Rule of Claw [Hardcover]

John Brindley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2007

A move away from the effervescent over-the-top world of Amy Peppercorn, this is a powerful stand-alone novel in the best tradition of thrillers. We enter a futuristic world and meet a band of sixteen year olds who were dumped in isolation at an early age. They're educated partly by gleaning facts from the few books in their possession, but primarily through their experiences of survival which features death and danger. A new threat emerges when the teens transcend their own rules and eat animal flesh. Ash is kidnapped and becomes a pawn in the power struggles between the formidable raptors. In these beautiful beasts, she glimpses new forms of evolution which make her consider her own humanity. Soon she learns the frightening truth of their origins. And realizes the dangerous implications for herself and her friends.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—In this dark, futuristic novel, 15-year-old Ash lives with more than two dozen teens in a fortified beach compound, where they had been left by their parents years earlier. Ash, a champion surfer and the de facto camp leader, is abducted by predatory Raptors, a mutant species that lives in the remains of a human city. While struggling to escape, she encounters friendly, peace-loving rodents, a cross between humans and rats. Their leader informs Ash that her father, Professor Helix, was inadvertently responsible for the genetic mutations that largely destroyed the human race. Following a war between the human/rat allies and the Raptors, the novel concludes with the fragile promise of peace and cooperation among all three species. Brindley's fast-paced novel is initially difficult to follow as it's unclear what has happened to human adults and why some of Ash's friends are showing signs of mutation. The teens' slowly devolving society is reminiscent of William Golding's classic Lord of the Flies with Ash unable to stop her friends from violating their own long-standing rules. In The Rule of Claw, the teens are rescued not by adults, but by the redemption offered by the rats and their own dawning recognition that they can choose to live in cooperation. Science fiction fans will enjoy the constant action, richly drawn characters, and fully realized setting.—Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

'strongly shaped by conflict between good and evil' -- Lesley Agnew THE BOOKSELLER 'a real rollercoaster ride... a strong and powerful adventure with a rich thematic background... Ash is a tremendously charismatic central character.' -- Jill Murphy THEBOOKBAG.CO.UK 'The author has big ideas here, looking at evolution and how moral structures in a society are formed... a fine yarn.' FLIPSIDE 'clever, pacy and provocative stuff, set in an unforgettably lurid world.' -- Helen Brown THE DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Futuristic, gripping, thought-provoking and impressive' -- Niall MacMonagle IRISH TIMES

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Orion Childrens H/B & Trade Pb (May 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842555871
• ISBN-13: 978-1842555873
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,326,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Change in Pace for YA, April 10, 2009

By 

Lorena L. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rule of Claw (Hardcover)

The future has always held many things for humanity. Robots, flying cars, you name it, it's been done. But what isn't often told is what could happen, if it all goes wrong. If somewhere through time, we mess up, and the fate of the human race dangles on a thread held by a handful of teenagers.

Ash and her friends are the only teenagers left on Earth. Beyond the the fence of the ASL camp is only death and danger in the woods. They've grown up without adults, dreaming only of the world from their magazines, and trusting their 5 commandments.
Honor your father and mother. You shall do no murder. You shall not steal. You shall not- shall not covet your neighbors house. Surf's always up- Honor the best rider like your father and mother.

But now the rules no longer apply. When Ash is captured by a savage clan of raptors, she must not only fight for her life, but for the future of her entire race.

John Brindley's The Rule of Claw was unlike anything I've ever read. And to be honest, it scared me. At our pace, is this was evolution will lead us to? The fate of humanity, dangling by the hairs of kids who've never known life outside their camp? The book really is intense, the characters all blissfully innocencent, and thrown into a war that was not theirs to fight. I'd easily recommend this to anyone who needs a break from the otherworldly fantasy we've gotten so used to reading. Just pick it up and read a few pages in, it will really change you.