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Daylight Runner

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Over the centuries the latest Ice Age has creeped to the point that humanity is doomed as earth is almost totally an "Arctic Desert". The last known center of humans is domed Ash Harbor, which is dying as the ice encroaches although the residents try continue as much as possible a normal lifestyle.

Students on a school trip to the Schaeffer Corporation witness a horrible accident in which a carriage crashes killing two men. Soon afterward the father of one of the pupils Gregor Wheat vanishes as the police search for Gregor, who they believe murdered, the two people who died in the crash. The cops seek sixteen years old Sol for questioning but he flees as he seeks his dad who left him a cryptic message. With the help of his teacher Ana Kiroa he eludes the police and others who want to prevent the teen from uncovering the truth.

DAYLIGHT RUNNER is a terrific young adult science fiction thriller that is loaded with action while providing an icy vivid future. The fascination besides the dying earth is with Sol's coming of age and his understanding of power and its abuse. Readers will relish this deep look at life inside a domed oasis as hiding seems futile.

Harriet Klausner

DAYLIGHT RUNNER
OISÍN McGANN
YA Science Fiction
HarperTeen
ISBN# 978-0-06-134058-1
341 pages
$16.99
Hardcover--Available now

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Sol Wheat has gotten used to the monotonous life of living in Ash Harbor, one of the last refuges for human existence amidst a severe Ice Age which has rendered the exposed earth uninhabitable. Sol obediently functions as part of the Machine just like the other residents of Ash Harbor, traveling clockwise through the city to help power the Machine and making do with what little meager resources are left.

But Sol's world irrevocably shifts when his father disappears and is accused of murder. Targeted by a secret supposed policed force called the Clockworkers for asking too many nosy questions, Sol is now on the run, hiding out in Ash Harbor's underground. Nothing will stop Sol from pursuing the truth, however, and he soon learns that there is so much more at stake than he initially thought; it's not longer just a personal score to settle but a matter involving the dysfunctional fascist government of Ash Harbor and the very survival of the fragile world he lives in.

Both suspenseful and philosophically stimulating, DAYLIGHT RUNNER is a quite unique take on the future of the world. Drawing from government-business alliances and the global warming phenomenon of today, Ash Harbor offers only physical protection from the harshness of the world; its citizens are left at the mercy of four large business interests who virtually control this small enclave instead of the government supposed to rule it. The world of Ash Harbor is a scary one indeed yet possible in a frightening way: it merely magnifies some of the imperfections and corruptions in today's world. There is some excitement and promise in the mostly effective relationship between humans and machines, but time eventually causes humanity to progress backward in this futuristic setting. The action in this novel is by no means heart pounding or the story spectacular; in fact, the ending is rather anticlimactic, the weak attempt at romance is a mistake, and the characters are rather boring. However, it isn't the story itself that makes DAYLIGHT RUNNER such a meaningful read, but the food for thought it provides that will lead readers to question their own worlds.

Oisín McGann has held a variety of jobs, and "author" is obviously one of them. [..]

Rachael Stein
Enchanting Reviews
February 2009

Asking questions in Ash Harbor can get you killed.

Sol Wheat is asking a lot of questions . . . especially after his father vanishes and is accused of murder.

Outside of the huge domed city, an Ice Age has transformed Earth into an Arctic desert. But inside, the Machine, protected by the Clockworkers--a fearsome police organization--has become the source of the city's energy and a way for industrial leaders to wield enormous power. When a rogue organization begins posting messages warning of the Machine's impending failure, civil unrest grows.

As Sol begins to uncover the city's deepest secrets, the Clockworkers start targeting him. Now he's on the run in Ash Harbor's underground, where gangs rule and danger lurks in every corner. His life and the survival of Ash Harbor are both at risk.

It took me awhile to get into this book. The beginning and some of the middle was kind of boring, although I did like that the author included some background information and how the future came to be. But then, it got much more interesting. The book started to pick up; there was some action and futuristic elements that I enjoyed.

The change in point of view that happened every once in awhile allowed you to view the future through two seemingly unrelated teens. I did like the way the characters were written and the way they acted. The way it was set up to seem as if their worlds weren't connected until the middle of the book made it a bit more interesting.

Overall, if you're looking for a slow-starting but interesting futuristic novel, don't look much further than DAYLIGHT RUNNER.

Reviewed by: Bookluver-Carol