The Roar (The Roar, #1)

May 17, 2010 JoAnn B. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, middle-school

This book had a lot going for it - a dystopian future world, virtual reality games, and mutant teens - but it fell apart on a number of levels. Mika refuses to believe that his twin sister Ellie is dead and somehow feels that she is still alive and being held captive somewhere, but we're never given any evidence that there were any telepathic feelings between them before this happened. Although most of the population seems to be living in crowded, squalid, dark, damp, and moldy surroundings, no...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Caitlin L added it

I'm reading, "The Roar" by: Emma Clayton right now, I'm not very far into it but I already love it! It's about two twins in the future, Mika and Ellie, who have been separated (Ellie was kidnapped) and are trying to find a way to together again. They seem to have a mental connection, that's what makes Mika believe Ellie is still alive, and not dead like everyone else tells him. I really enjoy this book because the characters seem to come to life off the page. Mika is persistent and mysterious,...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Jules rated it 3 of 5 stars

"The Roar" is... interesting, "Ender's Game" meets a sci-fi environmentalism extreme. I was unimpressed with the writing style itself; a more flowery diction would have gone a long way to portray some of the dream motifs and fantastical, superpower elements prevalent in the storyline, I thought. But then again, it's a science fiction story at its core.

I did enjoy the character development. As the story begins, you assume Ellie is the main character, and keep on waiting for the plot to refocus on...more "The Roar" is... interesting, "Ender's Game" meets a sci-fi environmentalism extreme. I was unimpressed with the writing style itself; a more flowery diction would have gone a long way to portray some of the dream motifs and fantastical, superpower elements prevalent in the storyline, I thought. But then again, it's a science fiction story at its core.

I did enjoy the character development. As the story begins, you assume Ellie is the main character, and keep on waiting for the plot to refocus on her. But she is the objective, and her twin brother, Mika, the character around whom the majority of plot revolves. Mika embarks on a compelling journey of self-discovery as he tries to search out his missing sister, all the while feeling foreboding instincts of paranoia in regards to how his world is treating the new generation of 12- and 13-year-old children.

The shift from one point of view to another is abrupt most times. You're rambling inside of Mika's head and then suddenly, his mother is explaining her perspective on her son. In fact, the omnipotent editor explains everything too well. You understand pretty quickly that Mika and Ellie have a bond that allows them to communicate on a different level, yet each time they share a sensation or experience, the narrator feels obligated to explain why one feels the other's pain. It's a kids' book though, so I'm probably being too harsh.

Most of my gripes with this book are at the beginning: the use of similes was excessive, descriptions of unfamiliar elements in the futuristic world abrupt and the plot disconnected and confused. Once the story gets going, the simplistic writing style felt less abrasive. And, even though I felt pretty sure of where the plot was going, the scintillating ride through Mika's dreams, discovery of his powers and awareness of the world around him was nonetheless compelling. The future world of "The Roar" is gradually explained and the mystery behind the hastily-mentioned Secret (yes, uppercase... annoying) slowly developed into a nuanced enigma.

The author did write action scenes, which included Pod Fighters, very well. I think I enjoyed the flying in this book most of all.

"The Roar" ends abruptly, almost in a rush. That's not to say I was displeased with the ending. It was appropriate, I felt, if not entirely conclusive. I'm undecided as to whether I think a sequel would be necessary or interesting.

While I wouldn't say "The Roar" is a surprising contribution to the literary world, it is a lot more imaginative, creative and expansive than the simplistic plot presented in the jacket summary. Definitely worth a read... if only for the tiny robot animals.

But seriously, I hope someone takes out the double simile in the book's first very sentence and the poor summary on the jacket, which both gives away the part of ending and incorrectly conveys the themes of the book. The "roar" referred to in the title isn't that of an animal's, I don't think.(less)

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Dec 02, 2010 Aaron Vincent rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystocalypse

Originally Posted on Guy Gone Geek.

The Roar was described by the readers whose judgment I trust as something like a mash-up of the popular books under the dystopian genre. In some ways, this is true. It has evident elements that I’ve already read on my favorite dystopian novels but it also does have elements that helped the book to stand its own.

It’s the year 2050 on Earth, and the entire human population was forced to inhabit the Northern Hemisphere, behind The Wall. Twins Ellie and Mika are am...more Originally Posted on Guy Gone Geek.

The Roar was described by the readers whose judgment I trust as something like a mash-up of the popular books under the dystopian genre. In some ways, this is true. It has evident elements that I’ve already read on my favorite dystopian novels but it also does have elements that helped the book to stand its own.

