Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff YP FIC ZADOFF

He's always the new kid.  every few months, new town, new school, new name, new target.  He is Nobody, and when you meet him it means someone you know is about to die. He is a highly trained 16 year old assassin for The Program.  One job and new life bleeds into the next until he finally gets a job that feels too real.  A target that feels like a family and a place that feels like home. Now he's remembering the 12 year old boy The Program killed to make Boy Nobody, now he's asking questions, now he's the target.  Can Nobody become somebody again, and will he be able to face the truth when he finds it?

This is an amazing spy thriller. Not only does it have suspense, really well crafted action scenes, and twists and turns galore, but it also has an excellent main character that is both alienating and fascinating.  A soulless teen killing machine isn't the most likable or relateable person, but even before he decides to fight the man, rage against the machine, or whatever it is the kids call it these days, he's still a very human monster.  He's conflicted about the cold blooded murders he commits, but has been trained and conditioned to follow orders above all. I think the idea of a teen assassin makes for a great read.  They can slip in and out of places adults aren't allowed and their overlooked by most adults. Also, they can be made to be very loyal. It also works well in a storytelling sense.  I've always had an issue with the romantic portrayal of hitmen and hitwomen in fiction, because let's face it murder isn't very nice.  Making a teen hitperson gives a lot more leeway in understanding how and why he or she might get caught up in it. Zadoff clearly understands this and keeps the reader hooked with Nobody's amazing skill set and ruthless cunning, but also continually questions the justness of his actions.  That way the reader really gets put in his shoes.  We feel the thrill of all the cool cloak and dagger killing, but have to be reminded of the wrongness of it all. Like our poor Boy, we look to the action to distract us.  It's super smart storytelling and elevates the book from being way more than just an excellent action read.  But hey, it also is an excellent action read, so you're covered there too! Zadoff uses short clipped sentences to keep the plot moving and get inside the regimented mind of our narrator.  I highly recommend this to anyone that wants something exciting to read and to anyone that likes books with plenty to read between the lines.

You can find Boy Nobody in our catalog here.

Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love by Chris Roberson Illustrated by Shawn McManus YP FIC ROBERSON

Everyone thinks they know Cinderella’s story. Well, her prince wasn’t so charming and their ending was anything but happy.  Now, she’s a socialite globetrotter by day and secret agent for Fabletown by night.  Fabletown has banned all magic items from leaving the city premises, but someone is smuggling weapons.  If the world discovers even a single magic item it could lead to the death of every Fable.  

This is a spinoff of the critically acclaimed Fables series.  This book is fairly good at catching new readers up to speed, so that it makes sense even if you’ve never touched a Fables book.  This is a much more light-fun action book than the usual Fables style, but it works as a fun diversion. This is a great read for fans of kick-rear heroines like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Charlie’s Angels movies.  Cinderella is clever, witty, and can take care of herself.  She’s also fashionable and sexy without being just a male wish fulfillment fantasy character like so many comic book heroines turn into in the wrong writers hands.  This is a fun espionage thriller and a really good read for female comic fans.

Sexy Voice and Robo by Iou Kuroda YP FIC KURODA

Nico Hayashi is a 14 year old middle school student and part time telephone dating operator. Her ability to instantly understand and become what any man is looking for has given her amazing abilities to tell everything about a man just by his voice. When she meets a mysterious old man that hires her to analyze a recording she starts a new career as a sort of spy/mob enforcer/matchmaker/detective. Along for the ride is her unemployed, underachieving, undeveloped 20something hipster pal Iichiro Sudo, who she tags Robo (for his love of Giant Robot Programming). Together they will try to make the world a brighter place one voice at a time.

This is a very unique book. It takes story lines right out of all sorts of different manga genres and remixes them into something funky and new. The art looks like a mix of traditional old school manga and American independent comics, so it is recognizable but also intriguing. The plot is fast, fun, and mixes a sense of danger with a sort of silliness. The book is unique because it uses a lot of clichés to look at how people raised and influenced by pop culture shape their reality to reflect a fiction. It is also about Big Ideas like: modern isolation, the magic and dangers of adolescence, the impossibility of connection, etc. So for a fun comic it has something to think about if you want to look deeper, but it never spells anything out for the reader. That way it gets to stay a fun adventure/spy series and also be something more. A great read for manga fans wanting something different or fans of indie comics.

