Under 12s may miss some of the finer points, but Being's taut prose and unmistakable voice is so good, I'd give it to any child prepared to read it. In Being, it is expressed through Robert's strange implants - do they preclude him from being human? Or is his humanity something he can construct for himself? Can any of us alter our fate? Sometimes this conflict is an internal dialogue for the central character. Sometimes - as in Lucas - one character is fatalistic while another is idealistic and believes the future can be shaped. I think the thread that ties Being to his other work is the conflict between free will and determinism. It isn't like any of Brooks' other novels, and yet it is unmistakably Brooks. It is a highly stylised and challenging novel that asks difficult questions. It is a rollercoaster ride of a thriller. And it makes for some very special books.īeing is a desperate romance. It's very clear that each are serving needs in the other. There is a very symbiotic relationship between Brooks and his readers.
David Almond is one, Melvyn Burgess is another. But there are few who are so clearly driven to express themselves - warts and all - through art and who choose young people as their audience. The world of teen literature is - thankfully - full of wonderful writers. But it is stamped all over with that singular voice. It is a sci-fi thriller with a romantic sub-plot. I really shouldn't be such a Doubting Thomas.īeing isn't quite a reprise of Bladerunner, although it isn't so very far away. I was a little worried about Being, as a quick flick through the press release left me feeling I was in for a Blade Runner reprise and not the Brooks singularity I've come to admire. It has quite a sad ending, yet left me feeling full of hope. Martyn Pig is one of the saddest yet funniest books I've ever read.
My son has read it at least a dozen times. Lucas featured a quasi-Christ figure and stayed with me for months after I read it. I don't think Kevin Brooks is capable of writing a poor paragraph, let alone a poor book. Eddi specialises in producing false identities and together they try to find out what has happened to Robert.
On the run from the authorities, Robert hooks up with Eddi Ray, the ex-girlfriend of an old friend's brother. Terrified, they have called in a shadowy government agency and a sinister agent called Ryan appears to be directing the doctors. Instead, they have found a network of mysterious and advanced technological implants. Conscious but still anaesthetised, he can hear the commotion surrounding an operation gone wrong. Summary: Frighteningly good writing, a tense plot, existential questions and vivid emotions make this Blade Runner themed book a five star volume, not to be missed.Ī routine endoscopy looking for stomach ulcers ends sixteen-year-old Robert Smith's conception of himself as a teenage boy like any other.
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