Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Dead of Night (YA)


Marsden, John. 1994. The Dead of Night. 278 pages.

Damn this writing. I'd rather sleep. God how I'd love to sleep. But I can't. It's been a long time since I had a peaceful night's sleep. Not since I went to Hell. Since I went to that complicated place called Hell.

Yes, my friends, Hell is complicated. But maybe not for the reasons you're thinking. Because Ellie and her friends (well, some of her friends at least) are hiding out and surviving in the Australian bush. And 'Hell' is their nickname at least for their hideaway. This uninhabitable region is associated with an urban-legend type of legend about being the 'home' of a murderer hermit. (As I said, it's complicated.) Really, before the holiday, Ellie and her friends (and everyone else) would have told you that it is inhabitable. It's impossible to reach this place. You can see it from afar, yes, but there's no way down.

The Dead of Night is the sequel to Tomorrow When the War Began. And it continues the adventures of Ellie and her friends. There are some new dangers in these adventures. And as always, life proves challenging as they battle to stay alive. Sometimes the enemies you fight inside your own mind (your own shadows) prove harder to fight than any 'real' enemy. Perhaps because you can't outrun them. War is NOT pretty. And it's not a game. Can these teens manage on their own to survive in an invaded country?

I'm enjoying this series if 'enjoy' is the right word. They're a bit intense really. But that can be a very good thing.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2 comments:

Beth F said...

I just finished the fourth book in this series. Marsden does a fantastic job with his characters. The series is really addictive.

Unknown said...

The good news is the intensity doesn't let up the further you get in the series!