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The Compound (The Compound #1)

by S.A. Bodeen (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 8,012 ratings · 1,320 reviews

Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy.

For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.

As problems with...more

Hardcover, 248 pages

Published April 29th 2008 by Feiwel and Friends

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Best Dystopian Books for Teens

72nd out of 193 books — 1,045 voters

Best YA Dystopian/Utopian/Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic

71st out of 251 books — 532 voters

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Community Reviews

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Oct 26, 2008 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Eli has lived in the Compound for six years now. His billionaire/genius father built the Compound as a safe haven for his family in the event of a nuclear war. The old world, the family likes to refer to, no longer exists. And neither do Eli’s twin brother, Eddy, and his grandmother, which is Eli’s fault. After six years the food is depleting rapidly and so is the family’s demeanor. Eli’s father sporadic behavior and secrets are also becoming a concern. Eli begins to discover things that simply...more

7 likes · like · see review

Oct 13, 2012 Danielle Freeman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-best-books-i-ve-ever-read, too-short-for-its-own-good, the-apocalypse-is-coming, young-adult, best-of-2012

Holy BALLS batman.

25 stars!!!

This just MIGHT be the best book I have ever read. At lest the best book i have read in 5 years, beating out "The Hunger Games" i'm not even lying here.

This book kept me enthralled to the point i lost all track of time, time did not exist for me for a few hours. I read this one straight from page 1 - 245, non-stop. The storyline was interesting and the author did such a good job of pacing in this book! The book is quite a quick read with being less than 300 pages,...more

15 likes · like · see review

Apr 27, 2008 Monica Edinger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Neat premise and a fun read. Literally a page-turner!

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 08, 2008 Laurie added it

Recommended to Laurie by: allforkids

Shelves: wmslibrary

All for Kids said, "What a book! I was swept along by this story of a wealthy family who must spend the next 15 years in a bunker to escape a nuclear war, a war no one knew was coming. The grandmother and one of the twins are left outside, there is no contact with the world, and the family thinks their dad is going crazy. Kind of creepy but if you like survival stories, you’ll like this. Available May 2008, ages 12 and up."

Interesting and quite creepy, so some kids will like it. I was annoyed by...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 30, 2008 Lynn rated it 2 of 5 stars

A very slow start and a whiny unappealling character made this a difficult read for me. Eli changes a bit too abruptly to a caring individual and the entire premise was a stretch. A reader who hangs on through the first 2/3 of the book will eventually be caught up in the tension and want to see if the family survives.

10 likes · like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 05erikk rated it 5 of 5 stars

The way that Eli was portrayed in the story really drew me in. He went from being an innocent child to a lonely teen afraid of socializing with his own family. He didn’t even want to be touched by another person. It made me feel sympathetic and made me get involved at many points throughout the book. The worst part of the book, and this is really picky, is that there was no direct lead in to a sequel. I would really love it if the author wrote a sequel just because I loved it that much. I know i...more

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 13, 2009 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Compound is such an amazing book. I really love books about people hiding out or being trapped within places like towers etc. When I began to read The Compound I thought it would resemble The Host by Stephenie Meyer only, without the aliens. But nope, The Compound is nothing like The Host.

I loved the descriptions of The Compound. S.A. Bodeen described scenes so well. It was almost like I was in The Compound with Eli and his family.

Another thing I loved about The Compound is that it is highly...more

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Aug 16, 2008 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: post-apoc fans

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, teen

Eli will never forget the night of the attack. He'll never forget the moment they heard about the nukes, how his father grabbed his family and rushed them away to the secret compound he had spent years building. How he locked them in, locked them away from the rest of the dying world for fifteen years, until it will be safe to come out again. It was the day everything changed. It was the day he found himself stuck on the inside, safe, while his twin brother and best friend Eddy was stranded on t...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Steven rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was an amazingly well-written first novel, and SA Bodeen is now my fav author. It had so much suspense, and you could never predict what would happen next.
It all starts as Eddy and Eli's family are on vacation. Their dad, an eccentric billionare, fakes a nuclear attack, and they become sealed and trapped in an underground "Compound". They have everything down below, but soon they develop "Cabin Fever". They begin to run out of food, and begin to turn schizophrenic. Eli then discovers...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Brinlie Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own-it

I loved this book because it shows that you should gain close relationships with your family so you can talk about how you feel without feeling dumb.

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 11, 2008 Sandra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Definitely a disturbing read. It's been a while since I read a book that I've actually had a hard time putting down.

