Summer Reading: Four Books Down, and It's Not Even July!
I haven't read four books yet, you understand, but a certain young member of my family has. I was impressed--until I learned he'd been reading Andrew Klavan's Homelanders series of four novels for young adults. Nobody can put down a book by Drew Klavan.
If you have kids at home yourself, you'll find reviews below.
And if you're Andrew Klavan, stop reading this and get back to work. Your readers want more.
In his book, The Last Thing I Remember, Andrew Klavan depicts Charlie West as an unknowing boy on the run from the authorities and from a terrorist group called the Homelanders. He cannot remember how he became associated with such horrendous people and can only wonder why he was being accused of a murder, which he cannot remember committing. My favorite part of this book was Charlie running across the bridge and the bomb exploding. This was a great book and I especially loved the memory loss that kept me turning pages. [That would be the character’s memory loss, not the reviewer’s.]
In Klavan's second book, The Long Way Home, Charlie West is forced to run from the police and escape the Homelanders in his attempt to tell his family he did not do any of the crimes he is accused of. HIs family believes him because they love him but the rest of the country cannot believe this. The country and the government believe he is a terrorist because he joined the Homelanders, when in reality he was an undercover agent for the U.S. He was sent into the Homelanders to infiltrate and gather information on future terrorist attacks. My favorite part of this book was the motorcycle chase when the cops were on his tail and he could barely get away to see his family.
In his third book, The Truth of the Matter, Charlie West finally meets Waterman, a U.S. government employee who sent Charlie on his mission with no permission from his superiors. Charlie took a drug that made him lose his memory over the last year. He takes anther drug that is extremely painful but will allow him to see his past over the last year.
He sees his memories in "memory attacks". These attacks are painful experiences where he seems to venture into the past as if he were there. My favorite part of this book is the moment when the Homelanders come into Waterman's compound and he is forced to fight them off only to have a memory attack and be captured.
The fourth book and my favorite is called The Final Hour. It is the stirring tale of Charlie West finally clearing his name and destroying the Homelanders plans of the Great Death. The Great Death is a terrorist attack of huge proportions where on New Years Day the Homelanders would release a deadly gas killing thousands in Time Square. My favorite part of this story is Charlie's desperate flight in the tunnels under New York. It is an intense experience where Charlie must dodge subways and shoot down oncoming terrorists.
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Comments :
Aug '10
Re: Summer Reading: Four Books Down, and It's Not Even July!
My nephew absolutely devoured these books, I have too. Great stuff.
Can't wait for the movies!
Sep '10
Re: Summer Reading: Four Books Down, and It's Not Even July!
Peter. Did you guys ever put together that list of Ricochet Readers' favorite books and if so where can I find it? thanks - andrew
Jun '11
Re: Summer Reading: Four Books Down, and It's Not Even July!
I have never read any of his books, but I had to watch every "Klavan on the Culture" I could after I saw one posted on Ricochet for the first time.
May '10
Re: Summer Reading: Four Books Down, and It's Not Even July!
Peter, you tease! That fourth book isn't available yet.
You got my hopes up. Then dashed them. Don't do that to me.