Alien Storm

Rules that govern the everyday world are suspended in this fast-paced sci-fi adventure, the sequel to Meteorite Strike. The meteorite has already fallen onto Australia, unleashing a virus that has put most of the population into a coma. Sarah and her brother Robert, along with four other young people, have been lucky enough to have been spared and, instead, have been gifted with superpowers. So special are these powers that the group is now on the run, escaping from those wishing to exploit their talents. When her brother and another member of the group are captured, Sarah vows to track them down, whatever the cost. So when Alex – also endowed with superpowers – appears on the scene offering help on behalf of Russian billionaire Dr Makarov, she overcomes her suspicions and reluctantly accepts. But as she soon discovers, their smooth-talking benefactor has his own sinister agenda.

Highly charged and intensely visual, the story pits good against evil in a race for world supremacy. The plot is most inventive, creating a parallel universe in which supernatural techniques and gadgetry prevail. As in a video game, obstacles abound and must be tackled, while escape and chase sequences follow fast and furious, exploding in all directions. As is often the case with the sci-fi genre, the story has no quiet moments, nor character development; but it has much to entice young readers who relish the thrills and spills of an action-packed adventure.