The Host

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

A Love That Refuses To Fade!

In all the planets she had lived on, all the species she had lived as, Wonderer had never before experienced such emotion, such violence and such resistance as she did with her human host. It wasn't supposed to be this way, the human hosts previous consciousness was supposed to fade away. But this human Melanie, her new host, wasn't leaving without a fight.

Melanie was a constant presence in her mind, a loud, angry and strong presence, trapped inside her who refused to fade away, refused to give up her secrets, refused to let go of the person she once was, of the people she loved most. Wonderer knew all this, felt all this and couldn't help being influenced by her hosts body, couldn't help loving those Melanie had loved.

The choice to venture off alone to find the humans that Melanie and she both love is really no choice at all, despite the fact that the humans are dangerous, violent creatures. But when she finds these humans they both love, they see only the monster who has taken their Melanie from them. Although Melanie still exists inside her, is it really possible for Wonderer to go on living as two people.

The Host is a science fiction romance that goes the heart of what it is to be human. A love story at the end of the world, where humans as we know them are being hunted to extinction, their very consciousness being replaced by alien souls. This is the story of one souls experience of humanity, the violence, the emotions, the irrational natures and the love that is the only hope humans have left.

Stephanie Meyer Webpage

Stephanie Meyer @ Hachette

On sale: 01 February 2012
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9780751550979
Recommended age: 15+
In a word: Wanderer
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Point 4 #2

POINT 4:
1.4 (One.Four) by Mike Lancaster

Reminded!

The Straker Tapes were recorded nearly a thousand years ago and although the record has survived, although there are those who believe in these events with increasing numbers, the sad truth is that this is nothing more then a hoax, a dream with no scientific proof to back up these claims. This is what Peter Vincent believes because it is what his father has taught him to believe. But what if everything he believed was a lie?

The Link has existed for as long as anyone can remember. It connects us all to each other with little more then a thought, it stores our memories, records our thoughts, contains our history, it defines who we are and the world we live in. But the Link is not limitless, not infallible, and not unable to be hacked. Memories can be altered, thoughts can be stolen and history can be rewritten. When who we are can change in an instant, all we can do is tell our story and hope we are remembered.

1.4 is an upgrade from the Straker Tapes to the Vincent Files. Although set in the future where the people are different, the story is essentially the same. The frightening truth behind our very existence, behind the evolution of humans and the next stage to come is as thought provoking and compelling to learn as it was the first time around. An exceptional science fiction story every bit as extraordinary as 0.4.

Mike Lancaster Webpage

Mike Lancaster @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 01 June 2012
Price (AU): $16.95
ISBN: 9781405258180
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Strakerites
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Heaven

Heaven by Christoph Marzi

Catch A Fallen Star...!

Her one thought was getting as close as she could to her name sake, as high as she could to see the stars. There were only curtain places where the sky, the stars, was visible over London for mush of the sky was missing. It wasn't a matter of simply not being able to see the sky; the sky was literally missing, gone, nonexistent. There was a vast nothingness where the sky should be, but for the moment she was consumed with going we're the sky still was, she had to see it.

Then two things happened. First she was murdered, set upon by two men and one knife and before she knew it her heart was in his hands and she was dead. The second thing that happened, and this really shouldn't have, was that immediately following her heart leaving her body she proceeded to get up and run away. She ran scared for her life, scared that she had been killed, scared that she was still alive.

Heaven has all the elements of a classic fairytale mixed with a dash of the supernatural and a touch of mystery. This fantasy romance is an intriguing thriller that is beautifully written around two troubled yet sympathetic central characters that are both as different from each other as they are similar. This is a warm yet fresh tale of both the darker and lighter side of life. A charmingly story that is certainly one to read.

Christoph Marzi Webpage

Christoph Marzi @ Hachette Children's

On sale: 01 February 2012
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781408314661
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Heaven
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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The Rosie Black Chronicles #1

THE ROSIE BLACK CHRONICLES:
Genesis by Lara Morgan

There Are Always Consequences To Our Actions!

'Five Hundred Years Into The Future' and the world has changed. Society is segmented into the 'Centrals', those living with all the conveniences money can buy, the 'Bankers', those living on the banks of the river and barely getting by, and the 'Ferals', those who live wild with nothing but there wits to sustain them. Though different in many ways they all have one thing in common, anyone of them is susceptible to the deadly MalX, get bitten from the wrong mosquito and there is no cure only death.

Living on the banks, Rosie knows all to well the dangers of MalX.She watched her mother die from the disease, the mutated strain that Mother Nature threw down upon the world. That was why she was always careful in her expeditions to the old city, the dangers not being enough to keep her away from her explorations, besides the items she found she sold and they desperately needed the money. But when she found the box, the dark blue metal box with its distinct and somehow familiar icon stamped onto the lid, she knew what she had found was special, what she didn't know was just how many lives were going to be lost because of what she uncovers inside.

