I’m not familiar with other books by Narelle Oliver but apparently this book is a change from her norm. Her books normally have an Australian animal featured but in this one, as you can see, there isn’t a real animal but a completely imagined creature. This book is very colourful and bright, has a great example of a physical description of a character and celebrates the wonder of difference. Oliver wrote this book with mathematical concepts language in mind but this is not the reason I used this book in this particular lesson. I was looking for a rich descriptive text to introduce my class to the concept of ‘visualising’ when comprehending texts they read.

I introduced the book to my class by putting up the final page’s text which describes the very blue thingamajig in detail. The students have not seen the book, just this text typed up on the smartboard:

And on the following Sunday the very blue thingamajig woke up with:
One twisty twirly tail,
A pair of yellow waxy wings,
An odd number of red hideously hard horns,
Two lots of two ferocious fangs,
Five skinny pink stripes,
An even number of curly whirly hairs,
Seven tangerine tail spikes,
And four lots of two green clicky clacky claws.

We read through the text several times and examined meanings of words we weren’t sure of. I explained to them that good readers are able to visualise the story in their head based on the words the author has written. Coincidentally, this happened after an author visit from Chris Morphew who apparently talked to them about the same thing. I wasn’t at work that day so missed but it was great to see the kids excited to make that connection. After making it abundantly clear there are no wrong answers in this activity, I gave them each a piece of paper and asked them to draw how they imagined the very blue thingamajig looked based on the above description and their imagination.

Here are some of their creative visions of the very blue thingamajig:

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Does anyone know of other books with rich descriptions that can be used for the same activity? Picture books or novels could be used, however in this instance as it was the first lesson it was fun to compare our interpretations with that of the illustrator’s.

This is a recent video that Chris Morphew posted on YouTube about his fantastic Phoenix Files series.  I’m a huge fan of The Phoenix Files and highly recommend it (especially for fans of Michael Grant’s Gone series).

The Shackleton Building has been turned into a concentration camp, and the last free people in Phoenix have been forced into hiding. Unless Jordan and the others can figure out where the Co-operative is keeping Tobias, everything they’ve fought for will be for nothing.

As Peter spins further out of control, can Jordan find a way to save Luke’s life, or is history doomed to repeat itself?

With only weeks left until Tabitha is released, Phoenix’s biggest secrets are still yet to be revealed.

And the clock is still ticking.

There are 14 days until the end of the world.

To tell you much about the story would only spoil it for everyone, but I will say this – Fallout is the best book in the series so far.  It’s action-packed, explosive and there are shocks galore.  Chris answers a lot of those burning questions you’ve had about Phoenix right from the start and leaves you on the edge of your seat at the very end.  We haven’t seen much of Shackleton in the last couple of books but he comes back in all his sadistic glory in Fallout.  He’s the best villain since Mayor Prentice in Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking Trilogy.  He’s one of those guys you just want to punch in the face because he makes you so angry.  I’ve read the last 3 books one after another and I wish I could just keep reading and find out how it all ends, but I’ll have to wait until 2013 for Doomsday.

5 out of 5 stars

Chris Morphew is the author of the action-packed Phoenix Files series, about a group of teenagers who have 100 days to stop the world from ending, and he’s also one of the authors who write the Zac Power series (under the name H I Larry)  .  I got the chance to ask Chris a few questions when he came to Christchurch last year.

What is it like to be one of the authors of the Zac Power series?

It’s pretty cool! Whenever I visit a school and ask how many kids have read a Zac Power book, I’m always amazed at how many hands go up!

What’s your favourite Zac Power gadget?

I think Zac’s Turbo Boots in Volcanic Panic are pretty awesome. Jetpack shoes powerful enough to blast someone out of a volcano? That sounds pretty good to me!

Zac Power books written by Chris Morphew

What inspired you to write your action-packed Phoenix Files series?

This might sound a bit morbid, but one of the biggest things I want to do with The Phoenix Files is tell a story about hardship and suffering. I want to be really honest about the darkness and brokenness of the world. But I don’t want to stop there. I want to suggest that the darkness and the brokenness isn’t all there is, and that maybe there’s a bigger story being told that makes the bad parts worthwhile in the end.

