Customer Reviews

Shade's Children

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This young adult science fiction novel from the author of the stunning fantasy "Sabriel" has some striking similarities to "The Matrix," although it was written before the film came out. In the future, enigmatic beings known as The Overlords have made all humans over age 14 vanish from the planet. All the remaining children were rounded up and placed in "Meat Factories" where they are bred to be used as raw material for slave-construct creatures, like Wingers, Trackers, and the fearsome Myrmidons. The Overlords use these creatures to play out cruel battle games for their own amusement.

But a resistance exists: children who have escaped from the dorms and who possess powers that the change in the world has given them. These children work for a being called Shade, a human mind inside a computer. Shade claims to be working at overthrowing the Overlords, but he seems too willing to toss away the lives of the children who serve him. Our four main characters, Drum, Ella, Ninde, and Gold-Eye, come to suspect that Shade has a larger agenda than he says, even as the struggle to defeat the Overlords starts to advance in their favor.

Although not as incredible a book as "Sabriel" (one of the best fantasies, adult or young adult, of the last decade), "Shade's Children" is action-packed, deeply imaginative, and filled with wonderful characters. The book is structured so that between the chapters dealing with the main action are short chapters containing computer read-outs, statistics, interview excerpts, computer self-analysis, etc. This is a clever device that splits up the action and gives dramatic tension to the rest of the book.

The four young heroes are realistic and wonderfully written. Ella, the eldest, and a strong leader who feels the great weight of responsibility. Drum, powerful but sterilized from his time in the dorms. Ninde, a teen-girl at heart with simple loves. Gold-Eye, the newest addition, stunted in language but not in bravery or dedication. In many ways, this novel is his story, his journey of self-discovery. Lastly, there is Shade himself -- and there is much more to him than anyone knows or can even guess.

Older teens and junior high school students who appreciate a mature kind of science fiction that won't insult their intelligence will love "Shade's Children." But I also recommend it to adult science-fiction readers; Nix is a tremendous talent, and he won't disappoint your cravings for action, characterization, and ingenious world-building.

Shade's Children (Garth Nix) is honestly among the best books I have ever read. It is well worth your time to read it, particularly if you are a science fiction fan.

That said, let's get a little warning out of the way first: This book is intensely dark from beginning to end. It is a book designed to frighten you, and it does its job well. The trick is, Shade's Children does not rely on the gory sort of horror Hollywood and even many novelists have introduced to us as of late. Rather, it twists your mind around, leaving out the disgusting scenes and instead realizing God is in the details, and the book uses subtlety that will haunt you long after you have forgotten the blood and guts of the movies.

Shade's Children involves a world decimated by warfare, warfare comitted by enigmatic beings called the Overlords, whose sole puprose is to make war. On a child's fourteenth birthday they are taken to a facility where their brains, muscles and other organs are used to make the Overlords' death machines.

At the center of the storm is a creature known only as Shade, who gives shelter and help to the few children lucky enough to escape the Overlords. However, they also conduct strikes in an attempt to destroy these things that have taken over their world, and as they come closer to succeeding in their goal, Shade seems to become more and more like the enemy they have to destroy.

In short, this is a wonderfully written book you will be remember long after you have finished it. However, as noted, it is *not* something for the kiddies--Shade's Children is the stuff of nightmares. If you are ready, however, there are few books I've read better than this.

~Kei

Shade's Children is, in my opinion a very creative and imaginative book. This is the only book by Garth Nix that I have ever read. The whole idea behind the book is very fascinating, much different from other books that I've read. It is a mystery that is trying to be solved, how all of the adults dissapeared. One day they all just vanished. And then the Overlords came. Nobody knows where or how they came. One day they were just there, and then came their creatures.

Screamers scream singly, all alone;
Trackers track in trios of three;
Ferrets follow in fangs of five;
Myrmidons march in maniples of seven;
Wingers fly in flights of nine.

The Overlords captured the children and sent them to the Dorms, only to stimulate there bodys, for later on their Sad Birthday, they would be taken to the "Central Processing Unit" (i.e. The Meat Factory). Their muscels and brains were to be used only for the creation of creatures. But there is a band of rebels under the guidence of Shade. Children who had escaped the Dorms and been taken in by Shade. Though Shade is not a man. He is not even really living. Is Shade there to help them or is he just using them for his own purposes. Find out.

