Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: dotwav
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S): Mike Lancaster
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.mikealancaster.com/ [Not same; in Chinese]
CITY: Cambridgeshire, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
http://www.egmontusa.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781606843093
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2010059543
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2010059543
HEADING: Lancaster, Mike A.
000 00324nz a2200121n 450
001 8407341
005 20100910090635.0
008 100910n| acannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2010059543
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC
100 1_ |a Lancaster, Mike A.
670 __ |a Lancaster, Mike A. Human.4, 2011: |b ECIP t.p. (Mike A. Lancaster)
953 __ |a xc05
Writer Note: Database doesn’t seem able to list complex book data.
PERSONAL
Born 1965, in Huntingdon, England; married; parent.
EDUCATION:Attended University of Northampton.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
When Mike A. Lancaster published his first book in 2011, he achieved a lifelong objective. Growing up in rural Cambridgeshire in the 1970s, he wanted to be a writer, and he never changed his mind. Lancaster attended university in Northampton. He married, became a father to his children and a caregiver to an eclectic menagerie of pets. The consistent element of his life may be the time he spends with his imagination.
Lancaster writes science fiction for teen readers. His “dot four” novels appeared first in England, where he was credited as Mike Lancaster. When they were printed for a U.S. audience, the novels acquired new titles, and the author acquired a middle initial.
Human.4
Human.4 (published in England as .04), begins with the discovery of cassette tapes from the past. The story unfolds from the transcripts, which were recorded once upon a time by a teenager named Kyle Straker. Kyle relates what happens during a community talent show when he and his friends volunteer to be hypnotized. When they awaken, they realize that their small-town community–the whole world, actually–seems to have gone ahead in time without them. Kyle and his friends have become virtual ghosts, unable to interact with the people around them, incapable of understanding the language spoken on television or displayed on computer screens. With Kyle in the lead, the youngsters embark on a journey of discovery.
Kyle deduces that humanity somehow exists as a population of programmable entities under the control of an unknown alien force. Humans undergo periodic bulk “upgrades” of their operating systems, which failed to affect the teens in their hypnotic state. Kyle and company go unrecognized as “fragments of old code,” according to Daniel Kraus’s review in Booklist. At least, that is Kyle’s theory. Questions abound, as the transcriber of the audio files attempts to bridge the gap of time with numerous annotations. The result, according to Kraus, is “a fast-paced, upsetting little thriller punctuated by ominous editorial notes.” A reviewer at Dark Faerie Tales called Human.4 “a science fiction thriller that brings you on an adventure so out-of-this world, you will question what is reality and what is not.”
The Future We Left Behind
The sequel, The Future We Left Behind (1.4 in England), takes place thousands of years in the future. Kyle’s account is regarded as mere superstition by all but a few religious cultists known as Strakerites. Among them is a spunky teenager named Alpha, who persuades her classmate Peter Vincent that Kyle’s theory of a society managed by alien upgrades might not be so far-fetched. In fact, the teens realize that a new data upgrade is not only poised to launch, but could also do unalterable damage to human life as they know it.
A Kirkus Reviews contributor mentioned that “Peter’s world contains some compelling science-fictional window dressing,” including “downloadable clothing.” A reviewer at Dark Faerie Tales volunteered: “Data is as easily exchanged through the fiber-optic-like cables that extend from fingertips as it might be through ordinary conversation.” David Kraus commented, again in Booklist, that the author “effortlessly incorporates big ideas of science versus religion into his whiz-bang plot.” He hinted that “fans of Human.4 didn’t see this giant leap forward coming.”
dotwav
The novel dotwav takes a somewhat different tone. A mysterious new music scene called X-Core, or Cross-Core, is mesmerizing British youth. Teenage Internet hacker Ani Lee thinks she knows why. An online hacker buddy sent her a suspicious music file with a “.wav” extension that seems to convey subliminal messages. Ani believes that someone is embedding the file into X-Core music tracks in order to mobilize a malicious teenage army toward a goal of world domination. Her curiosity takes her to an underground concert where she meets an unlikely ally.
