Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Smith, Andrew. The Marbury Lens.

Smith, Andrew The Marbury Lens
Feiwel&Friends/Macmillan Child Pub Gr 2010 358p 17.99 978-0-312-61342-6 hs Alternate Reality VG-BN


In London, after escaping a serial killer, Jack accepts a pair of glasses from a stranger which transport him to Marbury, a world of horror, death and war, that he cannot resist. This disquieting novel deserves its Best Books for Young Adults accolade. Dark and creepy, it combines horror and post-apocalyptic science fiction in a way that readers, like the protagonist, Jack, will not be able to put the Marbury lenses down.

The story begins with a party, where Jack gets drunk and accepts a ride from serial killer, Freddie Horvath. He escapes his prison, only to accidently kill the killer himself when he and his friend Connor abduct him. With all this guilt on his mind, Jack leaves for London. There he finds a love interest, but begins to lose his grip on reality, as he is given a strange pair of glasses that transport him to grim post-apocalyptic world called Marbury. Jack╒s oft-repeated thought, ╥Freddie Horvath did something to your brain and you better get help, Jack,╙ resonates throughout the narrative, linking his abduction by the serial killer to the alternate reality of Marbury and Jack╒s tenuous hold on sanity. The frequent use of the "F" word and mild sex will dictate that this is a book for older teens. The novel is brutal and dark, but readers will be caught up in the narrative.
Horror Naismith, Pat

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