Synopsis: Sam Palmer hates living in the countryside - he has no friends and life is dull. Until a bizarre bicycle crash leaves his body in a coma. Now he has far bigger problems. Sam wakes in Aurobon, a world similar to his own, and discovers that his accident was part of an elaborate abduction. Dark forces led by the brutal Odoursin need him for a deadly agenda, one that threatens to reach beyond Aurobon and into his own world. Aided by Skipper - an adrenalin-loving girl pilot - Sam must join the fight against Odoursin and find a way to return home.

Review: Sam Palmer’s fascination with insects becomes a nightmare when, following an accident, he wakes to finds himself in a world where the insects are gigantic menacing flying machines, piloted by people. Pursued by talking dogs with human faces, imprisoned and terrorised, and then forced to work in the larvae factory, Sam discovers that he is part of a prophecy that some believe can be used to destroy the Earth and its human plague. Aided by Skipper, he embarks on a quest to save the Earth from destruction but in so doing he experiences the ultimate sacrifice.

Steve Voake deftly highlights the evolution of the industrial world and subsequent environmental destruction in a remarkable tale about greed, pollution and war that should make the reader question what man is doing to the planet.

2006-12-01