Pip wasn't always a feral, all but homeless with only his wits and a fear of the deadly MalX to drive him. He may be nothing but a feral now but was smart and he had a plan for the future, besides being a feral had its advantages too. He was all but invisible to the world and could therefore go places, find out things that others could not, and others were willing to pay for skills like that, others that were restricted by there place in society. Pip got by on the jobs his bosses gave him, but when asked to go after a girl and a box, he had no idea just how life changing that task would be, and not just for him.

Genesis takes you on a journey from the banks of Newperth through the blackness of space all the way to the Genesis colony on Mars. Having triggered a chain of events that will spark an explosive revelation, Rosie and Pip are drawn deep into a mystery that leaves death in its wake. Through the many layers of deceit and deadly encounters they will uncover a truth but at a great cost. For Rosie it was only ever about saving her family, for Pip is was about loyalty to the only family he had left, but when both are betrayed and hundreds of innocent lives become at risk it becomes about surviving long enough to expose the truth.

Lara Morgan Webpage
Lara Morgan @ Walker Books
Rosie Black

On sale: 01 October 2010
Price (US): $24.95
ISBN: 9781921529399
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Genesis Project
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet by R J Anderson

I Can Taste A Rainbow!

When she woke it was to a bare room, alone with no memory of how she came to be there. Soon however she realised she was in a hospital. However her stay was a short one, or so it seamed, for upon waking she was soon escorted by police to a new destination. A place where she is told she will be with patients her own age, a place where she will be able to get the treatment she needs. And the handcuffs, she is told, is just a formality.

Being abandoned by her mother to a place like Pine Hills should not have come as such a shock to her. Her mother had always been a little wary of her, a little to quick too judge her insane. Now however she had to try to prove to others that not only was she not insane, even though she could taste words and see sounds, but that she was innocent, even though she had no other explanation for a girls disappearance other then the fact that she disintegrated.

Ultraviolet is more then just a story of a girl coming to accept herself for who she is, forgiving her family for what they have done and gaining new understanding of others. It is a story of a girl falling in love, a girl discovering she is stronger then she thought she was, a girl who although different is no longer alone. A compelling and engaging contemporary read with a delightful sci-fi twist.

R J Anderson Webpage

R J Anderson @ Hachette Children's

Ultraviolet

On sale: 01 June 2011
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781408312759
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Synesthesia
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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The Skychasers Trilogy #1

THE SKYCHASERS TRILOGY:
GLOW by Amy Kathleen Ryan

A Destiny Written In The Stars!

Earth has increasingly become uninhabitable, acid rains from the sky, fertile lands give way to barren deserts and people starve. For Kieran and Waverly and the other children aboard the space ship Empyrean they have no recollections of the harshness that Earth has become, but nor have they ever experienced sunshine, wind or the sea. Being born in space headed for a New Earth these children are humanities hope for a future.

Life aboard the Empyrean was simple and apart from living in a metal ship flying through space Waverly was just an average girl. That is until Kieran proposes to her. Waverly knows it is her duty to marry and have children of her own, being almost sixteen many would say she is old enough for such responsibility, but Waverly is not so sure. Although Kieran is kind and in truth she does love him, she can't help being drawn to another.

However when the Empyrean's companion ship the New Horizon approaches, Waverly discovers there are more important things in life besides love, there is survival. Separated from everyone she loves, surrounded by lies, deception and harsh truths, Waverly endures abuse, violence and kindness at the hands of these strangers that have captured her. Kieran, on the other hand will undergo torture, responsibilities and transformation with those who have been left behind.

Glow is just the beginning of this exceptional space adventure that will hold you captive. A brilliantly complex story that allows for heroes to make mistakes and the villains to act with the best intentions. This is a tale of two children growing up too soon, experiencing their world irrevocably changed and learning home will never be the same again. More then a story of humanities quest for a future, it is a dark and unvarnished look at how far people will go to survive. Simply a great read.

Any Kathleen Ryan Webpage

Amy Kathleen Ryan @ Pan Macmillan

On sale: 01 October 2011
Price (AU): $16.99
ISBN: 9781742610320
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Survival
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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POD 1

POD:
POD by Stephen Wallenfels

Pearls Of Death!

When they arrived he was asleep in bed and besides his dog Dutch the only other person in the house was his over obsessive father. He was expecting to sleep for at least another hour before he had to drag himself out of bed and get ready for school. He expected to meet up with his best friend Alex. Instead he was dragged from his sleep by a head splitting screech and the presence of black spears in the sky.

