Scavenger: Zoid - Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Published by Macmillan Children's Books: London, Basingstoke and Oxford, 2014.

I began reading this book in class when I was nearing the end of reading The Jungle Books, by Rudyard Kipling. I had selected The Jungle Books to fit the next category on the reading challenge I'm doing this year, and decided that I was near enough the end of that book that starting this one (which fits the category after that one) was safe enough, especially since I would only be able to read this during silent reading times, and it would likely take a while.

Whoops.

I under-estimated how busy my home life would be, how slow The Jungle Books would be, and how quickly I'd get through this book, which probably took just over a week of class time!

So, now, I find myself in the mildly annoying situation of having read a book that fits the 'robots or AI' category of the challenge, but - because of my self-imposed rule of doing them in order - not being able to use it.

And I only finished it A DAY before The Jungle Books, too!

Aaaannyway.....

In some ways, my long winded intro is a sign that this was a very easy read, and fairly enjoyable.

The story is set in the distant future, on the giant 'Biosphere', a spaceship/space-station that houses the last of humanity, but that is overrun by zoids - robots that rose up and overthrew humanity. Our main character is York, a young human who is soon on his own, once zoids destroy his home, Inpost, and capture the remaining humans. York sets out with a vague plan of rescuing his friends, and journeys through the Biosphere, encountering various mutated creatures, dangerous zoids, and even an advanced zoid that may not be an enemy, but could even be (potentially) a love interest!!

In many ways it's a straightforward story, but it is still a fairly enjoyable one, and an easy read. There are also moments where the story is surprisingly dark. The authors don't dwell on the darkness, but it is there: death, beheadings, experimentation.... all do play a part in the story.

The whole thing wraps up with the chance of a sequel, and, honestly, I would consider checking it out.

After all, it wouldn't be much of a time investment.

Completed 26 February 2025.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson

Image
Published by Tom Doherty Associates Books/TOR Fantasy: New York, 2014. Book 2 in 'The Stormlight Archives' series. Preceded by ' The Way of Kings .' Followed by (spin-off) ' Edgedancer ' and (main series) ' Oathbringer. ' Well, I finally read the second Stormlight book, this one even longer than the last  at a whopping 1080 pages, and once again found myself enjoying Sanderson's world immensely. The plot does take longer than strictly necessary in places - particularly in the storyline following Shallan Davar as she journeys towards the Shattered Plains - but overall is still a page-turner. By the middle of Words of Radiance our three main characters (Kaladin, Shallan and Adolin) are finally in the same location, something that was never achieved in the first book. In keeping them apart for so long, Sanderson is able to give his readers a real understanding of what makes each character tick, and this becomes quite interesting as when these character...
Read more

The Last Battle - CS Lewis

Image
Published in an omnibus edition with the full Chronicles of Narnia series: " The Magician's Nephew "; " The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe "; " The Horse and His Boy "; " Prince Caspian ";  "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" ;  "The Silver Chair" ; "The Last Battle" , by Harper Collins Publishers: Hammersmith, London, 2010. Originally published 1956. The final book in the Narnia series, The Last Battle appropriates covers the events leading up to and surrounding the end of Narnia itself. The last king of Narnia, Tirian, and his close friend, the unicorn Jewel, enlist the help of Eustace and Jill to do battle against a "false Aslan" and an army of Calormenes. The book is different from the remainder of the Narnia series (aside from The Horse and His Boy ) in that it begins in Narnia, following Narnians, with no one from 'our' world arriving until quite a way in to the book. Even when they do ...
Read more

The Client - John Grisham

Image
Published by Arrow/Random House: Australia, 1993. I quite like John Grisham novels. I like the fact that I can pick one up and enjoy it without having to think too deeply. Not that John Grisham novels are 'simple' in any way, but there is a reason that so many of his works have been adapted into action/thriller films (this book included): they read like a film. The Client follows the story of Mark Sway, whom, along with his younger brother Ricky, witnesses the suicide of a lawyer whose client was a violent mafia member. The mafia member, Barry 'The Blade' Muldano, has killed a US senator and hidden his body somewhere. The FBI know he did it, but cannot find the body. Mark, however, has learned where the body is hidden, and is now a target both for the FBI (who want him to talk) and the mafia (who want him silenced permanently). Mark is eleven years old, and although he is very mature for his age (he has witnessed a lot in his time that has made him grow up too quickly) ...
Read more