Eli and his family have moved underground after a nuclear missile hits America. Now its been 6 yrs and the food supply is running low. Only now Eli is beginning to wonder if his father was right about the missile.

Bodeen drops enough hints too keep you guessing and turning the pages. Surprisingly, reading about their lives underground is entertaining.

This story is a mystery/dysfunc...more

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Dec 21, 2008 Abby Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio

All his life Eli has been prepared for the eventuality that there will be a nuclear fall-out and that his family is ready for such an event. His billionaire father has spared no expense in creating the Compound, a three-story underground shelter that will house the family for 15 years in the event of a nuclear war. When the family actually has to use it, things go a bit awry and Eli's twin brother and grandmother are left on the other side. Now Eli's been in the Compound for six years, guilt ove...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Amanda Fanger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the type of book that made me fall in love with reading.

The sad thing? The Compound by S.A. Bodeen has been sitting on my bookshelf for nearly a year where it was almost forgotten. However, now that I have read it it I realize it's unforgettable.

I was swept away with the story, losing complete track of time while in the world of the Compound. There was no extra fluff in S.A. Bodeen's writing style, just enough to get the point across and tell the story, which was masterfully done. There...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Cowin Poon rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Compoound Review

The nukes, the running, the fear, the compound; Eli along with his family escape to the compound for safety as the world was crumpling down behind them.
It has been six years and Eli still has the memory of the sliver door shutting behind him and his twin brother, Eddy, was left for dead. “My world ended with a bang the minute we entered the Compound and the silver door closed behind us. The sound was brutal.” Nothing prepared Eli for life in the compound. Now, he has become...more The Compoound Review

The nukes, the running, the fear, the compound; Eli along with his family escape to the compound for safety as the world was crumpling down behind them.
It has been six years and Eli still has the memory of the sliver door shutting behind him and his twin brother, Eddy, was left for dead. “My world ended with a bang the minute we entered the Compound and the silver door closed behind us. The sound was brutal.” Nothing prepared Eli for life in the compound. Now, he has become a teen lost on his own path and struggling to find his direction. His will and strength is gone and the happiness within his family is fading away. What would a teenager do while he is trapped in facility that is surrounded by concrete? A better question would be what wouldn’t a teenager do...? His discovery of Eddy’s laptop gave Eli a spark and a glimpse of hope in his heart. He treasured that laptop more than a kid and his teddy bear. As he went by passed by his father’s office and turned on the internet to see if there was someone out there, someone who was alive. “Twin1 is online” read the display. “Twin2 is online” popped up on the screen “Eddy?”...
This story takes the perspective of a young teen who has struggled to find himself in the shadows of his twin brother. Set in a bomb shelter made by his billionaire genius father (its not tony Stark by the way) Eli is depressed and hopeless after losing his brother and having to step out of the shadows and face challenges without the help of support of his best friend. The lack of This Realistic Sci-fi book takes the readers on a journey of discovering Elis identity as well as the secrets contained in the compound. The dialogue driven plot reveals new and fresh plot that many have not read before. However, the lack of story and character development among the secondary characters was shown as the book took a sharp turn and some characters simply didn’t “catch up’ to the story. The story also lacked the depth and could have been stretched to keep the readers entertained. At the end of the book, I was bitter sweet because I was happy about the ending but then I wondered, “Was that it...” “That was the whole story?”
Even though there are things the book could improve on, the strengths of the book overtakes the weaknesses. I recommend this book who teens and maybe adults who haven’t grown out of their shells yet. This book gives you what you would expect from a Sci-fi book, but it’s the unexpected that makes you read on.
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Mar 13, 2013 Clayton Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had this book in my bookshelf for about 2 and a half years and I never bothered to read it. The reason was that I never noticed anyone recommending this book except for one of my friends. When I started reading this book, it was unique. Unique that if I tried to explain what was going on to someone it would sound extremely boring, especially the beginning. However, when I read it for some reason I felt attached to the book and I finished it in 2 or 3 days, which is very rare for me. The book s...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Sam Reitenour rated it 2 of 5 stars

I would NOT recommend The Compound by S.A. Bodeen, although apparently most people would disagree with me on that. The Compound may have good detail and very excellent character development, but that is where it falls. I believe that the author took so much time elaborating on her main character and secondary characters that the book itself fell flat.