Joe Dyson is a teenage agent of the Youth Enforcement Task Initiative, or YETI, a British intelligence unit for infiltrations impossible for adult operatives. Joe is investigating the disappearance of his friend Lennie and other missing teens. Ani is in danger, too, from armed thugs who would kidnap her to retrieve her clandestine copy of the “wav” file. Amid suspicions of alien mind control and government corruption, Ani and Joe must work together, first of all to silence the malevolent “sound forms,” then to identify the source and put an end to the plot. In her Voice of Youth Advocates review, Elizabeth Matson called dotwav an “exciting wish fulfillment caper with teen heroes saving the day.” Briana Shemroske reported in Booklist: “This tale of ingenuity in the face of insatiable evil is a deeply infectious one.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2011, Daniel Kraus, review of Human.4, p. 55; November 1, 2012, Daniel Kraus, review of The Future We Left Behind, p. 56; September 1, 2016, Briana Shemroske, review of dotwav, p. 108.
Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2012, review of The Future We Left Behind; June 15, 2016, review of dotwav.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2015, Elizabeth Matson, review of dotwav, p. 74.
ONLINE
Dark Faerie Tales, http://darkfaerietales.com/ (January 5, 2013), review of Human.4.
Red House Books, http://redhousebooks.blogspot.com/ (November 21, 2016), review of dotwav.
Teen Reads, http://www.teenreads.com/ (March 15, 2017), author profile.
Biography
Mike A. Lancaster
Mike Lancaster lives in Cambridge with his wife, kids, dogs, cats, horses, the Leopard Geckos, and somewhere in between the zoo-keeping he writes stories.
Legal Name: Lancaster, Mike A.
Birthplace: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
Birthdate: 1965
=====
https://blog.booktopia.com.au
Mike Lancaster, author of 0.4 – It’s a Brave New World, answers Ten Terrifying Questions
by John Purcell |December 20, 2010
The Booktopia Book Guru asks
Mike Lancaster
author of 0.4 – It’s a Brave New World
Ten Terrifying Questions
————-
1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in the UK. I was raised in small rural villages around Huntingdon, and then when I was eleven or twelve my parents split up and I suddenly found myself living in the middle of a vast council estate. The experience left me feeling like an outsider – something I guess I actively cultivated in my teens by reading Camus and Salinger and listening to punk rock.
I went to school at Hinchingbrooke School in Huntingdon; and to university in Northampton.
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
Writer, writer and writer. I’ve never wanted to be anything else. I think that as soon as I started to appreciate books, I wanted to write them.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
That lovely simplistic belief in absolutes: that for every issue there is only black and white -right and wrong- in the world, and no intermediate shades of grey.
As I get older I see more and more grey.
4. What were three works of art – book, painting, piece of music, etc – you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
Gulliver’s Travels, by Swift, is a book I frequently revisit, and I guess I have taken an important lesson away from it: that by viewing the world from other angles – or by distorting it and exaggerating it – you can reveal its flaws and inconsistencies in a far more enduring fashion than you can through the use of carefully studied realism.
And it’s a whole lot funnier.
The works of H. P. Lovecraft, that strange gentleman of Providence, showed me that less is very often more, that hinting can be far more effective than shouting, and that the universe was not only not built for us, but that it may actually mean us ill will.
And Harlan Ellison’s dazzling short stories constantly remind me that there is a moral dimension to writing fiction, that it is our duty as writers to explore the very limits of human emotions and actions and use them to inform our non-writing lives.
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?
I have tried painting, drawing, music and acting and I am terrible at them all. And I can’t dance. Words I can do.
6. Please tell us about your latest novel…
0.4 is a science fiction novel for 11+ readers.
It’s the story of a single day in a small village called Millgrove – which just so happens to be the day that everything changes for humanity.
Forever.
That story is told from the viewpoint of a fifteen-year-old boy called Kyle Straker, who records his terrifying experiences onto audiotapes.
The book is a transcription of those audiotapes by a person far in the future, who adds his own comments to explain some of Kyle’s cultural references.
(BBGuru: Publisher description –
The Millgrove talent show has the same performances as any other small town: a cheesy ventriloquist, off-key karaoke singers, and bad dance routines. But after Kyle Straker is hypnotized as part of his friends mysterious new act, Millgrove will never be the same again.
When Kyle and the other volunteers awaken, the entire audience, the entire town, and possibly the entire world, is frozen still. Telephones, radios, televisions, and computers no longer work: only a strange language flashes across the screens.
When everybody suddenly wakes up, it becomes clear that they have changed and that Kyle is now an outsider, one of the 0.4.
Is Kyle still under hypnosis, or is this chilling new world real? Will he awaken from a dream to roars of laughter, or is there something much more sinister happening?
One of the last of his kind, Kyle records his story on a series of cassette tapes, describing the shift, and what it means for the future of mankind.)
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
I just want to do what I think all art is supposed to: to make people look at the world in a slightly different way.
