The Dead of Night

March 29, 1999
In this sequel to Tomorrow, When the War Began, the teenagers continue their guerrilla warfare against the invading foreign army. PW said, "Though it's still a superior adventure tale, it lacks the provocative edge and hard-hitting moral challenges of the author's best work." Ages 12-up. (May) r

November 1, 1997
Gr 6-10-Marsden picks up right where Tomorrow, When the War Began (Houghton, 1995) left off. A few months have passed since Ellie and six of her friends returned from a camping trip deep in the Australian outback to find their country invaded by an unidentified, non-English-speaking nation. The Dead of Night opens with a brief recounting of what happened in the previous novel; two members of the group, Corrie and Kevin, are still missing. Homer, a self-appointed leader, rallies the others together to track them down. They discover that Kevin has been imprisoned, and Corrie is alive, but in a coma. The teens continue their guerrilla activities and, by the end of the story, have lost Chris, another comrade. As in Tomorrow, Ellie narrates and keeps a written record of the group's activities and experiences. She is a fully realized character who grows considerably in the story. She is a thoughtful, realistic protagonist who wrestles not only with the brutalities of war, but also with her own adolescence. Her feelings for Lee are particularly well done. She wants to have sex with him, but worries about the complications that could result. These realistically depicted human conflicts make the book much more than just an exciting apocalyptic adventure. In the end, only four members of the original seven remain, but they are still committed to fighting the enemy. Hope is alive. Although this sequel can stand on its own, readers of Tomorrow will find it far more satisfying.-Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library