The Compound is advertised as if it is some thrilling, chilling, creepy adventure. That was why I pulled it off the shelf. But this was not so. Th...more I would NOT recommend The Compound by S.A. Bodeen, although apparently most people would disagree with me on that. The Compound may have good detail and very excellent character development, but that is where it falls. I believe that the author took so much time elaborating on her main character and secondary characters that the book itself fell flat.

The Compound is advertised as if it is some thrilling, chilling, creepy adventure. That was why I pulled it off the shelf. But this was not so. The thrills fell flat first. Nearly nothing happened for the first one hundred pages. It was just explaining about the Compound and the family that lived in it, which was fine. But HALF OF THE BOOK is not necessary to do so. The author seemed to get off track and talk about all kinds of irrelevant things from the character's childhoods that did not contribute to the story. Secondly, the balloons that were "chills" and "creepy" were popped by the clown from the main character's birthday party that was elaborated on for what seemed like ages. I was never once while reading this exciting or terrified with any degree of horror. There were maybe twenty or thirty pages of high tension in the entire book. You could tell that some parts tried to have underlying tension, but the hum-drum of everyday Compound life really clouded it more than I think Bodeen intended. The last thing to perish that was advocated by the description and look of the book was adventure. The only adventure I saw was Eli's quest to figure out why their meat chickens died. Seriously, though, it was just not exciting.

Also, the main character of this book is SO WHINY. He's whinier than an annoying little five year old kid. He's completely unlikable, and that really detracts from the story when you hate the person that the author is expecting you to fall in love with. I think if I were to meet Eli from this story, I would not even talk to him because he's annoying.

So, anyway, if you would like to read about how a billionaire's family lives underground for six years or so , and what they eat (including a story that took up an entire chapter about turducken--TURDUCKEN, PEOPLE), and where every last room in the place is located and its exact contents, and how the dad ALMOST went insane and ALMOST maybe killed someone (no one dies), you would love this. But I would say this: there are much better things out there. (less)

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Feb 23, 2013 Terry Chan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a thriller. I chose this book to read because I like thrilling story. In the novel, the protagonist is named Eli Yanakakis, and his family members are the supporting characters except his father, who is playing the antagonist of the story.
Eli’s father is called Rex, who is a billionaire, tried to keep his family safe from nuclear fallout. They moved into a compound except one of the children who is named Eddy, Eli’s twin brother, was left behind. The family stayed in the compound fo...more

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Dec 26, 2012 55120 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-faves

Synopsis that is different than the given:
Eli has liven in the compound for 6 years. They are in the compound because a nuclear was is around them. The dad left out Eli's brother and his grandma from the compound. They are completely safe in this underground compound. This is at least what Eli's dad tells Eli and his family. But is this all true?

My review:
My fifth grade teacher read this book to me and my students. Now all you teenagers out there reading this review and thinking that this must b...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Sarah Whitehead rated it 4 of 5 stars

When i started reading this book, i thought the plot was going to be a mystery. The beginning started out a little slow, but once I got more into it, I became more interested and it was harder to put down. The author does a good job of making think one thing is going to happen, but then she adds more suspense and makes you want to keep reading. My favorite part of this book was when Eli connects to the internet and is contacted by Eddie. This part changed my whole opinion on this story. My favor...more When i started reading this book, i thought the plot was going to be a mystery. The beginning started out a little slow, but once I got more into it, I became more interested and it was harder to put down. The author does a good job of making think one thing is going to happen, but then she adds more suspense and makes you want to keep reading. My favorite part of this book was when Eli connects to the internet and is contacted by Eddie. This part changed my whole opinion on this story. My favorite character is Eli because he saves the family from danger. He's the only one who suspects something isn't right about his dad. He finds out a lot of secrets that his dad has been hiding from the family. In my opinion, Eli is the smartest character in the story because he discovers secrets that saved everyone from a mere death. I was surprised when Eli connected to the internet on Eddie's computer and received an unusual message saying it was from Eddie. This left me with a lot of questions and i wanted to keep reading just to find out what would happen after he has uncovered that message. I did not like the way the author started the book. I wish she would have described it a little more just so it made more sense. The beginning of the book did not really hook me into it right away and it took a while until I became really interested in it. My least favorite character is the dad because he was the antagonist in this story. He put his family into a lot of danger just for his job. He also kept a lot of secrets from them that were very important. I would characterize the author's tone as mysterious. She makes everything a secret and slowly uncovers each one which makes you want to keep reading just to find out more secrets. I would like to read another one of her books because I really enjoyed the way to made this book. She has me thinking one thing, but then that changed right away when I found another secret. I enjoy reading books like these because they always surprise you in the end. I learned that sometimes you can't always trust everyone, even family members sometimes. You can never really know if someone's telling the truth. I want to remember everyone has secrets. Eli was lucky enough to uncover most of this dads secrets before it was too late. I am still confused why the dad would make a compound for his family and possibly kill them. He also purposely does not put enough food supply for them so they start to starve. I would recommend this book to my friends that like suspenseful stories that leave you with wanting more. This is a very interesting book that leaves you wanting to keep reading just to find out what happens next. People who lie mysteries will like to read this book. This has plenty of secrets held in the family. My favorite books are mysteries so I really enjoyed this book. (less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Sean Mac rated it 5 of 5 stars