By Royal Command: A James Bond Adventure by Charlie Higson YP FIC HIGSON

The young James Bond is back in his fifth and final adventure. James is finally getting settled into normal life, but danger seems to follow him wherever her goes. He survives a snow storm lost on a mountain only to return to his school, Eton. as he struggles to get used to a normal life of bullies and schoolwork he finds himself deep in a plot to kill the king. Surrounded by unknown enemies, James flees with a beautiful Irish would be terrorist to escape, but soon finds himself in the grips of one of his deadliest old enemies.

This is a great end to a great series. There is plenty of all the action, suspense, double crosses, danger, and romance in any great Bond movie. Higson is great at writing suspenseful books but not neglecting character building. You may remember that I liked his new horror book The Enemy a lot too. It's because he makes unbelievable situations seem real and draws the reader in. The James Bond series of books are all good, but you won't have to have read any of them to jump into this one, but there are returning characters for fans of the series. James doesn't have any fancy gadgets and the book can get pretty gritty, so they are more like the more recent Bond movies than the older more fantastical movies. If you like spy books then take a look at this series.

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee YP FIC LEE

Mary Quinn was a 12 year old pickpocket sentenced to die by hanging (England in the 1800s was STRICT!), but is given a last minute reprieve and sent to Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. There she learns to be a proper lady and eventually is hired as a teacher at 17. The life of a teacher bores her, but adventure finds her when she is chosen to join a secret spy society that works through the school calling themselves the Academy. Her first mission is to solve the mystery of missing cargos ships by pretending to be a lady’s companion in a wealthy merchant’s home. Soon the mystery deepens and Mary must face serious peril to uncover the truth, uncover a murder, and discover secrets of her own past.

First impression: It’s like a Jane Austen murder/spy mystery! This turns out to be a very good thing. Mary is a wonderful character; she is resourceful, bright, and tough without seeming entirely out of place with her time. The mystery has plenty of twist, but at times seemed a bit dry. Fortunately the romantic subplot is very well done and reminded me of the previously mentioned Jane Austen. I would say it is a good read for mystery fans, but mainly for fans of character driven mystery books. It is also a great read for historical fiction fans because the author has impeccably recreated Victorian, London with both high and low society represented. So if you are looking for some romance, danger, and intrigue this is your book.

Personal Beef: The cover! Why does it have “The Agency” in much larger print than the book’s actual title A Spy in the House? And it also has “A Mary Quinn Mystery” up top! Which is the title of the series “The Agency” or “Mary Quinn Mysteries”? Maybe I’m just easily confused, but I had to look up what the real title was.

Remote Control by Jack Heath YP FIC HEATH

In the future the entire world is controlled by a single MegaCorp named ChaoSonic. They own every business and make and enforce every law. The only one that opposes them is a secret organization called The Deck. Agent Six is a Heart, a secret field agent that carries out missions against ChaoSonic. He is also a genetically engineered super soldier created by ChaoSonic, but he has to keep that secret or The Deck will “shuffle” him. But when his twin brother is kidnapped in his place he realizes he is facing a new enemy and when The Deck tries to arrest Six, he has to face enemies on all sides. His only friend could be the mysterious girl with powers like his own that keeps following him or she could be his worst enemy. Find out in this action packed sequel to The Lab.

Remote Control starts off with an killer action sequence and keeps the pace going until the very last page. Heath writes really unique and clever action sequences that make you totally buy Six as a Super Secret Agent. The action keeps getting faster, harder, and better as Six faces off impossible odds. This is a good read for fans of action, especially if you like Sci Fi too. You don’t have to read The Lab to keep up with Remote Control, but Lab is a fun action read too.