I’d also like it if they used the word ‘cool’ when describing it to a friend.
8. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?
Donald E. Westlake, the great American crime writer, who died in 2008.
And simply because out of the fifty or so novels of his I have read, I have yet to come across one that I didn’t like.
He could jump from laugh-out-loud comic caper novels, to coldly amoral thrillers, to science fiction stories, all without ever letting me down.
When he died I felt like I had lost a friend in the world.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
To keep telling good stories that provide my readers with exercise for that important muscle – the human imagination
Dotwav
Briana Shemroske
Booklist.
113.1 (Sept. 1, 2016): p108.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Dotwav. By Mike A. Lancaster. Sept. 2016.416p. Skyhorse/Sky Pony, $17.99 (9781510704046). Gr. 9-12.
Ani Lee, 15, is a proficient Internet hacker. She and her pal Jack "Black Hat" McVitie's recent takedown of Facebook's notorious Farmville app
made headlines nationwide. Joe Dyson, 17, is a chip-enhanced undercover operative for YETI, Britain's classified, crime-fighting Youth
Enforcement Task Initiative. Initially independent agents, Ani and Joe are brought together by a mystifying and malicious new musical
movement: X-Core. While its jarring audio frequencies are outwardly linked to the disappearance of Lennie, Joe's friend and MP Victor
Palgrave's son, they may also be tied to motivations far more insidious: alien life, government conspiracy, armed mercenaries, and a languid
empire of mind-controlled teens. Uniquely poised to resist the inexplicable lure of these sinister "soundforms," Joe and Ani must squelch the
noise--and whomever, or whatever, it came from. With charismatic protagonists, sharply self-aware dialogue, and gut-wrenching detail--
particularly in the visceral portrayal of X-Core's adverse effects and Ani's haunting recollections of her mother--[[this tale of ingenuity in the face
of insatiable evil is a deeply infectious one]].--Briana Shemroske
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Shemroske, Briana. "Dotwav." Booklist, 1 Sept. 2016, p. 108. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA463755254&it=r&asid=2f70e1def7b5cffd79098edd15790ad1. Accessed 6 Feb. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A463755254
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Lancaster, Mike A.: DOTWAV
Kirkus Reviews.
(June 15, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Lancaster, Mike A. DOTWAV Sky Pony Press (Children's Fiction) $17.99 9, 6 ISBN: 978-1-5107-0404-6
Combining a love of science fiction with modern technology and some very original thinking, this novel takes a look at some of society's
preconceived notions from a slightly off-kilter view.Biracial English 15-year-old Ani Lee is used to taking care of herself: her Vietnamese mother
is hospitalized in a mental institution after a horrible suicide attempt, and her white father is off pursuing some shady business ventures. For Ani,
hacking into restricted websites is both easy and good fun, though her best friend and hacking partner is someone she's never met. But when he
sends her a secret .wav file, Ani finds out how alone in the world she really is, because now men with guns are trying to kidnap her for that file.
It's only by chance that she runs into 17-year-old Joe Dyson, a white American living in London, at an underground concert. Joe is an operative
for the Youth Enforcement Task Initiative, a secret section of British Intelligence, who goes where only teens can blend in. Together, they have to
solve exactly what the .wav file is, who wants it, and what makes it so important. Too many lives are at stake and someone's pulling the strings,
using music to gather the world's youth into one massive, mindless army. But whose? The third-person narration alternates between Ani and Joe,
weaving both psychological back story and futuristic sci-fi elements through the story. Though it takes its time, it never drags, parceling out plot
details and worldbuilding in classic thriller fashion. This one's a page-turner. (Thriller. 12 & up)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Lancaster, Mike A.: DOTWAV." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2016. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA455212751&it=r&asid=30a77afa33784f00a7af221e7f4aae0f. Accessed 6 Feb. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A455212751
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Lancaster, Mike A.: dotwav
Elizabeth Matson
Voice of Youth Advocates.
38.4 (Oct. 2015): p74.
COPYRIGHT 2015 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 4P * J * S
Lancaster, Mike A. dotwav. Egmont, 2015. 432p. $17.99. 978-1-60684-581-3.
Ani Lee is a fifteen-year-old gifted hacker who gets hold of a secret .wav file and suddenly finds armed men coming after her. Joe Dyson is a
teenage spy for a secret division of the British intelligence service looking into the disappearance of a friend who recently became involved with
an underground music scene. As both teens try to figure out what is going on, their paths eventually intersect. The .wav file and the X-Core music
scene lead to uncovering an alien communication and a megalomaniacs mind control plan for world domination.
