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Review: BZRK by Michael Grant

BZRK by Michael Grant
Published by Egmont



Set in the near future, a conspiracy is afoot to create a perfect and perfectly controlled world. The Armstrong Fancy Gift Corporation is a front for the conjoined Armstrong twins, Charles and Benjamin, and the plot to create their own version of utopia.

A shadowy guerilla group known as BZRK form a nascent resistance movement. Both sides develop sophisticated nanotechnology to achieve their goals:

-The Armstrong twins develop the nanobot, a stealth device that latches onto the brains of unsuspecting citizens 

-BZRK's DNA-derived biots are deployed to search out and destroy the insidious bots.  If biots are destroyed, the brain cells of their DNA-donor also die.  Hence the name BZRK.


 ***

This review is going to be short. This isn't because I didn't like BZRK but more because I can't quite find the words to do it justice yet.

Firstly can I say that Michael Grant is probably one of the most creepy YA writers out there. The man delights in terrifying teenagers with his creepy and twisted imagination. I find myself having to read his books in the day time with extra lights on, someone else in the house, a space in the freezer to stash it if it gets too much and a pillow to hide behind. There are several times when I have to stop reading and pull myself together and am torn between not wanting to know what happens next but also needing to know what happens next. Therefore I would certainly recommend his books if you have a pretends-to-be-hard-as-nails-teenager in the family as it'll be a good test of how hard and scary they actually are.

The world in BZRK is a scary place just most people don't know it. There are two rival groups who both use nano technology to fight one another as one tries to bring down world leaders and cause chaos while the other tries to stop them. The ideas behind this story are ingenious main because they could so easily be true if not now, in a few years down the line. The whole world of biots and nanos was incredibly creepy main because the ordinary person wouldn't know they were there and doing the things they did. The descriptions of them entering human bodies was downright chilling, gruesome and all too creepy for my liking throughout the entire book but quite probably something teenagers would love as it's really gory.

I must say the villain of the piece in this story is really one to be scared of not just because of what they are able to do but also because of their physical form. the conjoined twins in this are downright sinister and scary throughout.

The pace of the story was fast paced and thrilling (would you expect anything else from a Michael Grant??) keeping you reading page after page. The story itself is set to be huge as the series progresses especially considering how the book finally ended. I am looking forward to seeing where it goes even if I do need to hide behind a pillow to finish it

Comments

Annette Mills said…
Just reading your review gave me chills!
Debbie said…
I saw a copy of this in Waterstone's last weekend, and now I definitely want to read it! Great review :)
Ria said…
Hmm, definitely interesting. You've caught my attention now; I think I'm going to have to add this book to my wishlist! Great review!
I love Michael Grant's Gone books so I'll definitely have to be reading this one as well. He does write SUCH the creepiest stuff!