Living Hell [Hardcover]

Catherine Jinks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2010

What happens when a single moment changes everything? For seventeen-year-old Cheney, life on earth exists only in history books. He and more than one thousand other people have known life only aboard the Plexus spacecraft: self-contained, systematic, and serene. But that was before the radiation wave.

 

Now Plexus has suddenly turned on them, becoming a terrifying and unrecognizable force. As the crew dwindles under attack, Cheney and his friends need to fight back before the ship that’s nurtured them for so long becomes responsible for their destruction.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Cheney, 17, has spent his entire life aboard a spaceship programmed to sustain life and find a habitable planet for its hundreds of human passengers. All has been well for decades—until the Plexus hits a radiation wave. At first, it seems to have passed through unscathed. But crew members soon begin to realize that something is wrong: the ship is becoming an organic organism, and it recognizes its human inhabitants as parasitic intruders. Eventually, Cheney finds himself leading an isolated group of children and teens who are fighting to defend themselves against the ship that has taken care of them for so long. This sci-fi/horror crossover is a quick read, despite some technical language, and Jinks keeps the action moving. Reluctant readers looking for science fiction that is actually set in space will be delighted with it.—Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

All is well on the spaceship Plexus. Decades into a journey that has left earth far behind, the couple thousand residents live a life of insulated security. Their social interactions are sensitive and enlightened, their meals prepared instantaneously, and a serene aura of peace makes their slow search for an inhabitable planet a tranquil one. But what’s that up ahead? A radiation field? Soon after the ship passes through, 17-year-old Cheney finds himself in the middle—literally—of a nightmare. (Warning: somewhat of a first-act spoiler ahead.) With shocking rapidity, the ship begins turning into a biologic organism: the walls become muscle, cables become veins, and simple devices like transport vehicles become equivalent to cellular defenders out to devour viruses—and the viruses are the humans. An unbelievably tense first half plateaus after a time, but that hardly diminishes the gooey, sticky, mucus-covered fun. Jinks’ well-thought-out environs and rational characters help ground this otherwise out-of-control interstellar thriller. Grades 7-10. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (April 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152061932
• ISBN-13: 978-0152061937
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #478,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CATHERINE JINKS was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and later spent four years studying medieval history at the University of Sydney. After working for several years in a bank, she married a Canadian journalist and lived for a short time in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is now a full-time writer, residing in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with her husband Peter and their daughter Hannah.Catherine is a three-time winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award, and has also won a Victorian Premier's Literature Award, the Ena Noel Award for Children's Literature, and an Aurealis Award for Science Fiction. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian Children's Literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Living Hell., March 18, 2010

By 

Sushi Girl -Laura (Gainesville, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Living Hell (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Picture yourself a teenager at age 17 living on a spaceship because your world is no longer inhabitable. You live day to day, going to school, playing with other kids on a sort of Holodeck like in Star Trek Next Generation, your parents work in labs and maintain the space station, and life is what it is...sterile, monotonous, sometimes exciting and mostly mundane.

The teen in this book, Cheney, is part of a crew that is on the Spaceship PLEXUS, thier mission is to explore the universe and find a new place to live. We get to read about how his daily life plays out, how his food is ready in an instant, how they celebrate birthdays with CGI like parties, how the PLEXUS is run by his parents and the other adults, and just how a teenage boy lives peacefully in such a unique environment.

Untill something goes wrong of course.....a radiation field of some sort passes through the PLEXUS and soon the ship is alive and its after its passengers with a deadly quickness. Imagine your vacuum in your house suddenly becoming organic, alive, and it wants you dead. Imagine doorways becoming like valves on a heart, fleshy and pulsating and gooey. Cheney and his parents and friends must figure out a way to navigate their now hostile environment and figure out a way to survive.

I found this book very entertaining, since I love both Science Fiction and Horror, I thought it was just the right enough of gore and violence for a Young Adult book without going too far. As I was reading Living Hell, it reminded me of a really good episode of The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collectionor The Outer Limits Original Series Complete Box Set
I would recommend it to any reader who is interested in science fiction or horror with a tiny bit of romance thrown in!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating concept, June 15, 2010

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living Hell (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

We've all wondered what would happen when our world becomes unsustainable. Ships like the "Plexus" seeking new habitable planets is definitely one of the solutions. All is well until the "Plexus" malfunctions and starts to treat the human inhabitants as an 'infestation' rather than passengers.

While I think the premise might hold some interest for reluctant readers, I am concerned about several issues. The book's gorier than I would expect for teen readers. Despite their fascination with vampires and light horror, there's a high gross-out factor here. Language is more adult than I would expect as well. I was not satisfied with either the science or the story's conclusion.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow. Just, wow., April 20, 2010

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Living Hell (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Seventeen-year-old Cheney Sheppard only knows about life on earth from history books. Most everyone on the Plexus spacecraft have only experienced the calm daily routines on board their self-contained ship. It all changes when Plexus is hit by a mysterious, long drawn-out wave of radiation hurtling through space at the speed of light. Once the energy passes, everyone thought the trouble was over. They were wrong.

In only a few short moments, Cheney begins noticing changes with the ship. Somehow, the ship is being transformed into organic life. The equipment that once helped the people on board, such as street shuttles and remote controlled repair units, are now acting as if they are part of the living ship's biological defenses. Suddenly, people are being targeted and attacked. As the number of people rapidly dwindle, Cheney and his friends must find a way to protect themselves from the very ship that has kept them alive.

***** FIVE STARS! The drama starts almost from the beginning. Only a few pages prepare the reader by letting them see what life on the ship is like, through Cheney's eyes, before the wave of energy hits. Then the story becomes a blend of space horror and biology. I believe almost everyone, from the age of thirteen to one hundred, will be able to identify with the character of Cheney. He is a typical teen who makes the same mistakes as anyone else would. He is scared out of his wits, but will do whatever he must to protect himself and those with him. Fast paced and full of suspense, this book is unputdownable! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.