The Supernaturalist

April 19, 2004
Colfer's hard-luck tale will likely delight fans of his wildly popular Artemis Fowl series with its similar emphasis on high-tech gadgetry and fast-paced action. Set in the near future, the story concerns 14-year-old Cosmo Hill, an orphan living in Satellite City. The metropolis, a dystopia named for the metal Big Brother (a Myishi 9 Satellite) orbiting above it, offers "everything the body wanted, and nothing the soul needed." With no sponsor—a detached figure which has replaced parents—Cosmo ends up in an orphanage where he and other unwanted children become "guinea pigs" for food and drug testing. He escapes the orphanage soon after the novel opens, survives a brush with death and learns that he is a "Spotter" with the rare ability to see Parasites, small blue creatures that allegedly steal energy from wounded humans. Along come the Supernaturalists, a team of vigilantes, all of them also Spotters, who spend their nights roaming the streets and blasting Parasites. The story starts to get interesting late in the game, when the author reveals the true nature of the Parasites and why a mega-corporation with designs on their unique abilities has mounted a misinformation campaign against them. But the journey is uncharacteristically sluggish, especially during a lengthy scene involving rival gangs racing souped-up cars. Ages 10-up.

November 1, 2012

Gr 6 Up-Cosmo Hill is an orphan, and in Satellite City that means living in an orphanage and being used as a subject for experiments and product testing. The residents at the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys have very short life expectancies, so they are always looking for the chance to escape. When Cosmo does get away, he finds himself exploring a world he never imagined with a new group of friends, the Supernaturalists, who have unusual abilities and are on a quest to find the life-sucking creatures so dangerous to humans. Stefan, Mona, and Ditto rescue him, repair his injuries, and take him along on their dangerous adventures. The Supernaturalist is a murky story, both visually and thematically. Rigano's artwork is dark and ominous, visually reminiscent of the film Blade Runner. Glowing lights are often used to dramatic effect, whether the glow is in a character's eyes or in the nucleus of an alien creature. But the murkiness lies within the story as well, as readers are thrown back and forth between believing that different characters are good or evil, and even the heroes are made to question their own motivations. This exciting science-fiction story will make readers think as it keeps them on the edges of their seats.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2012
Grades 6-9 While escaping from an orphanage where he has been used as a human lab rat, Cosmo Hill falls from a roof and is left for dead by the guard sent to bring him back. Cosmo is saved by the Supernaturalists, a group of teens who are out to destroy Parasites, the invisible beings that feed on the life force of humans. Cosmo finds a home with the group once it's discovered that he, too, can see the weird blue entities. But the Parasites are not what they appear, and the Supernaturalists are not the only ones hunting them, sending the teens down a path they never expected to take. In this terrific example of an adaptation done right, the text has been pared down to dialogue and a minimum of exposition, leaving the art to describe the setting and action by using clearly laid-out panels and clever two-page spreads. The resulting story moves quickly and tension builds as the plot advances. Don't be surprised if readers come looking for more, as the ending teases with the possibility of a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)