In The Phoenix Files Luke, Peter and Jordan learn that there is only 100 days until the end of the world. What would you do if you knew you only had 100 days left to live?

I would pray a lot. And then maybe see if I could find a super-powered homeless man to tell me what was really going on.

What was the book you loved most as a child?

That’s a tough one! There are so many!
Fiction: The Narnia series, Animorphs, Where the Wild Things Are…
Non-fiction: The Bible and books about dinosaurs.

Who is your favourite author/children’s author?

It’s a toss-up between C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.

Why did you want to be a writer?

Because I love telling stories! I think fictional stories have incredible power to help us understand the real world in new ways.

What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?

The best thing is having the opportunity to explore interesting ideas. The worst thing is usually my next deadline. I write pretty slowly, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write about things that matter. If you care about your story, then other people are far more likely to care about it too.

The fifth book in The Phoenix Files, Fallout, is out now.  If you haven’t read this amazing series, grab a copy of the first book, Arrival.

The fifth book in Chris Morphew’s brilliant Phoenix Files series, Fallout, is released in NZ this month.  To celebrate I want to highlight this great series by posting my review of the first book in the series, Arrival, my review of the latest book, Fallout, and an interview that I did with Chris Morphew last year when he came to NZ for the Storylines Family Day.  If you haven’t already discovered this series you should go and grab copies of them now, especially if you’re a fan of Michael Grant’s Gone series.

What would you do if you found out there were only 100 days until the end of the world?

When Luke and his mum move to the town of Phoenix, out in the middle of nowhere, Luke knows straight away that something isn’t quite right about the place.  There are no cars, no phones and no internet.  All the houses look the same and the only way to get around the town is to walk or bike.  The town was especially built by the Shackleton Cooperative, the mysterious company that offered Luke’s mum a job, and their security officers roam the streets.  A coded message brings Luke together with Peter and Jordan, and when they decipher the message they realise they’re in serious danger.  Someone is plotting to wipe out the human race in 100 days and Phoenix suddenly becomes the safest and most dangerous place on earth.  When Luke discovers a note in his backpack inviting them to a secret meeting at the Phoenix Airport, they hope that they’ll get some answers.  However, their meeting at the airport gives them more questions than answers and as they hunt for information about Phoenix and the deadly plans, the more dangerous it becomes for them in the town.

Arrival is the first book in the action-packed, heart-stopping Phoenix Files series.  It’s one of those books that you just have to keep reading to find out what happens.  It grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the end.  You’re left with lots of unanswered questions about Phoenix and the Shackleton Cooperative, but this just makes you want to go and pick up the next book straight away.  Luckily there are 5 books already released in this 6 book series.  The Phoenix Files are perfect for those who like mystery, adventure and suspense, or books about secret agencies and the end of the world.  If you like Michael Grant’s Gone series, then you’ll love The Phoenix Files.  Recommended for 12+    10 out of 10

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.
Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever … because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

Starters by Lissa Price

16-year-old Callie lost her parents when the ‘genocide spore’ wiped out everyone except those who were vaccinated first – the very young and very old. She and her little brother must go on the run, living as squatters, fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. Hope comes in the form of the Body Bank run by a mysterious figure, known only as The Old Man. The Body Bank allows teenagers to rent out their bodies to ‘Enders’ – the elderly members of society – who want to be young again. But Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party in her body. She intends to commit murder…

The Phoenix Files: Fallout by Chris Morphew

The Shackleton Building has been turned into a concentration camp, and the last free people in Phoenix have been forced into hiding. Unless Jordan and the others can figure out where the Co-operative is keeping Tobias, everything they’ve fought for will be for nothing.

As Peter spins further out of control, can Jordan find a way to save Luke’s life, or is history doomed to repeat itself?

With only weeks left until Tabitha is released, Phoenix’s biggest secrets are still yet to be revealed.

And the clock is still ticking.

There are 35 days until the end of the world.

Dragonkeeper Book 4: Blood Brothers

The year is 325. The powerful Han Dynasty is a distant memory and tribes of barbarian soldiers fight over what was once the Empire. It is a dangerous time. Kai is 465 years old – a teenager in dragon years. He is searching for the person predestined to be his dragonkeeper. Kai’s search has led him to a Buddhist novice named Tao. But Tao is certain he is not the one; he has no interest in caring for a difficult dragon. He believes his path lies in another direction. But Tao must learn to listen to the voice within himself and that no journey ever reveals its true purpose until it is over.

