156. Night Runner
Night Runner by Max Turner
Pages: 261
Finished: Sept. 27, 2008
First Published: Sept. 8, 2008 (Canada only)
Genre: YA, paranormal
Rating: 5/5
Reason for Reading: I received the book from Harper Collins Canada. Qualifies for the Rip III challenge. Qualifies for the Canadian challenge.
First sentence:
My name is Daniel Zachariah Thomson.
Comments: Zack is an orphan. His father died in an accident when Zack was four. Zach was there as well and was sent to the hospital in a coma. After awakening from the coma it is discovered he has a mysterious disease. He is allergic to all food and the sun. After moving from hospital to hospital he is finally confined to a hospital for mental patients and it is there that he grows up drinking special brain food drinks, sleeping during the day and waking for the night.
Then one day his favourite nurse disappears, a strange man on a motorcycle crashes through the reception windows leaving Zack with a unusual message. Later that day a large, mysterious man shows up in his bedroom, wakes him and claims to be his uncle.
Thus starts a tale where Zack finds out he is a vampire, his father was a vampire hunter and the very strong vampire who killed his father is now after him. He meets up with many people and places his trust in certain ones, yet the reader is left with an uneasy feeling that people may not be who they appear to be.
This is one of the best vampire books I've read in a while. Turner has created his own vampire mythos which maintains only a select portion of traditional vampire lore. Turner's vampire world is unique and refreshing. The writing was sharp and the dialogue realistic. The tension and pace of the book started off with a bang and didn't let up till the end. And even then, while the story is wrapped up there are many openings for a sequel and I certainly hope the author is planning to continue the story of these characters. For a first time writer, Max Turner has done a brilliant job. This book will appeal to all but especially to teen boys. It's tough being a Canadian writer and even tougher to be a Canadian YA writer. Hopefully, this book will see international publication as it is much deserved. Highly recommended to vampire fans and worth paying the shipping from Canada to get yourself a copy.
Since my RIP challenge has so far been ALL vampire books, maybe I'll have to check this one out!! It sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeletehaha!
ReplyDelete3 out of the 4 books I've read are vampire books too!
It sure does sound interesting! I looked up the author and found a book trailer but it was something about squirrels? Weird.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is a small part about squirrels but hmmm I'll have to see if I can find that book trailer and see what I think.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I'm really getting into vampire books so this one is worth looking into.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds interesting and different from the other vampire books out there. I'll have to find a copy. Is it available in the U.S.? Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeletemr turner is actually a teacher at my high school and he taught me grade 10 science and technnology as well---so i read the book and oh man was it AWESOME!!
ReplyDeleteYeah for you! How exciting. If you see him, ask him for me if he's writing a sequel. I so want to know what happens next!
ReplyDeleteAnd sorry, Susan, no the book is only available in Canada. Click my links above and you can get a copy from amazon.ca
hmmm it sounds interesting i read a review from a magazine that got me interested so im going out to buy the book..from all the reviews ti sounds like it is really good.
ReplyDeletemr turner teaches at my school, and i got him to sign my copy today haha. Its an awesome book. i love it!
ReplyDeleteNight runner is so far the best book i have read it is even better then twilght. I am doing a book report on it and it is so fun and interresting.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it! I think it's way better than Twilight too!
ReplyDeleteI think this one will have a new cover more YA appealing. Sounds good.
ReplyDeletePeace
Michelle
Windowpane - This is the Canadian cover and 1st time Can YA authors get small print runs so fancy covers are usually not the norm. Hopefully the US cover will help make this a best seller because imho it deserves some attention.
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds really interesting, like a nice twist on the vampire story. Hope you enjoy it
ReplyDeleteI really like his new approach to the familiar traits of vampires. It didn't let up - despite my comments on it, I was a little disappointed when it ended. I hope the sequel will arrive soon. It's about time there's a "boy" vampire book. So many of the titles and covers appeal to girls, but heck, boys are reading Twilight.
ReplyDeleteI'm not mentioning Twilight like its in the pantheon of vamp lit, but because it's just universally recognized. :)
Bri, I totally agree with you. His take on vampires is very refreshing and I agree on needing some "boy" vampire books. The last thing I really enjoyed for boys was the Darren Shan series "Cirque de Freak" have you read them? Totally excellent vampire books for boys!
ReplyDelete