This is a fast-paced science fiction thriller that does not let up on its breakneck speed until towards the end, when a few science information
dumps slow things down. Though this makes the ending more anticlimactic, it does leave readers with some interesting food for thought. The
viewpoint switches between Ani and Joe from chapter to chapter until they finally meet up. After that point, the viewpoint starts switching
between several different characters from one paragraph to the next. There are allusions to some darker psychological issues--Jack has anger
issues and Ani's mother is in a mental hospital--and a couple of graphic scenes involving Ani's mentally ill mother. These serve to support the
high-octane plot rather than as character development, however. With teenage spies, hackers, music, mind control, and aliens from outer space,
this [[exciting wish fulfillment caper with teen heroes saving the day]] is sure to appeal. --Elizabeth Matson.
Matson, Elizabeth
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Matson, Elizabeth. "Lancaster, Mike A.: dotwav." Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct. 2015, p. 74. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA432173020&it=r&asid=a6a6e0fd8c650a2880034666a4cfb5ab. Accessed 6 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A432173020
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Lancaster, Mike A.: THE FUTURE WE LEFT BEHIND
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 1, 2012):
COPYRIGHT 2012 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Lancaster, Mike A. THE FUTURE WE LEFT BEHIND Egmont USA (Children's Fiction) $16.99 11, 13 ISBN: 978-1-60684-410-6
This sequel to Human.4 (2012) portrays a not-exactly-science-y future. Peter is the son of the man who saved the world by inventing robot bees.
Destined by his wealthy genius father for a future in science, Peter rebels against both by enrolling in a literature class and befriending Alpha, a
girl in a wacky religious cult. Alpha is a Strakerite, following the ancient tapes of Kyle Straker. Kyle and his girlfriend Lilly believed humans are
regularly upgraded by aliens. Skeptical at first, Peter is soon convinced; if it doesn't make sense that humans could have evolved the Link that acts
as a telepathic Internet, then clearly it must be because Kyle was right about everything. Peter investigates: Is his father hiding something about
the Straker tapes? Alpha has a job, too, even though she's a girl: "Every upgrade has a Kyle and it has a Lilly," Peter's father explains. "-The Lilly
paradigm follows her Kyle into the fire." In choppy prose, Peter takes a journey of bad science and flawed logic in the hopes of saving the world.
Despite logic-leaping plot development (which disconcertingly mirrors contemporary political arguments about evolution and "intelligent
design"), [[Peter's world contains some compelling science-fictional window dressing]]: not just robot bees but[[ downloadable clothing]] and filaments
allowing direct human-to-computer uplink. Technology aside, this future looks unimaginatively like the present, from university curriculum to
social structures. (Science fiction. 12-16)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Lancaster, Mike A.: THE FUTURE WE LEFT BEHIND." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2012. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA303620441&it=r&asid=5110b4307d070e0489e7df90f1d84327. Accessed 6 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A303620441
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Human. 4
Daniel Kraus
Booklist.
107.18 (May 15, 2011): p55.
COPYRIGHT 2011 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Human. 4.
By Mike A. Lancaster.
2011. 240p. Egmont, $16.99 (9781606840993). Gr. 7-10.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
From the first page, Lancaster has got you: "Warning: This data storage unit, or 'book,' has been designed to reprogram the human brain." Then
Lancaster himself steps in as "editor," introducing the audiotape transcripts that are to follow, in which 15-year-old Kyle Straker relates a story of
great historic value to the beings of the future. What kind of beings? Well, that's the story. Kyle was living a regular life until he was one of four
volunteers to undergo hypnosis during a small-town talent show. By chance, while the four were under, the rest of humanity received an upgrade.
When the four wake up, the entire town is frozen in place. Soon after, the townspeople come back to life, but they can no longer see or hear Kyle
and his three companions, who have become little more than ghosts, [[fragments of old code]] that the new programs simply ignore. Wringing his
Stephen King-like premise for all it is worth, Lancaster fashions [[a fast-paced, upsetting little thriller punctuated by ominous editorial notes]] that
translate Kyle's details for the futuristic audience (example: explaining what "lips" were). The characters are somewhat thin, but few plots race
along with this kind of speed and purpose.--Daniel Kraus
Kraus, Daniel
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
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Kraus, Daniel. "Human. 4." Booklist, 15 May 2011, p. 55. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA257511880&it=r&asid=be0217da6563f5b7a5607dba26b546a4. Accessed 6 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A257511880
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The Future We Left Behind
Daniel Kraus
Booklist.
