Overview
"The Fugitive" meets "Blade Runner" with a Kevin Brooks kick in this heart-stopper about a boy who discovers he's not one hundred percent human.It was just supposed to be a routine exam. But when the doctors snake the fiber-optic tube down Robert Smith's throat, what they discover doesn't make medical sense. Plastic casings. Silver filaments. Moving metal parts. In his naked, anesthetized state on the operating table, Robert hears the surgeons' shocked comments: "What the hell is that?"
"It's me," Robert thinks, "and I've got to get out of here." Armed with a stolen automatic and the videotape of his strange organs, he manages to escape, and to embark on an orphan's violent odyssey to find out exactly who--exactly what--he is.
Synopsis
It was just supposed to be a routine exam. But when the doctors snake the fiber-optic tube down Robert Smith's throat, what they discover doesn't make medical sense. Plastic casings. Silver filaments. Moving metal parts. In his naked, anesthetized state on the operating table, Robert hears the surgeons' shocked comments: "What the hell is that?"
"It's me," Robert thinks, "and I've got to get out of here." Armed with a stolen automatic and the videotape of his strange organs, he manages to escape, and to embark on an orphan's violent odyssey to find out exactly who—exactly what—he is.
Publishers Weekly
Brooks's (The Road of the Dead) latest novel wraps high-speed, adrenaline-laced adventure around a thought-provoking exploration of the very nature of identity and existence. A routine endoscopy goes terribly wrong for 16-year-old Robert when the camera discovers that the boy's belly is filled with a network of mysterious, inhuman machinery. Rousing himself from deep anesthetization, Robert calls on hitherto untapped inner powers to escape from a steely-eyed and sinister man called Ryan and others who seem to have been called in from a covert government agency. Robert finds himself accused of murder and, in desperation, lands on the doorstep of Eddi Ray, a young woman who specializes in producing thoroughly documented false identities. Soon Robert and Eddi flee the English chill and gloom (so vividly evoked by Brooks that the icy drizzle is nearly palpable) for a new life-and eventually romance-in sunny southern Spain. A tantalizingly open-ended conclusion invites speculation long after the book's finish. Though readers who have patiently waited for the answer to whether Robert is "robot, automaton, android, cyborg, beast, machine, [or] alien" may initially be frustrated, they will likely be satisfied by an ending that feels true to his character. Expect a wild ride from this desperado romance. Ages 12-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Brooks's (The Road of the Dead) latest novel wraps high-speed, adrenaline-laced adventure around a thought-provoking exploration of the very nature of identity and existence. A routine endoscopy goes terribly wrong for 16-year-old Robert when the camera discovers that the boy's belly is filled with a network of mysterious, inhuman machinery. Rousing himself from deep anesthetization, Robert calls on hitherto untapped inner powers to escape from a steely-eyed and sinister man called Ryan and others who seem to have been called in from a covert government agency. Robert finds himself accused of murder and, in desperation, lands on the doorstep of Eddi Ray, a young woman who specializes in producing thoroughly documented false identities. Soon Robert and Eddi flee the English chill and gloom (so vividly evoked by Brooks that the icy drizzle is nearly palpable) for a new life-and eventually romance-in sunny southern Spain. A tantalizingly open-ended conclusion invites speculation long after the book's finish. Though readers who have patiently waited for the answer to whether Robert is "robot, automaton, android, cyborg, beast, machine, [or] alien" may initially be frustrated, they will likely be satisfied by an ending that feels true to his character. Expect a wild ride from this desperado romance. Ages 12-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.KLIATT -
