Lemurkat's Library

Havoc
Chris Wooding
Malice series bk 2
http://www.chriswooding.com/

Genre: steam/cyberpunk/modern day
Audience: Ages 10+ (although probably more geared at teen)
Rating: 4/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this second half of the "Malice" duology*. Wooding has stepped away from the somewhat Japanese/anime feel of his earlier books and into a league of his own. Well, maybe not quite a league of his own - it's one he shares with China Mieville. A world of dark technology, strange devices, creepy, mysterious villains and a pervading feeling of ultimate doom. Tension and intrigued are maintained throughout this novel, where text is interspersed with graphic novel scenes.

"Malice" starts with a comic book. But not one you can buy off a shelf. No, the "Malice" comic book is often talked about but rarely found. Copies of it are difficult to find, and can lead to more trouble than they are worth. Within the pages of these books is a dark character, known as Tall Jake. There is a ritual to contact him - to call for this mysterious man to come and take you away. And if you follow it - be it in jest or be it with real intent, Jake will listen. And he will come for you. Sometimes he might make you wait a week or a year, but after performing the ritual, you will know that you are living on borrowed time. For the adventures featured in the comic book are not stories. They are the truth, and if you are really (un)lucky, you might earn yourself a starring role...

If you like dark, creepy dystopic worlds where kids rule the roost, then this is the book for you. But be warned - it is not advisable to read it after dark. Unless you want to have really wicked dreams. Or no sleep at all.

And here were my views on:

Malice
A nicely creepy, dark cyber-fantasy for young adults. Although it got off to a somewhat shakey start, it quickly picked up the past and dragged me into the dingy, almost steampunk world of Malice. Intermingling with comic book pages is a clever idea, however, some parts proved a little difficult to read (I work better with words than pictures). As it did not really build to much in the way of a climax, it left me feeling faintly unfulfiled, but eager for the next instalment, "Havoc". Intriguing and original ideas.

* It's in two parts cos it was too long for one book. Wooding says so himself. That explains the rather abrupt ending I made note of above.

OOOOOH , there's gonna be a MOVIE! I hope they don't make a trainwreck of it. I bet it will be in 3d...