It’s the year 2050 on Earth, and the entire human population was forced to inhabit the Northern Hemisphere, behind The Wall. Twins Ellie and Mika are among the first generation of kids to be born 30 years after the global epidemic known as The Plague. Ellie, for suspicions that she possess special abilities, was kidnapped and everyone were made to believe that she’s dead except her twin brother, Mika. Mika can feel the connection and certain that her twin sister is alive. He is to prove that he is right even if it means joining a dangerous virtual game set by the Northern Government.

One of the strongest points of The Roar is the effective dystopian world building. The world behind The Wall was divided into two; the rich live in the upper level known as The Golden Turrets while the poor live on the lower level, The Shadows. People are dying in The Shadows because they didn’t have any choice but to live off processed molds for food and amidst the increasing polluted water levels. Life in The Shadows is miserable and it is scary. There’s this particular scene where every time someone from The Shadows die, the people will bang the pillars that holds The Golden Turrets making the sound, “Boom Boom”. I was filled with dread every time I hear the sound.

Through this horrible world, I learned to feel sympathy for the characters – Ellie and Mika among others. They are separated but you can see the link between them. What one learns, the other learns and what one feels the other feels too. Throughout the duration that they are separated, I anticipated the moment when they will be reunited, half-expecting it to be something magical. This did not only help to keep the plot moving forward, but also for the smooth transition of perspectives.

And speaking of perspectives, there’s one perspective I am glad to see; the perspective of the “bad guy”, Mal Gorman. If you’ve read any of my reviews before, you know that I want my villains with strong character development. Emma Clayton didn’t disappoint me with Mal Gorman. Gorman’s characterization is every bit as strong as the twin’s. He has fair share of nightmares, he has fears, and his vulnerabilities were not masked. He did sound evil whenever we’re at the twin’s perspective but I kept wondering what Gorman’s real purpose was, what drives him to do such things, and whether he really is a bad guy or not. The Roar, aside from the violent games, also shares another important element from one of the most popular, if not the most popular dystopian novel today, The Hunger Games, and that is Media Fabrication. As to how does Media Fabrication comes to play in The Roar and what has it got to do with Mal Gorman is for me to know and for you to find out.(less)

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Jan 08, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, science-fiction, post-apocalyptic, plague, young-adult, 2009-books-read

In the future, a plague spreads through all the world's animals. To survive, the humans create a northern wall through Canada, England, etc. Every living thing south of the wall is destroyed while all the people in the world move north of the wall into multi-leveled cities with no plants or animals. Their food is produced from chemicals and mold.

Because of the lack of space, it's 30 years before anyone is allowed to have children. 2 of these children are fraternal twins Ellie and Mika. When Elli...more

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Oct 25, 2011 El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 06-eltemplo, reseñas

"En el aterrador futuro en el que viven los gemelos Mika y Ellie, la humanidad se ha encerrado tras un enorme Muro que los protege de la devastación existente al otro lado, provocada por la mano del hombre al tratar de detener la terrible Plaga Animal. Tras el Muro, los humanos viven hacinados; en el nivel de Las Sombras sufren serios problemas de pobreza y superpoblación, pero aquellos que habitan en las Torres doradas que se alzan más arriba tienen un estilo de vida más que aceptable. Entonces...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Adedamola Adeyemi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction
Lexile socre: 910L
Tags: Mutants, Future

Book Review: Emma Clayton's "The Roar" has incorporated science fiction, mutants, and an old antagonist to create create to create an excellent work of literature. I had myself engaged in the book from the firt page to the last. This a bokk that I would recommend to anyone who lovesfiction, especially science fiction.

Plot Summary (SPOILER ALERT): Mika lives behind the Wall in future London. Everyone in the world does because of the Ani...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Aj rated it 3 of 5 stars

THE ROAR is a ok book about a boy Mika who lives in a society where one two thirds of the world is unlivable and is a barren waste land. Whats left is a very crowded area of the world and many people are poor and live in the shadows under the golden towers where the rich people live. the lucky poor live in side towns (areas of the one massive city). Mika just moved out of the shadows. He was a mutant at birth and scientists believe this happened because of a thirty year period when there were no...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Bwool1 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I grabbed this book at my school's book fair a while back because it was really cheap and looked halfway decent. I read it once, then twice, and now a third time. Although this book seems to have very mixed reviews, I happened to like it a lot. I agree with the others that there was a bit of explaining to do about the other elements of the book, and that the writing and development of the characters could have been better. Ellie and Audrey felt a little underdeveloped to have such important role...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Helen's books were her friends, "the kind you invite for dinner in the middle of winter," she'd told him, " and spend all night talking and never go to bed.” The Roar is a sci-fi story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with a plague that infects animals and make them attack humans. The book is mostly base on these things called pod fighters. The pod fighters are pretty much modern day jets yet more compact and instead of adults driving them, children can drive them instead, even one...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Kayt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-apocalyptic

I'm not going to pretend I didn't know this was a juvenile novel. And it gets points for being so long and being written at that level, if only because I am a big believer in long books no matter what your age.

