February 1, 2014
Gr 10 Up-Fast paced and action packed, Reloaded picks up where BZRK (Egmont USA, 2012) left off. The New York BZRK cell is reeling from a massacre at the United Nations building, and many members are either injured (physically or psychologically) or dead. The evil, wealthy, conjoined Armstrong brothers continue to usher in an age of "sustainable happiness" for all humanity by having world leaders infected by nanobots in order to manipulate them. Battles between the members of BZRK and AFGC (Armstrong Fancy Gift Corporation) occur in both the visible world and at the microscopic level. Fighting has moved to a new level, as one group is ready to pilot self-replicating bots and another has twitchers, people who are especially skilled at controlling others through nanotechnology. Grant's descriptions of cells, bacteria, and other miniscule bits are viscerally disturbing, as is the Armstrongs' creepy Doll Ship. Sexual episodes and violent scenes are included. Backstory is sprinkled throughout, but it's best to read this novel in conjunction with the first. The ending will leave fans anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this exciting trilogy.-Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2013
Grades 10-1 In the not-too-distant future, war can be waged at the cellular level, and the BZRK biots (genetically engineered extensions of humans) battle Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation (AFGC) nanotechnology for control of the country and the fate of humanity. AFGC's number-one (human) operative, the Bug Man, is intent on wiping out mankind and controls the American president, while BZRK is attempting to rebound from the death and insanity resulting from its last encounter with AFGC. BZRK's only hope is to destroy or subvert Bug Man, and it is a slim hope at best. Readers will need seat belts and a road map to keep up with the frequently gruesome nonstop action in this middle title of a trilogy that explores the intersection of morality and technology. Caution: read this after BZRK (2012) because Grant doesn't pause for definitions or recaps, although Plath, Keats, the Twins, and other familiar characters reappear and are further developed as the plot careens through a second AFGC-BZRK close encounter. A shocking, violent, yet engrossing thrill ride of a story. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With Grant's Gone series finished, this looks to be the best-selling author's flagship project. Expect it to be treated as such.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)
September 15, 2013
Freedom fighters BZRK may have lost the first battle, but the war is far from over. New York's BZRK cell took heavy losses in series opener BZRK (2012), including one of team leader Vincent's biots, genetically engineered, microscopic organisms controlled via psychic link. It was killed in battle with Bug Man's nanos, the technological counterpart to the biological biots. Experiencing death over the psychic link plays havoc with Vincent's sanity, which forces reluctant Nijinsky to step into leadership. But BZRK has no recovery time: Bug Man's nanos are in the U.S. president, allowing him to rewire her brain and control her behavior on behalf of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corp. in their bid for world domination via enforced happiness. Meanwhile, on the AFGC side, holding the dominant position is harder than expected--Bug Man struggles to control the president, Burnofsky has his own agenda, the Anonymous hacker group sniffs for leaks, and some of the conjoined Armstrong Twins' past scientific indiscretions start attracting notice. Through all of this, Plath comes into her inheritance and toys with running from BZRK and its morally dubious tactics, even though if the Armstrongs win, free will loses. With the worldbuilding's heavy lifting taken care of in BZRK, plots upon plots race forward, almost every character is sympathetic to some degree, and microscopic world descriptions from the biots' views are oddly beautiful. High-octane; high stakes; high cool-quotient. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
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January 1, 2014
With their leader out of commission after their last battle, the BZRK crew struggles to continue their fight to preserve humanity's minds from evil nanotechnology. Meanwhile, the maniacal Armstrong twins retreat to their nightmarish Doll Ship and biots have taken control of the president. With abundant graphic nanoscale anatomy descriptions, the fast-paced sequel to BZRK will keep readers intrigued, engaged, and disturbed.
(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)