Review: Alien Storm by A.G. Taylor

A freak virus released by a meteorite storm has given Sarah, Robert and their friends amazing superpowers. But such powers are both a blessing and a curse…

Deadly meteorites are heading to earth but mysterious Russian billionaire Nikolai Makarov seems gleeful. What is his secret and can the group of friends thwart his master plan?

Meteorite Strike by A.G. Taylor was one of the first books that I was sent by a publisher, about a month after I started writing this blog. I loved that book and felt that it elevated Mr Taylor straight into the list of must-read authors for boys. I have lost count of the number of times I have recommended this book to boys at school, every one of whom has come back wanting more. Of course, I have then had to carefully break the news that the sequel was not out yet. Those days will fortunately soon be gone as Alien Storm, the sequel to Meteorite Strike, is due to be published at the end of November. I consider myself very fortunate to have been sent a proof of Alien Storm, and my thanks go out to the generous people at Usborne.

In case you have not yet discovered Meteorite Strike (shame on you), that book told the story of a meteor landing in the Australian outback, causing the majority of the local population to fall into a coma-like sleep, whilst certain young individuals found themselves developing what can only be described as superpowers. Naturally, there are always going to be other individuals who want to exploit the unusual, and main characters Sarah and Robert found themselves up against the ruthless leader of HIDRA. The publishers liken the story to X-men meets Heroes, and that's as good an analogy as any other.

Without giving too much away, the story has now moved on and Sarah, Robert and their small group of superhuman friends are eking out a pretty miserable existence in a run down apartment block in Melbourne, whilst they make preparations to flee the country to somewhere far away where they can feel safe. However, there are other youngsters with powers causing problems throughout the country and so keeping a very low profile is paramount if they are to stay off the radars of HIDRA and the evil Major Bright. They aren't helped a great deal by the appearance in their lives of Alex, a boy who has his own power, that of invisibility. Alex has been receiving mysterious communications from the equally mysterious Nikolai Makarov, a Russian billionaire who claims he can keep Alex and the other safe. Needless to say the young group soon find themselves fleeing for their lives (again), but is it a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire?

Just as I was settling in to read what I thought was another high-octane superhero action story from A.G Taylor the story takes a very sudden turn, and becomes far more (classical) science fiction orientated than its predecessor. There is a shower of deadly meteoroids heading for Earth, seemingly guided by something or someone and it is down to our young heroes to prevent a global catastrophe. Surely a challenge such as this is too huge for a bunch of kids who are still only just coming to terms with their relatively new powers? This premise makes the an even more exciting read than the author delivered with Meteorite Strike, and takes the reader on a nerve wracking ride filled with exciting action sequences and more moments of nail-biting tension that you will find in many a Hollywood action film.

As with every sequel to a fantastic debut book, as a reader I was wondering whether the author would be able to maintain the quality and keep me interested and loving the story as much as I did the first. These fears were laid to rest very quickly; the first book was very much about introducing the characters and the plot was the driving force. Whilst the plot is still a key element to my enjoyment of Alien Storm, it was the character development in this book that had me hooked. These are young people, with no adults to guide them either in life or in the means of handling strange new powers, and so we start to see how they handle this on their own. Who emerges as a natural leader? Who feels jealous at this? Who is happy to work as part of a team and who wants to do things their own way? Who will be loyal to their friends when all seems lost, and who will be tempted into the arms of the enemy? A.G. Taylor manages all of this with seemingly consummate ease, and delivers a group of well-formed and realistic characters that young readers will be able to associate with, and will root for until the very last page of the book.

Another aspect I liked about this book was the way the author takes his characters to a very different location from the one they experienced in the first book. Gone is the burning, dry heat of the Australian outback and instead our heroes find themselves in the frozen wastelands of Chutotka, Siberia. As well as the shift in location he also keeps the story fresh by changing the foes that Sarah and her friends find themselves up against - in the first book their battles were largely against human aggressors, in Alien Storm it is vicious robot dogs (as wonderfully pictured on the stunning book cover above). At no point as a reader are you left with a feeling of 'more of the same', which can be the case with less accomplished writers. 

