Overview
ShadowStrike poisoned the water of Trinity Falls two months ago. Now the Trinity Four, the teens most affected by the poison, have been isolated in a remote mansion, under twenty-four-hour medical care while scientists on four continents rush to discover a cure. Meanwhile, U.S. operatives scour the world for the bioterrorists responsible for this heinous crime, as two teen virtual spies, also infected, hunt for the criminals on the Internet. The danger remains real—for ShadowStrike has every reason to pursue the Trinity Four, and their evil plan will unleash a new designer virus that’s even deadlier than the first.
Synopsis
ShadowStrike poisoned the water of Trinity Falls two months ago. Now the Trinity Four, the teens most affected by the poison, have been isolated in a remote mansion, under twenty-four-hour medical care while scientists on four continents rush to discover a cure. Meanwhile, U.S. operatives scour the world for the bioterrorists responsible for this heinous crime, as two teen virtual spies, also infected, hunt for the criminals on the Internet. The danger remains real—for ShadowStrike has every reason to pursue the Trinity Four, and their evil plan will unleash a new designer virus that’s even deadlier than the first.
Publishers Weekly
Plum-Ucci's underwhelming follow-up to Streams of Babel (2008) again explores the effects of bioterrorism on a group of teenagers who continue to suffer from being poisoned in an attack on their New Jersey town's water supply. The sequel picks up shortly after the first book, as Cora, Owen, Rain, and Scott deal both with the disease that threatens their lives and with the publicity associated with the attack. While the teenagers sort out their issues regarding their feelings for their parents (and each other), two teen hackers do their best to monitor the actions of ShadowStrike, the terrorist organization behind the attacks, whose members may be quite close. Unfortunately, as the narrative shifts among the six teenage characters, the story gets lost amid their angst, with pages and pages of introspection and miscommunication slowing down what little plot there is. The events that do take place often seem out of the characters' hands (excluding the denouement), with things simply happening to them, and the dialogue is rarely interesting enough to carry the book through these passages. Ages 14-up. (May)
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Plum-Ucci's underwhelming follow-up to Streams of Babel (2008) again explores the effects of bioterrorism on a group of teenagers who continue to suffer from being poisoned in an attack on their New Jersey town's water supply. The sequel picks up shortly after the first book, as Cora, Owen, Rain, and Scott deal both with the disease that threatens their lives and with the publicity associated with the attack. While the teenagers sort out their issues regarding their feelings for their parents (and each other), two teen hackers do their best to monitor the actions of ShadowStrike, the terrorist organization behind the attacks, whose members may be quite close. Unfortunately, as the narrative shifts among the six teenage characters, the story gets lost amid their angst, with pages and pages of introspection and miscommunication slowing down what little plot there is. The events that do take place often seem out of the characters' hands (excluding the denouement), with things simply happening to them, and the dialogue is rarely interesting enough to carry the book through these passages. Ages 14-up. (May)VOYA -
Fire Will Fall chronicles three fearful days at a safe house for the Trinity Four, four teens whose water was poisoned by the terrorist ShadowStrike. The teens, in uncertain health, are moved to an isolated estate for treatment and to await the capture and arrest of the bioterrorist group. Secretly aiding in the government's search are two teen virtual spies, Tyler and The Kid, who have motivation beyond their advocacy for the Trinity Four, as they, too, are victims of an attack. In their investigation, they uncover the terrorists' plans to unleash a newer, stronger virus called FireFall that will cause death and destruction in a matter of hours, beyond anything seen before. It is a mad rush to discover a cure for the Trinity Four and to find ShadowStrike before more lives are lost. Typical teen trials and tribulations are not shelved in the face of terrorist threats; the agonizing hormone levels are at times heavy handed, especially when captured through multiple narratives. However, the v-spies' narratives balance out the soap opera and also offer an exciting glimpse into hacking. Themes range from parent—child relationships to death and dying, but the overwhelming concern is power and powerlessness. The novel captures the anxiety and fear of being a victim and possibly still a target in a world where one has little agency as a minor. The teens find that they must claim authority, not only to overcome fear, but also to find a place in the adult world. Reviewer: Courtney Huse WikaChildren's Literature -
This book is a sequel to The Streams of Babel, in which the water was poisoned in a terrorist attack against Trinity Falls (Why Trinity Falls, you ask? Don't ask.) leaving four teens adrift in the world without parents, still sick from the effects of the poisoning. This novel is set two months after the events of the first novel, and the young people are still worried that they might be the subject of another attack. Although they are ill and don't know whether they will be alive in days to come, the four find relationships forming and blossoming as they remain isolated on a remote farm while secret agents and virologists from around the world work to find a cure and track down the minions of Shadow Strike, the group responsible for the first terrorist attack. Unbeknownst to the kids and their guardians, they are still very much in danger from Shadow Strike, which plans another even more vicious attack even as they are trying to adjust to their new living conditions and precarious health. Told in six alternating voices, four of them the teen protagonists, two boys and two girls, and two young secret agents/hackers who can penetrate the world of Shadow Strike, the book has an interesting premise and, at times, is quite engrossing. At other times, the plot drags and the constant change in voices is confusing. All the action takes place over a few days, set within a month of the original 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York City. The book is interesting enough to keep one reading and perhaps even to purchase the first one to find out how and why the kids got there. The relationships between the four teens are complex and ever-changing. The threat as described is intense and real. It's a good read, especially for fans of the science fiction subgenres of bioterrorism and doomsday scenarios. Reviewer: Myrna Dee MarlerSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—In Streams of Babel (Harcourt, 2008), a terrorist organization poisoned the drinking water of a small New Jersey town. Fire Will Fall begins two months after the events in that book. The four surviving teens have been released from the hospital but are not yet out of danger. Suffering from chronic health problems and under threat from those members of ShadowStrike who evaded capture, they are taken to an isolated mansion near the Jersey shore where they can recuperate under 24-hour guard while scientists around the world race to find a cure for the deadly virus to which they were exposed. In the meantime, members of USIC are working around the clock to find the terrorist cell before its members can strike again with a new and even deadlier biological weapon. The compelling characters, dramatic situations, and page-turning pace of this thriller will keep readers enthralled right up to the climax.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AKKirkus Reviews
It's spring of 2002, and the horrendous images of 9/11 remain all too vivid. But terrorism has struck again, in sleepy Trinity Falls, N.J., where the water supply was poisoned, killing two and harming many more. Four teens were severely sickened but are on the slow road to recovery, cared for by special medical teams and security agents in a safe house near the Jersey Shore. On Long Island, two talented young hackers continue to trace terrorist chatter, trying to track down the original culprits, who are all too clearly still active and intent on destroying America's sense of security. The terrorists are closer than anyone would have thought, and they have their sights set on the now famous Trinity Four. Whom can these kids trust? This sequel to the outstanding Streams of Babel (2008) more than lives up to its predecessor's standard. A taut read, it's hard to put down, with characters readers will care about and plenty of momentum. Humor is deftly woven into both character development and dialogue, lightening the mood at just the right spots. A must-read, all-too-contemporary page-turner. (Thriller. 14 & up)From the Publisher
"This sequel to the outstanding Streams of Babel (2008) more than lives up to its predecessor's standard. A taut read, it's hard to put down, with characters readers will care about and plenty of momentum. Humor is deftly woven into both character development and dialogue, lightening the mood at just the right spots. A must-read, all-too-contemporary page-turner."—Kirkus , starred review"Sexual tension and fragile relationships are part of the story as much as the terrorist hunt is, and the two couples’ fears about their own possible impending mortality will captivate a high-school audience."—Booklist