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In modern London, Riley is helped by Chevron Savano, a nineteen-year-old FBI agent sent to London as punishment after a disastrous undercover, anti-terrorist operation in Los Angeles. Together Riley and Chevie must evade Garrick, who has been fundamentally altered by his trip through the wormhole. Garrick is now not only evil, but he also possesses all of the scientist's knowledge. He is determined to track Riley down and use the timekey in Chevie's possession to make his way back to Victorian London where he can literally change the world.
Author biography courtesy of Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children.
"My original ambition was to be a comic book artist. I would still love to write a comic one day."
"I have a real hatred of queues. If I see a queue of more than four people, I will leave the building and come back another day."
"I have four brothers and they are the inspiration for several of the sprites and gremlins in my books."
"I did a parachute jump recently and loved it. I would definitely take it up as a hobby if we had more clear sky over here in Ireland."
"I am a big theatre fan, and I go as often as possible with my wife. I actually started out in the theatre, writing plays for my actor friends."
BooksAplenty
Posted April 22, 2013
3.5 stars
Riley, a teenage orphan boy in London circa 1898, is apprenticed to Albert Garrick, assassin extraordinaire. When their latest victim disappears into an FBI-monitored wormhole, Riley finds himself along for a ride into the future. In present-day London, Riley knows his days are numbered until the assassin comes to the future looking for him.
First some good news - there's LOTS of time travel in The Reluctant Assassin. The characters zip back and forth between the present day and 1898 quite frequently. Hooray!
And for a book about an assassin, there's also an awful lot of violence as you would expect. So much gory throat-slitting and knife-sticking that I don't feel comfortable recommending this for children below the age of 13. The three main characters spend the entirety of the book running around trying to kill one another. In the meantime, random FBI agents, vagrants, and thugs also find themselves getting murdered. Did I mention that there's a lot of killing in this book?
As for plot, pacing, and character, I found The Reluctant Assassin to be uneven. All 3 of the primary characters were interesting. They were complex, but with just enough stereotyping that they could almost be caricatures ~ evil villain, snarky FBI agent, wise orphan. The pacing and plot were strong at first. I was immediately hooked by both the plight of young Riley and the strange goings-on of the FBI agents. However, as the story progressed the plot began to disappear. The pace continued in a flurry of killings and near-misses, but without a strong plot, these adventures felt hollow.
This biggest problem facing The Reluctant Assassin is that the central conflict of the novel is too weak. Aside from everyone trying to kill each other, not much happens. There's some vague discussion that people who've been to the future could change the course of history, but this danger feels more like an afterthought than a justification for our characters' murderous deeds.
This book would be a fun read for teens who enjoy action-packed novels, but it's not Colfer's best work.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Rating: 4
In my frenzy of book reading over the last couple of years, I have not ventured much into the world of middle grades stories. Sure, my daughter read a lot and we spent much time browsing titles at (sniff) Borders Books or at the library. I saw the Artemis Fowl series, but said daughter was either too young for it or, when she was the right age, she passed over it, favoring My Sister the Vampire and books about dogs. So when I was offered the opportunity to read Eoin (pronounced “Owen” - you’re welcome) Colfer’s new series, I jumped at the chance. Boy, am I glad I did.
Though many ages will be happy reading his new book, it does seem like it is aimed at a slightly older audience, since the main character is a seventeen-year-old FBI “agent” and there is enough bloodshed, skulduggery and evil to satisfy said older audience.
One of my very favorite elements is here: Victorian England. I love books set during this time, with its shocking contrast between the extremely rich and the dirty, stinking conditions of the poor; the righteous religious believing (conveniently) that the impoverished were low because God ruled it so; in short, everything that Dickens railed against: squalor, class separation, and the lack of dignity, civil rights and hope. While we certainly had our share of horrible tenements and slums in the US, there seems to be something worse (perhaps the age?) of those in London. Maybe I have read Oliver Twist too many times.
Gleefully, I find that I am rewarded with a second of my book-reading favorites: time travel. Wrap both of my favs up with the outstanding writing, and I am a giddy girl. Check, check and...check!
The Low Down: Chevron “Chevie” Savano was part of a hush-hush project in Los Angeles that involved being assigned to a school in order to get close to the children of suspected terrorists. When something went wrong and the existence of the program was put into jeopardy, Chevie is reassigned to London to redeem herself while babysitting a pod in a basement. All the agent in charge tells her is that she needs to let him know if anyone comes out of the pod. Which, incidentally, no one has for about thirty years.
So, naturally, when she is on duty one day, the darn thing comes to life, destroying part of the house in the process. What does she find inside? A very small boy who looks and sounds like the Artful Dodger cradling a dead man with a knife in his chest. The boy, Riley, is a little freaked out about the dead man, to say the least, but he’s more afraid that his “master” will soon follow and finish off Riley. For this man, Albert Garrick, is pure evil that no one can hide from. Not even with over one hundred years of time between them.
This is a story about time travel, yes, but also about the downside(s) to it. It’s about power, greed, love, humanity, leaving your mark and how all of those things exists across eternity and always will. Another Brick in Yonder Wall, indeed.
The Bottom Line: The puzzlers in this story are skillfully laid out and answered, though not in an obvious manner. In fact, some were solved when I didn’t even realize they were mysteries in the first place. The writing surrounds you completely, every bit of it containing the perfect descriptions of the sights, smells (ugh), personalities, feelings and realities of the characters and locales. The depiction of the travel itself inventive and fresh. And the secondary characters are vividly drawn and well-developed. Not only can I not wait for the second installment of the series, but I am putting Artemis Fowl on my TBR list.
The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. #1) by Eoin Colfer was published May 7, 2013 by Disney- Hyperion. A free copy of this book was given to Ink and Page in return for an honest review. Big thanks to NetGalley/the Publisher/the Author.
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Action/Adventure Mystery Thriller Series
Ages: 12 and up
You Might Want to Know: Nothing of note
Anonymous
Posted May 17, 2013
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Riley, a teen orphan boy living in Victorian London, has had the misfortune of being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, an illusionist who has fallen on difficult times and now uses his unique conjuring skills to gain access to victims' dwellings. On one such escapade, Garrick brings his reluctant apprentice along and urges him to commit his first killing. Riley is saved from having to commit the grisly act when the intended victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI's Witness Anonymous ...