10 Futures by Michael Pryor

Sam and Tara. Best friends in a future when artificial intelligence organises our lives, and micropets are the latest craze. Best friends when rationing means cold showers and no internet. Best friends when genetic matching makes asking a girl on a date a minefield of epic proportions.

But will they still be best friends in a future when plague wipes out most of humanity? Or a future when the Inquisitor asks Sam to choose one betrayal over another?

Michael Pryor, one of Australia’s best authors of speculative fiction, imagines what our next 100 years might be like. Utopia or dystopia? Miracle or catastrophe? Whatever might happen, it’s just around the corner. Which future will be yours?

Many teenage boys are encouraged to read by parents and teachers but are reluctant to do so. Here are some book titles suggested by Year 7 & 8 boys at WCC. These titles are in no specific order.

• Alpha Force Series - Chris Ryan
• Code Red Series – Chris Ryan
• H.I.V.E – Mark Walden
• Phoenix Files Series – Chris Morphew
• Alex Rider Series – Anthony Horowitz
• Gone Series – Michael Grant
• A Pocketful of Eyes – Lili Wilkinson
• Conspiracy 365 Series – Gabby Lord
• Gold Strike – Matt Whyman
• Galactic Adventures – Tristan Bancks
• Kingdom Series – Chuck Black
• Macbeth, You Idiot! – Don Henderson
• A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E – Malorie Blackman
• Pig Heart Boy – Malorie Blackman
• Operation Series – D.J. Stutley
• DOT. Robot – Jason Bradbury
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
• The Truth is Dead – Edited by Marcus Sedgwick
• The Boy in the Dress – David Walliams

Here is our interview with Chris Morphew author of The Phoenix Files which we have already blogged about here. Thanks Chris for taking the time to answer our questions.

What books are you reading at the moment and what are your favourite young adult books? Why? I’ve just finished An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, which I really enjoyed (although not quite as much as his first book, Looking for Alaska). I’m re-reading the Harry Potter series again too, and remembering how amazingly fun and well-crafted they are. I’m also working through the whole Bible in chronological order, which has been really fascinating.

Other favourite YA books are The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and the Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

How did you start writing?
Writing has always been something that’s interested me, but I’d never really considered it as an actual career possibility until my (insanely talented) author friend Rowan McAuley introduced me to Zac Power and told me her publishers were looking for new authors to help out with the series.

I did a bit more investigating, and then had a go at writing a Zac Power story. I sent the manuscript to Rowan, she passed it on to her publisher, and I assumed that would be the last I heard about it. But then a couple of weeks later, the publishers got in touch and said that they wanted to publish my story. I wrote twelve Zac Power books all up, and somewhere along the way, I pitched the idea for The Phoenix Files.

I’m very much aware of what a huge gift all of this is, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share stories and ideas with people.

Where did the initial inspiration come from for The Phoenix Files?

There were two big ideas that led to the creation of The Phoenix Files: a hundred-day countdown to the annihilation of the human race, and a mysterious treasure chest that only one person in the world was able to open. Only the first of those two ideas actually made it into the story, but the now-absent treasure chest idea sparked a whole bunch of other ideas that are central to the big story of the series.

That’s all I can say at this point, but if you ask me again after Fallout comes out, I’ll be able to give you a much more complete explanation of how that all worked.

Compared to other ‘end of the world’ type books, we find that your books are still full of hope. Could you talk more about this?

As authors, I think we can’t help but write out of our own worldview. That’s not to say that our stories won’t feature different characters with different personalities and viewpoints, but on a deeper level, storytelling involves crafting fictional representations of the non-fictional world. I think that the choices that we make here – the ways that we present ‘reality’ in our stories – reveal a lot about where we’re coming from as authors and how we view life.

Ultimately, the reason I’ve tried to imbue my books with a sense of hope, even in the midst of all the pain and the brokenness in Phoenix, is because I believe that the real world is a place where that pain and that brokenness do not have the last word.

