Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: M . G. Harris - Gerry Anderson's Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon - Book Review

GERRY ANDERSON’S GEMINI FORCE ONE is soon to be published by Orion Children’s Books in April 2015. After a fantastic Kickstarter campaign, 600 loyal Anderson fans made this project a reality. The material remained untouched, but not forgotten, after the sad death of Gerry Anderson in 2012 until Jamie and his family approached M.G. Harris. She was tasked to continue the fictional world of rescue writing. As a result, the vision of Gerry Anderson's creations have been brought back to modern day life.

This has to be the one of the most anticipated books this year. Gemini Force is the first book in a trilogy to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first broadcast of THUNDERBIRDS. There are two more books to come: 'Ghost Mine' in September 2015 and the final book in Spring 2016. Hopefully the book will be turned into a screen project, so that Anderson's legendary and iconic pioneering skills are shared with the world once more. 

GF1 is a fantastic mix of new and old. M.G. Harris has done an amazing job developing Anderson's trademark formula of ADVENTURE and RESCUE to inspire a new generation of fans. Whilst also enabling old fans like me to buzz back to my childhood days. It has everything that you would want and expect from a five star book. You'll soon find yourself rocketing to Tracey Island once you start this epic adventure. 

Ben Carrington is a 16 year old boy who is coming to terms with the death of his father. His grief propels him into the biggest adventure that a boy could ever imagine. In my opinion, the main character is written quite vaguely and may need to be further established in the next book. 

Gemini Force is an elite organisation that has been established by a rich entrepreneur. It is a secret organisation with the key aim of providing rescue services. Ben is determined to become part of that team, but he needs to prove to his mother first that he has got what it takes. 

The story arc in the first book is true to Anderson's magical ethics in every way. There is ACTION and drama in abundance. The cool technology is written particularly well and contains lots of detailed information. In other books this can sometimes be missed out or only briefly mentioned, but M. G. Harris utilises the opportunity to enhance the story effectively. 

The other quirky characters find themselves in a race against the clock - human limits are pushed through many exhilarating missions. The author holds no punches in the plot; things don't always go well and happy endings are not necessarily guaranteed. However, this is what makes this book so good - don't expect the expected! 

This series will definitely appeal to readers who love fast-paced action. Readers of the Young James Bond series and Alex Rider series should definitely search out this book. Older readers will find themselves reminiscing about the brilliant creations from Stingray, Captain Scarlet, UFO and the Terrahawks. I remember watching and enjoying all of these many years ago; each still have a little part to play in the book, but with a modern day update. This book will keep you on all of your toes as it full of many nail biting moments.  

LET THE ACTION GO....

Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars Final Winner 2014/15 - M. G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's - Gemini Force One

Mr Ripley's book cover wars final has now come to an end. After four exciting heats, we now have a worthy winner.......

As usual I would like to thank the many people who have supported the book cover wars. Although this idea is now in its sixth year I still find the whole process tremendously exciting! I hope that you too have had as much fun as I have - either as an observer or a contender.

Altogether 1,800 votes were cast over five weeks, which just highlights the interest that this competition generates. In the final there were 918 votes in total, amazing. Thank you all once again.

Without further ado I'd like to award the title of 'Mr Ripley's Book Cover Wars - Book Cover of the year 2014/15' to . . . . . . .  M. G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's Gemini Force One - Black Horizon - Cover by Blacksheep.
M.G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's book cover will be placed in the Ripley's Hall of Fame where it will accompany the following past winners:

2009/10 - Jon Mayhew 'Mortlock' 
2010/11 - Darren Shan 'Birth of a Killer' illustrated by David Wyatt
2011/12 - Curtis Jobling ''Werewolf: Shadow of the Hawk' illustrated by Andrew Farley
2012/13 - Thomas Taylor - 'Haunters' illustrated by Steve Wells 
2013/14 - Niel Bushnell - 'Timesmith' - illustrated by James Fraser & Kate Grove
2014/15  - M. G. Harris/Gerry Anderson's - 'Gemini Force One Black Horizon' - Cover by Blacksheep.

The winner of the signed Nick Park - Wallace and Gromit postcard competition is...... Lu Hersey. Congratulations to you - please get in touch with your postal details. 

EXCLUSIVE EARLY PEEK: M.G Harris - The Joshua Files 5: APOCALYPSE MOON book trailer 2012

We have a early sneak peek of the last book in the Joshua Files series. I'm very sad it's all coming to an end..... Thank you to M.G for letting us show you all this book trailer nice and early.


Something is very wrong with the 2012 Plan. Is it really on course to save the planet from the gigantic Electro-Magnetic Pulse that's due to shatter civilisation at the end of the year? After a narrow escape from US government agents Josh decides to risk his own life on a daring mission - a leap forward in time to discover the truth about 2012. He's jumped ahead far enough to glimpse a post-apocalyptic world in collapse. And to realise - it could be his destiny to stay.

M.G Harris - Joshua Files:BK 4 Dark Parallel - Book Review

                                

• Pages 388
• Published by Scholastic 
• Date 7 April 2011
• Age 11+
• ISBN 9781407111032

One boy. One deadly prophecy. One heart-stopping adventure. This is how the world will end: on 22 December, an electromagnetic pulse will blast through the atmosphere. Technology will fail. Civilization will fall apart. The key to survival lies in a secret Mayan book, protected by Josh and an ancient society. But someone has altered time. To put it back on track, Josh must unravel history itself and face the dangers of a dark, parallel reality. 


We are now on the fourth of Joshua's amazing adventures, with this epic time travel escapade being my favourite, so far. All of the stories feel very fresh, as different worlds and adventures are explored in each book. Whilst there is a little bit of story recapping in each new story (from the previous book) it is just enough to pull the story together. Therefore, if you happen to wander into this book before having read any of the others, you will still have a clear understanding of where the story is and what has happened beforehand.


This is another great action adventure which is oozing with Mayan culture. The book incorporates some amazing places, which Josh and Ixchel visit whilst time travelling from place to place, in order to save the world from the scrupulous villains of the Sect of Huracan. The Snake Kingdom is a particularly amazing historical and mythical place, it is written with such colourful and vivid imagery, that it will leave you breathless. I would have loved to have stayed longer and encountered this place over many more pages but instead, for me, this felt like a very brief encounter.


I really loved the turbulent history between Josh and Ixchel, who is such a great feisty and strong female character. She manages to hide her emotions and true feelings incredibly well. In fact, I found myself wanting to scream at them both,  as I wanted them to tell each other how they felt. However, this tension continually bubbled throughout the book and kept me frustrated until it was finally resolved.


In short, this is another great adrenalin rush of action that will leave every reader wanting more.  A joyous and compelling teenage read like no other. The pace of adventure will leave you feeling mildly exhilarated whilst gasping for breath. The question is, what will happen next to Josh and his friends?