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Colony by J A Henderson (view source)
Revision as of 09:35, 17 September 2020
, 09:35, 17 September 2020no edit summary
There's a large cast of characters, which perhaps prevents the reader from becoming very emotionally attached to any of them, but I don't think this is a particular disadvantage. Everyone is three dimensional and there are no cardboard cut outs. What it does is bring the book's thematic depth to the fore. Biological weapons are a terrifying prospect, not the least because we can never be sure they'll work as expected. Are they ever justified? What about a biological weapon that removed aggression from the target population? Can an end ever justify a means?
These things set ''Colony'' far ahead of the average conspiracy thriller on the junior bookshelves. There's a great deal to think about, but since the plot is intricate and intelligent but tremendously tense, it's also a riveting read. It's recommended by Bookbag for sophisticated readers at late primary school right up to conspiracy -lovers in the mid -teens.
My thanks to the nice people at OUP for sending the book.
They might also enjoy [[Jigsaw by Garry Kilworth]] and [[The Starlight Conspiracy by Steve Voake]], which both add a supernatural element to a tight conspiracy thriller, or [[Being by Kevin Brooks]], which has an equally pause-for-thought ending. We also enjoyed [[The Treatment by C L Taylor]]. Older readers might appreciate [[Nowhere by Jon Robinson]].
{{Toptentext|list=Top Ten Books To Drag The Kids Away From Computer Games For Ten Minutes At Least}}