A clever sci-fi exploring society's reaction to evolving techonology, Killer T by Robert Muchamore is addictive and full of action, an just a little bit scary.
Harry and Charlie are teenagers whose lives are shaped by a society that's shifting around them. He is a lonely Brit in his first term at a Las Vegas high school. She is an unlikely friend, who gets accused of mixing a batch of explosives that blew up a football player.
The two of them are drawn together at a time when gene editing technology is starting to explode. With a lab in the garage anyone can beat cancer, enhance their brain to pass exams, or tweak a few genes for that year-round tan and perfect beach body. But in the wrong hands, cheap gene editing is the most deadly weapon in history. Killer T is a synthetic virus with a ninety per-cent mortality rate, and the terrorists who created it want a billion dollars before they'll release a vaccine.
Terrifying. Romantic. Huge in scope. A story for our times.
Source: Giveaway
5 Words: Technology, friendship, adversity, survival, society.
Going in to this I didn't know much. I knew it was sci-fi and involved a killer virus, but I didn't know much more and didn't really have any expectations except "this will be good" because I loved the Cherub books growing up.
Right from the start I was impressed. I loved Harry's tenacity and drive, how he knew what he wanted to do and was prepared to go far to get there, even if I didn't actually like him. If that even makes sense. And Charlie, oh Charlie. I love Charlie.
I didn't expect the timeline of the story to be quite as vast as it was, but I felt that it really worked with the pacing of the story, keeping the action front and centre.
Killer T quite cleverly explored gene modification, how it would impact society, and even how companies would spin it to make money. The story itself acts almost as a commentary of a consumer driven world, a world where people have short attention spans and are driven by the media they consume.
This book kind of made me want to start stock-piling coffee and tea just in case. There's just such a sense of urgency, as though this could actually be right around the corner.
This books does sound terrifyingly close to our future reality, which I guess is what makes it so compelling. It's great that the author was able to inflict that sense of urgency in you, the reader. Few ones manage that!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the Cherub series yet but I've been meaning to for a while. I might give this one a try first, though.
Anyway, amazing review, Cora! And glad to hear you liked it so much :)
Thank you!
DeleteI will say that Killer T is aimed considerably older than the Cherub books, but they're all great and action packed :)
I liked it
ReplyDeleteooft, i love this review. really tempting me to pick up a copy!! genemodification sounds v scary and possible
ReplyDeleteI think that's what I loved the most, that it was all within the realm of possibility. Eek!
DeleteThis one sounds so interesting! I love books set in a future that could actually end up being our reality.
ReplyDeleteKatie @ The Queen of Teen Fiction