Customer Reviews

The Tomorrow Code

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

 

 

I just finished reading The Tomorrow Code, and was very impressed. I found the story hard to put down (stayed up far too late to finish it), and with a great storyline, engaging characters and a `satisfyingly hanging' conclusion, I would highly recommend it to any older teen (or adult like me!).

I read and recommend teen and Young Adult books as part of my job as a librarian, and also make my own teens read lots of the books I bring home. My 16 year old son has taken to requesting "no more of those teenage-boy-saves-the-world" books, but he really enjoyed this book, as did my 14 year old daughter, who's currently in a "mutant science" phase.

I think it's a shame that the book has been labelled and marketed for older children and younger teens, as some of the science or cultural stuff may make some details a little difficult for younger kids; on the other hand it's a nice change to find a book aimed at this age group that isn't full of sex, drugs, high school cliques, teen pregnancy and domestic violence. And as for believable storylines (see Catrini's review), kids don't seem to want these as much as adults think they should! Look at the popularity of books like Twilight, or the Alex Rider or Cherub series ...

And yes, some of the details may be a bit hard to accept, but how many adults have fantasised about finding a magical way to win the lottery? And how cool would it be to actually have a yellow submarine! Cultural and setting details may make the book a little more challenging for readers who have perhaps only read books set in their own culture, but it's a great way to broaden their exposure to other places, and maybe inspire them to learn more about other countries and cultures (and science?) at the same time.

I will definitely be waving this book in front of many of my teen and young adult readers, in the hope that they will get as much pleasure from it as I did, even if they don't understand some of the science or the cultural references!

WOW! This book got into my head and stayed there for weeks. I even used it as a book club with my students. They felt the same way. Wonderfully written, although the first 10-15 pages were not as gripping as the rest of the story. Even though it focuses on time travel, it is really more of a social commentary of our attempts to destroy/ control nature.

For ages 13 and up, I can't recommend it enough. A good non fiction companion is "Time Traveler" by Physicist Ronald Mallet, a good fiction companion is "The Last Universe."

Could easily be used in a science class as a study of Physics or biology. Here are some of the topics covered: time travel, quantum foam, mobius strip, chimeras, pathogens, antibodies, and destruction of natural environments.

I read this book in paperback, my students read it on Kindles. The Kindle was really helpful as there is some tough vocabulary, and the instant definition option helped the students a lot.

This novel started out very promising. The puzzles were interesting and I was invested in the characters. The mystery was intriguing, and kept you reading.

The problem started when you found out more about they mystery. The book turned into an anti-science propaganda, and their depiction of scientists was highly unrealistic. I work in a building that does animal testing, and they do not murder monkeys in front of screaming children, telling them "I told you not to name it." This is just ignorance. Rebecca, who I liked earlier in the novel, became very annoying. I ended up not finishing the book and just putting it down in disgust.

Someone please rewrite the last third of the book.

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Crack the code or tomorrow is history! That's what it says on the cover of my copy of The Tomorrow Code and this tagline does a good job of summing up the excitement and urgency of this adventure story.

A argument about the feasibility of time travel sets Tane and Rebecca on a series of events that will prove one of their theories and possibly save the world from imminent disaster. Events move forward rapidly in this novel and the worlds of science, special forces, technology, computers and submersible technology all flash before the reader.

I read a lot of children's books and normally things from the adventure genre are not my thing. Paper thin character descriptions and relationships, pointless thrill-ride diversions, ridiculously unrealistic technology, kids who act like they are 32 instead of 12...all things I hate, BUT The Tomorrow Code makes none of these missteps. One of the highlights of the book for me was the realistic depiction of the relationships between the three main characters, and their interactions with their parents. One of these relationships in particular was extremely dysfunctional but it still rang true for me. The plot wasn't bogged down in excuses to blow things up, but the action scenes were a logical progression from the story arc. The technology used is all real-world standard, or close to it and you can read the real story behind the things in the book on the Tomorrow Code website [...].

There is almost always a slight requirement for suspension of disbelief when reading science fiction. In this title, this suspension is minimal and it is hugely assisted by the realistic actions and motivations of the characters. We can't know how we would react when faced with unimaginable circumstances, but Tane and Rebecca in this book serve as convincing proxy characters. The reader likes them and understands them, the best basis for an ongoing book series that I can think of (alongside an enthralling plot, which this book has, including ominous, dangerous).

To sum up, this book is the best children's book I have read since Coraline. I have been recommending it to adults and kids alike - Realistic kids, dealing with exciting, high-stakes situations and including man eating mist - you can't go wrong with this one.

This would have to rank as one of the most thrilling and original action-adventures for teens that I have read in a long while. Probably since the first in James Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series. With an intriguing plot that incorporates cryptography with creativity, a killer virus and our very own country - New Zealand. Although some of it seemed a little far-fetched, when the revelation came, it left me hugely satisfied. This is a book with an ecological message that never felt preachy.

