Sunday, November 27, 2011

iBoy by Kevin Brooks




Reading Hammock’s Rating:
 3 ½ out of 5
Category:
Fiction
Fiction Genre:
SciFi
Title:
iBoy
Author:
Kevin Brooks
Author Website:
ISBN:
0545317681
ISBN-13:
978-0545317689
Publication Date:
November, 2011
Publisher:
The Chicken House
Format:
Hardcover | Paperback | Digital



Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Tom Harvey was an ordinary Londoner until an attack that caused fragments of an iPhone to be embedded in his brain, giving him incredible knowledge and power, but using that power against the gang that attacked him and a friend could have deadly consequences.

My review:

I began reading iBoy because I was intrigued to learn about Tom Harvey, the book’s protagonist, who obtains brilliant powers when the pieces of an iPhone lodge into his brain.  The concept for this book is fascinating.  Tom’s newfound powers drew me into the novel but, unfortunately, the plot let me down because I never felt fully immersed in Tom’s life.  In my opinion, great novels cannot rely only on a great concept—they also need a great plot.  In iBoy, the plot was not as spectacular as the idea behind it. 

I particularly liked how Brooks decided to incorporate the modern day item of an iPhone into his story.  We can all relate to the iPhone and this opens up a world of opportunities, which I felt Brooks did not use this to his advantage.   The plot simply did not work with the concept because the author did not give us more moments when Tom is actually using some of the capabilities of an iPhone, such as texting and searching the web. 

In sum, I generally liked Brooks’s refreshing concept but found, to my disappointment, that he did not adequately carry it through.  I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy fantasy and technology but warn them not to have high expectations.  

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