But as for the actual content? Let's just say I am not surprised that it's a first novel. And I am surprised that Eoin Colfer gave it a good blurb. Because it doesn't "[fly] along like a laser beam from a blaster," it meanders forward like a bowling ball thrown by a three-year-old kept on...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was very interesting. The plot is set in the near-ish future in London, where the human population has diminished to just millions. The remaining humans are living behind a solid metal wall, complete with barbed wire and sentry bots. The animals have contracted a disease, much like rabies, and had to all be killed, including all plants and trees. The walls protects them from the supposed Animal Plague.
People live in tall apartment-like buildings. Conditions are rough in the lower le...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars

There's a lot of meat to this "tween" novel. Quite enjoyable and discussion-provoking.

The Roar is a more "kiddie" book than I normally read. This one is aimed at the tween crowd (the book says down to grade 3 but I can't really imagine anyone under the age of 10 getting into it) and I found it to be quite compelling despite being aimed at the younger set and the occasional clunky simile and/or phrase. The Roar has a sequel called The Whisper .

The book is set in a dismal future in which religio...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Lunática Pirate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

El libro es refrescante, innovador y creativo. Hasta el momento no he leído una temática semejante; la forma de escritura es fluida y desenvuelta, no te aburres con ninguna escena y tienes deseos de saber que pasa adelante, sinceramente no sueltas el libro hasta que llegas al punto final, pero quedas con el deseo de saber más y más de la historia de Mika y Ellie, sobretodo con ese final tan abierto. Los personajes son interesantes y llegas a identificarte con ellos con las historias de todos, co...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Melodee rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was very fast paced and I was really enjoying it right up to the end, where it didn't answer all my questions, and left a lot of ends open. I felt a little let down. I litterally said, "That's it? After I put in all that time, this is how you leave it?" It wasn't even a real cliffhanger ending to leave you wanting more. It just kind of ended, with allusions to what will play out in their futures, but it just didn't do it for me. Instead of feeling like everything was wrapped up, I was...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book is mainly about a boy named Mika. The book shows his struggle to find his twin sister, Ellie. In the beginning of the book, Ellie tries to escape from Mal Gorman, but finds herself in the hands of him again. Mika believes that Ellie is still alive even though mostly everyone around him thinks that she dead. The only one that understands Mika is Helen, his therapist. Helen tells him that if he enters a competition, he has a chance of reuniting with Ellie again. He has to undergo drinkin...more The book is mainly about a boy named Mika. The book shows his struggle to find his twin sister, Ellie. In the beginning of the book, Ellie tries to escape from Mal Gorman, but finds herself in the hands of him again. Mika believes that Ellie is still alive even though mostly everyone around him thinks that she dead. The only one that understands Mika is Helen, his therapist. Helen tells him that if he enters a competition, he has a chance of reuniting with Ellie again. He has to undergo drinking fit mix, pretending that he is normal, and do everything that his classmates are doing. His troubles aren’t what matter to him, the only thing that’s does matter to him finding Ellie, and he is willing to risk it all to find her.
The characters in this book are very unique and wildly gifted. Most of the characters featured in the book are mutants. What amazed me about the characters was that they had extraordinary powers that you wouldn’t expect in an American comic book. The thing that I did not like about the mutants was that they were forced to use their powers for evil. Mika, the main character in the book, is very amazing. What I like about him is that his instincts are always right in the book. His instinct told him that Ellie was alive and also told him that drinking the fit mix would be wrong. The thing I don't like about him is that sometimes he did not listen to his instinct which made him have more problems in the book.
The book overall was amazing, but there were some parts that I would have changed to make the book better. The thing that I did not like about the book was the ending (don’t worry, I won’t give the ending away). I felt like the book didn’t really end, and it was like there needed to be more pages to read to fully understand the ending. The thing that made up the confusion of the ending was the plot. The plot was very detailed and interesting, filled with twists and turns.
I actually loved Emma Clayton’s writing style. She put in most of the main characters’ point of view (3rd POV), which made the book much easier to understand. It made it easier to understand the book because it made me see the book from three different sides. It even made it interesting how the main characters are connected and how they think of one another. Clayton’s style might have also been the reason why this was such a good book.
I would recommend this book to people that love reading action filled with suspense and mystery. This book is very intense, and it will make you want to read more and more of it. People should put this in our summer reading list, and anyone should read it, because it shows something that can possibly be our future. Anyone who read this book with me amazed and interested how intense this book is. Hope you read it too!
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Jun 10, 2011 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

