Tomorrow Series #3: Killing Frost (Paperback)

I'm not sure this is a comment on the waywardeness of children as much as it's a comment on the wisdom of children in wanting to preserve the element of discovery that's part of finding a really good book. In any case, I came across John Marsden's "invaded Australia" series by accident.

I'd picked up a copy of A Killing Frost, the cover caught me, and I found I was reading the third book in a series. This book is still the one in the series I would choose as best. I find this is often the case: that I like to discover I'm entering a series in the middle and that the book I enter a series with turns out to be what I would choose as best. This was certainly the case with C. J. Cherryh's Invader and Nevernever by Will Shetterly.

With his "invaded Australia" series, I think Mr. Marsden meant to quit after three books but then sacrificed excellence to a demand for more. Like Sherwood Smith with Crown Duel. What a wonderful book that could have been. It pays to know when to quit.

John Marsden's "invaded Australia" series is way to old and violent and explicit for you.

I forbid your reading of these book.

Absolutely not.

Don't read them...

By the time a reader has gotten to this addition in the series it is most likely they have been captivated by the first two novels in the series, Tomorrow when the War Began and The Dead of Night and have also become used to the Aussie slang terms. The Author John Marsden immediately gives the impression that this is merely another Adventure story. But the characters are all involve in a love life of their own, which at times, evolves into much more intimate scenes.
These teenagers living in the Australian town of Wirrawee are just an average group of kids each with their own flaws such as everyone else in the world. The first of this group is Ellie the main character who tends to be very bossy and likes to be in control of the way things go. Robyn is all about winning but is also very timid. Lee is a musician whom Ellie has become infatuated with. Fi is a timid, elegant person but shows signs of extreme bravery when trouble plagues she and her friends. Corrie is Ellie's absolute best friend and Kevin is her boyfriend. This group is out camping in the "bush" (an Australian word for uncleared wilderness) while the city of Wirrawee is celebrating Commemoration Day. But when they return they find friends and relatives gone and their homes ransacked or destroyed by a foreign invading country. Because the group was off camping in the wilderness region known as "Hell" they were not captured. Deciding that they needed to try and save their families, they stay in this unknown camp spot where only a rumored "ex-murderer" has ever been. Homer is the final member of the original group. Known as a class clown, he begins to change dramatically because of the invasion into a more tactful and wise person. As they establish themselves there they begin to win small battles against the enemy leading up to the third book in the five book series, A Killing Frost. As the story begins there is a short recap of the events in the second book such as Chris, one of their own whom earlier on was found in his own house hiding but taken in by the group. He began to drink heavily and soon, got himself killed in a car crash. Ellie's best friend Corrie has been shot in the back and horribly wounded forcing Kevin to bring her into the enemies' hospital. Their numbers now diminishing, their chances of winning the war for their country have slimmed drastically. The group has now decided to hit the enemy where it will hurt the most...
As the story develops, Ellie must overcome obstacles thrown in her face and overcome the doubts of her own mind. With the help of her friends, she realizes they are the countries last hope for freedom. This is a thrilling tale of self realization and adventure. Although some phrases in the book are overused like "We were going into Hell" referring to the campsite but also trying too get across the point that this place was miserable. But a Killing Frost fully lives up to its reputation from the first two novels and surely will compel anyone to read the final two novels in the series.

The author filled the books with tons of great, vivid details. " To come to Cobbler's Bay during wartime and find ugly growths all over it and great monstrous ships sitting in its innocent water, like big metal leeches, made me both angry and unhappy." (Page 83) I had no trouble picturing everything in my head.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read thrilling and capturing books. When you start reading it, you never want to put it down. The characters that the author created were very realistic with their own personalities that make them sound even more real. I gave this book 5 stars!