When 16-year-old Robert goes into the hospital for a routine test, he wakes up on a gurney to hear doctors exclaiming, "What the hell is that?" Inside him there are strange, moving plastic and metal parts, and a menacing man named Ryan is insisting the doctors cut him open. Robert grabs Ryan's gun and takes off. He's both puzzled and horrified by the mystery of what's inside him, and he's trying to hide from Ryan, who is pursuing him. Robert ends up in London at the flat of an acquaintance, an attractive young woman named Eddi. Eddi makes fake IDs, and while at first the two find it hard to trust each other, their experiences on the run from Ryan bring them together and they eventually fall in love. They hide out in a sleepy village in southern Spain, but even there Ryan hunts them down. There's no lack of suspense in this gritty, exciting thriller by the acclaimed author of Martyn Pig, The Road of the Dead, and other novels for YAs, but the ending begs for a sequel. We never find out what the mysterious stuff inside Robert is, nor who exactly Ryan is and what it is he wants. Violence and some adult language and sex (not very explicit) make this more suitable for older teens; in general, this comes across more as an adult thriller than a YA novel, but the age of the protagonist gives it YA appeal.VOYA -
Teens grapple with who they are and what will become of them as a matter of course in adolescence, but Robert Smith's dilemma is significantly more complicated. When a gastrointestinal symptom sends this sixteen-year-old foster child to the hospital for tests, the endoscopy reveals mechanical parts within his body. The real world suddenly takes on a science-fiction, suspenseful mode, and adults assemble as enemies with unexplained secrets. Anesthesia, botched surgeries, violence, murder, and a fight for survival ensue while questions of trust, friendship, and mortality pulse through this confused young man's head. Who is Robert Smith, where has he spent his solitary childhood, and who is responsible for the steel microchip inside him? Danger follows him from car chases to hotel rooms until he thankfully meets up with Eddi. A drug-using criminal with a fake passport business, she becomes a paragon of virtue in comparison to the crowd that is ruthlessly after Robert. Gruesome scenes in gloomy British surroundings provide the backdrop for provocative questions about "being"-physically, emotionally, and rationally. Eddi and Robert find themselves in a sexual relationship after fleeing to Spain, but their safety is not secure. Sadness and frustration pervade this lively page-turner, and Robert's future is surely uncertain.Children's Literature -
Robert Smith is a 16-year-old orphan who lives in Essex, England. At the hospital, Robert has a routine endoscopy done to examine his stomach, and the results turn his world upside down. What the doctor's record on tape is baffling: "nonhuman." Robert wakes up to find his still opened gut and men with guns. Ryan, the leader of the threatening men, is dressed in a black suit and has an unnerving look. Despite his being cut open, Robert escapes from the hospital, looking for help from Eddie, a girl he met briefly. Following Robert and Eddie's attempts to do all they can to be rid of Ryan, the story's pace is immediately noticeable: despite the slow pace of the opening of the book, the pace significantly picks up and results in a very fast paced work of fiction. Not knowing what or who he is anymore, Robert's inner struggle over his identity is fascinating. Able to suck its reader into the story, there is something for everyone in this novel: action, science, suspense, and romance. Reviewer: Sara TouchetSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 UpA lonely teen, Robert Smith finds himself involved in events totally out of his control. A foster kid with a stomachache, he arrives at the hospital alone for a routine endoscopy. Not fully anesthetized, he hears the doctors claim that his insides aren't human. Unidentified men with guns swarm in, Robert bolts, and finds himself on the front page of the newspaper accused of stabbing one of the doctors. His subsequent flight begins a grisly string of events where murder, alcohol, and fear abound. Conveniently the one person Robert runs to, Eddi, the ex-girl of an acquaintance's brother, not only takes him in but is an expert in creating fake IDs. With a duffle full of cash from her business, they escape England to her house in Spain. In Tejeda, the young people find love and begin a "normal" life together until the men in suits show up and destroy it all. Scattered throughout the novel are Robert's existential questions, "How do I know anything is real?" This is surreal science fiction with a dismal ending. Loose ends abound, so many that readers are left feeling cheated. Who or what Robert is are never made clear; nor is the identity of the men who are after him.
