≫ PDF Defender The most gripping readinonego thriller since The Stand The Voices Book 1 G X Todd 9781472233080 Books

Defender The most gripping readinonego thriller since The Stand The Voices Book 1 G X Todd 9781472233080 Books

Download As PDF : Defender The most gripping readinonego thriller since The Stand The Voices Book 1 G X Todd 9781472233080 Books

Defender The most gripping readinonego thriller since The Stand The Voices Book 1 G X Todd 9781472233080 Books

Earlier this year, while attending Edge-Lit in Derby, I was lucky enough to be introduced to new author G X Todd. In short, she had a forthcoming book to push and I'm a reviewer so it was to be expected. Ms. Todd had a pamphlet which contained the opening pages of Defender and some other promotional bits and bobs. On the way home I opened said pamphlet and started to read.

Then I read it again.

When I got up the next morning I read it again, just to be sure.

Sometimes you just know when something comes along that is a bit special, and trust me, Defender is more than a bit special. That same day I got in touch with the author and made sure I could get my hands on a review copy when one became available. In due time one arrived - time to see if the whole thing matched up to the teaser.

The story is set seven years after an 'event' which saw a lot of the people suddenly hear a voice in their head that encouraged them to kill either themselves or each other. As a result of this 'event' the America in which this story is set is a much emptier place. There is a lot of mistrust, for obvious reasons - you can't always know who hears the voices and who doesn't.

Our heroes are Lacey, a 16 year old with a likeable attitude and Pilgrim, a solitary biker (who I saw as a cross between Jason Statham and The Undertaker). Two total opposites who are forced to get along when Lacey convinces Pilgrim to help her get to her sister's house 600 miles away.

At first it seemed a very easy going journey while I got to know the characters and get used to the voice in Pilgrim's head but then, around the 50 page mark (of 450 pages) everything exploded in a wealth of violence and horror and the whole pace of the story changed. From there on in it was a race to the end while not wanting it to be over. A lot of the characters we meet later in the story carry their own woes and troubles, making for an uncomfortable read at times - but, hey, it's the end of the world as we know it and (no matter what REM tell us) we're not expected to feel fine.

It will be compared, I guess, to the likes of King's 'The Stand' but for me there is one major difference - as much as I have enjoyed what I read of The Stand I have yet to finish it. Defender I just devoured.

G X Todd has written something a bit special here and, trust me, you are going to be hearing a lot about her and about Defender in 2017. G X Todd is not just going to be 'The Next Big Thing', she's going to be the benchmark for other 'Next Big Things'


Tags : Defender: The most gripping read-in-one-go thriller since The Stand (The Voices Book 1) [G X Todd] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Defender by G X Todd is an imaginative thriller that draws on influences from Stephen King, Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman to create a new world - where the biggest threat mankind faces is from the voices inside your own head. If you loved The Stand,G X Todd,Defender: The most gripping read-in-one-go thriller since The Stand (The Voices Book 1),Headline,1472233085

Defender The most gripping readinonego thriller since The Stand The Voices Book 1 G X Todd 9781472233080 Books Reviews

Seven years ago, society broke down after lots of folk went crazy, killing themselves and others, because of voices in their heads. The population is sparse. Defender tells the story of lone survivor-on-a-motorcyle Pilgrim, and sixteen-year-old Lacey, who has spent the post-apoc years living with her recently deceased grandmother, safe from the horrors of the world. Pilgrim agrees to take Lacey to a town several days' travel away, to find her sister and niece.

What I liked

The characterisation in the first 20%. I thought it was terrific the alternating chapters of Pilgrim and Lacey, their backstories and inner worlds. I thought, 'this girl can write up a storm'. Loved it.
The first encounter with baddies, a gruesome brother and sister waiting in a motel for unsuspecting travellers. Brilliantly done, horrific, as dark as you can get, and riveting. At this point I had five stars lined up, all the way.
That atmosphere of bleakness, generally.
The evil rednecks. What's a post-apoc book without a tribe of 'em?
The ending. Sad, but satisfactory, tying ends up but with plenty of room for moving forward to the next episode.
The fact that an English author has written a book set in the US and made it totally believable. For that, I take my hat off.

What I was not so sure about

The length of time in which petrol deteriorates actually makes the whole plot unfeasible. But perhaps one can suspend one's disbelief over that; I did so for The Walking Dead, after all. Ditto dead body deterioration; they seemed to stay unstinky and not beset by rigor mortis when necessary for the plot.
The food. Aside from the odd can of peaches or alphabetti spaghetti, there is little indication of them ever eating anything, or where they found food or fresh water. I don't require a prepper survival manual, but the survival itself is part of what I find interesting about this genre.
The whole 'Voice' thing didn't really work for me, but this is personal preference, not a criticism. It was well done, and often amusing.
I didn't find the second half as compelling reading as the first, although it picked up again in the last ten per cent.

To sum up, when I first started reading it, I was blown away and thought, oh brilliant, I've got a new post-apoc series to get my teeth into. Couldn't put it down. Although I didn't continue to feel this strongly about it, and although I think the publishers have done the author a disservice by hyping it as the next The Stand, which is bound to invite derision, it's a good book. Ms Todd is clearly very talented, with the elements I liked less more to do with decisions made by the editors than the author herself; perhaps they can suspend disbelief more easily than me!
Earlier this year, while attending Edge-Lit in Derby, I was lucky enough to be introduced to new author G X Todd. In short, she had a forthcoming book to push and I'm a reviewer so it was to be expected. Ms. Todd had a pamphlet which contained the opening pages of Defender and some other promotional bits and bobs. On the way home I opened said pamphlet and started to read.

Then I read it again.

When I got up the next morning I read it again, just to be sure.

Sometimes you just know when something comes along that is a bit special, and trust me, Defender is more than a bit special. That same day I got in touch with the author and made sure I could get my hands on a review copy when one became available. In due time one arrived - time to see if the whole thing matched up to the teaser.

The story is set seven years after an 'event' which saw a lot of the people suddenly hear a voice in their head that encouraged them to kill either themselves or each other. As a result of this 'event' the America in which this story is set is a much emptier place. There is a lot of mistrust, for obvious reasons - you can't always know who hears the voices and who doesn't.

Our heroes are Lacey, a 16 year old with a likeable attitude and Pilgrim, a solitary biker (who I saw as a cross between Jason Statham and The Undertaker). Two total opposites who are forced to get along when Lacey convinces Pilgrim to help her get to her sister's house 600 miles away.

At first it seemed a very easy going journey while I got to know the characters and get used to the voice in Pilgrim's head but then, around the 50 page mark (of 450 pages) everything exploded in a wealth of violence and horror and the whole pace of the story changed. From there on in it was a race to the end while not wanting it to be over. A lot of the characters we meet later in the story carry their own woes and troubles, making for an uncomfortable read at times - but, hey, it's the end of the world as we know it and (no matter what REM tell us) we're not expected to feel fine.

It will be compared, I guess, to the likes of King's 'The Stand' but for me there is one major difference - as much as I have enjoyed what I read of The Stand I have yet to finish it. Defender I just devoured.

G X Todd has written something a bit special here and, trust me, you are going to be hearing a lot about her and about Defender in 2017. G X Todd is not just going to be 'The Next Big Thing', she's going to be the benchmark for other 'Next Big Things'