The Barnes & Noble Review
Artemis Fowl creator Eoin Colfer hits readers with this high-energy stand-alone novel about an orphan whose ability to see supernatural creatures lands him in an out-of-this-world adventure. Set in Satellite City in the third millennium, Colfer's book follows Cosmo Hill, a resident of the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. There, Cosmo's life is basically a living nightmare: The boys are test monkeys for pharmaceutical companies, and they have to put up with a nasty overseer named Marshal Redwood. But when Cosmo learns from a rogue group of kids ("The Supernaturalists") that he can spot invisible, energy-sucking parasites like the rest of them, he escapes Clarissa Frayne for a life of destroying parasites -- until the discovery of a high-level government secret spins the group in a harrowing new direction. As in his Artemis books, Colfer spins an action-packed thriller loaded with fantastic gadgetry and surprises at every turn, marking his plot with characters who aren't always to be trusted. Comparable to the movie Blade Runner with Dickens thrown in, Colfer's super-octane read will keep his legions of followers ultra charged up for more futuristic fun. Matt Warner

Colfer's hard-luck tale will likely delight fans of his wildly popular Artemis Fowl series with its similar emphasis on high-tech gadgetry and fast-paced action. Set in the near future, the story concerns 14-year-old Cosmo Hill, an orphan living in Satellite City. The metropolis, a dystopia named for the metal Big Brother (a Myishi 9 Satellite) orbiting above it, offers "everything the body wanted, and nothing the soul needed." With no sponsor a detached figure which has replaced parents Cosmo ends up in an orphanage where he and other unwanted children become "guinea pigs" for food and drug testing. He escapes the orphanage soon after the novel opens, survives a brush with death and learns that he is a "Spotter" with the rare ability to see Parasites, small blue creatures that allegedly steal energy from wounded humans. Along come the Supernaturalists, a team of vigilantes, all of them also Spotters, who spend their nights roaming the streets and blasting Parasites. The story starts to get interesting late in the game, when the author reveals the true nature of the Parasites and why a mega-corporation with designs on their unique abilities has mounted a misinformation campaign against them. But the journey is uncharacteristically sluggish, especially during a lengthy scene involving rival gangs racing souped-up cars. Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Gr 6 Up-A suspenseful, cautionary science fiction tale. In a future dystopia, cities have become for-profit businesses. Orphanages are not exempt from the struggle to make money, and at the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, kids are forced to endure product testing and frequently end up injured as a result. With orphans facing an average life expectancy of 15, 14-year-old Cosmo Hill knows that he is on borrowed time. Unfortunately, his escape attempt nearly proves fatal. While he's lying there dying, a small, hairless blue creature lands on his chest and begins to feed. He is rescued by the Supernaturalists, a motley crew of young people who have dedicated their lives to destroying the Parasites, which feed on the essence of the living. Cosmo joins the group as a Spotter, someone who can actually see the creatures and thus destroy them. However, facts soon emerge that cause the Supernaturalists to question everything they believe in. Is it possible that the Parasites don't feed off of the energy of dying people, but remove pain? Are they actually beneficial to society? The plot's twists and turns will keep readers totally engrossed until the last page. Colfer's futuristic world seems plausible; his characters have strengths, flaws, and histories that account for their points of view. The ending is satisfying yet open to the possibility of a sequel. For anyone who loves science fiction, or just an engrossing story, this novel is a must-read.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

In the future's Satellite City, where everything's controlled by an enormous satellite, a plot-twisting adventure includes supernatural creatures, a disenfranchised band of Supernaturalists, and abundant use of futuristic weapons. Fourteen-year-old Cosmo escapes from an orphanage that uses boys as medical and commercial lab rats and meets three people racing around rooftops on a mission. The mission: electrically zapping ghostlike blue creatures at accident scenes before the creatures drain people's life force. Stefan is the leader, Mona the mechanic, and Ditto-a 28-year-old genetic experiment with a six-year-old's body-the medic. Character motivations often serve plot and exposition, but the action is nonstop. Most memorable are the corporate and police structures and weapons (including a slug shot that wraps its victim instantly in cellophane, requiring a vat of acid for removal) and the intriguing, philosophically elusive nature of the blue supernatural creatures. (Science fiction. 10-14)

Two features jump out to the listener of this YA science fiction novel. The first is that narrator Chiwetel Ejiofor performs brilliantly. He captures the cast of characters, teens who are forced to grow up fast because of the predicament they find themselves in. Ejiofor’s accents are convincing, his timing impeccable. The second is that the story itself reads a bit like a futuristic OLIVER TWIST with its focus on orphans trying to survive in a brutal orphanage. In this case, the orphans are used as experimental guinea pigs for dangerous products; most don’t live beyond the age of 15 and die cruel deaths. Colfer’s imaginative story asks thoughtful questions that teens will enjoy pondering. S.D. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine