The Supernaturalist

Two features jump out to the listener of this YA science fiction novel. The first is that narrator Chiwetel Ejiofor performs brilliantly. He captures the cast of characters, teens who are forced to grow up fast because of the predicament they find themselves in. Ejiofor's accents are convincing, his timing impeccable. The second is that the story itself reads a bit like a futuristic OLIVER TWIST with its focus on orphans trying to survive in a brutal orphanage. In this case, the orphans are used as experimental guinea pigs for dangerous products; most don't live beyond the age of 15 and die cruel deaths. Colfer's imaginative story asks thoughtful questions that teens will enjoy pondering. S.D. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

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.