I would recommend The Compound by S.A. Boden to a friend because the book is interesting and different. The book is interesting because the main character Eli, is figuring that the father is keeping major secrets from the family about the compound. I know this because Pg.171, “Eddy? Who the hell is this?” “How did you get on this account?” On this piece of evidence Eli that lives in the compound was told that Eddy (the brother of Eli) didn’t make it into the compound and died 6 years ago because...more I would recommend The Compound by S.A. Boden to a friend because the book is interesting and different. The book is interesting because the main character Eli, is figuring that the father is keeping major secrets from the family about the compound. I know this because Pg.171, “Eddy? Who the hell is this?” “How did you get on this account?” On this piece of evidence Eli that lives in the compound was told that Eddy (the brother of Eli) didn’t make it into the compound and died 6 years ago because the outside world “ended”. So now Eli gets internet connection on a computer somehow and finds out that Eddy is on a chat room. Eddy is alive. They both realized what happened and now they are trying to find out how to find the compound and how to get out of the compound. Once that happened Eli knew his father had fooled them. This shows why I would recommend this book to a friend. That is why I think the book is interesting.

Another reason why the book is interesting is that when Eli found out about the fathers tricks he didn’t know how to talk to the family about this. I know this because Pg. 190, “But in all that sleeplessness I made a decision. A decision to seek the answers”. On this piece of evidence Eli was trying to sleep when he realized to tell his mother about his new relationship with Eddy. After the mothers reaction everybody eventually ending up knowing that the father had fooled the whole family. A fight broke out between the family and the dad. This shows why the book is interesting because it is hard to keep your eyes off the book while reading this part due to a great story. This shows why I would recommend the book because it is interesting.

A final reason for recommending my book is that it’s different and weird. My book is different/weird because it says swears in it and it explains gross things. I know this because Pg. 121, “What exactly do you do in here?” “Cloning a human being” “We do it the old-fashioned’ way”. On this piece of evidence the father is explaining to Eli that he has sex with the mother to make a-lot of babies. The babies were kept in a yellow room where the conversation was held. The babies were extra food in case of emergency. This shows why my book is weird because it is very awkward to read and it’s just not normal. This shows why I would recommend the book because I feel that a book that is weird and different is cooler to read than a normal book.

People may think this book is boring and stupid when they first start reading it. Yet you need to pay attention to the beginning because it gives good information that you need to really understand the full book and the idea. People also may think the book is too gross. I feel that you need to read through the gross parts of the book to really understand the concept because without the gross/weird parts the book would be very boring. That concludes the book review why I would recommend The compound by S.A. Boden to a friend.
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Nov 18, 2012 Joshua S rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joshua Spicer
Block D
11/14/12

I would recommend this book, The Compound by S.A. Bodeen to a friend because it was captivating and hilarious. One reason it was captivating was that it left you hanging after every chapter. An example of this is on the last sentence of the chapter, it said “Before it got so bad he passed out, he said one word: Turducken.” (Page 184) This quote that the dad said (“turducken”) was a clue of how to get out of the compound. The quote raised a lot of questions for me, li...more Joshua Spicer
Block D
11/14/12