—Kathy LehmanCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
During a routine exam, 16-year-old Robert Smith feels the scalpel's slice and helplessly views metal and plastic parts inside his stomach wall. Who, or what, is he? Like a character from Robin Cook's medical thrillers, the teen breaks out of anesthesia, throws down with the bad guys and executes a daring escape. Trusting nobody, Robert decides to hide out with Eddi, a former acquaintance. His protector is a 19-year-old master criminal running her own fake ID business. Here the story grinds to a glacial pace and the author turns his suspense story into a character-driven work. Over 200 pages feature Robert droning on about his current dilemma, mysterious background and destiny. Eddi and Robert have roles more like cloak-and-dagger spies than frightened teens, and conflicts are easily solved. The story limps along until the final 18 explosive pages. After being teased by early suggestions of an action story, readers may be satisfied by the gruesome ending. However, it's more likely that once the opening premise fades, teens will give up on this title. (Fiction. YA)From the Publisher
HB During a routine endoscopy, a doctor finds something inside Robert that makes no sense -- metal filaments, pipes, and wires, all hidden under a casing designed to fool such mundane exams. Escaping the sinister men who order a doctor to "cut that thing open," Robert teams up with Eddi, a charismatic thief with her own agenda. Being operates at top speed, at once a conventional chase adventure, a psychological thriller, and a romance. While the duo alternately hides and flees, Robert struggles to come to terms with his apparent inhumanity; and as his relationship with Eddi evolves from distrust to companionship (an element of sweetness that lightens an otherwise bleak tale), he uses it to convince himself that he's just like everyone else: "I looked like a human. I thought and felt like a human. Did it matter that I wasn't a human?" Poetic descriptions of Robert's mysterious hardware are terrifying and beautiful -- within him resides "a subatomic dome, a dark cathedral, a perfect abomination" -- and shade the book with a tense self-loathing. More than his pursuers, Robert is running from himself. A lifelong foster kid, both his street smarts and vague past are entirely believable, making his disorientation that much more powerful. Brooks takes the fantasy of being special -- Robert is uniquely strong and possessed of a singular, if shrouded, heritage -- and mines its dark side with grit, compassion, and intrigue. CLAIRE E. GROSSKirkus During a routine exam, 16-year-old Robert Smith feels the scalpel's slice and helplessly views metal and plastic parts inside his stomach wall. Who, or what, is he? Like a character from Robin Cook's medical thrillers, the teen breaks out of anesthesia, throws down with the bad guys and executes a daring escape. Trusting nobody, Robert decides to hide out with Eddi, a former acquaintance. His protector is a 19-year-old master criminal running her own fake ID business. Here the story grinds to a glacial pace and the author turns his suspense story into a character-driven work.
Over 200 pages feature Robert droning on about his current dilemma, mysterious background and destiny. Eddi and Robert have roles more like cloak-and-dagger spies than frightened teens, and conflicts are easily solved. The story limps along until the final 18 explosive pages. After being teased by early suggestions of an action story, readers may be satisfied by the gruesome ending. However,
it's more likely that once the opening premise fades, teens will give up on this title. (Fiction. YA)
. . .
PW Starred Brooks's (The Road of the Dead) latest novel wraps high-speed, adrenaline-laced adventure around a thought-provoking exploration of the very nature of identity and existence. A routine endoscopy goes terribly wrong for 16-year-old Robert when the camera discovers that the boy's belly is filled with a network of mysterious, inhuman machinery. Rousing himself from deep anesthetization, Robert calls on hitherto untapped inner powers to escape from a steely-eyed and sinister man called Ryan and others who seem to have been called in from a covert government agency. Robert finds himself accused of murder and, in desperation, lands on the doorstep of Eddi Ray, a young woman who specializes in producing thoroughly documented false identities. Soon Robert and Eddi flee the English chill and gloom (so vividly evoked by Brooks that the icy drizzle is nearly palpable) for a new life-and eventually romance-in sunny southern Spain. A tantalizingly open-ended conclusion invites speculation long after the book's finish. Though readers who have patiently waited for the answer to whether Robert is "robot, automaton, android, cyborg, beast, machine, [or] alien" may initially be frustrated, they will likely be satisfied by an ending that feels true to his character. Expect a wild ride from this