Word On Books
with Jeremy Fenton
Winter
By John Marsden, Published by Pan
I'm not sure how he does it, but John Marsden is one mighty prolific author of quality fiction for young adults.
His Tomorrow, When the War Began series of books (now up to number 7) have deservedly become international bestsellers with their mix of high action and emotional depth.
Marsden's other books have thankfully less dramatic backgrounds than the invasion of Australia, though the internal conflicts of his teenage characters are often just as fraught.
Winter - the name of the 16-year-old girl at the centre of his latest work - is a perfect example.
Having lost both her parents through very unpleasant circumstances over a decade ago, she must now come to turns with the inner turmoil that threatens to consume her. To move forward she must first uncover the past, even if it's the subject of her nightmares.
A short character study of considerable power by the master of teenage fiction.
Eva
By Peter Dickinson, Published by Macmillan
 Eva has been in an horrific accident. By all rights she shouldn't have survived, only this is the brave new world of the not-too-distant future.
To save her life, Eva's brain patterns and consciousness have been placed inside a chimpanzee.
Instead of feeling grateful for her renewed chance at life, Eva is full of moral questions and a presence she can't quite identify. Did a chimp have to die so that she may live? Why does she keep dreaming of the jungle?
Her life may have been saved, but in the process she has become part ape - physically and emotionally.
An ape who fast comes to disagree with the way that humans treat their nearest genetic relatives - as stock for medical experiments.
But what can a chimp do? Use her new found celebrity status as the ape-girl to enact a daring plan that may be the chimps their last chance at living free and wild again.
Peter Dickinson's novel is a remarkable work for young adults - an intelligent, engrossing and very satisfying fiction of high ideas.
Under No Flag
By Simon Higgins, Published by Random House
 Local author Simon Higgins‚ follow up to his submarine action novel for young adults, Thunderfish, is back in the water again and making a splash with a cracking good read.
Appropriately setting the scene with a quote from the first submarine novel's Captain Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne is one of Higgins‚ favourite books):
'I have done with society entirely, for reasons which I alone have the right of appreciating. I do not therefore obey its laws, and I desire you never to allude to them before me again!'
It's a quote that could also have been uttered by ‘obsessed' heiress Kira Beaumont, Captain of the refitted combat submarine Thunderfish.
This time around the good 19-year-old captain and her military-trained crew must partake in a secret mission of international significance. Rescuing a diplomat to prevent a war is a tall order, especially when the future of the world's oceans also hangs in the balance.
As with other adventures from Higgins, Under No Flag features a great cast of characters and a fast-paced plot while subtly slipping in some of the big themes of the new millennium - military might, nationalism and environmental awareness not being the least.
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