C T Furlong - Killer Genes (Arctic 6,book 2) - Book Review

                                      

• Pages - 208
• Published - Inside Pocket
• Date - 1 Feb 2011
• Age - 8+

The US President is fighting for his life! Mysterious lights, an inexplicable illness and a deadly plague plunge the ARCTIC6 into another exciting adventure. When the friends stumble across a research facility hidden deep in the Suffolk countryside, they discover an insane plot in which the lives of millions are at stake. As they work to unravel the secrets of the facility, a deadly countdown is ticking. Can they prevent a global disaster? Do they have time to save the lives that hang in the balance? Will they even have time to save themselves??


This is the second installment in this series of books. In this edition, we find Iago, his cousins (Cam, Tara and Renny) and his younger sister Aretha, wrapped up in another gripping adventure. In my opinion, this book has a more substantial and gripping storyline than the first. The author has really established the tone through a direct approach to the telling of the story, which I thought was a really good feature. I felt that I was reading a classic adventure, even perhaps in the vain of the Famous Five books, but with a modern twist. Bringing it right up to date, it incorporates both modern style issues and modern day technology. 


I loved the idea that different elements of the story were told through the blog entries of two characters. This created an interesting and different perspective to the ongoing story, which again, I felt worked really well. 


The children (all established friends) find themselves having to work together once more, when something strange happens whilst camping in the woods. Miles from home, and in fact miles from anywhere, their adventure starts when they stumble on a strange light . . . . . . 


Renny, the techno buff, is a particularly well written character that I feel a lot of young people will relate to. He will encourage young readers to follow this adventure right to the very end. 


This is a really easy book to read - full of action and heart stopping moments, it carries you towards the very explosive end. It's a cool read for young people that can be read as a stand alone book or as part of the series. 


The next book in the series is Killer Star - I am definitely looking forward to reading this.