- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; First Edition edition (April 29 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312370156
- ISBN-13: 978-0312370152
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 15.5 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #345,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Bodeen, acclaimed as the writer of such picture books as Elizabeti's Doll, turns out a high-wire act of a first novel, a thriller that exerts an ever-tighter grip on readers. Eli, the 15-year-old son of a billionaire techno-preneur, has spent the last six years with his family in the massive underground shelter his father has built, knowing that nuclear war has destroyed the world he knows—and killed his grandmother and his twin brother, who couldn't reach the compound in time. With nine years to go before the air outside will be safe to breathe again, the food supply shows signs of running out, but Eli's father has a solution—provided they jettison all morals and ethics. Repulsed and already suspicious, Eli begins investigating his father's claims, and sets up a family death match against a man who grows increasingly irrational and sinister but no less powerful. As far-fetched as the premise may be, Bodeen keeps Eli's actions true to life and uses clues planted fairly and in plain sight. The audience will feel the pressure closing in on them as they, like the characters, race through hairpin turns in the plot toward a breathless climax. Ages 12-up. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Bodeen, acclaimed as the writer of such picture books as Elizabeti's Doll, turns out a high-wire act of a first novel, a thriller that exerts an ever-tighter grip on readers. Eli, the 15-year-old son of a billionaire techno-preneur, has spent the last six years with his family in the massive underground shelter his father has built, knowing that nuclear war has destroyed the world he knows—and killed his grandmother and his twin brother, who couldn't reach the compound in time. With nine years to go before the air outside will be safe to breathe again, the food supply shows signs of running out, but Eli's father has a solution—provided they jettison all morals and ethics. Repulsed and already suspicious, Eli begins investigating his father's claims, and sets up a family death match against a man who grows increasingly irrational and sinister but no less powerful. As far-fetched as the premise may be, Bodeen keeps Eli's actions true to life and uses clues planted fairly and in plain sight. The audience will feel the pressure closing in on them as they, like the characters, race through hairpin turns in the plot toward a breathless climax.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Debut novelist Bodeen effectively builds the claustrophobic suspense with each chapter as readers slowly discover the Compound is not the refuge it seems. Combining elements of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Running Out of Time (1995) and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (2005), published for adults, this post-apocalyptic thriller will also pique the interest of Nancy Werlin and L.J. Adlington fans.”—Booklist
“Suspenseful and riveting, this debut novel raises serious issues about what it means to survive.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too,
By TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Compound (Hardcover)
Eli has been living with his parents in The Compound for six years. The Compound is an elaborate nuclear bomb shelter his father spent an enormous amount of money to build in order to keep his family safe from nuclear fallout. The plan is to stay underground for fifteen years until the radiation danger has passed.Eli has had the hardest time adjusting to life in The Compound. In his six years there he has steadily distanced himself from everyone in the family. He maintains a strict schedule of exercise, studying, chores, and reading. His loneliness comes from the fact that not everyone made it to The Compound. During the nuclear attack that led his family there, Eddy, his identical twin, was accidentally left behind. Eddy snuck away with their Grandma without his parents knowing when their father chose to take the family underground. Their father had already locked the door when he realized Eddy and Grandma didn't make it. The locks were set for fifteen years and there wasn't any way to go back for them. Eli feels a hole in his life that no one or nothing can fill. Eli starts to take a hard look at what is going on in The Compound - and he doesn't have a good feeling. Food is running low, supplies are being depleted, and his father's behavior is changing. Eli suspects there is more going on than his father leads them to believe. Shocking surprises are about to be uncovered. Secrets never meant to be revealed are exposed. Eli is left with the job of saving his family. He will have to break the shell he has created around himself and build connections with the people he has tried to keep away in order to find the truth and survive. THE COMPOUND will remind you of the movie Blast from the Past, just without all the quirky, fun-loving humor. Reviewed by: Karin Librarian
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting thriller, with a giant twist,
By
This review is from: The Compound (Paperback)
Eli wasn't such a nice character to begin with. I found it really hard to like him and thought he was surly, rude, callous, at times down right awful to his sisters, and had such a horrible attitude problem I felt like pulling his stupid long hair out of its roots just to make him shut up. However, I realize being stuck in a place for six years and seeing/doing the same things over again is taxing on the mental state of health. I had no particular liking to any of the characters in this book, none really stood out for me and Eli was the only one with a real personality whereas the others were wooden like and almost seemed as if they were robots. I thought the solution to the hunger issue in the compound was a little...extreme (and disgusting). It does however, make you think on how far would you be willing to go to survive under these circumstances.However, I did enjoy the plot and the way things were going. It had a very interesting twist that changed my view of the book a dramatic 360. At first I was a little disappointed with the twist but as the plot became more tense, and more suspenseful, I thought it was a good job well done by Bodeen. As you progress towards the end of the book you certainly do feel the tension and it certainly does become so tense it becomes a nail-biter as the mystery deepens and the intrigue is set on high. I enjoyed the ending as well, although I have to admit it does sound a little cliche. But! it certainly did fit well with the book. By the time you do finish the book though, you'll feel as if you've just gone through a huge adrenaline rush. Overall, a book filled with tension, action, and suspense. It's good enough to keep you turning the pages and having you reading it until it's done. It had a perfect twist to keep things busy. You will not experience boredom with this book. Highly recommended for those into dystopian fiction but who are also willing to accept the twist in the novel.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow at first, but ends really well!,
By
This review is from: The Compound (Hardcover)
This book was really good. It kind of reminded me of the video game Fallout 3. It starts off a little slow but as it slowly reveals whats going on the plot sucks you in!Eli and his family are staying underground to be protected from a nuclear bomb. They can't go out again until the air is safe, which is in 15 years. This book begins with Eli and his family after six years. Food is already becoming a problem and everyones sick of being underground, but Eli's father refuses to let them leave. As the myserty unfolds this book gets highly intense and even kind of scary. You'll be hooked, I couldn't put it down. I ended up staying up until 3 am because I had to finish it. I highly recommend it!
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