Customer Reviews

The Devil's Breath (Danger Zone)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Max Gordon is on the run.

He was almost killed by an assassin, his dad has been kidnapped, and he only has one clue as to where he is. Still, he is determined to find him no matter what kind of danger faces him.

With the one clue he is given, he figures out that his father is in the deserts of Namibia exploring a company that is about to hurt thousands of people. Those people know that Max's dad has found evidence against them and think that Max has knowledge of this evidence, as well. While he is on the mission to find his father, regardless of the evidence, the company is determined to kill Max.

Max is aided with the help of Koga, a local bushmen, who has a very keen sense of the wild; Kallie van Reenen, a local girl who has a great knowledge of planes and the sky; and his best mate back in England. All three of these people form Max's support system as he embarks on the most grueling adventure imaginable, all in search of his father.

Will Max be able to beat the odds and survive - or will his captors get the better of him?

THE DEVIL'S BREATH is an action-packed book that any reader will find hard to put down. With every page turned, you don't know what's coming next, and you're on the edge of your seat. Throughout the book, you hear the story from different perspectives, whether it be the main story from Max, the antagonist's point of view, and even sometimes the story is heard from Max's two friends, who are helping him with his search to find his father. I thought that the use of alternating perspectives was interesting, but at times it got confusing because some of the characters sounded the same.

While the author did a great job building up the book with lots of suspense, I did find parts of the story to be very predictable and not that interesting. Other parts of the book, though, definitely made up for this, and I found myself intrigued.

At times the book got a bit violent, which I didn't think was necessary, but it may have been appreciated more by the male readership. Despite this fact, I think THE DEVIL'S BREATH would be a good read for all teens, and it was a good start to a potentially thrilling series.

Reviewed by: Tasha

I don't think this book intends to be anything more (or less) than a rock 'em, sock 'em testosterone-fueled young adult adventure. Author David Gilman updates the Mission: Impossible tape recorder (for those of you who remember "Good morning, Mr. Phelps...")to a USB memory stick MP3 player, and then stirs together a bit of Alex Rider, a bit of Carl Hobbes (Icecore), some of Charles Higson's Young James Bond, Roland Smith's new hero Q, a touch of Artemis Fowl, along with Gilman's own creative additions, to form Max Gordon-- bright, funny, ecologically-savvy and smarter than the bad guys.

The Devil's Breath is an excellent choice for those not quite ready for the 4-letter-words and mature plot themes of adult thrillers, but still wanting action-heavy, techno-laced adventure. Locations such as Wolf's Head Tor, Skeleton Rock and the Valley of Bones give an accurate flavor of this book. There are fork lift chases, car chases, lots of gun chases, terrorists, airplane thrills, a tanned, athletic 17-year-old named named Kallie, SIM cards, missing parents, near drownings, crocodiles and secret codes. And much, much more. Don't read this book with an eye tuned for every predictable peril or some of the "oh, come on now" moments of disbelief. Read it with your seat belt fastened, ready for a thrilling ride.

I enjoyed this immensely- it has all the action of an Alex Rider novel laced with satisfying mysticism of African shamanism. Max's father, ostensible an ecological researcher,disappears at the same time an attempt is made on Max's life. Max needs to disappear and find his dad. Non stop adventure and mystery set in Africa.

This book had me hooked from page one with the quick thinking and acting hero Max Gordon using his extreme sport skills to help him find his lost Dad. Max is not only fit and brave he has a heart too and he makes friends with a San bushman kid who shows him how to survive in the desert. There is also a really good girl character who helps them. It builds up to a really spectacular and magical end.

Max Gordon was out for an evening run, when he heard something in that didn't fit in with his surroundings. Instinct and knowledge made him run faster, fleeing someone with a gun.

In a few minutes, he realized that this was no game and he could die.

However, in stroke of luck, he escaped. Now, back at school, he's told that no one has heard from his father in over a week. Max sets out to find his dad, knowing that he could be walking into a trap.

His mate at school promised to keep an eye on things and send word if he notices anything suspicious. Meantime, Max makes his way to Africa and with the help of people who know his father, sets out to track him down.

A boy tags along, showing him the ways of the wilderness. Together they must escape heat, wild animals, thirst, and the relentless men trying to hunt them down. With danger at every turn, will they survive long enough to find and recover Max's father and can they uncover the secret his father buried?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this novel: the danger, the elements of surprise, not knowing who the characters could trust. It's a great adventure tale and with a tag line of a series: the Danger Zone, I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.