The epic book known as "The Roar" is a story about a boy named Mika Smith who goes on a daring adventure to save his twin sister, Ellie from the clutches of Mal Gorman. In the beginning, Ellie had almost escaped from Mal Gorman but had fallen into his hands yet again. His parents believe Ellie to be dead but Mika knows she's not and he'll do just about anything to save her. However, the things he does and sacrifices to save her are extraordinary.

The characters in this story are well-built and ar...more The epic book known as "The Roar" is a story about a boy named Mika Smith who goes on a daring adventure to save his twin sister, Ellie from the clutches of Mal Gorman. In the beginning, Ellie had almost escaped from Mal Gorman but had fallen into his hands yet again. His parents believe Ellie to be dead but Mika knows she's not and he'll do just about anything to save her. However, the things he does and sacrifices to save her are extraordinary.

The characters in this story are well-built and are very thoroughly described which is actually what I like. Mika is a very brave character as I've noticed but is, in my opinion, a bit doubtful. Usually when everyone keeps telling him his theories are wrong, he believes it and starts doubting himself. That was before Helen arrived however. He's also very hopeful which kept him from completely giving up on himself. Ruben is also an interesting character to look at. He's very conceited and selfish. He always thinks he's the best. For example, when Mika won instead of him, he freaked out and almost destroyed the place with his mutant powers. Even though these characters are very well built, some are completely bad and completely good which is one of the things I hate. I mean sure Ruben is a mean guy but he should have some more good characteristics. The same thing applies to Mika. I like things to be equal even with the villians in books.

To be honest, the story has been written quite well. The author has made it very clear for me to understand and the way she wrote it made me not want to put it down. In fact it was extremely tough for me to put it down to go do something else especially. Little by little almost all the secrets unfolded and made me gasp with excitement. Half the time I was reading I felt as if I were taken in to the book. In other words it's extremely vivid. There are lots of epic turning points in the book which make it very fun to read. However the ending got me extremely disappointed. I would have expected more! Even though I got some questions answered I still didn't get 1 of my main questions answered. Do Mika, Audrey, and Ellie defeat Gorman? I was literally staring at the book with an expression on my face saying 'Are you kidding me? THIS is it?' Later I found out it'll be in the sequel which really annoys me because the author should have made the book a bit thicker instead of adding a whole new book just to finish it off.

Emma Clayton's style of writing this book was absolutely PERFECT in my opinion! It was not all about Mika all the time as I would have expected by reading the back. It showed Audreys thoughts, Helen's thoughts, and surprisingly Ellie's thoughts. The author even made chapters just to include what was happening with Ellie and Mal Gorman. Knowing the two sides of the book made me want to read it more because it just made me think 'Oh no! Is this really it? Will Mika find out what Gorman's doing? Will he know what Ellie is up to?' Her writing style is absolutely fabulous and I couldn't have done it better myself. This is mainly what made up for the annoying ending! This book is also a bit tough to get into around the first chapters, because when I started the book I just thought 'Okay what's going on? Who's this guy? Who's this girl?' which really annoyed me but it made me want to keep reading. So as I progressed into the book, it was a lot easier to get into, as I had hoped.

I would recommend this book to anybody who loves action and mystery. Anybody who is looking for a book with a mouth-watering plot, this is the book you should get. There are lots of twists and funny swears in here such as 'Frag.' So, due to the bizarre and stupid ending I have to take a whole star away from this book, sadly. I give it 4 stars.

