Customer Reviews

The Roar

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Roar by Emma Clayton is a highly enjoyable read. It is in the same vein as the popular YA novels the Hunger Games and Catching Fire. The Roar is set in a dystopic future similar to some of the genre's great, classic predecessors. The Roar shares similarities to two of the greatest books in the genre: Brave New World and 1984. The main antagonist in the book has extended his life to an unnatural length taking pills conjuring Brave New World. Clayton's writing also strongly relates to 1984. Both books contain the themes of being separated by class; those who are ruled are on a frantic journey towards self identification. However Clayton's strongest influence is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. The books share many similar themes that drive each respective novel towards a breathtaking conclusion.

Before the story begins, Ellie, one of our heroes has been kidnapped and imprisoned. The Roar roars off with Ellie and a Capuchin monkey in tow, barreling towards earth in a Pod Fighter. They cross the wall that extends across the entire northern hemisphere and race towards the United Kingdom at ridiculous speeds. They have escaped the evil Mal Gordon's satellite space station with the goal of seeing Ellie's family. Ellie was kidnapped by Gorman because of his suspicion of her "special" powers. Ellie is chased by goons, but the deadly twelve year old pilot outmaneuvers her tails and flies underneath London into The Shadows. Ellie makes a small mistake and ends up crashing in the Thames which is now a giant, stinking floodplain. She sinks to the bottom with the thought that she is going to be buried alive in the black muck that was once the famous river. To her consternation and relief, Ellie is "rescued" by Gorman and brought back to her prison in space. Clayton's action is brisk, intense, and does not let up through out.

The story switches focuses onto Ellie's twin brother, Mika, who lives in a fold down house (fold down because you fold up your bathroom in order to fold down your kitchen, all in 50 square feet) in a suburb of London. Mika is an extraordinary young boy. Everyone believes that Ellie is dead because that is what her family has been told by the local police. However, Mika has strong feelings (and convincing dreams) that his sister is alive and is willing to do anything in order to get her back.

Mika attends his local school where all of the learning takes place by video. One day in class a new program is started where all of the students are forced to drink health supplements. He feels that the government, who has initiated the "Fit Mix" program, is trying to poison the children. The program also includes physical exercise, as well as a new "game" that teaches the children how to fly a Fighter Pod (think spaceship) that the children are coerced to learn through the excitement of this new "game". This same arm of the government, run by the Evil Mal Gorman, has certain sinister goals that they want to accomplish by running this "Fit Mix" campaign. Gorman initiates all of the children into competing against each other in a massive government supported competition. Mika is sucked into winning the game because he feels that this may be a way to find Ellie.

The plot continues with Mika becoming more and more involved in different stages of these games and through the competition, Mika gets closer and closer to his sister. I won't give more of the plot away as that would be a disservice to anyone wanting to read this one.

One reason the book is so compelling is the descriptions of where these characters live and what their environments are like. The world north of the barrier is very dichotic. The Shadows, which is the remaining cities and towns built before the Fold Down Houses and the Golden Turrets were erected. The Shadows are the bottom of a three tiered city scape. The Shadows is a world that doesn't ever see sunlight, where deadly mold covers all surfaces, and where the refuse from the world above is basically dumped on top of this motley living space. Living in the Shadow's would be the equivalent of living in a dump or a sewer, unpleasant and unsanitary. Above the Shadows is where Mika lives, the Fold Down Houses. This area is where the majority of the lower middleclass lives. It is older and run down, but not necessarily physically dangerous. The houses are ridiculously cramped. This leaves the Golden Turrets, where the rich live. These are spacious apartments that jut out of the sky line. The people living in the Golden Turrets are not wanting. Picture a golden skyscraper with all the amenities included.

Clayton's writing about the different classes from these three separate environments, was one of my favorite pieces of the book. At one point in the story the main characters are in the Golden Turrets and experience an immeasurably eerie occurrence. Here is a quote from the book.

--Boom. Boom.

"What's that?" he asked as his feet hit the pavement. It sounded like the heartbeat of an enormous beast, as if a dragon were sleeping beneath its treasure, instead of on top of it.

Boom. Boom.

"The Shadows," the chauffeur replied. "haven't you heard?"

"No," Mika said. "what's happening?"

"The mold is getting worse," the chauffeur replied grimly. "And hundreds are dying every day. And they say the government won't help them because it's cheaper to let them die."

...

"But the people in The Shadows won't be ignored," the chauffeur said. "So they're banging on the pillars holding up the Golden Turrets with huge steel balls on chains. All day and all night they swing them - one time for every person who's died. It was driving people crazy up here when it started on Friday night, but apparently you get used to it."