This book is really excellent and suspenseful. I strongly recommend it to anyone with a liking for science fiction.

Garth Nix's book Shade's Children is by far the best book I have Ever read. I really give it six stars, unfortunatly I can't. This is a page turner and you won't be able to put it down. You can get to know the characters such as Goldeye, Drum and more realistic characters. This action packed futuristic novel will keep you on the edge of your seat. A great twist ending that will blow your mind. Nix has really outdone himself this time. I can't wait to read his next work. If you like action, suspense with a pinch of romance then you have to read this book. My favorite part, was the whole book! The developed characters in this futuristic setting made me feel like I had traveled into the future and was watching the whole thing. I couldn't belive it! You must buy this book!

My father drank his coffee black. I don't drink coffee but I like my post-apocalyptic science fiction to be as black as possible. "Shade's Children" was every bit as satisfying to me as my father's morning cup of coffee. I like dark apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction because I crave watching humans overcome the worst of odds. I find the human adventure to be simulating and motivating. This novel fulfilled my every wish. Garth Nix writes with a fluidity and depth that is soul satisfying. The world he has created here is unique - I've never come across anything like it and I read a lot of books. Imagine if you woke up one morning and everyone over fourteen years was gone. Not dead, no bones, no ashes, just gone. Children are raised by drones in large dorms and when they reach the ripe old age of fourteen, they are sent to the meat factory where their bodies and brains are harvested to make the cyborg soldiers the Overlords use in their war games. Into this grisly background Nix inserts four humans the reader cannot help but love: Elle, Drum, Ninde and Gold-Eye. It is up to these four children, to save the rest. They have a sentient computer to guide them but is Shade an ally or an enemy? "Shade's Children" is a page turner. I could not put it down and when I was finished, I simply turned back to the beginning and started over. You will too!! (...)

Shade's Children is a rare book: lots of excitement, romance, great characters, etc., but even better, there's a really interesting idea with lots of deeper meanings to think about and moral decisions, like in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. "Sabriel" and "Shade's Children" are both wonderful books if you like young adult fantasy/scifi that is slightly more dark and serious than normal. I do, and now I really can't wait for Garth Nix's next book! I've got to get a copy of The Ragwitch. However, the cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon on the hardcover, although it's nice-looking, doesn't really fit with the story: all the children look about 9 or 10, but they are supposed to be 15 and up. And the Creatures look nothing like I'd imagined them. I do like their art though; look at the covers of Sabriel and Wise Child. If you liked Tomorrow, When The War Began, Galax-Arena, or Ender's Game, you will probably like Shade's Children. There are things about SC that remind me of all these books. Shade's Children is VERY highly recommended for ages 14 up. Just don't expect it to be another Sabriel; Shade's Children is just as good (if not better) in its own, very different way, and if you want it to be just like Sabriel you won't appreciate it and you'll really miss out.

I thought that this was one of the greatest books I have ever read. It was about 4 kids escaping the dorms. The dorms are a place where all kids under the ages of 14 are kept. When they get to the age of 14 they are sent off to the meet factory. At the meat factory they are basically killed, but there mind is put into creatures. The names of the creatures are Trackers, Myrmidons, Ferrrets, and Wingers. The leaders of all of this are called overlords. There are 7 overlords all of a different color and there own way of life. These kids all had there own powers. These powers were called "Change talents". Goldeye could see the soon to be now which was basically what would happen in around 5 seconds. He could not control this power. Ninde if she sucked on her nuckle she could read the thoughts of anything that could think. Ella if she knew what shape and size a thing was she could use all her strength and make the things. Drum the fighter of the group had major strength and could easily fight off 1 creature with some help from his group. These four people lived with a human personality computer named Shade. Shade had saved his personality into the computer right as the change was going to happen. The place that they lived was a submarine where the groups of kids that got out and could servive to get to the place could live and survive unless on a mission from shade and die. The group that he was interested in writing about were always close to death, but they always survived somehow. No overlord has ever been killed but if ever one did it would be great for all of human kind. This book is supposed to be happening sometime in the 3000s. If you ever want to find out if the humans survive the change read the book and you will be surprised at the beginning middle and end. This is a great book and I reccomend this book to people who like young adult books and who likes changed worlds.