When they arrived she had just said goodbye to her mother. She was awoken early by her mum leaving for work, she would be back soon and then they would head to the beach. She had never seen the beach before. She was left alone while her mother was gone. She was left alone when they arrived. All around her people were in a panic while she sat alone and waited her head exploding with noise and the sky fill with blinding flashes.

POD is a tale of two people facing a world in chaos. Josh is trapped in his home with only a father slowly driving him crazy, spending his days watching the world outside his window slowly fall apart. Megs is left alone in a hotel car park amongst strangers spending her days struggling to survive, watching as her world falls down around her. When an alien force takes over the skies it is the threat from those on the ground that is the greatest. An absorbing and stirring read that is original, frightening and a little heartbreaking.

Stephen Wallenfels Webpage

Stephen Wallenfels @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 July 2011
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781742375663
Recommended age: 12+
In a word: Pearls Of Death
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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The Flight Of The Silver Vixen #1

THE FLIGHT OF THE SILVER VIXEN:
The Flight Of The Silver Vixen by Annalinde Matichei

An Action Of Impulse, Or Divine Intervention!

These are not your average teen hoverbikers. These blondes and brunettes are tougher, smarter and more fearless, though some might argue reckless, then your average hoverbikers. Determined to pull of the biggest jink ever these joy-riders have decided to swoggle the Navy's new and experimental space-craft the Silver Vixen. However when a simple turn into orbit becomes a speedy getaway through an aethyr crease these seven simple hoverbikers soon find themselves changed.

Far from home these teens are no longer an anonymous gang of misfits; the crew of the Silver Vixen have, through necessity, established order into their ranks. Most notably is the newly appointed Captain Antala who is as dashing as she is fearless, but more importantly is Mela, the wise and regal Princess of the Blood Imperial. However these titles are little more then formalities until a life preserving action taken by this crew leads to far flung consequences on a strange, yet oddly familiar new world.

Flight Of The Silver Vixen is more then just an intemorphic space odyssey, it is an epic adventure of danger involving space pirates, corrupt politics, demons and a band of teens who find themselves accidental heroines. An all girl aethyr adventure on a planet where both sexes are female, this unique and compelling story holds alien terms, spiritual beings, philosophical thoughts and an appearance by a strange race of beings who possess both female and males sexes. This rare and exhilarating book is undeniably a must read.

Annalinde Matichei @ The Sun Daughter Press
Paperback @ Amazon
eBook @ Amazon

On sale: 24 March 2011
Price (US): $14.99
ISBN: 9780615464794
Recommended age: 16+
In a word: Daughter-Knights
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Yellowcake

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

Short And Sweet!

The smell of a rose brings back a lost past; golden strands lead a prince to rescue his lover; two sisters are given an icy reception; a mother ascends to angelic status in front of her sons eyes; a daughter takes over the family business; a boy will discover the brutally in the workplace. This is just a taste of some of the tales that are waiting to be consumed within this delicious book.

This offering of short stories is an interesting mix of something's sweet, something's sour and other things bittersweet. For within these ten stories are weaved a wide variety of ingredients including elements of fairy tales, Bible stories, myths, fantasy and science fiction. But while some stories may leave you felling unsatisfied, others are a delight to devour, standing out for their slices of originality, their quickly capturing taste and their shore fire recipes of timeless themes.

Yellowcake is a collection that clearly highlights the differing forms of a short story, accentuating a wide variety of themes, subjects and styles. Each story presented is as unique in its language as it is in its writing style and is recommended for more mature readers due to its complexity in both. With the nature and form of short stories being here expand there is plenty to contemplate, however there is work to be done in drawing out each stories meaning, but easily grasped in each story is the emotional reactions they evoke.

Margo Lanagan Webpage

Margo Lanagan @ Allen & Unwin

On sale: 01 March 2011
Price (AU): $19.99
ISBN: 9781742374789
Recommended age: 15+
In a word: Short Stories
Re-read it: possibly
Recommend: possibly
Star rating: three out of five
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Point 4 #1

POINT 4:
0.4 (Zero.Four) by Mike Lancaster

Remember!

If true this record will change not only the way we think about ourselves and the world around us, but it will change our history, our future and what it means to be human.

Two years ago tapes were discovered; an ancient technology that carried a story of the past, of events so shocking that if true would change everything. Known as the Kyle Straker tapes these were transcribed into an equally out of date information storage device known as books, the reason for this becomes clear as you learn this tale.

The only reason Kyle put his hand up was to allow his friend to save face as all alone on stage in front of the whole village Danny waited for volunteers. It was a bit embarrassing but what was the worse that could happen, it wasn't as if Danny had any really ability to succeed. But as Kyle and the three other volunteers on stage opened their eyes it was to the most disturbing sight they had ever seen. The world had changed, no, not the world, just everyone in it.