Boom. Boom.

"I don't think I'll get used to it," Mika said. He gazed at the pavement and tried to imagine what was below, all that darkness and water and millions of people trying to stay alive and balls on chains swinging against the pillars.

"Creepy, innit?" the chauffeur said.

Sure is. Thanks for such an awesome description Ms. Clayton.

Like Ender's Game, The Roar features a government agency training children through games. Ender was forced in a certain direction through games and, in the end of the book, was made to command an army in order to defeat his enemies, the buggers. Mika on the other hand is coerced into learning to fly by the governments offer of instantly improving his families lives. Ender is, in essence, tricked, where Mika has consciously made the choice to participate because he believes he may be able to rescue his sister.

Another strong comparison between the two works is the dream sequences. Ender keeps dreaming about the game that he is playing, in particular about the decomposing giant. These dream sequences are driving pieces in the book. Mika is also troubled by nightmares. He dreams about these incredibly ancient, living skeletons with old fashioned televisions for heads. Disturbingly, Mika dreams about Mal Gorman as one of these "Tele-heads" before he has even met him. In Mika's dream, all of the Tele-heads surround him in order to eat him. Mal starts with a pair of giant scissors at his big toe as the first course.

There are several other themes that Ender's Game and The Roar share. These themes include older enemies that both treat the protagonist horribly, but the hero gets even with these awful enemies in both books. Both characters are also manipulated by their respective governments. In this regard Mika takes control of the manipulation, where Ender only has a limited control over his destiny throughout the book.

Clayon's writing is vivid and her themes are compelling. She takes up warring social classes, the environment, and psychic powers with deft skill. The book is never preachy and never assumes that her target audience isn't smart enough for the morally challenging aspects of the narrative. Clayton is awesome at taking these serious, modern ideas and making them accessible for the kids (and adults) that take The Roar on.

Everything about The Roar is top notch. The plot, characters, themes, and environment of the book are right up there with the Suzanne Collins Hunger Games series and the classic dystopic novels that we all love. This one comes highly recommended. I hope that more people get their hands on this absolute gem.

Reviewed at burblingbooks.blogspot.co m

This is a fast-paced sci-fi book for youth. It is easy to read, and the language used is really good. It tells about separated twins who were trying to find each other, saving the world in the process.
My son liked the book, devoured it in just two days, and after reading it myself, I would also recommend it for other children.

I chose this book before I realized it was written for teenagers. The description sounded interesting and I figured I'd give it a try anyway.

I was not disappointed. In fact, the writing is very good and the story reminded me of "Ender's Game" with a darker spin and less focus on technology. In this book, the technology level is sufficiently high that it blends into the background and is accepted.

Quite a bit of time is spent acclimating the reader to the new world and its characters, but the story neither suffers nor drags during the exposition. My interest remained fully engaged and I did not feel that the any fluff was thrown in to boost page count. The plot is fairly linear and easy to follow, and the end of the book provides quite a bit of explanation and closure while leaving room for a sequel.

Like the Harry Potter and Twilight books, I think this book can be interesting to more than just the originally intended audience of teens. I am overall impressed with this book and will look forward to others in the series.

"The Roar" is set in a future dystopia, a world decimated by chemicals used to kill all the animals. Why? They were gravely infected with a plague that would also kill people. So, the animals were killed off and governmental leaders walled off that stricken world--most of the planet--to keep mankind safe.

Safety is a loaded word in this dystopian world, for not only is the world physically destroyed, but also freedoms taken for granted in our world, have been curtailed or eliminated. A terrible class system is the mode with the very poor living in the bottom layer of the city with no sun, dark and damp conditions, and a specially developed mold for food. The middle group lives in the middle section where apartments make the Japanese economical use of space seem lavish. The wealthy live in the top layer with all due privileges and living conditions.

Three characters dominate the story: twins, Mika and Ellie, both mutants in this strange new world, and Mal Gorman, the leader who carefully grooms mutant kids to form an army for his own selfish purposes. A number of these mutant children have "the Roar" in their brains, an intense kinetic power that Gorman wants to develop, again for his own evil intent.

Ellie was kidnapped prior to the beginning of the story and held captive with the intention of developing her powers. Her family is told that she drowned. Mika, her twin, "knows" she is alive. Their stories run parallel in the novel and alternate in the telling. Ellie's companion in captivity is a monkey. A what? A monkey! Sooo--not all animals are dead. Interesting....

