Thursday, March 15, 2012

Stella Reviews: BZRK by Michael Grant

Synopsis:
Time is running out for the good guys. But what happens when you don’t know who the good guys really are?

Noah and Sadie: newly initiated into an underground cell so covert they don’t even know each other’s real names. Trained for combat on the nano level, they are thrust into a war they can barely grasp.

Vincent: feels nothing and cares for no one. Fighting a personal battle with Bug Man, the greatest nano warrior alive.

The Armstrong Twins: wealthy, privileged, fanatical. Are they the saviors of humanity or authors of the darkest conspiracy in history?

On one side: Charles and Benjamin Armstrong’s Nexus Humanus. On the other: a group of teen hackers who call themselves BZRK.

Twenty-first-century warfare that takes place on the macro and nano level for the highest stakes: humanity’s free will.

It’s time to choose sides.
Okay, below you will find a lovely review by my awesome sister. <3

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First off: Damn you Michael Grant! Just as I have a story in mind involving nanotechnology, you produce a masterpiece that surely makes mine look weak. I declare you the king of nanotech.


Now on to my review and I have one question to ask you.

What would you choose given the choice of free will or cohesiveness?

Well, basically this is what this book is about. In one corner you have a set of deformed, conjoint twins, manoeuvring their empire of nanobots. They believe that the world should be joined together, as a whole and thinking as one. Oh geez. I wonder where they got that idea. Anyways, here is how I picture the twins (obviously less bug like and more human but you get the idea.)
In the other corner, you have a group of kids in their teens and twenties running genetically-linked biots. They are similar to nanobots but when they die, they drag their "owners" into insanity. These people make up BZRK and Lear is the mysterious force that runs the whole thing. But don't let the title of this book fool you. They can well be the bad guys in this story.

This novel seemed like a cross between old-school Nikita and good ol' James Bond. Hardcore ass-kicking in all the right ways! Woohoo. :) I've never understood how books can be deemed as thrilling until now. My heart pounded through every chapter and nearly leapt out in certain places. WHEN I SAY THIS BOOK IS A THRILLER, I MEAN IT!

Moving on (Let me get a drink of water to calm down first). Michael Grant is back in his element, doing what he does best. Putting way-too realistic teenagers in crazy-ass circumstances that makes my fangirling heart pound like there is no tomorrow. I freaking love everything he writes. Sometimes I wonder how he is able to get teenagers just right. None of those gooey, I-am-trying-too-hard-to-appeal-to-teens YA characters. These characters are relatable. Not that I can identify myself in one of the characters; I see myself in bits and pieces of many different characters. That is what I love about MG. He is a genius when it comes to generating believable characters. I have taken a liking to almost every one of them, even when I shouldn't be rooting for them. Some of these characters I love to hate.

Juggling beyond multiple characters, Michael Grant this time has also created a magical nano-size world. If you didn't pay attention is biology or history class, my condolences to you because you will miss a lot. Thankfully, the years I have stuck it out in both of these subjects made comfortable reading some of the more demanding parts. Make sure to bring your imagination with you while reading this book because if you don't, you will not enjoy the trip around the medulla oblongata and the hippocampus. And you might want to brush up on your history of the feud between Carthage and the Roman Empire. Scipio to be more precise, (hopefully there is also a Hannibal coming and I don't mean Silence-of-the-Lambs-Hannibal).

One thing that might turn away some readers is the fact that this book is more mature than the GONE series. Be prepared for some swearing and some skin. But this is the 21st century and we are teens. Thank you Michael for not treating us like babies. We are aware of stuff like the f-word or how babies are made. People with issue about that:
In conclusion, I cannot wait another torturous year before BZRK 2 comes out. Eh, excuse me Mr. Grant. When you have the basic manuscript for BZRK 2 ready, give me a call.

P.S.: I totally love Ophelia. She is like an Indian version of Barbara Gordon A.K.A. Batgirl #1 A.K.A. The Oracle.

Recommend this book to fans of Nikita, 24 and James Bond.



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1 comment:

  1. Ack! If this is Michael Grant in his element then by golly, I'll be sure to enjoy this...even if he mildly scares me. Sometimes I don't know if he's just incredibly intuitive or he's teenager trapped inside a grown man's body. Thanks for the review. I can't wait to start this. I have this in my ever growing pile of tbr :)

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