As he did with its predecessor, the author ends Alien Storm in a nice tidy manner, with the main plot of the book coming to a satisfactory end, yet leaving us a nice mouthwatering cliffhanger as far as the main story arc is concerned. I can only guess as to when the next instalment will be released, and my guess would be probably sometime in late 2011 - if I get any more information rest assured I will share it with you here. Alien Storm is perfect for readers in the 10+ age category, and is scheduled to be released on 26th November but I would be very surprised if it didn't start to appear on book shop shelves before then.

** Interview with A.G. Taylor (author of Meteorite Strike)

Last month I wrote a review of A.G. Taylor's brilliant debut novel, Meteorite Strike, the first book in his Superhumans series. Mr Taylor was kind enough to answer a few questions for this blog. This is the first author interview on my blog and I hope it is the first of many; if you are an author of boy-friendly books and would be happy to answer a few questions I would love to hear from you.

How did you get the idea for Meteorite Strike?

I moved from England to live in Australia about four years ago and the first time I flew over the country was a real experience – you have no concept of the size of Oz until you’ve been here. It’s a country into which you could fit most of Europe! I began thinking that it would be interesting to write a story about a virus outbreak set in the middle of all that emptiness. Once I started writing, however, the idea of the virus giving the main characters superpowers came along and the story took a different direction.

Meteorite Strike is the first book in your Superhumans series. Do you know how many books you hope to have in the series and have you plotted out the storylines for these already?

I’ve already written the sequel, Alien Storm, and have some clear ideas in my mind for the third book. Although the first three books are a kind of trilogy, I have no set number for the series. As long as people are interested in reading new Superhumans instalments, I’ll keep writing them because I love the characters!

What do you see as the main influences on your writing?

There’s a great tradition of stories about young people who develop superpowers and the issues they face - I’m thinking of Marvel comic books such as X-Men and Spiderman here, but also recent TV series such as Heroes and Smallville. I’m glad that the Superhumans series is part of that tradition and I hope it offers some new twists on the genre.

I also love computer games and am excited about the way they’ve become more sophisticated in terms of plot and characters over the past few years. The recent Uncharted 2, for example, had especially great dialogue and a gripping story, although my all-time favourite is the Half-Life series. (Half Life’s evil military organisation, The Combine, has a lot in common with my bad guys, HIDRA!) I think the way these games mix fast-paced action with plot and character development is really effective and I try to replicate that in my writing.

How did you carry out the research when writing Meteorite Strike? Did you discover any really interesting facts during your research that you would like to share with us?
 
Researching Meteorite Strike was a lot of fun. It involved getting to know Australia by visiting some of the locations that later featured in the book. The Twelve Apostles, which appears at the end of the story, was one of the first places I visited when I arrived in Oz. The “Apostles” are huge limestone stacks that stand off the coast of Victoria. It’s a very atmospheric place – here’s one of my photos of them (taken at about 6 in the morning):

Another great place I visited was the Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia. It’s about three hours north of the nearest city and is filled with hundreds of strange-shaped rocks jutting out of the sand. It gave me lots of ideas for the desert sequences in the book - again, there’s a great feeling of emptiness in these places. Here’s a pic (it was VERY hot that day):

“Research” for the book was an interesting activity!

Do you have a favourite author? What really appeals to you about their work?
 
I’ve been a big fan of Philip K. Dick since I was in my teens. He wrote incredibly imaginative sci-fi novels and has influenced lots of Hollywood films, such as The Matrix and The Terminator. The thing I love about his books is that you never know what is going to happen next. My favourite of his novels is called UBIK - halfway through, the main characters discover they were all killed a few chapters before, which is pretty typical in one of these books! Philip K. Dick’s short stories are great too and probably the best way to get into his writing.

Are there any books or authors that you would recommend fans of your books to read? 

If you like superhero books and films, you should try some graphic novels. I grew up reading 2000AD and Alan Moore, one of its regular contributors, went on to write some classics. The compilation Alan Moore’s DC Universe is a good introduction to some of his early work – there’s a great Superman/Swamp Thing story included. Frank Miller’s Year One and The Dark Knight Returns are also favourites of mine.

Can you recommend one book that you think every boy should read at some point?
 
When I was 13, I read Lord of the Flies by William Golding and it had a big effect on me. It’s about a group of boys stranded on a desert island. Without any adults around, they’re free to create their own rules, but eventually they revert to a pretty savage state. This is a scary book, but it’s very well written and has a lot to say. It makes you wonder how you would behave if you were in the shoes of one of the boys on that island.

