Published synopsis:
It's the first week of summer break, and fifteen-year-old Mark McBrantly and his three friends are already in trouble. While breaking into an abandoned motel, they discover a box containing six mysterious files. Mark takes it upon himself to investigate the documents and soon learns that the world is a much different place than what he previously thought. A world where:An alien takeover is thwarted by an insane, homeless man.
A dead detective's lingering spirit can only be set free by the person responsible for the death of his daughter.
The haunting of a house in an affluent suburb creates an incestuous relationship, and, a potential school shooter.
A suicide doctor discovers a direct pathway to heaven and hell without religion.
Chupacabras and Bigfoot are the work of alien fairies determined to protect the world's forests.
A supercentenarian with just one wish; to be able to die.
Though each attempt to understand the strange files feels like a step backwards for Mark, it is in reality, one step closer; one step closer to understanding the whole chaotic world and one step closer to the Space Truckers--a secret intergalactic organization with just two objectives: to maintain the delicate balance of the universe, and to recruit new blood. What Mark doesn’t know is; he’s being tried out for the position.
Review:
Mark McBrantly is a kid who is just floating along through life. He’s still friends with the kids he grew up with even though he doesn’t really enjoy their company as much as he used to, but it’s what he knows. He’s content to slide by, taking the easiest way out whenever possible. Setting goals and achieving them is not on his to do list.Until a red box full of mysterious files falls into his hands. Files that don’t make sense. In his world of finite things, it’s not possible that there are aliens or ghosts or people who can live centuries as long as they wear a magic charm. But, maybe the world is bigger than he thought it was. Setting out to learn as much as he can about these strange individuals, Mark learns a lot about himself along the way. One of the things he learns is that he has a lot left to learn.
In The Space Trucker’s Dossiers, William D. Russell takes on a huge challenge. How to fit the mysteries of the universe into the head of a teenage boy. Or at least, the knowledge that the mysteries exist. Russell’s main character grows and matures dramatically as he faces the unknown and the challenges set before him. Though some of the story is a little rushed, such as the ease in which he gets people to share their stories, and then finds the necessary solutions quickly, this is still a book with a strong foundation. I do admit, it took me several chapters to really get into the book. Some of the secondary characters are abrasive and unsympathetic, such as his childhood friends. This doesn’t change throughout the book, but it does become apparent why they were created to be this way. Mark has to learn that what mattered in childhood doesn’t always stand the test of adulthood. Sometimes, to find our future, we have to let go of parts of our past – the parts that hold us back, keep us from discovering who we really are.
Throughout the book, Mark makes some choices that turn out well, and some that don’t. When trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong in the crazy new world he’s thrown into, he finds the line blurs pretty easily. But, each experience brings with it more proof that Mark has what it takes to help maintain balance in the universe. That’s why the Space Truckers want him. I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book 3 ½ stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment