Advance Booking

GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE

The Times called it " The Matrix crossed over with Oliver Twist". It's not very far off the mark. This futuristic novel was a pretty good read, and the open ending has me waiting for the next one, which is supposedly in the works.

Supernaturalist's hero Cosmo Hill is an orphan, used as a lab rat for dangerous products, in the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, in the heart of Satellite City. He is always looking out for a way to escape, and his chance is presented by a glitch in the satellite which controls the city. He nearly loses his life escaping from a Squeers-like guard, but is saved by a trio of outcasts calling themselves Supernaturalists. His near-death experience gives him the ability to see supernatural creatures called Parasites, who supposedly suck the life-force out of injured or dying people. Cosmo teams up with the motley crew of kids to fight the Parasites, which consists of eluding weapon-toting lawyers, blasting invisble blue monsters, taking space walks and making friends for life.

Colfer takes Dotheboys Hall and throws it into a dystopian future, kicking off one cool teen sci-fi novel. The tech stuff mentioned throughout the book are imaginative, the writing action-packed, with a sarcastic vein running through. One thing I liked about the hero was that he was quite perceptive, unlike other books where I have been like, "Oh my God, you idiot! Isn't that thing like blindingly obvious?" My vote: go read it.