Monday, October 22, 2012

Flash Virus: episode 1 - by Steve Vernon - A roller-coaster ride that's just getting started

4 of 5 Stars

What High School student is going to turn down a free cell phone?  Totally free.  No catch.  Or is there a catch after all?

When the kids in Old Man Jenkins' history class start hearing the strange ring-tone "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (in May), coming from their new free cell phones things start to get very weird, very fast.

Steve Vernon launches his episodic YA thriller, Flash Virus, with a roller-coaster ride that is just getting started.

Vernon seems to have a genuine understanding of the teenage mentality.  Personally, I'm far removed from those days, but with two grandsons, 18 and 8, living with me, I think I have a feel for how they express themselves.  When the author writes, "There is nothing that a teenage boy hates more than to to be called children,'" you better believe it.

There were times, when reading "Flash Virus," that I found myself laughing out loud only to be totally shocked by what happens just a few pages later.

I'm not a big fan of the episodic approach to story-telling, but I've done it a couple of times with Stephen King, both with The Green Mile and The Plant, Steve Vernon has me wanting to find out what happens next.

Flash Virus, episode 1 is available now at Amazon.com. 

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