0.4 percent of people in the small village of Millgrove have remained unaffected, 0.4 percent of people in the world are unchanged, or so they thought, but what if there were a more sinister meaning to the label 0.4?  Part mystery and part thriller, this is science fiction at its very best. Both thought provoking and provocative, it is a story that will challenge all that you believe and leave you haunted with the possibilities. I literally could not put it down, an extraordinary read.

Mike Lancaster Webpage

Mike Lancaster @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 01 February 2011
Price (AU): $16.95
ISBN: 9781405253048
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Upgrade
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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The Little Prince

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery

'Matters Of Consequence!'

When a man's plane falls out of the sky to land in the Sahara Desert, the last thing he expected to find was a boy who had fallen from the stars. Like all children the Little Prince asks lots of questions and sees with his imagination. He is curious and charming and wise beyond his years, but he is also lonely and misses his home. Over a week the man and the Little Prince share stories and their lives as they form a friendship that, although only short lived, would last the rest of their lives. And neither will look at a star the in same way again.

The Little Prince is a beautiful story that will touch your heart. Imagination, something that seems to fade over time as many adults do not seem to appreciate it, here is cherished and encouraged. As is the importance of the little things in life, as many of us become more easily distracted from those oh so important things in life the older we get, such as tending a flower or a friendship. This is a book that asks you to not only to believe in a Little Prince from the stars but ask why not believe in a Little Prince from the stars.

Antoine De Saint-Exupery @ Hardie Grant Egmont

On sale: 02 October 1998
Price (AU): $14.95
ISBN: 9780749707231
Recommended age: 8+
In a word: Stars
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Daniel X: The Manga Volume 1

Daniel X: The Manga Volume 1 by James Patterson
& Michael Ledwidge
art by Seunghui Kye

You Know Who I Am!

As a three year old Daniel witnessed the murder of his parents and although too young to have done anything to save them he still feels responsible. Twelve years later and Daniel is continuing the work his parents started, hunting aliens and protecting the earth. But always at the back of his mind are his parents and the one alien that killed them. One day he will find that alien, but in the mean time...

The list holds all the known alien threats on earth ranking them in order of most dangerous but when the list throws up an alien that is number six as the next to be handled, Daniel may have finally met his match. A new city and a new friend await Daniel in his search for a new alien, one more powerful then he has ever faced before and one that may inadvertently give Daniel the one thing he has been missing these last twelve years, that is if Daniel can live long enough to find it.

Daniel X as a graphic novel is a fresh and innovative way to introduce this exciting and comical story to a wider audience of people who, like me, have yet to read this series. As a superhero Daniel is young, vulnerable and charming, displaying a wide range of powers, exactly what you want in a main character. Daniel may always be alone in his quest against the aliens to save the earth, but he has the power to bring those he loves to him when he needs them most.

James Patterson (UK) Webpage
James Patterson (US) Webpage

James Patterson @ Hachette

Daniel X

On sale: 01 November 2010
Price (AU): $29.99
ISBN: 9781907410529
Recommended age: 14+
In a word: Aliens
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: three out of five
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STrANgER IN A StRANgE LAnD

STrANgER IN A StRANgE LAnd by Robert Heinlein
(uncut edition)

'Do You Grok 'Grok'?'

This is the story a man of two worlds, the world he was born to and the world be was born on. On first inspection the most remarkable thing about Valentine Michael Smith was his circumstance of birth and subsequent upbringing in a strange land, however it is not until Valentine Michael Smith is brought 'home' that we have to wonder if his is the strange land, or it is ours?

However you looked at it, biologically Valentine Michael Smith was human, even if his beliefs and ways were not. But is genetics alone enough to define man? As he begins to learn about his new 'home' and its people, many social, philosophical and religious question are raised. What is it to be a man, to be human? What is truth? What is God?

As it turns out Valentine Michael Smith may be no more a man than he is a Martian. He is a race of one having to learn to change his ways to conform to human society, or failing that change human society to conform to his ways. A feat that may be more plausible then it sounds, at least for one as unique as the 'Man From Mars'.

STrANgER IN A StRANgE LAnD is a deeply thoughtful and undeniably compelling read; this is not a book to be skimmed through and passed off as mere fantasy alone but a story to be taken in and grokked as best as possible. It is easy to see why they had wanted to ban this book with its themes of sexuality, religion, society and morals. Themes that are as relevant today as they were when this book was first written.
(1961, in case you were wondering.)

Having never read the original, previously released shortened edition, I can not say for sure how much this story has changed being the uncut version, but I can say that if you have never read this book, either version I'm sure, then you are greatly missing out on one of the most cultural, philosophical and religious discussions ever committed to literature.

Robert Heinlein Webpage

Robert Heinlein @ Hachette

On sale: 01 August 2007
Price (AU): $24.95
ISBN: 9780340938348
Recommended age: 18+
In a word: Grok
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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