Rat Runners

November 10, 2014
Crime and intrigue flourish in this surveillance-dominated, slightly futuristic version of London; the perpetrators have evolved along with the technology. One of the city’s crime lords assembles a teenage crew to track down a valuable item that has gone missing in the wake of a scientist’s murder. Manikin handles deception, her brother FX does tech, Scope is into forensics and analysis, and their nominal leader, Nimmo, is a consummate con artist and infiltrator. As the job leads the group down some strange, duplicitous paths, the question becomes: what’s so important about their target? Soon everyone is in on the chase, including rival criminals, mercenaries, and the authorities. Irish author McGann offers up a twisty, unpredictable thriller, augmenting the heist atmosphere with science fiction elements and keen characterizations. Once the true scope of the problem is revealed, those speculative elements make a significant jump forward, technologically speaking, but it’s still a tense, entertaining story. The real fun comes in watching these heroes work when all the odds are against them, in a city where someone is always watching and nowhere is safe. Ages 12–up.

December 1, 2014

Gr 6-9-An engrossing dystopian thriller, perfect for fans of the genre. McGann draws readers in from the start with an exciting chase scene, and the excitement just keeps building. Nimmo, Scope, Manikin, and FX are four young thieves living in a version of London that is controlled by a corporation called WatchWorld. London's streets are littered with cameras and patrolled by Safe-Guards, half-human, half-robot patrols that keep the citizens in check. But the criminal underworld still exists. Move-Easy is one of many gang members who has gone underground, away from all and any cameras in order to avoid detection. Shortly before witnessing the murder of Watson Brundle, Nimmo was asked to hide a leather case from a Safe-Guard patrol that was looking for it. After Brundle's murder, Nimmo must go into hiding and prevent whatever is in the case from falling into the wrong hands. Rat Runners has all the elements that dystopian readers are looking for, while still remaining a unique contribution to the genre, combining action, mystery, and suspense. .-Patrick Tierney, Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School RI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2014
Nimmo, Manikin, Manikin's younger brother, FX, and Scope, all rat runners who live outside the constraints of their controlling government, inhabit an edgy, believably depicted dystopian version of London.Nimmo generally fights his battles alone, staying hidden in plain sight and eluding the piercing interest of the robotic Safe-Guards that cruise the city to enforce its laws. Manikin and FX work their scams together, combining FX's tech-savvy skills with Manikin's quick wits. Scope's area of expertise is forensics, but she spends nearly all her time within the underground domain of crime boss Move-Easy. After Nimmo's neighbor is murdered, Move-Easy enlists the aid of the teens to find a valuable box, but it becomes clear that more is missing than that, and the trove is of great value to any number of thugs. The kids, never fully certain of one another's loyalties, nonetheless form an effective team in this high-velocity effort. McGann too often tells rather than trusting his narrative to show, but the peril is so pervasive and persistent, and the teens' responses so clever, that few will object. Even though this London is a grim place, the upbeat, can-do attitudes of the protagonists relieve the potentially depressing effects of the dystopia. Who cares if the teens' escapades and escapes seem a little too convenient to be fully plausible; it's all about suspense and action. (Dystopian thriller. 11-18)

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January 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 Four criminally inclined teenagers in future London are on the run in this fantastic dystopian thriller. London is run by WatchWorlda security organization that knows and sees everything, meaning no one in the underground is safe. Ringleader Nimmo keeps his friends Manikin, FX, and Scope on their toes, staying out of sight, taking shortcuts and side streets, and using tricks to fool the cameras and robotic Safe-Guards. In this future, things are dark, but possibilities are also endless, given some of the tech and tools they use to stay hidden, including implanted disguises and all sorts of lab equipment. Each of them has a specific talent, meaning that they all have to work together to save themselves from the police and gangsters that trail them through the dark and busy city. Though some British slang terms might be unusual to American readers, teens will relish McGann's nonstop action, full of intrigue and heart-pounding excitement. Fans of Cory Doctorow, particularly the Orwellian surveillance-themed Little Brother (2008), will find a lot to love here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)