All up, I was highly impressed and will happily recommend it to young fans of Patterson, Muchamore, Horowitz and Marsden. Great work from a little known New Zealand author!

This was the first Brian Falkner book i picked up and i am quite impressed. With a detailed plot and enriching details that spun my head, i can't believe more people wouldn't want to read this amazing mind bendin book!

this thriller had me completely obsessed. skipping meals, reading during class. Teen science fiction at its finest. Believable sciece and a whole lot of exiting fiction in between. I was fastenated!

This book drew me in with all the code stuff at the beginning, it was really interesting! But somewhere in the middle I began to realize just how ridiculous the premise was and really started to hate the character Rebecca. The book isn't horrible, I finished it pretty quickly because it kept me interested. However, the last fourth of the book was kind of out there and I ended up not liking the book much by the end.

SPOILERS!

The final chapter was ridiculous! There was so much talk in the beginning about how time travel can change the past and all that, and then Tane and Rebecca seem to forget all that and decide to change the messages to the past. News flash: if you send different messages, you'll never get to the point in time where you realize you sent the wrong messages in the first place, so you'll never send the right messages! stupid. Also Rebecca and that chimp made me roll my eyes so much.

I have read one of Falkner's other novels and decided to give this one a shot, despite its poor ratings from other sites. I must say, as an avid reader, I disagree and thought its storyline is very original and amusing. If you're a young adult with a love for medical science fiction, give this one a try.

Title: The Tomorrow Code

Author: Brian Falkner

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Edition: First Trade Paperback Edition: 2008

Back Cover Summary: Tane and Rebecca aren't sure what to make of it. A sequence of 1s and 0s, the message looks like nothing more than a random collection of alternating digits. Working hard to decode it, however, Tane and Rebecca discover that the message contains lottery numbers...lottery numbers that win the next random draw!

Suddenly Tane and Rebecca are rich, but who sent the numbers? And why? More messages follow, and slowly it becomes clear--the messages are being sent back in time from Tane and Rebecca's future! Something there has gone horribly wrong, and it's up to them to prevent it from happening. As they follow the message's cryptic instructions, Tane and Rebecca begin to suspect the worst--that the very survival of the human race may be at stake.

*******

This was my first time reading Brian Falkner. He's a children's book writer from New Zealand who often writes stories that are based in his homeland. "The Tomorrow Code" is his U.S. debut.

The first thing that drew me toward this book was the cover. It looked dark and mysterious (and honestly reminded me of "Resident Evil" for some reason). I then proceeded to read the back cover and that's when I should have thought twice about the book, discovering that the author wrote children's books, because I think that's really where the book went wrong for me. I was being drawn into this really interesting concept of messages from the future, a strange living pandemic that is taking over New Zealand with only three teenagers to stop it. However, since it is for children, the writing felt too simplistic, the dialogue too redundant, and the interesting storyline left high and dry, really defending for itself because the author is too busy explaining it so younger children might get it.

High Notes: The plot is vastly interesting. I love the idea of messages from the future, this race with time to decode the answers before it is too late, and then desperately seeking what to do next when the first plan fails. The story does come full circle, leaving the reader with hope that all the answers will be discovered in a second time around.

(If only we could have focused on allowing our imaginations to romp freely instead of being suffocated to death with every known and unknown detail. This leads qucikly into the low notes...)

Low Notes: Although the plot really stretches our imaginations and the bounds of science in an interesting way, the author leaves little room for us to fill in blanks on our own, allowing us to experience the journey alongside Tane and Rebecca. Instead, we are idle listeners, constantly told and reminded what is happening. Trust me, in certain chapters you'll most likely understand the book's "science" or at least accept it for what it is, but trust me, if you didn't get it the first time, the author will explain it again and then again. And, in case you need to hear it once more, the characters will also explain it to you in their own words over and over and over again.

My point is, there is a subtle art to the amount of information an author tells his/her readers, and the information the readers are allowed to figure out or decide on their own.

Also, dialogue is a huge thing for me. So when the dialogue becomes this forced tool, used merely to explain the situation and perform a rehearsed Q&A session, I'm disappointed. Honestly, you could probably get the bare bones of the story (and finish the book at lightning speed) by reading only the dialogue.

Let's not forget the flatter than flat romance, predictable, boring.

Disclaimer: Okay, I really have to add this in before giving you my ratings. Note that this book was obviously too young for me. So my ratings will reflect my dismay as a 22 year-old. Younger audiences may be more satisfied. Nevertheless, I have read other children's books, such as "The Hideout" by Micheline A. DeCaire, and been completely satisfied so it really may be that "The Tomorrow Code" is just on the outs in my mind.

Ratings:

Character Development: 3/5

Dialogue: 1/5

Prose: 3/5

Believability: 2/5

Style and Grammar: 3/5

Overall Rating: 48% Disappointed!

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