Friday's Forgotten Books, April 3, 2015

Be gone for a few, pick up additional links later today. Have a peaceful Good Friday.

John Marsden, THE TOMORROW SERIES (1993-1999) (review by Jeff Meyerson from the archives)

This series isn't so much "forgotten" as never known in this country, for the most part, though it was a huge success in its native Australia and, from what I've read, in Sweden. It's a series of seven young adult books (titles to follow) about a group of half a dozen Australian teens from a rural area of the country who are off camping in a remote area when the country is suddenly invaded and overrun by an unnamed enemy seeking room to settle some of their own excess population.

The kids are led by Ellie Linton, the narrator of the books, and her friend and neighbor Homer, with Lee, Fi(ona), Corrie, Kevin and Robyn in the group. When they discover what is going on they fight back, basically running a small guerrilla operation against the unknown enemy, living off the land and eventually making contact with the New Zealand forces who can provide help.

These are fast reading and quite involving, and they can be harrowing. Let's just say that not everyone who starts the first book makes it to the finale. I must have liked them as I read the seven in a month.

The first book is being filmed in Australia this year, and Marsden followed up in this decade with THE ELLIE CHRONICLES (which I haven't read as yet), three books following Ellie after the war.

Here are the titles:

TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN (1993)

THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT (1994)

A KILLING FROST (1995)

DARKNESS BE MY FRIEND (1996)

BURNING FOR REVENGE (1997)

THE NIGHT IS FOR HUNTING (1998)

THE OTHER SIDE OF DAWN (1999)

One of the middle books (3 or 4) was weak but otherwise I found them consistent throughout.

Sergio Angelini, SHAKE HANDS FOREVER, Ruth Rendell
Joe Barone, THE DEVIL'S CAVE, Martin Walker
Les Blatt, SHE DIED A LADY, Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr)
Brian Busby, THE FIEND, Margaret Millar
Casual Debris (Zybahn) LADY KILLER, William Hardy
Bill Crider, SHADOW KNIGHT'S MATE, Jay Brandon
Martin Edwards, FURTHER EVIDENCE, Alan Brock
Ed Gorman, AN ACCIDENTAL NOVELIST, Richard Wheeler
John Hegenberger, HEAVEN'S PRISONERS, James Lee Burke
Rick Horton, THE KING'S DAUGHTER, Daphne DuMaurier
Jerry House, PAPA- LA- BAS, John Dickson Carr
Randy Johnson, TENDER IS THE VINE, Andrew Bergman
George Kelley, GRAND CRUSADES, Jack Vance
Margot Kinberg, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE, Mary Roberts Rinehart
Rob Kitchin, FIVE LITTLE RICH GIRLS, Lawrence Block
B.V. Lawson, BLUE OCTAVO, John Blackburn
Evan Lewis, RED HARVEST, Dashiell Hammett
Steve Lewis, WANDERLUST, Anne Aquirre
Todd Mason, WHO KILLED SCIENCE FICTION?, Safari #1, Earl Kemp
J.F. Norris, DUCK SEASON DEATH, June Wright
James Reasoner. AGENTS OF ATLAS, Jeff Parker, Stan Lee et al
Gerard Saylor, BEAT TO A PULP: HARDBOILED 3, edited by David Cranmer
Kerrie Smith, HIS BURIAL TOO, Catherine Aird 
Kevin Tipple THE DEPUTY, Victor Gischler
TracyK, LIFE AFTER LIFE, Kate Atkinson