I don’t believe that the universe is an accident. I believe that it is the creation of a good and loving God who has stepped into the mess we’ve made of his world, who has overturned the power of death, and who is making everything new again.

The world of The Phoenix Files is a world where life has purpose even when that’s not easy to see, where suffering is real but not meaningless, and where grace and mercy and love and justice will always win out in the end – because that’s my understanding of the real world, and I feel like it would be disingenuous of me to depict things any other way.

Lots of people have different writing techniques. How do you approach the writing process?

It’s really important to me that I have a plan for where my story is headed before I dive in and write it. In the case of The Phoenix Files, that meant plotting out the entire six-book story arc in quite a lot of detail before I put pen to paper on the first draft of the first book. Once I’ve got that skeleton in place, I start fleshing the story out scene by scene, and then move onto an actual first draft. I write pretty slowly (much to the frustration of some readers!) but I’d rather take the time to make each story the best it can be, rather than just churning out something mediocre.

Character is really important to me, especially in a series like The Phoenix Files, which incorporates so many weird sci-fi elements. I work really hard to frame everything (even the weird stuff) within believable character stories.

We love the fact that the narrator changes in each book so we get to to know the characters more deeply. We find it also adds to the complexity of the story and keeps us intrigued.  Can you tell us more about this writing technique? Is it hard to switch voices and styles of thinking?

Something that I really wanted to do with The Phoenix Files was to create a world where the stakes felt real. Part of the reason for shifting narrators between books is to create the sense that no one is a hundred percent safe. One of the main characters could die and there would still be others left to carry on the story.

But more importantly than that, I’ve always seen the series as being primarily about the relationships between Luke, Peter and Jordan, so I thought it was important to give each of those characters an opportunity to speak for themselves.

It has certainly been a challenge to keep those three voices distinct, but the more I get to know the characters, the easier it becomes to figure out how each of them would approach a given situation.

What are your three top writing tips for writing novels?

These are all really basic, but:

1) Keep reading. The more you read, the more you will absorb about how good stories are told, and what separates great novels from not-so-great novels.

2) Keep writing. If you want to write stories, the best way to do that is to write stories (genius, I know). At the risk of sounding like your English teacher, consistent practice really is one of the best things you can do to improve your writing.

3) Know were you’re going. As I said before, I think it’s incredibly helpful to have some sort of plan for where your story is headed before you launch into writing it. Other writers will completely disagree with this one, but for me it’s essential.

What are you working on now?

I’m due to hand my second draft of The Phoenix Files: Fallout in to my editor in October, so that’s taking up almost all of my writing time at the moment.

I do have a few other ideas slowly taking shape in the back of my mind, and I think I’m almost 100% settled on what I’d like to move onto when Fallout and Doomsday are written, but I’ve got a solid year or two left before I get to that point.

What is it like to be one of the authors of the Zac Power series?

It’s pretty cool! Whenever I visit a school and ask how many kids have read a Zac Power book, I’m always amazed at how many hands go up!

What’s your favourite Zac Power gadget?

I think Zac’s Turbo Boots in Volcanic Panic are pretty awesome. Jetpack shoes powerful enough to blast someone out of a volcano? That sounds pretty good to me!

Zac Power books written by Chris Morphew

What inspired you to write your action-packed Phoenix Files series?

This might sound a bit morbid, but one of the biggest things I want to do with The Phoenix Files is tell a story about hardship and suffering. I want to be really honest about the darkness and brokenness of the world. But I don’t want to stop there. I want to suggest that the darkness and the brokenness isn’t all there is, and that maybe there’s a bigger story being told that makes the bad parts worthwhile in the end.

In The Phoenix Files Luke, Peter and Jordan learn that there is only 100 days until the end of the world. What would you do if you knew you only had 100 days left to live?

I would pray a lot. And then maybe see if I could find a super-powered homeless man to tell me what was really going on.

What was the book you loved most as a child?

That’s a tough one! There are so many!
Fiction: The Narnia series, Animorphs, Where the Wild Things Are…
Non-fiction: The Bible and books about dinosaurs.

Who is your favourite author/children’s author?

It’s a toss-up between C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.

Why did you want to be a writer?

Because I love telling stories! I think fictional stories have incredible power to help us understand the real world in new ways.

What’s the best thing and worst thing about being a writer?

