BZRK - MICHAEL GRANT - REVIEW

Book: BZRK
Author: Michael Grant
Publisher: Electric Monkey
ISBN: 9781405259958
Rating: A

An epic new page-turner from the writer who gave us GONE. A global war is raging. You can't see it. It's inside you. And it changes everything. Sadie McLure wants to find her family's killers. Noah Cotton needs to know what drove his brother insane. Their search for answers will throw them into the astonishing world of the nano - where biots and nanobots battle for supremacy, and the twitchers who control it all fight to stay sane. It's a fight for free choice. Every day could be their last. They've never felt more alive. Escapism doesn't get more thrilling than this.

Right so I had incredibly high expectation for this book and it's not that it didn't deliver, because it did but it wasn't quite what I expected. I mean wow. Grant takes us to a whole new world with this and when he said it would be down and under he meant it. God, some of those chapters made me squeam but at the same time I was kept locked in interest! I felt it was very different but I cant quite place my finger on it. Maybe it's because it was more focused on technology and things that could actually happen or maybe because his writing has changed completely but it was definitely a good different.

The story in this is pretty darn amazing. At first you haven't the slightest clue what's going on but thats the magic of it. It makes you want to read more. And this story is brilliantly crafted, and I can honestly say I haven't ever read a single thing like this. Nanotechnology is a new world to me and I love the way Grant showed it. The plot just kept on going. There were twists and turns and although there were a fair few characters they all spent time in the limelight and had twisted and unexpected stories to them. The story definitely was refined to every itty bitty detail and everything was explained an surprisingly simple to understand.

What I like about the book this time Is that it still held a large connection to reality and what is happening around us, because lets face it. In ten years time the contents of this book could be true. Now I definitely feel like the writing in this book was different to Grants writing in the Gone series, but thats not a bad thing because it seemed to suit the book very well. It became a lot more hard hitting and focused more on what was happening than thoughts and mind tracking which was nice. So many book spend time talking about feeling what you want to get down into the juice of the book. Or in this case the eye.

This is something I do want to praise Grant on. To be able to make a whole alien world out of an eye and spend chapters describing whilst keeping me interested. Well thats quite something and he has really impressed me with this.

The characters. Now there are two main characters but that put aside there are a fair few more. Although there are quite a few characters I felt as thought the limelight was shared equally, each character having a moment of climax and key parts in this story. And what I loved was that each individual character was so different and unique, with a different story to tell. Every character was just built up so well and perfectly that I cant wait to find more out about them.

Emotion wise I think it was hard hitting. Although I guess you could say it was a happy ending it's one of these book where it follows the 'Power Theory' as I call it, which focuses on that fact that there is no good or bad, only power. I find this a bit struggle in the book and Grant is extremely clever in doing this as both sides are good and bad leaving you in a contestant struggle to pick sides. Also I admit there is a fair amount of death and although it is an emotionally draining book it was well worth the read.

Overall a stunning read that I couldn't put down. An electrifying story and I can not wait for the next.

MICHAEL GRANT - NEW TRANSMEDIA EXPERIENCE + Q&A

Nexus Humanus

Right, so for those of you who don't know, Michael Grant, bestselling author of the Gone series (which I loved), Is releasing a brand new book this winter. Also it's going to be a part of a Transmedia experience. Right, now you're probably wondering what a Transmedia experience is. Well it's basically where a story is interactively narrative and told through a wide range of media such as written word, video, puzzles and more. Most of these are based around websites, and lucky for you, Michael Grant's Transmedia websites for his new book are already up and running! So the first site is societytwins.com which a sort of blog layout site, about two twin sisters and a missing brother. And the second site, which I urge you to sign up to is nexushumanus.com. This is a interesting site, and really leaved you hanging on what Michael's next book will be, so Sign Up! Because the more people that do, the more that will be released, apart from the Title abbreviation which is "BZRK". You're wondering, is BZRK a book or interactive story... Both! Let me guess? You so want to know what it's about now! Well never fear because I have an exclusive piece of info about the story:

The society twins and their missing brother

The missing son of a U.N. diplomat... the reemergence of a strange organization... a pair of society twins caught in the middle... this is just the beginning of "Go BZRK," a new transmedia experience from author Michael Grant.

If you're ready to take the plunge in an interactive story like you've never experienced before, visit societytwins.com and register with nexushumanus.com to take your first steps in a strange and compelling universe.

Filled with video, puzzles, community collaboration, and more, "Go BZRK" put YOU the player right in the middle of the action as you join Nexus Humanus and unravel a mystery that may hold the key to the fate of all mankind.

So how cool does that sound! So what are you waiting for! Go sign up to: nexushumanus.com. Unlock the secrets within and enjoy the Experience. And finally some of Michael's fans may already be familiar with Transmedia from a Transmedia experience from the Gone Series. So if  did or didn't know about the Gone Transmedia it a diary of Sinder, a character your introduced to early in Lies, and here story and the first entry is here: http://www.thefayz.com/archives/8

Q&A with MICHAEL GRANT

What is “Go BZRK”? Is this a book or some kind of interactive story?

Both. The book comes out this winter, but the interactive part starts now.  One leads up to the other, but they're part of a complete package.

Why “transmedia”?

There are different approaches to transmedia.  Most people take a single story and reproduce it on various platforms.  My philosophy has been to make each element - ARG, app, web, book - a thing unto itself, each revealing some aspect of the world of BZRK.  I've been fascinated with this is as a new way to tell stories.  The book remains central, but now I can reach beyond the book and create a much more complete world.  I can tell stories that enhance the book, and stories that parallel the book, and stories that are offshoots of backstory.  I guess the answer to "why" is "because it's fun."

Is this the future of publishing?

I began a few years ago reaching out to publishers and saying we collectively needed to understand that the old models were dead or dying.  I want publishing to survive, and of course I'd like my own career to thrive.  So Egmont Publishing and my partners and I certainly hope this is a part of the future of publishing. 

How long is this running? Is this part of a larger picture?

We'll be running this in several chunks between now and the book release this winter. Because these things have a hard start/stop point, August is a ramp-up phase. There'll be a lot of content coming out, but the experience really gets underway at the end of the month… just in time to distract the kids from their schoolwork.

What if someone wants to follow the story but doesn’t want to participate?

You don't have to do anything.  You can do one thing and not another.  But the deeper you plunge the wetter you get.  I think every part of this is fun, I think people will enjoy the ARG, the app, the site and the books. 

App? You've mentioned that a couple times now.

Just wait and see.

What can you tell us about the story? What is “BZRK”?

It's a battle for the soul and freedom of the human race carried out simultaneously in the world we know, and in a world that you're not going to expect. It's a world where if you make a false move, you're going to lose your mind.

Insanity… is this something you have a personal familiarity with?

The line between writer and crazy person is very thin.  Both go around holding long, involved conversations with people who aren't there.

What’s this other world thing all about?

Do you really want spoilers? I'll tell you this. We'll be going "down in the meat." It's going to be vast, bloody, and beautiful.

Wait… isn’t this supposed to be for kids?

Adults like to flatter themselves that kids won't get, won't understand, won't be able to handle, more intense, more complex stories. That's nonsense.  It's the adults who are easy to creep out or scare.  Say the word "biopsy" in a room full of adults. Or "audit."  See?  Easy to scare.  Kids are a tougher audience because kids think they're immortal.