Source/Version: Netgalley copy - free for honest review
Score: 9/10
When you’re 14, the world seems enormous and choking all at
once, the big “one day” plans far more interesting than your current maths
class or boring neighbourhood. For Billy, school is a time to be thinking over
his next bit of computer programming script, not work, and time at home means
programming a strip poker game and hanging out with his best friends Clark and
Alf. The guys decide to steal a Playboy magazine from a local shop, and the
tale from there is epic – double crosses, castles, single mothers, evil principals,
furious guard dogs, princesses in various requirements of saving, and a
determined band of thieving heroes.
I cannot remember the last time a book tackled me back to my
teens, threw off the years, dug up memories and rode off on its bike laughing. The Impossible Fortress absolutely
delighted me, sucked me in from the first page and didn’t let go until I was
breathless and checking my face for zits I was so firmly feeling in the 1980s.
It’s an incredible ride; clever, honest, unflinching and emotive, perfectly capturing
the frets and frisson of being a teen still at home and hungry for the world.
This was the second book I read in 2017, and I can tell that there’ll have to be an astonishingly brilliant story to knock The Impossible Fortress from my “Best of 2017” lists this year.
Literary/wordcraft discussion: The dialogue was whip fast,
witty and a delight to read. The characters were well-developed, with human frailties
and no stereotypical short cuts (the principal could be seen as overblown, but
I’ve known principals like that so I call it believable and move on). The use
of hand-drawn maps at points during the story was excellent, as was the
programming code at the beginning of each chapter – I didn’t understand it but
it added sinews and sweat to the shape and movement of the story. Dialogue and
development was organic, deftly woven into the story so that exposition wasn’t
necessary, as you felt you knew the guys, their in-jokes and nuances – which then
meant that when they were surprised, you were too. The surprises were
absolutely unexpected – I’d have to reread the book to identify any foreshadowing,
but there was nothing heavy handed about the twists (I certainly didn’t see
them coming, and they packed a punch when they landed).
Rated: PG-13 – discussion of sex, physical intimacy,
violence and themes of personal responsibility, real-life repercussions, peer
pressure, friendships and developing relationships.
Recommended to:
- · Anyone who hopes their mother never knew everything they were getting up to as a 14-year-old
- · Those who would like to remember their teens again, zits, crushes, frustrations and all
- · Teenagers (all those I'm related to will get this book as a gift from me asap!)
Not recommended for:
- · Anyone allergic to laughter
- · Those still mortified by previous embarrassments
- · Readers who think teens don’t think about sex (hint: you're 179008% wrong)
If you like the sound of this book, I also recommend Please
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock (Matthew Quick), The Sun is Also A Star (Nicola Yoon),
Illuminae (Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff), The Serpent King (Jeff Zentner)
and Exo (Steven Gould).
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