The best thing is having the opportunity to explore interesting ideas. The worst thing is usually my next deadline. I write pretty slowly, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write about things that matter. If you care about your story, then other people are far more likely to care about it too.

Check out the blog on Monday for your chance to WIN a copy of Zac Power:Fear Files or The Phoenix Files: Arrival by Chris Morphew

Contact jumps straight back into the story of Jordan, Luke and Peter, three of the inhabitants (or prisoners) of the town of Phoenix.  It starts off right where the first book, Arrival ended with Luke, Peter and Jordan hearing the ring of a phone and running off to find out who the phone belongs to.  You learn in the first book that the phones and internet don’t work in Phoenix so it’s strange to hear a phone ringing.  This mysterious phone sets off a string of events that Luke, Peter and Jordan get caught up in.  The people who are in charge of Phoenix discover that the three of them are snooping around, so their principal gives them tasks to keep them busy.  This doesn’t stop them investigating the plans of the Shackleton Cooperative to bring about the end of the world, and as they uncover more secrets they find themselves fighting to save themselves and the ones they love.

Contact is fast-paced and so suspenseful that I found I was racing to finish the book.  Luke, Peter and Jordan get themselves into some really tight situations in this book and you wonder if they are going to get out of them alive.  The part when they are in Ketterley’s office really had me on the edge of my seat, hoping that they didn’t get caught.  One of the things I liked best about Contact is that Chris Morphew told the story from a different character’s perspective.  We see things from Peter’s point of view, which is quite different from Luke’s in the first book.  Hopefully the third book, Mutation will be told from Jordan’s perspective.  I’m going to get started on Mutation straight away because I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Recommended for 12+.   10 out of 10

Contact is fast-paced and so suspenseful that I found I was racing to finish the book.  Luke, Peter and Jordan get themselves into some really tight situations in this book and you wonder if they are going to get out of them alive.  The part when they are in Ketterley’s office really had me on the edge of my seat, hoping that they didn’t get caught.  One of the things I liked best about Contact is that Chris Morphew told the story from a different character’s perspective.  We see things from Peter’s point of view, which is quite different from Luke’s in the first book.  Hopefully the third book, Mutation will be told from Jordan’s perspective.  I’m going to get started on Mutation straight away because I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

Recommended for 12+.   10 out of 10

When Luke and his mum move to the town of Phoenix, out in the middle of nowhere, Luke knows straight away that something isn’t quite right about the place.  There are no cars, no phones and no internet.  All the houses look the same and the only way to get around the town is to walk or bike.  The town was especially built by the Shackleton Cooperative, the mysterious company that offered Luke’s mum a job, and their security officers roam the streets.  A coded message brings Luke together with Peter and Jordan, and when they decipher the message they realise they’re in serious danger.  Someone is plotting to wipe out the human race in 100 days and Phoenix suddenly becomes the safest and most dangerous place on earth.  When Luke discovers a note in his backpack inviting them to a secret meeting at the Phoenix Airport, they hope that they’ll get some answers.  However, their meeting at the airport gives them more questions than answers and as they hunt for information about Phoenix and the deadly plans, the more dangerous it becomes for them in the town.

Arrival is the first book in the action-packed, heart-stopping Phoenix Files series.  It’s one of those books that you just have to keep reading to find out what happens.  It grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the end.  You’re left with lots of unanswered questions about Phoenix and the Shackleton Cooperative, but this just makes you want to go and pick up the next book straight away.  Luckily there are 4 books already released (and in the library) of this 6 book series so I can read them all before Fallout gets released next year.  The Phoenix Files are perfect for those who like mystery, adventure and suspense, or books about secret agencies and the end of the world.  If you like Michael Grant’s Gone series, then you’ll love The Phoenix Files.  Recommended for 12+    10 out of 10

When Luke and his mum move to the town of Phoenix, out in the middle of nowhere, Luke knows straight away that something isn’t quite right about the place.  There are no cars, no phones and no internet.  All the houses look the same and the only way to get around the town is to walk or bike.  The town was especially built by the Shackleton Cooperative, the mysterious company that offered Luke’s mum a job, and their security officers roam the streets.  A coded message brings Luke together with Peter and Jordan, and when they decipher the message they realise they’re in serious danger.  Someone is plotting to wipe out the human race in 100 days and Phoenix suddenly becomes the safest and most dangerous place on earth.  When Luke discovers a note in his backpack inviting them to a secret meeting at the Phoenix Airport, they hope that they’ll get some answers.  However, their meeting at the airport gives them more questions than answers and as they hunt for information about Phoenix and the deadly plans, the more dangerous it becomes for them in the town.

