View source for Black Hole Cinema Club by Christopher Edge

{{infobox1
|title=Black Hole Cinema Club
|author= Christopher Edge
|reviewer=Ruth Ng
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=For thrill-seeking, action-adventure lovers!  This is a wild ride of a story that leaves you guessing all the way through!
|rating=3.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=256
|publisher=Nosy Crow
|date=March 2024
|isbn=9781839942730
|website=https://www.christopheredge.co.uk/
|video=Q1ltF51Xz4E
|cover=1839942738
|aznuk=1839942738
|aznus=1839942738
}}

Lucas and his friends are all booked in for a movie marathon at their local cinema, a place that has the nickname of 'The Black Hole'.  All big movie fans, they're looking forward to lots of exciting films, and many, many snacks!  However, as the movie starts, they very quickly realise that something about this new film format is very different, and they are swept up into an adventure they couldn't even imagine.  But as they lurch from one film genre to the next, can they figure out what on earth is going on?  Will they ever get back to the cinema, and to their real lives?

This book is jam-packed with action!  I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it, and if you have a reader who yearns for fast-moving, daring adventure then this would be a good read.  It does feel a bit like watching a film, with action scenes straight from a James Bond or a sci-fi film.  There are some tense moments, and as readers we stumble along in the same way Lucas finds himself stumbling as he tries to understand what on earth is happening.  I liked that you could quickly understand what sort of film they'd fallen into each time, and that made the scenes easy to imagine.  And it's an ongoing puzzle as to what on earth is happening.  I didn't guess at what it might be!

The thing I felt was lacking in the book, however, was character.  I didn't really feel like I knew any of Lucas' friends, or even Lucas himself.  The intense pace and action mean a sacrifice to character development, and although towards the very end it felt like there was a little more teamwork happening amongst the friends, prior to that it was as though Lucas could have been in these cinematic stories with pretty much anyone.  Sitting down to write this review, I found I couldn't remember the characters' names, even though I'd only just finished the book, so that's a shame.

However, the chapters are in good, digestible chunks that are perfect for someone who has just come onto reading longer chapter books.  And because it involves a lot of description of action and adventure, it's powering up those imaginations, so you don't need pictures as you're imagining everything as it happens. It's an unusual read, and immediately engaging, so I did enjoy it, even though I wasn't attached to any of the characters.   Good for those around 9 years old and upwards who are confident readers, or for an edge-of-the-bed storytime book, if you think it's not too exciting a read for just before sleep!

You might also enjoy this story by the same author: [[Twelve Minutes to Midnight by Christopher Edge|Twelve Minutes to Midnight]].

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