Eve of Destruction

September 26, 2011
Carman (the Skeleton Creek series) continues to play with the integration of print and digital media, crafting a competent but slow thriller about seven teens with serious phobias who have been sent to a last-ditch facility to help them conquer their fears. Rainsford, the man at the head of Fort Eden, uses painful, high-tech aversion therapy that works but leaves its subjects with debilitating side effects that he insists will wear off. Agoraphobic 15-year-old Will Besting takes an instant dislike to the place, hiding in the basement of an outbuilding where he discovers an electronic setup that allows him to watch the others’ treatments; it eventually becomes clear that something other than therapy is going on. Though teamed up with an elaborate interactive Web site and an iPhone app, Carman’s tale isn’t entirely successful in making things seem as bad as Will believes; when, in what is essentially an afterword, readers discover what’s behind the supposed therapy, it doesn’t have the impact that it might. Still, for younger teens, the book’s relatively low fear factor might be an advantage. Ages 12–up.

May 1, 2012

Gr 5 Up-In this follow-up to Dark Eden (HarperCollins, 2011), Will Besting returns to Fort Eden at the behest of cranky old Mrs. Goring. Threatening to reveal secrets that could jeopardize Will's relationship with Marisa, the woman pushes her advantage and convinces Will to lure all of Rainsford's former victims back to the abandoned military installation where they were all "cured." Now suffering from inexplicable and debilitating side effects, the kids are promised what they desire most from Goring: a true cure that will return them to 100 percent normal. Sent to the depths of the base to retrieve mysterious vials that hold the key to their salvation, Will begins to suspect Goring's motives when she locks them all inside. To his horror, he discovers that Rainsford and the missing wayward member of their group, Avery, are locked beneath Fort Eden as well. While much of the ominous atmosphere is maintained from the first book, this sequel fails to provide the same high-stakes eeriness of the original. Carman's descriptions of the underground labyrinth where most of the story is set tend to be more confusing than evocative, and the fact that Rainsford and Avery pop up halfway through the novel with no explanation of how or why they got there may baffle many readers. Still, fans of the original will no doubt enjoy this book, which satisfyingly concludes Rainsford's wicked hold over his seven original victims.-Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
Grades 6-9 In this sequel to Dark Eden (2011), the seven teenagers who were cured of their intense and crippling fears at an isolated site, where doctors conducted experiments with mind control, find themselves returning there in an attempt to see the dying Mrs. Goring, who presides over the creepy property. When she promises them a fix for the physical ailments they mysteriously contracted during their first stay, they wind up in an underground silo, booby-trapped with radioactive waste and worse. Their quest requires them to split up, providing the narrative with plenty of excuses to jump from one scene of action to the next. Readers seeking nonstop plotting will eat this up and revel in the twists and turns of newly exposed facts about the evil director of Eden. The story is told by Will Besting, who alone of the seven is privy to several crucial secrets. Most of the characters fit certain typesaction-oriented athlete, smart-aleck alpha girl, weak link, and so onand lack depth. But Carman's fans won't mind since he delivers the cinematic adventure goods. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Heavy online promotion will be highlighted by the immersive multimedia app, which allows users to read the story while unlocking audio and visual bonuses.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)