In Mika's world childen are required to take a pill at school under the watchful eyes of their teacher and principal. After a few days the pill causes growth spurt. Mika takes his under duress. Eventually, a competition is held to find the best "fighters" in three different contests with winners getting homes, vacations (which turn out to be settings for new competition).

At last, the parallel worlds of Mika and Ellie intersect and the story takes a new twist.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for middle school and above readers and truly hope there will be a continuation through Book 2. Oh, that intersection? Incredible things happen. Fantastic information is spilled. And a shocking ending! Although threads are tied, they could be unraveled to create a Book 2.

I have to say that I liked this book, right up until the last page. It ended on such a strange, abrupt note that I was shocked when I turned the page and there was nothing there. I don't know if there's going to be a sequel, but this ending seemed more like a cliffhanger than an ending. If it is a cliffhanger, it's a good one.

If it's not, then IMO Clayton wimped out on writing the most important part of the story. Finding out a secret is only part of the solution.

Hopefully there will be a sequel, because this book would be much better as part of a series rather than a stand alone.

Some of the best literature is literature that represents a future that is bleak. THE ROAD is a great example of this, but not really a book for the younger set. Lately there have been a run of Dystopian literature for kids. One stand out was the HUNGER GAMES. Another one of the good one is THE ROAR. I really enjoyed this book. It had everything you would want in literature of this kind. It has a hero who fights the odds and a conspiracy, a deftly drawn vision of a future London, and some terrific action. I cared about these characters and what happened to them. I strongly recommend this book for all those out there who enjoy great Science fiction and good literature about futures that aren't so bright.

This is the story of twins in a changed world. People now live behind the Wall and have been for 40+ years due to the animal plague. The twins are seperate, one taught to fight and the other in training via a video game. They, as well as thousands of other 12year olds, are to be used to fight a war but they don't know it. And the special children are mutants each with a different ability.

This was good book, it had me hooked from the beginning and kept my attention. The ending felt lacking in a way. It keeps the reader wondering just what The Secret is and what all this training is for. You don't know until close to the end. But it's not as equal to the level of the rest of the book. It does leave it open for a sequel or it can just stop right there and be a stand alone book.

If you like video game books, this is very good. I'd rank it with Epic. I think it's good for all ages and well worth the time spent reading it.

Several comments have referred to this work as YA, but I'm pretty sure it falls squarely in the middle grade category, of which I'm a huge fan--even though I'm almost 40!

Anyway, the prose in this work is much too convoluted. I can't imagine a 9-12 year old fighting through past the first two or three chapters. Most MG novels today are written with very succinct prose and make a point to draw the reader in from the start.

This novel doesn't do it for me...full disclosure. I've only read five chapters and have put it down after getting a copy of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl. Colfer knows how to write MG fiction.

Artemis Fowl Book 1 (Promotional Edition)

The Roar is a really good book for people who get bored. It is futuristic and has alot of action, it is also totally possible (except for the eye parts) I rate it a five star becasue it had a good storyline, it was funny and it had alot of action. And the scinerios were cool and how he gets in to the predicament. The future is different but the way the future is, is pretty good.

We bought this book at a brick-and-mortar store while kicking around between heats at a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby race. My son (an 8-yr-old Bear) was not due to race for another hour. My wife, who home schools our children (I just assist), had complained that she was having a hard time getting the 8yr old to read longer books. He was fine with the "Capt. Underpants" type of stuff, but he wasn't "Growing" in his reading. We found this one and it looked interesting to me - long-ish (nearly 500 pages), but with larger type and an interesting plot. My plan was to read it to him until he got hooked, then, if he wanted to see what happened, he'd have to finish it himself.

We didn't win the Pinewood Derby. But we did start reading the book. After the first chapter, the boy was hooked like a crack addict (with appropriate apologies to crack addicts).

For the next few nights, he had to be told to turn off his light and go to sleep. He even asked to go to bed early so that he could read. He read to his six brothers and sisters. He read to us parents. He read to himself. He snuck a flashlight into bead to read past allowed hours (and how do you stop that - we. let it ride so that he thought he was getting away with something).

Nearly 500 pages - he wolfed through it like starving dog with a bag of kibble. He was done in four days.

Yeah, it's a kids book - with some kind of corny lines (listed in other reviews, so I won't repeat them here). But, you know what... I had started off reading this to him. I woke up at 11:00 this Saturday morning, because **I** was up until 4:00am reading. So, it might be younger fare, but it hooked me too. Thankfully, I didn't have to procure a flashlight to read.

My son wants to write his first fan letter to the author telling her how much he enjoyed her book, and begging her for a second. We'll be doing that as one of our homeschool lessons today... as soon as I get some coffee.