109.5 (Nov. 1, 2012): p56.
COPYRIGHT 2012 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* The Future We Left Behind. By Mike A. Lancaster. Nov. 2012. 384p. Egmont, $16.99 (9781606844106). Gr. 7-10.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
The events of Lancaster's Human.4 (2011) are thousands of years in the past, so distant now that Kyle Strakers account of humanity being
"upgraded" by alien forces is considered superstition except by true believers known as Strakerites. But now it's time for a teen named Peter to
upload his story into the worldwide shared space of the Link--and with a"
cute Strakerite Alpha, who has uncovered a clue that links both of their fathers to a long-disbanded scientific committee charged with debunking
the Straker Tapes. Secretly, though, the committee concluded the opposite: humankind arrogantly believes they are the creators of their own
evolutionary destiny when really it is alien forces periodically upgrading our abilities for their own purposes. Lancaster[[ effortlessly incorporates
big ideas of science versus religion into his whiz-bang plot,]] along the way borrowing from the sf masters: the large-canvas orchestrations of
Asimov; the yearning nostalgia of Bradbury; the who-stole-my-memories paranoia of Dick; the pro-gaming, pro-hacking bent of Doctorow; and
the spirituality of Clarke.[[ Fans of Human.4 didn't see this giant leap forward coming]]--and that more than anything is the hallmark of great sf.--
Daniel Kraus
Kraus, Daniel
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Kraus, Daniel. "The Future We Left Behind." Booklist, 1 Nov. 2012, p. 56. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA308599537&it=r&asid=1f344aa77f8a9f29564249f1cdd1dc83. Accessed 6 Feb. 2017.
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Gale Document Number: GALE|A308599537
Review: Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster
January 5th, 2013
Posted in Review | Comments Off on Review: Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster
Title: Human.4
Author: Mike A. Lancaster
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Series: Point 4 (Book 1)
Publication Date: March 8, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
ISBN-10: 1606843095 (Egmont USA)
ISBN-13: 978-1606843093 (Egmont USA)
Reviewed by: Michelle
Synopsis:
Kyle Straker volunteered to be hypnotized at the annual community talent show, expecting the same old lame amateur acts. But when he wakes up, his world will never be the same. Televisions and computers no longer work, but a strange language streams across their screens. Everyone’s behaving oddly. It’s as if Kyle doesn’t exit.
Is this nightmare a result of the hypnosis? Will Kyle wake up with a snap of fingers to roars of laughter? Or is this something much more sinister?
Quick & Dirty: [[A science fiction thriller that brings you on an adventure so out-of-this world, you will question what is reality and what is not.]]
Opening Sentence: When Danny Birnie told us that he had hypnotized his sister we all thought he was mad.
Excerpt: No
The Review:
Human .4 by Mike A. Lancaster is a science fiction story that I will not forget. While I’ve read many in the same genre, there is something about Human.4 that stands out. It may be the suspenseful scenes, or even the wonderful writing by Lancaster. Either way, I’m glad that I had a chance to read this, and hope that I won’t be having any nightmares now. *looks around*
Human.4 are a retelling of events that happened one summer. The story consists of transcripts of recorded sessions by Kyle Straker. On a summer vacation, Kyle, his best friend Simon, Simon’s girlfriend Lily, and their friend Danny were hanging out like young teens do. A tale of a successful hypnotizing sparked an idea to repeat the act during a talent show. But the results left me on the edge of my seat, filled with suspense and so much thrill, that I couldn’t believe someone had imagined the story.
Human.4 takes place in a futuristic alternate universe taking events from the past, all revealed by the contents of the tapes. I would say that a good portion of the events are flashbacks, and in true science fiction form, I, as the reader, questioned what was allowed in this world. Lancaster allows for the reader to be provoked through different emotions, thoughts, and actions, each defined not only by the main character, but the supporting characters themselves.
Kyle was a forward thinker, strong minded and clear of where he wanted to go and definitely sure of who he was as a person. At times, I would have classified it as reckless, but others? Well, he was brave and not lacking gumption, that’s for sure. Lancaster wrote him very clearly, never allowing for the reader to question why he did something at any given moment. As Kyle retells the events of the summer to us, and as I read about Kyle, I slowly became obsessed with what came next.
Lancaster’s world in Human.4 was confined within one room, yet so expansive within the confessional tapes. It was interesting to be brought back to each moment, but yet suddenly reawaken to the reality that this was all told and recorded on tape. Actions occur in the present, but told in the past. Unfamiliarity of the unknown raises questions, but each event felt familiar. Lancaster keeps you on the edge of your seat, and sometimes you, as a reader, will wonder where you just went and where you came from.