Arrival is the first book in the action-packed, heart-stopping Phoenix Files series.  It’s one of those books that you just have to keep reading to find out what happens.  It grabs you from the very first page and doesn’t let you go until the end.  You’re left with lots of unanswered questions about Phoenix and the Shackleton Cooperative, but this just makes you want to go and pick up the next book straight away.  Luckily there are 4 books already released (and in the library) of this 6 book series so I can read them all before Fallout gets released next year.  The Phoenix Files are perfect for those who like mystery, adventure and suspense, or books about secret agencies and the end of the world.  If you like Michael Grant’s Gone series, then you’ll love The Phoenix Files.  Recommended for 12+    10 out of 10

There are four books in the Phoenix Files so far.  Arrival, Contact, Mutation and Underground. Two more books are coming out soon - Fallout in February 2012 and Doomsday in September 2012. It’s a long wait for fans but we think they are worth waiting for.

We loved the books and both of us read all four books in four days! The Phoenix Files starts when there are one hundred days until the end of the world and moves at a page turning pace as the countdown to the end of the world continues.  Where other series often spend the first few chapters of each book explaining past events, each book of the Phoenix Files launches straight into the action.  We love this when we have the next book ready and waiting.  It is a bit hard waiting until February – but we still love it.

Each book has a different narrator but it continues on with the same story.  This is a clever technique because it allows us to get to know the narrator of each book really well because we know their internal dialogue.  At the same time, it adds to the complexity because sometimes the main narrator is not a part of all the events that are happening and as a reader you are intrigued and puzzled.  Then in other books, a different narrator allows you to piece together the missing link and also adds another layer to the puzzle.  In other words, each narrator supplies more information but makes the puzzle more complex.  One of the reasons we couldn’t put these books down.

This series is a page turning book. It has nice tight writing.  It is quick and fast paced with short and long sentences. The characters develop and change as the books continue as you would expect with a good book. We love the multiple perspectives that come from the changing of the narrator – it allows us to see the full complexity of a person.  We also love that as each book continues the relationships and friendships between characters also gets more complex.

Info about each book is below:

Arrival introduces the characters of Luke, Peter, Jordan, but in the first book, Luke is the narrator so we get to see Luke’s thoughts and feelings on the ‘end of the world’ situation. There’s 100 days to the end of the world and everyone outside of Phonix, including his dad, will die unless they do something to stop it. The plot gradually builds up to the climax,  getting faster and faster as more questions are formed and hints of a bigger idea are revealed.  Of course, the book ends with a cliffhanger that leaves the reader hanging and wanting more.

Contact changes to Peter’s point of view. We see how he feels and reacts to different situations. We also see his point of view about his relationship with Jordan and Luke. We are able to understand what Peter experiences in situations which Luke didn’t know about. The plot gets more complicated.  There are only 88 days to the end of the world.

Mutation is narrated by Jordan and we finally get a female point of view!  There are 70 days left and the plot is getting much more complex.   We see what Jordan feels about her relationship with Peter and Luke and how she copes with her mum’s pregnancy. What are these strange glimpses Jordan is getting? Are there bigger threats than the Shackleton Cooperative? There’s only 49 days to the end of the world.

For more info on Mutation click here.

In Underground we return to Luke as the narrator but there are now only 49 days left to the end of the world and a lot has changed for Luke.  We find out his observations of things that have happened in previous books as well as his thoughts about the present state of things.  It’s getting more dangerous every chapter, and Luke starts to realise a secret that will change everything.  And we have to wait until next year to find out!

We’re really looking forward to Fallout, and Peter’s perspective of what happened between him Jordan and Luke. (Hint: Notice that on the cover of Underground Peter is further away?)

Stay tuned, we are hoping to interview Chris Morphew soon and we will post the interview on our blog.