11/09/2015
When a new drug hijacks the cybernetic implants of those who use it, turning them into puppets for a mysterious mastermind, a teenage hacker attempts to unravel the mystery and save her friends and family. The complicated trail Marisa Carneseca follows takes her from the powerful criminals who all but run her Los Angeles neighborhood to corporations that rule the city. She and her friends face threats both in the real world, with a gang war spilling over into the streets, and online, in the depths of the darknet, where people wage war with viruses and information. Wells (the Partials series) presents a tense cyberthriller set in the near future of 2050, where economic inequality has created a dangerously volatile society and where surgically installed devices called djinni allow for 24/7 connectivity. The ethnically diverse cast features several strong, resourceful women, while Marisa’s struggles with her artificial arm add another layer to the story, helping it stand out as more than a typical SF adventure. It’s an engaging start to Wells’s Mirador series. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Feb.)
Filled with suspense and twists and unforgettable characters. This book is just plain awesome.” — James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze Runner
“This fascinatingly speculative tale, first in a series, full of diverse characters, owes much to M.T. Anderson’s Feed, and it’s just as exciting and innovative. Readers won’t be able to put this sci-fi thriller down.” — SLJ (starred review)
“Wells’ first in a new science-fiction series is an action-packed, twisty thriller mystery set in an all-too-believable future. Fans of futuristic dystopias will be clamoring for more adventures in Mirador.” — Kirkus Reviews
“The ethnically diverse cast features several strong, resourceful women, while Marisa’s struggles with her artificial arm add another layer to the story, helping it stand out as more than a typical SF adventure. It’s an engaging start to Wells’s Mirador series.” — Publishers Weekly
“Dan Wells is a master of both suspense and sheer, bombastic fun. I loved Bluescreen. Do yourself a favor and start reading this right now.” — Brandon Sanderson, bestselling author of Steelheart
Filled with suspense and twists and unforgettable characters. This book is just plain awesome.
This fascinatingly speculative tale, first in a series, full of diverse characters, owes much to M.T. Anderson’s Feed, and it’s just as exciting and innovative. Readers won’t be able to put this sci-fi thriller down.
Dan Wells is a master of both suspense and sheer, bombastic fun. I loved Bluescreen. Do yourself a favor and start reading this right now.
★ 12/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—This fast-paced futuristic science-fiction cyber-thriller about virtual reality gone wrong is a compulsive read, especially for gamers. In 2050, Los Angeles is one of the last great centers of business left in the United States, filled with autocabs, rolling lounges, maglev trains, and hypertubes bringing commuters in from all over the country. Nearly everyone has a djinni, a smart device implanted into their brains. One blink enables a person to access email, the Internet, or video feeds, and adware is constant. Teens spend nearly 24 hours a day online plugged into it; much of that time is spent playing virtual reality games. Mari Carmeseca and her friends Sahara, Anja, Jaya, and Fang are all skilled virtual gamers. Mari is also a talented hacker. She and her family live in El Mirador, a midsize barrio where her family runs a Mexican restaurant. Business owners pay gang lord Don Francisco Maldonado's enforcers to keep the peace. After rich girl Anja has a bad reaction to Bluescreen, a digital drug that triggers a huge sensory buzz, Mari and gorgeous drug dealer Saif agree to work together to try to get it off the streets. In attempting to do so, they soon find themselves involved in a more dangerous conspiracy than they ever imagined. This fascinatingly speculative tale, first in a series, full of diverse characters, owes much to M.T. Anderson's Feed, and it's just as exciting and innovative. VERDICT Readers won't be able to put this sci-fi thriller down.—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton
Roxanne Hernandez narrates this fast-paced teen science-fiction novel. In 2050 Los Angeles most people are online 24/7, thanks to the djinni, a device implanted in a people’s heads. Marisa and her friends get more than they bargained for when one of them tries a new virtual drug called Bluescreen. Hernandez differentiates the voices of Marisa and her friends by using a variety of accents, including German and Hispanic. She also switches easily between English and the Spanish phrases that Marisa uses when she gets upset or frustrated. At times, some of the accents slip or merge into other voices, but overall this well-done reading will keep listeners engaged. E.N. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
2015-10-06
In 2050, when the Internet is connected directly to the brain, malware and viruses can be deadly. Seventeen-year-old Marisa and her virtual-reality-gaming friends call themselves the Cherry Dogs and aspire to play "Overworld" professionally. Like Marisa, Sahara and Anja live in Los Angeles, but Fang and Jaya live halfway across the physical world. When wealthy Anja tries a new type of plug-in called Bluescreen, the supposedly safe digital drug knocks her out. Its effects—while in a trance she tries to force the drug on her industrialist father—are terrifying, and tech-savvy Marisa and her friends investigate. However, their investigations draw the attention of Bluescreen's creators, and that could result in the death of the Cherry Dogs. Meanwhile, the Maldonado family, paid to protect Marisa's family restaurant from gangs that deal drugs in her mostly Latino neighborhood of Mirador, have stopped actively protecting businesses. Can Marisa and her friends apply their VR-gaming skills to the real world and discover the mystery of Bluescreen while surviving a gang war? Wells' first in a new science-fiction series is an action-packed, twisty thriller mystery set in an all-too-believable future. Complex, ethnically diverse characters and witty dialogue balance out the (slight) overabundance of tech-blather. Though it has obvious affinities to Feed, its focus is on action rather than concept. Fans of futuristic dystopias will be clamoring for more adventures in Mirador. (Science fiction/thriller. 14 & up)
