’t really a strong female character—she is just a figurehead for a movement. This book has way more action and combines the elements of trying to survive the Testing itself and survive other classmates who are out to eliminate the competition. Cia is a strong character. She is smart and resourceful. Being interested in mechanical things she is able to outthink a lot of her classmates and she can see a few steps ahead to stay out of harm’s way or see possible sabotage. I like the element of secrecy surrounding the whole process of The Testing. This book is going to be one of the next big things. They also seem like they are going to market it heavily as after we received the ARCs we got a second package with a new ARC (with a preview chapter of the second book) along with bracelets, tattoos, and a shirt.

Here’s what some of my teens had to say:

Becca, 13, says, “The Testing is a look into a possible future world where your only hope of making it to college is to do well in school and be invited to participate in the Testing at graduation. For fans of The Hunger Games and No Child’s Game. The most compelling part was hearing her discover the other competitors’ secrets as I found them out a step ahead of her or sometimes a step behind her! The only disappointing part was when she lost her memories. Hopefully the recording she made and discovers at the end of the book will help her remember in the sequel. I loved it!”

Isaac, 15, says, “Give The Testing to fans of The Hunger Games who are dying for the next big thing. Cia lives in a world in which the only way to really make a name for yourself is to graduate from high school and be invited to The Testing, an exclusive academy where students are tested on all types of knowledge and skills to see who can move on to university. Unlike The Hunger Games where the teens fought to be the last one alive, the characters in The Testing are fighting to be saved. I liked the cover and I think it reflected the book well. I like how Cia’s bracelet was on the cover. When I first picked up the book I didn’t know what the thing (that looked like a watch) was but then I realized its importance as I kept reading. The most compelling aspect was the teens’ struggle for survival. I was not disappointed. It is evil in an ARC to publish the names, release dates, and a description of the sequels when they are so far away!”

Haley, 17, says, “The Testing is an interesting take on a future world where, upon graduation, students hope they will be picked for The Testing, a government program that will select the brightest graduates who show potential for becoming future leaders in this post-apocalyptic world. Cia is chosen this year but the excitement soon dies when her father warns her of the experiences he faced when he was chosen. Cia must trust no one if she hopes to come back alive. If you enjoy The Hunger Games you’ll love this new series.I like that the image on the cover is like the bracelet mentioned in the book. However, I didn’t even realize that’s what it was until I was writing this review. For some reason I thought it was a watch and didn’t understand it for a second until I read this question and it clicked in my brain. I like the simplicity of the cover and felt it reflected the contents. The most compelling aspect of the book was the struggle of high school graduates to hope to complete in The Testing in order to go on to college and all the shady dealings going on in the background (mind erasing, etc.). I really enjoyed this series opener. I was not disappointed with anything. Maybe the horrible ad in the back advertising not only the second book in the series but the third as well. I can’t wait that long!!!”

*Thanks to Amanda Barsuhn at Houghton Mifflin for providing an ARC of this title for the YA Galley Group project!*