Earthfall by Mark Walden (review)

For the past year and a half, fifteen-year-old Sam Riley has focused on nothing but survival. Hiding by day from trawling alien-robot invaders and their brainwashed human slaves, he emerges only at night when desperate for supplies. Now, though, he’s been discovered by two other teenagers, who save his life and take him back to their secure compound deep in London’s complex network of sewers. There he joins a ragtag group of teens, led by a secretive scientist and a former soldier, who want to do more than survive; they want to fight back, and Sam is thrilled to help. Even as he leads forays against alien forces, though, Sam begins to suspect that the adults know more than they are saying. When a final mission into the alien’s stronghold leads to everyone’s capture aboard the mothership, Sam tries to discover the truth behind the aliens’ intentions and uncovers secrets about his own origins that just might save the world. A vivid page-turner from its opening scene, this fast-paced, action-adventure sci-fi blends the present-day science of nanotechnology, the fantastic concept of distributed consciousness, and the mystery of secret societies to create an edge-of-your seat read. The focus is on action, so characterization is slight, but that doesn’t keep the central teens from emerging as likable, memorable individuals. The pace slows somewhat during the lengthy revelation of the alien’s and Sam’s histories, but it picks up rapidly for a stunning conclusion that sets up likely sequels. Packed with adventure but light on gore and gloom, this is the perfect choice for fans of the recent trend in robot combat (Rosenblum’s Revolution 19, BCCB 4/13 and Kade’s Bot Wars, BCCB 6/13) and alien invasions (Yancey’s 5th Wave, BCCB 9/13) who like their novels with a cinematic feel.