"Shade's Children" is the story of four children living in the distant future, when Earth is taken over by machines. I thought it was a great book because it had a traditional "good vs. evil" kind of plot with a twist: the heroes are basically regular kids fighting to survive. It had an exciting plot and kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to read Garth Nix's next novel!

My introduction to Garth Nix, Sabriel, was one of only two books that my former reading group ever unanimously enjoyed (putting it along with the classic Demolished Man); in that title Nix manages to introduce a complex, detailed world that the protagonist knows only slightly better than the reader. Nix does something simlar with Shade's Children.

As much as I loved Sabriel, I put off reading Shade's Children for years due to its rather bleak concept. Thankfully, the actual tale turns out to be much more focused on action than the bleakness the plot suggests. Nix definitely touches upon and uses the concept's bleakness well but it doesn't overwhelm the story as I expected it would. Rather, it tends to drive the action and motivation for the cast.

As in Sabriel, Nix's ability for subtle writing shows itself again in Shade's Children. Nix knows well how to effectively ration out the tantalizing details about his post-apocalyptic universe so that you are enticed to keep reading; to learn more about what drives this nightmare.

Nix also nicely deals with the biggest weakness of Sabriel and Lirael -- the all-knowing character that explains what is going on. Shade primarily serves this function, but Nix manages to keep Shade from being a spigot of expository dialogue by cleverly giving the character mixed motivations. It's a technique that increases the novel's drama doubly. Additionally, the medium Nix chooses to give the reader insight into Shade (done in alternating chapters) is adeptly used, typically enhancing the mystery and atmosphere rather than explaining it away.

While Sabriel had quite a bit of action to it, Shade's Children is almost non-stop action, with only a few brief breaks in between. Thankfully, Nix has quite a skill at writing action scenes that move quickly and draw you in to the frenzy.

With Shade's Children, Garth Nix once again succeeds in creating a novel that is fast-paced, exhilarating and highly atmospheric.

Shade's Children by Garth Nix

"Screamers scream singly, all alone;
Trackers track in trios of three;
Ferrets follow in fangs of five;
Myrmidons march in maniples of seven;
Wingers fly in flights of nine."

What would you do if you live in a world where you 14th birthday was your last? What is all you had to look forward to for a life was being sent to the Meat Factory and having your muscles harvested to create deadly creatures for rulers you never met? What if your only chance of survival was trusting in Shade? A person that is more like the creatures he fights than a man?

Shade's Children is by far one of the most imaginative and creative science fiction novels that I have read. Though this is the only book I have read by Garth Nix, I have no doubt that this is a great book written by a great author. Unlike any book I have read, Shade's Children is full of facination and mystery that has to be solved. Why and where did all the adults go? That's all the children of the change know. Their parents disappeared one day, without a trace. Then the Overlords came. Then the Dorms were built. Then the creatures came.

Gold-eye is just like any other boy you's find in the Dorms. A boy with only enough education to talk and read, skrauny, and pale. Only, he escaped the Dorms, and found Shade and his "children." Gold-eyes now has to help in a plot to the Overlords downfall that Shade seems so eager to carry out. Maybe too eager. Gold-eye along with Ninde, Ella, and Drum get closer and closer to finishing off the Overlords, but the closer they get, Shade becomes more and more ruthless. What does Shade realy want? He claims to be a sworn enemy of the Overlords, but he is willing to throw away the lives of his children in exchange for knowledge. Can Shade be trusted?

This book is truely a book with few flaws. It's imaginative and witty, full of romance and mystery. However, every books has it's flaws. Shade's Children is a very graphic book, going into great detail about everything and does have some questionable language. This is a recommendable book for an audience from the ages of 13 and up and for those open-minded to this wonderous novel.

Truely a great read, Garth Nix's Shade's Children is a must read.