Another day, another review.

As I mentioned in my last review (whenever that came out. I’m about to move it at the time of writing to make room for something else) I’m dealing with quite a backlog of books.

I started ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ review having already finished The Escape, and started I Am Legend.

By the time I finished, I had read I Am Legend and began Confessions of a Sociopath. Something I didn’t mention in the final Cuckoo post because it ruined one of the jokes.

Going into this review, I have the same problem, with two other books contending for space in my head. The only good news is Sociopath has been quite slow going. If I’d started another book the confusion would become so bad my head would explode. In a bad way.

Confusion aside, there is another problem with these reviews. That being the disconnect between finishing a book and posting a review.

My worry is, should I ever get any readers who don’t live with me, people will notice that ‘Week 8’ is in ‘Week 10’ and such.

For example, I finished ‘The Escape’ on 19th November (that’s 2017, for future readers) but I’m typing this on the 26th.

That’s already almost a week out, and it only gets worse.

As I said above, I’ve had to move Cuckoo because I’ve finished my book for National Novel Writing Month. This now won’t come out until the 28th, and I’ve got another blog on the 1st Dec so Escape won’t be out until at least the 3rd.

You see my problem. The review is out almost two weeks after I finished reading it, and when people notice…

Cue mass hysteria.

So, to combat this farce, I’ll be writing the reading dates of each book at the beginning of the review.

See, it’s quite a simple solution.

Now, with that explanation out of the way, we’re almost ready to get on with this week’s review.

But first…

Robert Muchamore and Me

Having read 11 Cherub books, you might have thought I would look at The Escape and say ‘I can’t take Muchamore of this’.

No, you wouldn’t.

I just wanted to get that joke in.

Now we can move on.

When I was growing up Darren Shan was, for a long time, my favourite author.

My friend, Mohsin, introduced me to the Saga of Darren Shan (Cirque Du Freak for my American readers) at school.

From the first book, I loved the series, and I loved Darren Shan.

Fast paced. Action packed. Gory. They were great for kids, young adults, and, I assume, for getting boys into reading.

Sometime later, I discovered the CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore. And, sorry Shan, there was a new favourite writer in town.

I don’t know when I first picked up CHERUB book, The Recruit, but I knew I’d love the series from the get go.

It was a pull no punches series. It was more grown up. There was swearing and talk of tits and sex and all that stuff teenagers actually talk about. I loved it.

Given this, and the fact I waited with baited breath for each new Muchamore book to land, you’d have thought I’d have pounced on The Escape.

But I never read it.

I’ve been thinking about why this is, and I guess it’s to do with the time in which it is set, and the characters.

I did a History Degree at uni (college to my American readers) so I can’t stand anything set in the past. Duh. So, that put me off, but it wasn’t the main reason.

One of the big draws of the CHERUB series was its cast of characters. James Adams and co. were all so brilliant and, over 11 books, I became fully invested in them.

So invested that I couldn’t stomach the thought of reading about different characters.

So I didn’t read it. The book remained on my shelf while I read those other CHERUB books on repeat.

Until now.

The Escape

This is a short(ish) book, and it could be a short(ish) review.

The Escape is set early in World War II. The Nazis are in France, advancing across the country with their famed Blitzkrieg tactic. The Government abandon Paris upon realising they don’t want to be blown up. The whole country is in panic.

Within this historical setting, Robert introduces us to three children. Each struggling along in wartime France.

First, there’s Marc, a French boy (hey come on, give him a chance). Marc has grown up in an orphanage where he is frequently abused by The Director.

When the Germans arrive in town, Marc uses the commotion to escape. He steals a bike, food and money from the Director and flees south to Paris. Here he sets up camp in a house that turns out to belong to British Agent, Charles Henderson.

After Marc overhears valuable Gestapo information, Charles takes him on a mission. Together they seek to stop the Germans getting hold of vital plans that could shift the way in their favour.

These plans just so happen to be in the hands of Paul and Rosie. Two kids fleeing south from Paris, hoping to get a boat to England from Bordeaux to get the plans to safety.

The narrative beautifully bounces between these two stories until the climax, when they are finally brought together as a German spy attempts to get to the plans before Marc and Henderson.

The book is a speed read. We follow both Marc and Paul and Rosie as they run from the German’s, get into scrapes, and help with the war effort.

All my fears about not liking this because it was set in the past and didn’t feature a CHERUB cast were unwarranted.

This book brings in a new and exciting cast. The kids are smart, different, and worth investing in. Charles Henderson is not some boring parental figure. He’s shocking and violent and puts getting the job done above all else.

If and when I have children, this is the book I will give them when they start to hit their teenage years. There is no better series for getting kids into reading, I wouldn’t have thought.

I gave The Escape a four out of five on Goodreads, and well earned it was.

Later in this challenge, I will read the remaining CHERUB books, and I can’t wait. But I’m going to hold off for now.

I want something to look forward to, after all.

Next Time

This has been a shorter review (with no subtitles!) but hey, that means you get to go back to whatever interesting stuff you were supposed to do this afternoon sooner, right?

But, while you’re doing that, you can be thinking about the next review, coming soon.

It’s I Am Legend, hero of the Horror genre and inspiration to writers such as Stephen King and films such as Dawn of the Living Dead.

See you then.

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Mark Ayre

International worst selling author Mark Ayre has been writing since before he could pick up a pen (somehow). Recently he is taking the internet by storm with his Man vs Bookshelf Challenge where he aims to read the 210 books on his bookshelf in 210 weeks, reviewing them on his blog and Goodreads along the way. He is also publishing books on Amazon, his most recent being the family suspense novel, Poor Choices, which you can find here.

Latest posts by Mark Ayre (see all)

• Man vs Bookshelf: Outro - 15/06/2019
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