VOYA
- Jay Wise
London-born teenage thief Danny Lipman breaks into a home fronting the Shadow Project, a CIA/MI6 operation that uses out-of-body experiences (OOBE) to gather intelligence in the global war on terror. Danny's break-in happens just as Opal, a teen Shadow Project operative, attempts to track the movements of the Wrath of God terror cell during an OOBE. Although Project agents have been trained to believe that they cannot be captured or feel pain during an OOBE, Opal is imprisoned in the remote nation of Lusakistan as a result of the machinations of Farrakhan, a Wrath of God mystic bent on using occult creatures and objects within the astral plain to accomplish his objectives. Danny, using previously unknown psychic abilities, is recruited to the cause and rescues Opal. The two teens then join Michael, a natural-born magician from Mali, to travel through an alternate dimension and regain the Spear of Destiny, the legendary lance used to pierce Jesus' side during his crucifixion, now under Farrakhan's control. Faerie Wars series author Brennan crafts a middle grade suspense novel that combines action, adventure, a hint of romance, and religious mysticism perfect for readers not yet ready for the Alex Rider or Pendragon series. Employing short, episodic chapters told from various characters' perspectives, this fast-paced thriller gives a feel similar to James Patterson's Alex Cross novels. The ending, though, is altogether too rushed and implausible given the vivid description of earlier events, while many unanswered questions leads one to believe a sequel is forthcoming. Reviewer: Jay Wise
Children's Literature
- Jamie Hain
Set in the British countryside around London, this fast-paced book follows teenager Danny Lipman as he breaks into the wrong house and inadvertently stumbles onto one of MI6's top-secret projects. Before long, Danny finds himself the project's newest recruit and in the middle of a supernatural adventure that is hundreds of years in the making. With the help of an ancient secret society, Danny and two other teenage project operatives use astral projection to battle evil forces and defeat the enemy. A complex plot full of twists and turns keeps readers guessing as to what will happen next. The well-developed characters make some of the more unrealistic points in the book more believable and add a bit of humor to this action story. This book would be a great addition to a library serving older middle and high school aged kids who enjoy books about the supernatural, espionage and adventure. Reviewer: Jamie Hain
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up—Danny Lipman is a young thief who stumbles into a clandestine operation that he does not immediately understand. The staff of the Shadow Project allows him to escape after deciding that he shows natural talent for their work but not before bugging his jacket. Danny soon learns that the project is a joint MI6/CIA venture that makes use of teen operatives to conduct remote viewing, a paranormal activity that allows agents to gather intelligence without risking themselves. Or so they believed. Opal, the director's daughter and a skilled operative in her own right, is somehow detained while on a mission and Danny is brought in to attempt a rescue. He is enticed to work for them, in part by their promise to provide the best possible care for his Nan, who has just had a stroke. From that point, nothing proceeds as Danny or anyone involved in the Shadow Project imagined. Given the number of spy novels and those on the entire spectrum of the paranormal battling for spots on young adult reading lists, this book was probably inevitable. It's exciting, has a good range of characters, an appealing cover, and also feels like a series opener, also inevitably. It should have broad appeal.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Kirkus Reviews
Danny's smart, independent . . . and a thief. One night, he breaks into what looks like a country mansion not too far from London only to stumble into the middle of a government experiment in astral projection and remote viewing-in other words, spying on terrorists from a safe distance. Recruited to join the project, he quickly finds out that things are not as they seem nor as safe as he'd been promised. "Remote" viewing gets up-close and personal, reaching out to include his frail grandmother as well as his new friends Opal (the director's daughter) and Michael (a descendent of African princes with secrets of his own). Some mysticism, a mean spiritual leader as the enemy, a touch of self-discovery and a look at the protagonists' deepest fears keeps the action moving. This is a quick, hard-to-put-down read, and if the premise seems improbable, there's just enough fact in the foundation to make it somewhat believable. It's all a bit too pat, but the interesting characters might well keep readers involved. Boys will be more attracted than girls, even with a central female teen character. (Science fiction. 10 & up)
The Horn Book
"The kind of mind candy that action/adventure junkies will gobble right up."
Booklist
"Fans of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider Books should be right at home."
