Overview
Kit and his parents are out sailing when things go horribly wrong. Fog rolls in; the compasses won't work; weird cries come from the sea. Then squalls force their boat against a giant rock. They manage to get to shore, but the dismal, almost barren island they're on provides no comfort. The only inhabitants are a brutal group of fundamentalists whose ancestors settled there long ago. For some reason they hate Kit the moment they see him.
But Kit has glimpsed someone else, a girl who seems to be wild. He's also seen a strange man who looks just like him, only older, with the same birthmark on his face. Kit goes in search of the girl, looking for answers to the eerie goings-on. He returns to find his parents gone and their tents torn to shreds. Have the islanders killed them? Kit sets off in a desperate search for them as he struggles for his own survival. Will the girl help him? And will he be able to escape the islanders, who clearly want to kill him?
Journey on a startling voyage into the unknown, where an ordinary teenage boy faces a world filled with malice and a terrifying vision of the future, in this haunting thriller from award winner Tim Bowler.
Synopsis
Kit and his parents are out sailing when things go horribly wrong. Fog rolls in; the compasses won't work; weird cries come from the sea. Then squalls force their boat against a giant rock. They manage to get to shore, but the dismal, almost barren island they're on provides no comfort. The only inhabitants are a brutal group of fundamentalists whose ancestors settled there long ago. For some reason they hate Kit the moment they see him.
But Kit has glimpsed someone else, a girl who seems to be wild. He's also seen a strange man who looks just like him, only older, with the same birthmark on his face. Kit goes in search of the girl, looking for answers to the eerie goings-on. He returns to find his parents gone and their tents torn to shreds. Have the islanders killed them? Kit sets off in a desperate search for them as he struggles for his own survival. Will the girl help him? And will he be able to escape the islanders, who clearly want to kill him?
Journey on a startling voyage into the unknown, where an ordinary teenage boy faces a world filled with malice and a terrifying vision of the future, in this haunting thriller from award winner Tim Bowler.
Timothy Capehart - VOYA
Fifteen-year-old Kit and his parents are on a sailing trip when bizarre things begin to happen. First fog, then rough seas, and then their instruments stop working and strange sounds echo over the sea. Their boat nearly sinks, but they manage to beach it on a strange island. The inhabitants, Skearlanders, are a cultish lot who detest Kit on sight. They give Kit and his parents one day to get off the island. Kit's parents vanish, and he seeks help from Ula, an outcast girl his age, and a supernaturally empowered man who resembles an older version of Kit himself. Constantly on the run from the Skearlanders and searching for his parents, Kit questions his sanity and the nature of reality. He escapes the island, rescues his parents from captivity imposed by the islanders, and learns to hope even in the face of a potentially awful future. Award-winning British novelist Bowler seems to have mixed one part ABC's Lost with one part Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and a final part Albert Camus to get this oddly compelling metaphysical adventure mystery. It will not be to everyone's taste. Adventure seekers might be a bit put off by Kit's constant questioning of reality, God, good, and evil. Horror and SF readers might not make it past the thick British sailing jargon. Those in either camp of the contemplative bent will be rewarded with an at times breakneck read. It is not for all collections, though, because of two scenes of near rape. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Margaret K. McElderry/S & S, 352p., Ages 12 to 18.
Editorials
KLIATT
Kit and his parents are shipwrecked on a bleak and peculiar island, where compasses and watches don't work and eerie cries rise from the sea. The island is inhabited by a hostile group of religious fundamentalists, and Kit witnesses them clubbing to death a strange man—a man who looks just like himself as an adult. Kit spots a young woman who seems like an outcast, and goes off to look for her in hopes that she will provide help. When he returns, his mother and father are gone, and Kit and the girl must figure out a way to evade the murderous inhabitants and find his parents. The suspense never lets up in this spooky, mesmerizing allegory by the award-winning British author of River Boy, Firmament, and other YA novels. Bowler's work has the mysterious, otherworldly quality of David Almond's novels, and this is a thrilling if violent survival tale that adventure and fantasy fans will enjoy. KLIATT Codes: S—Recommended for senior high school students. 2005, Simon & Schuster, McElderry, 352p., Ages 15 to 18.—Paula Rohrlick
VOYA
Fifteen-year-old Kit and his parents are on a sailing trip when bizarre things begin to happen. First fog, then rough seas, and then their instruments stop working and strange sounds echo over the sea. Their boat nearly sinks, but they manage to beach it on a strange island. The inhabitants, Skearlanders, are a cultish lot who detest Kit on sight. They give Kit and his parents one day to get off the island. Kit's parents vanish, and he seeks help from Ula, an outcast girl his age, and a supernaturally empowered man who resembles an older version of Kit himself. Constantly on the run from the Skearlanders and searching for his parents, Kit questions his sanity and the nature of reality. He escapes the island, rescues his parents from captivity imposed by the islanders, and learns to hope even in the face of a potentially awful future. Award-winning British novelist Bowler seems to have mixed one part ABC's Lost with one part Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and a final part Albert Camus to get this oddly compelling metaphysical adventure mystery. It will not be to everyone's taste. Adventure seekers might be a bit put off by Kit's constant questioning of reality, God, good, and evil. Horror and SF readers might not make it past the thick British sailing jargon. Those in either camp of the contemplative bent will be rewarded with an at times breakneck read. It is not for all collections, though, because of two scenes of near rape. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Margaret K. McElderry/S & S, 352p., Ages 12 to 18.—Timothy Capehart