Zoid (1) (Scavenger) - Softcover

Stewart, Paul; Riddell, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1447299957 ISBN 13: 9781447299950

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books, 2016

Synopsis

A spaceship the size of a city drifts through space on its century-long journey to find a new Earth. At launch it was populated by thousands of hopeful passengers and the most technologically advanced Zoids in the world, ready to serve the crew. But the Zoids rebelled, wiping out most of the crew in one bloody uprising. Now, humans are hunted by the Zoids like vermin. Fourteen-year-old York is a Scavenger—he hunts and kills zoids, using their parts to mend the technology on which the few remaining humans rely. York has always battled to survive, but now the fate of his people is in his hands.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Stewart is a highly acclaimed author of books for young readers. Chris Riddell is a renowned political cartoonist and illustrator of children’s books. Together, Stewart and Riddell have formed an award-winning partnership and created the bestselling Edge Chroniclesseries, which has sold more than two million copies and is now available in more than thirty languages. 

Reviews

Gr 3–6—In a distant future, killer zoids revolt, throwing off their shackles of subservience and attacking their human masters. York is a scavenger, away from the outpost when the zoids attack, who takes it upon himself to fight back, shooting grenbolts, which completely zilch the zoids. Reluctant or struggling readers may have difficulty with the invented vocabulary. If they push on, however, this dwindles in the second half of the book. The detailed line drawings throughout carry the plot along. The swashbuckling action requires very little of York, and he is successful at virtually every turn, defeating his opponents with ease. York becomes smitten with a "female" zoid with human skin and some decent programming. Their romance is tame, though, mostly involving York thinking about kissing her. Overall, the plotline is derivative, working back through themes well established by Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek Voyager, and Silent Running. For younger readers, however, these may be uncharted waters, and the novelty of the concepts coupled with invented vocabulary may prove alluring. VERDICT A serviceable addition to sci-fi collections, reserved strictly for the geekiest set.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL

Edition details

• Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1447299957
• ISBN 13: 9781447299950
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272