The Roar by Emma Clayton

Wow, guys, this book really hit me hard! I finished it on Monday but had to take a couple of days and think about it before writing about it. Not many books will make you do that.

The story takes place in the not-so-distant future. All the animals on earth have been killed off because of the terrible Animal Plague, when all the animals stared attacking and killing all the people. Not only were all the animals killed but all the trees, forests, and habitats destroyed so the animals would have no place to live. All the people on Earth were moved to England and placed behind The Wall to keep them safe from animals. Of course, there's not enough room for everyone, so they have to build cities on top of cities. The poorest live in the Shadows, under the foundations of the new cities, while the richest live in the Golden Turrets on top.

Pretty bleak, huh? Well, into that world are born twins, Ellie and Mika Smith. Mika lives with his parents in the poorer areas above The Shadows. Ellie died a year ago--or so they believe. The truth is that Ellie was captured by the bad guys. The book begins as Ellie escapes in a pod fighter and tries to go back to her family because she's learned The Secret, but then......well, if I told you, you'd know what happens, wouldn't you? You're just going to have to read it yourself to find out! But I guarantee that you'll be in for a wild ride! There is enough action to please the most die-hard fan!! You'll get so pulled into the story that you'll spend every spare minute reading to find out what going to happen to Ellie and Mika. And the author does keep you in a lot of suspense! You've got chases with pod fighters, attacks by killer animal borgs, strange mental powers, and deadly secrets. Emma Clayton has written a book that really gets a hold of you! It really had a hold on me!!!

Until---

The end.The end didn't quite satisfy me. The author put a twist at the end and I thought the book would go in a whole different direction. The rest of the story would have been more interesting if she'd stayed with it, but she went back to the original direction of the story and I was disappointed. Does this sond confusing? Well, I can't tell any more without giving away major secrets. (That means you'll have to read it and find out!) Does that mean I didn't like the book? Well, no. I was just disappointed.

BUT-----

I didn't stay disappointed. As I said, this book was so powerful, that I had to sit and think about it for a while. And after that, I realized that the author was trying to make some points with this book. AND, in order to make those points, she HAD to end this book that way. As I see it, Emma Clayton wanted to make a point about the ecology (which I totally agree with) and some about politics and economics (which I totally disagree with). Are you interested NOW?? Go find it and read it!

In fact, I'd love to hear what YOU think about it!! In double fact, I'll give a prize package to any guy who'll write about all this or come to Imaginon and talk wtih me about it. Especially if you let me video the discussion and put it on the blog. OK??? ESPECIALLY if you can tell me how the poem at the end helps the author make her point. And Extra Espescially if you can tell me who the Green Man is and why he's important to the author's point. Got that?

There aren't many books that could create this much talk. And there aren't many books that I'd write this much about. Many books that are full of action don't you think and a lot of those that make you think may not have much action. This is one of the few that does both. And to think that this is Emma Clayton's first book!!!!!!!

Carl
PS--The Roar has one of the most spectacularly BAD buys I've ever seen, Mal Gorman. Even his first name means "bad." Literally. Go find a dictionary and see.

The only other action-packed book that made me stop and think was The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell. Terrific book.