Meteorite Strike has been described as cinematic by one reviewer. Are you a big movie fan, and which films, if any, do you think have influenced your work?
 
I’m a film fanatic, but I especially love action and sci-fi movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of my favourite films as a kid. I loved it because the action didn’t let up from beginning to end - I used to watch it over and over again! In the last ten years superhero movies like Ironman, The Dark Knight and X-Men 2 have really raised the standard for comic book adaptations and these were a big influence on Meteorite Strike.

Colonel Moss and Major Bright are pretty nasty villains. Who would you like to play them if Meteorite Strike was made into a movie?
 
When I was writing the book I had the mental image of an older actor like Ed Harris or Jeff Bridges (who was the bad guy in Ironman) playing Colonel Moss. It would have to be someone who looks like he’s used to giving orders and having them followed. Major Bright is younger and even meaner, so it would be exciting to see an actor like Christian Bale (Batman) take a break from hero roles to play him.

Can you give us any hints as to what we can expect from your next book in the series, Alien Storm?
 
The second book is about Sarah, Robert and their friends coming to terms with their powers and using them to combat a threat to the entire planet. Most of Alien Storm is set in a very desolate, hostile part of Russia and it introduces some new enemies for the team to face – however, one of the bad guys from the first book is back and still causing trouble!

Is there anything else you would like to say to your readers?
 
I hope you enjoy reading Meteorite Strike as much as I enjoyed writing it! You can visit my website at www.agtaylor.net or find me on twitter at twitter.com/ag_taylor for updates and news about the Superhumans series.


Thank you for your time Andrew, it is very much appreciated. Meteorite Strike is published by Usborne and is scheduled for release in the UK on 29th January 2010.

Review: Meteorite Strike by A.G. Taylor

Sarah and Robert are sure their number is up when their aeroplane crashes over the Australian desert. But this is no ordinary air disaster. A meteorite strike has impacted Earth, bringing with it a deadly alien disease. Thousands fall victim to the virus, falling into a deep coma. Luckily, Robert and Sarah appear to be unaffected - until they begin to exhibit some extraordinary psychic side-effects. This quickly makes them a target for HIDRA, a rogue international agency determined to experiment on them like lab rats in an attempt to control their superpowers. Before long, the children are captured in HIDRA's secret desert HQ, a prison for superhuman kids who can control fire, create storms and tear steel with their minds. This new generation of superheroes must join forces if they are to escape HIDRA. But what kind of world awaits them outside?

Watch out Walden, Craig and Muchamore.... there's a new kid on the block and he's good. Thanks to the generous folks at Usborne I managed to Twitter win/blag a copy of the first book in Mr Taylor's Superhumans series, and I enjoyed it immensely. Amazon.co.uk have it scheduled for a 29th January 2010 publication date so not too long to wait for this.

The premise is not eaxctly original - groups of young people developing superpowers and learning how to use them has been seen a lot in the last decade, with the X-Men movies and then the Heroes TV series. Joe Craig has covered some similar ground with his Jimmy Coates series, as has Sophie McKenzie with her Meduda Project. So, having seen it all before, what made this book so enjoyable? Firstly the pace - Mr Taylor really does deliver a white-knuckle ride full of tense action scenes. Without giving too much away, the climatic battle scene is a real page-turner; I was late picking my wife up from the station because I really wanted to see how things were brought to a conclusion for our heroes. Ooops!

His characters are also very believable and, for a debut novel, I was impressed with how quickly I became involved in their story. The relationship between brother and sister Sarah and Robert is well observed - their mother has recently died and long-absent father is suddenly on the scene to look after them, creating tension and confusion, with a healthy dose of mistrust on Sarah's part. Mr Taylor uses the events in the story well to help bring these characters together. I also liked the fact that unlike Sarah and Robert, the majority of people in the story have no immunity to this virus from outer space - an original concept that adds another element to the traditional kids with super powers premise.

The Bookseller has described Meteorite Strike as a "...heart-racing, breath-stopping thriller. There’s a cinematic quality to this adrenaline-fuelled adventure." and I can agree with this whole-heartedly. This is most definitely a book that will appeal to action-loving boys of all ages. It is also the first in a new series, with the second book, Alien Storm, scheduled for release later in 2010.