The Rule of Claw - Softcover

John Brindley

3.33

237 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842556215 ISBN 13: 9781842556214

Publisher: Orion Childrens, 2008

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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 abandoned 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, the leader, 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.

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About the Author:

John Brindley lives with his partner in the south-east of England. He has two children, both of whom have been instrumental in the development of his early stories for young people. John is a keen music fan and enjoys playing squash and socialising in London. His other books include Rhino Boy, Changing Emma and the four books about Amy Peppercorn (Starry-eyed and Screaming, Living the Dream, Beyond the Stars and Out of Control).

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
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