Review: Imaginative and fast-moving...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 12, 2013
Set in the near future, when robots are taking jobs away from real people and 'robophobia' is the result, TV producer Marty Shultz comes up with an idea for the ultimate reality show - robots fighting robots to the death, with a huge prize at stake for the robot-builders. But when sleek, shiny, silver robot Eve is sabotaged things take a grisly turn and suddenly the human contestants are in a fight for survival...The book is a non-stop action-fest with cliffhanger after cliffhanger. The two main characters, Toby and Caitlin, are well depicted and the rest of the cast are deliberately caricatured - we have drunken bikers, manic dentists, hillbillies, etc, each with matching killer robots. Imaginative and fast-moving, the book is very visual - as I read I could imagine it as a film, perhaps animated, almost certainly 3D, with the robots as the real stars.This book is aimed at the young adult market and I'm afraid it's been quite some time since I fell into that category. For my taste, there was a bit too much action - I'd have liked to get to know some of the minor characters better - and the underlying plot wasn't resolved satisfactorily, obviously to leave room for sequels. There was also way, way too much violence and gore for me, and I felt that sometimes this aspect didn't sit well with the overall tone of the book as a fun lighthearted action adventure. But then it's not aimed at me. And, despite my reservations, I found it well written, imaginative and enjoyable and it certainly kept me turning the pages right to the end. Recommended for anyone who likes their action fast and fun and doesn't mind a bucket or two of gore along the way.