I would recommend this book, The Compound by S.A. Bodeen to a friend because it was captivating and hilarious. One reason it was captivating was that it left you hanging after every chapter. An example of this is on the last sentence of the chapter, it said “Before it got so bad he passed out, he said one word: Turducken.” (Page 184) This quote that the dad said (“turducken”) was a clue of how to get out of the compound. The quote raised a lot of questions for me, like “what does he mean by turducken?” or “is it a code for something?” some people might not like this because of how each chapter left you hanging or they might not get what the dad means. I disagree because you have to remember what happened in the last pages of the book, like a mystery novel. Another reason of captivating in this novel is it always had an unexpected twist. Evidence of this is where the narrator, Eli the main character said “With every once of strength and rage I punched him right in the face.” (Page 171) I chose this quote because I didn’t expect Eli to try to hurt his father. After I also didn’t expect the dad to almost die, not from the punch, but by a disease that he had that made him weak and sick that was triggered by the punch. Other people might say that this book is far fetched and violent and might want to ban the book. I do not agree because first of all, the far fetched parts make the book really good. Second of all, the violence can be handled and not very intense or scary for 8th grade level and was only in certain parts of the book. I thought the book was humorous because Eli had many funny, crude statements, like when he said “I was surprised they left out: Place open container on ground and pee on it.” (Page 70) He was saying this because you had to warm these food packages, and you have to do all these bizarre things, like “please put unopened package under shirt for 10 minutes.” So he is saying that he in surprised they didn’t say another exotic thing, like peeing on it. Some people would say this is too crude and inappropriate to be seen by public eyes. I think these people are over-exaggerating, because people and children watch movies and T.V. that have much more crudeness then this book. A couple of people want to ban this book because of bizarre incidence, violence and sexual content. I say don’t ban this book. It is a good young adult read and we listen to these things on the news and they aren’t banned. All and all, I would recommend this book, would read it time and time again and spread the word about this amazing, well written book.
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Nov 01, 2012 Clayton M rated it 5 of 5 stars

S.A. Bodeen tells a story about a despret young man in dangerous times. eli is a young man in the middle of a futuristic nuklier war. when his familys lives are on the line he will do to make sure that they live to see another day. nothing will get in the way of that. this book has so many great traits that it would take hours to describe. it has very large amounts of suspense and action. it also has enough mystery to make you think for hours at a time. this book is realistic fiction. it is real...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Rene Espinoza rated it 4 of 5 stars

The family of Eli, a 9 year old twin, rushed down the stairs of a hidden underground compound. The book starts out with Eli narrating the story about the compound. He explains how it was built in case of a nuclear attack. As a result of the rush to get inside, Eli's other twin and grandma were left behind. Eli's father was one of the richest men in the world and they always had everything a kid could possible ask for. So Eli started his new life, for six years his family and him lived in the com...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Bookmarks Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

S.A. Bodeen is one of those authors that generally gets noticed like this: “Hey, look I just finished this amazing book! You have to read it! It’s called {enter chosen book here} and it’s by – hey! Wait! It’s by S.A. Bodeen!!” Seriously, this has happened with probably three of her books. Then I was scheduling author events near where I live and I learned that she lives very close to my city. Then I was reclaiming childhood books (that’s another post, though) and I realized th...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Sarah Overton rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book really pulled me in from the start.I liked the way the author started when Eli and his family first went into the compound but then skipped ahead six years. This shows you how used to the compound they are after they have been in there for six years. Eli seems to develop over the course of the story. In the beginning he never questioned his father about the compound but over the course of the story, Eli becomes more suspicious of his father. I didn't like how the author went on for a w...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Eccentrika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalyptic-and-post, ya, psychology

Un ottimo thriller, claustrofobico e pieno di adrenalina, ecco come si può definire in un'unica frase "Il rifugio" di S.A. Bodeen. La tematica trattata è a dir poco interessante: un rifugio antiatomico dotato di ogni confort possibile, una famiglia sopravvissuta alla fine del mondo, una mente umana perversa che gioca con le vite delle persone come se fossero pedine. Il libro però risente del fatto che essendo destinato ad un pubblico Young Adult è poco approfondito per quanto riguarda la caratte...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Resa rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book follows a wealthy family as they retreat to an underground bomb shelter after the threat of a nuclear explosion. But as is the case when paranoid people build bomb shelters…things on the surface aren’t quite what they’re expected to be, and neither are the things in the bomb shelter. That’s about the best plot summary I can give you without giving away the biggest plots of the book, but it is fairly interesting. Now, this is a “young adult” novel, so the writing style is a little juveni...more The book follows a wealthy family as they retreat to an underground bomb shelter after the threat of a nuclear explosion. But as is the case when paranoid people build bomb shelters…things on the surface aren’t quite what they’re expected to be, and neither are the things in the bomb shelter. That’s about the best plot summary I can give you without giving away the biggest plots of the book, but it is fairly interesting. Now, this is a “young adult” novel, so the writing style is a little juvenile, and those of you expecting a complex horror plot (which could actually work very well with this premise) will be disappointed. But I’m a big fan of young adult lit (not just because I happen to have written a young adult novel myself) and if you go into it realizing it isn’t a grand work of literary horror a la H.P. Lovecraft, you won’t be disappointing. The simple writing style make this book a quick read (I finished it in just a couple of days) and if you have a whole day to devote to staying inside (or outside in great weather) you’ll be able to finish it after just a few glasses of apple cider.

