- Written by Alastair Chisholm
It’s always a treat when Alastair Chisholm releases a new book. Orion Lost is the book that got my son into MG books. And I absolutely loved The Consequence Girl. So when it was announced that this was going to be a 3 book series I knew this was going to be something special. The first couple of chapters reminded me a lot of the tv series Robot Wars. This was starting to feel like something very special and extremely unique.
Coll is Wolf.
He lives with his clan on a Construct, a huge technological “creature” driven by the clan’s combined willpower. Together they roam their world, fighting other clans and absorbing them into their own.
But when a new and dangerous Construct attacks them, Coll is thrown clear from Wolf and left behind. Now he must survive life on ground and get back to his clan. He is helped by Rieka, a “Tock” who makes the Constructs work. She promises Coll a way to return, but can she be trusted? And what is she really trying to do…?
When Coll uncovers the truth, it destroys everything he thought he knew about his clan, the world they live in, and even himself. In a world full of danger, and suddenly without meaning, can he find a way back?
The further I got on in the book the further I became more invested in this world.The landscape comes across as extremely bleak without colour and
Only the strongest survive, crews of people use Constructs to roam & find the highly prized Anthryl & to take control of territory. Anthryl, the nano technology that holds together the Constructs, also provides protagonist Coll with a prosthetic lower arm & leg. The crew don’t like weakness or difference – but they tolerate Coll because their Alpha is his mother.
I absolutely loved how the main character Coll is disabled and his prosthetic arm and leg is mentioned a lot throughout the book, and this actually plays a major part in the story. I can’t actually think of a book with a main character with prosthetics so this will delight all the children out there that use these. It’s so good for them to be able to see themselves in books.
This is a book all about identity, and being true to yourself. Coll has always felt the need to prove himself, even on Wolf, amongst his own. Being separated from his clan, where survival is the reward, and where he must rely on others too, Coll is pushed to examine his identity and challenge his mindset, learning what can be achieved with a shift in thinking
A lot is achieved in only 240 pages. Alastair Chisholm has created a world we can believe in. I was gripped from start to finish and found Coll a compelling lead. He has also shown where sources of conflict and intrigue lie in the subsequent books.
As I approached the end, I watched the page count dwindle down. It became very clear that there were going to be a lot of loose ends and cliffhangers that would be explored in the next book.However, the ending was still well managed and I didn’t feel short-changed.
I will definitely recommend this book to my pupils- they will love it and I can’t wait to pick up the story again in ‘I am Raven’ – Caw! Caw!
I can only hope that there is not a long wait for the next one.
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