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Thursday 6 March 2014

Where The Rock Splits the Sky by Philip Webb

review by Maryom

Megan can't remember a time when the Sun moved across the sky. Before she was born, the Visitors came, demolished the Moon and stopped the world turning. Now, where she lives in Texas, the Sun sits on the horizon and never sets. Out across the desert lies The Zone - an area of strange happenings where machines and gadgets stop working, with floating towns, rivers of sand and fish falling from the sky - and somewhere out there, Megan is convinced she'll find her missing father. She has a hand-drawn map to follow, her trusty horse Cisco and best friend Luis to help.
Where The Rock Splits The Sky is a compelling adventure story but one that's extremely difficult to pin down. Is it science-fiction? - aliens have stopped the world rotating and have horrific plans for its people - or dystopian?  - society has taken a step backwards to the pre-industrial level - or maybe a good old western? - with a sheriff, outlaws, a stagecoach delivering the mail, poker players at the saloon and a shoot-out at the jail, it could easily be. Well, whichever label you choose doesn't stop it being a great read with almost something for everyone. It's primarily a story of friendship and of not giving up hope, things that we can all relate to. It gripped me on the first page and I didn't want to put it down till the very last.

 Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Chicken House
Genre - 13+, sci fi/dystopian/western 



2 comments:

  1. I wouldn't have thought such a summary could be old western, and I like the sound of that. At first I thought it would be similar to other books about the world recently but no, this one I like.

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  2. Ooh, I have this book on a pile next to me. Looking forward to reading it!

    Under The Mountain Reviews

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