Suspense, science fiction, thriller. These are all good adjectives to describe Lancaster’s Human.4. I believe there is something for everyone in this book, and I for one cannot wait to read the next one. The narrative direction was clear and enjoyable, and on a personal level, it was just fun. It was easy to lose myself in this story and I was glad to lose sleep just to finish it. I highly urge you to read this, and then the next.
Notable Scene:
The relief in her voice was obvious.
I felt a harsh twinge of jealousy. yeah, I know, not exactly an honorable reaction, and I’m not proud.
“If he’s alive, there’s hope,” I offered, and Lilly’s face brightened.
“But how do we wake them up?” she asked. “We were the ones who were supposed to be hypnotized. Did it go wrong? Did Danny hypnotize everyone else? Even himself?”
I was going to attempt an answer, when my train of thought was interrupted by a loud wailing sound behind us.
Point 4 Series:
1. Human .4
2. The Future We Left Behind
ADDED BY WRITER: same post date
Thousands of years in the future the divide between humanity and technology has become nearly unrecognizable. Each thought, each action is logged, coded, backed up. [[Data is as easily exchanged through the fiber-optic-like cables that extend from fingertips as it might be through ordinary conversation.]] It’s a brave new world: A world that the Straker Tapes say is a result of many human “upgrades.” But no one is sure whether the Straker Tapes are a work of fiction or an eerie peek into an unimaginable past.
Nearly sixteen-year-old Peter Vincent has been raised to believe that everything that the backward Strakerites cling to is insane–an utter waste of time and potential. Since his father is David Vincent, genius inventor of the artificial bees that saved the world’s crops and prevented massive famine, how could Peter believe anything else?
But when Peter meets Alpha, a Strakerite his own age, suddenly the theories about society-upgrades don’t sound quite so crazy, especially when she shows him evidence that another upgrade is imminent. And worse, there may be a conspiracy by the leaders of the establishment to cover it up. A conspiracy spearheaded by Peter’s own father.
FTC Advisory: EgmontUSA provided me with a copy of Human .4. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Rating: 8.8/10 (4 votes cast)
Monday, November 21, 2016
Book Review: Dotwav by Mike A. Lancaster
Genre: YA Sci-fi Thriller
Publication: September 2016 by Sky Pony Press
Acquisition: received an ARC at ALAAC 2016
Synopsis:
“There’s something in that sound. Something bad. Something dangerous.”
Fifteen-year-old Ani Lee is a skilled hacker researching a strange .wav file that she’s downloaded when it behaves as no file ever should.
Joe Dyson is a seventeen-year-old American transplant recruited into a secret teen division of the British intelligence service who’s looking into the disappearance of a friend caught up in an underground music scene that might be more than it appears.
When Ani and Joe’s investigations intertwine, they discover that the .wav file and the music are linked—someone’s embedding the file into tracks to create a mind-controlled teen army.
But who’s behind it? And why? And how do you stop a sound?
An exhilarating sci-fi techno-thriller that blends music, mind control, and conspiracy perfect for fans of Little Brother, Brain Jack, and Proxy.
(from Goodreads)
5 / 5 Stars
I. Love. This. Book.
I've been a huge fan of Lancaster's from pretty much the first page of his first book, Human .4. His second book, a follow up to Human .4, was also fantastic so Dotwav was already sitting pretty high up on that pedestal.
As it should be!
Again, because:
I. Love. This. Book.
It's just a great story - lots of layers and great characters and fabulous sci-fi. It's the fabulous sci-fi that really does it for me. YA sci-fi can be tricky. I've been burned before but not so with Dotwav. So many things are going on and while it's a little over the top, realism wise, it all makes total sense in the big picture.
It's got a Mission Impossible type feel - only cooler and with young people. It also reminded me of that so horrible you have to love it movie, Hackers - without Jolie's huge lips getting in the way of everything.
Oh! And there's a twist...ish...towards the end - I didn't see it coming at least - and it was freaken cool.
If YA sci-fi is your thing you should for sure check out Dotwav (and Lancaster's other books!). I would also recommend this book to reluctant teen readers (boys and girls) as it's just a fun story that flows well and keeps you engaged page after page. Also, there is little to no romance and the main protag is male, which is always refreshing to me since most YA book I read have female MCs.
Mike has become one of my always read authors and I can't wait to read whatever it is he has planned next!