S.A. Bodeen does an excellent job of creating a really creepy, paranoid father character, and from the beginning of the book there seems to be something just a bit off about him. These suspicious grow as the plot starts to build and Bodeen leaves all sorts of little clues to help build up your suspicion that things aren’t quite right. She also does an excellent job of using the “fishbowl” view of a family and the individual characters to strip them down to their true character and it does help you get a better idea of who these characters really are we’re dealing with, not to mention raises some great class/book group discussion type questions about which side of the fence you would fall on if put in the same situations. It really is a good book for some interesting conversations. Unfortunately this book was not without its flaws and the expertly built and crafted plot starts to fall apart as it rushes to an almost premature end. I like my suspense fast paced, but Bodeen’s ending seems far too rushed in the final chapters and several of the final twists just seem thrown in without any real build up, necessity, or resolution.I know it’s difficult to keep the page number of a young adult book at the proper length, but the ending (especially when leaving the shelter) seemed rushed and was hard to follow, and would have benefited from just a few more pages to keep the pacing consistent. The final few pages seem to go back to the careful construction of the rest of the book, and the last few paragraphs bring back that feeling of creepy suspense and leave you wondering just what might happen to the family, so it still ends on a high note and delivers an interesting enough plot to keep even an adult audience entertained
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Mar 26, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: guys-read, dark, not-graphic, sci-fi, ya

Would you be willing to do whatever it takes to survive a catastrophe, to do unimaginable things and endure temporary misery based on the hope that things will be better in the long run?

Would you be willing to put your full faith and trust into someone who answers, “Yes,” to that first question, who promises to make sure you survive so long as you do everything he says without question?

Eli and his family have answered, “Yes,” to both. Six years ago they went (literally) underground to survive a...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Clackamas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, apocalyptic-fiction-dystopias, pre-teen-and-teen

This is a solid addition to the YA post-apocalyptic fiction genre. The concept is good. The writing is interesting. There were plot elements that I hadn't seen before. The main character annoyed me at times and I rooted for him at others, just like a real spoiled brat who doesn't know any better would. If you're into the genre, you should read it.

That said, I don't understand why this book was selected for the Grades 9-12 Battle of the Books. There are certainly better books in the genre which...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Jillian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ots-challenge, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The concept of The Compound is excellent: six years ago, a billionaire’s family fled to their fully-equipped underground compound to escape nuclear war. They still have nine years left before it’s safe to surface, but their supplies are dwindling due to unexpected problems, and their family ties are frayed by desperate decisions and one life-changing secret.

Unfortunately, not all of the book lives up to this potential. In some paragraphs Bodeen shows that she can really write, but then she tries...more

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Young Adult

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Science Fiction > Dystopia

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Science Fiction

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Young Adult > Teen

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Apocalyptic > Post Apocalyptic

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Mystery

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Adventure > Survival

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Thriller

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Adventure

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Science Fiction > Apocalyptic

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About S.A. Bodeen

Also writes as Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen.

Stephanie is the award-winning author of the Elizabeti's Doll series of picture books, as well as several others. Her first young adult novel The Compound was released in 2008 and recently won the Maryland BlackEyedSusan Award, Nebraska Golden Sower Award, and the Indiana Young Hoosier Award. Her second YA The Gardener was featured on Good Morning America as a...more

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Trivia About The Compound

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Quotes from The Compound

“My dad was never one of those dads you could ask for a quarter if you saw a gumball machine. Instead he had one of those black American Express cards not available to general public. Gumball machines didn’t have slots for those.” — 19 people liked it

“Yeah, well, wish in one hand, crap in the other, and see which fills up first” — 16 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: The Compound Goodreads rating: 3.78 (8012 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2696181-the-compound?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311989633l/2696181.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2696181-the-compound?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Compound by S.A. Bodeen[/url]

The Compound (The Compound #1)

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