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Jun 09, 2011 Jared Ortaliza rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story revolves around a boy named Mika Smith, who's twin sister has been kidnapped by an evil, corrupt government man named Mal Gorman. The kids of the new generation were the first born in 40 years so the government has devised of a way to keep the kids healthy since they are all living in an unhealthy place where they must eat mold to survive. Once this happens, Mika and a couple of his friends join a competition involving a game called Pod Fighter. Knowing that winning the competition is...more The story revolves around a boy named Mika Smith, who's twin sister has been kidnapped by an evil, corrupt government man named Mal Gorman. The kids of the new generation were the first born in 40 years so the government has devised of a way to keep the kids healthy since they are all living in an unhealthy place where they must eat mold to survive. Once this happens, Mika and a couple of his friends join a competition involving a game called Pod Fighter. Knowing that winning the competition is his key to finding his sister again, he competes in the various rounds of the competition determined to find his twin sister, Ellie.

I liked the characters in the story. They were an interesting cast filled with varying characteristics, but they almost seemed to… be like the other characters in other books. There is Mika Smith, who is the hero and the one everybody wants to win. Ruben, the rival that despises Mika and is always trying to make him miserable. There's Ellie, the "maiden in distress." The characters seemed like any other characters from any other books or television shows that I have watched and they don't seem very original. This is the thing that I disliked about the characters. They all seemed played out and recycled. However, i do like the fact the characters set a tone for me every time I was reading about them. When Audrey was talking, the mood changed to an upbeat one because of her personality. When I was reading about Mal Gorman, the mood seemed dark and mysterious in a way. The reading was more fun because of the characters and I admire that.

I liked one aspect of the story. I like the fact that there's a secret and that i had to read on to keep solving it. It was like solving a mystery and it was fun because of that. What I didn't like about the story, however, is that it seems uninteresting in most points and doesn't really hit the marks in my opinion. Sure there are some points where you want to keep on reading, but for the most part, I just kept reading with a blank expression, reading like a robot. The story was actually good, but i would've liked it a lot more if it kept on developing beyond the ending because I just wanted to get it over with and have all my questions answered.

I found the writer's style to be very confusing. It kept using words that i did not know such as, "Frag" and "Perp." I don't know if it's a foreign slang or what, but it was very mind boggling to me. The book was hard to pick up at the beginning. I remember putting off reading the book until the day before I went to Disneyland just to get all my homework done. The beginning was slow, but it suddenly became filled with action. Unfortunately, the action did not last and mellowed down very quickly. I would describe the writer's style as easy to read when fun, but very boring when reading the details.

When I first heard of the roar, I expected a X-men experience that would've left me craving for more. However, while reading the book I found that the story barely crosses into a world like X-men. The only thing that was similar to the X-men comic books was the abilities the children had, but it wasn't really something exciting. I wouldn't recommend the book to an action fan because like I said, it wasn't really filled with a lot of action. I think I would recommend this to a mystery fan instead. Even though it looks like an action book on the outside, it's a mystery book on the inside. I think mystery fans will enjoy the secrets and mysteries in the book and yet at the same time appreciate what else the book has to offer.

I personally thought the book was only okay. The characters felt familiar already and that's not a good thing. The book was kind of boring to me and the writer's style almost made me want to close my eyes and sleep instead of reading even more pages. The book was actually fun when you read parts about the pod fighters flying and shooting and the fight between Mika and Ruben, but those happened a total of about 3-5 times in the book which isn't as frequent as I would've wanted it to be. The plot was interesting so I'll give it a few points for that. I give it a two out of five.

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May 30, 2011 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars

'Listen. Can you hear it?'
Mika lives in future London, behind The Wall, safe from The Animal Plague beyond.Or so he's been told. But ever since Ellie vanished a year ago, he's suspected that his world may be built on secrets-and lies. When a mysterious organization starts recruiting mutant kids to compete in violent virtual reality games, Mika takes the chance to search for his twin sister-and the truth.

Set in the future, and you have teens fighting in a 'game' for prizes... at first glance, th...more

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May 23, 2011 Lydia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mom and I rushed into the library to grab a movie for Friday Movie Night, and me (being the book-starved person that I am) grabbed somewhere around ten books off the shelves. Yes. I judged them by their cover. =O
I have to say--the cover on this one really appealed to me. Probably because it was such a nice change from the fantasy, fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, etc that I'm always reading. Military stuff, it looked like...So I grabbed it.
Actually, I knew from the cover that it wo...more Mom and I rushed into the library to grab a movie for Friday Movie Night, and me (being the book-starved person that I am) grabbed somewhere around ten books off the shelves. Yes. I judged them by their cover. =O
I have to say--the cover on this one really appealed to me. Probably because it was such a nice change from the fantasy, fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, etc that I'm always reading. Military stuff, it looked like...So I grabbed it.
Actually, I knew from the cover that it would probably be something around the genre of science fiction (duh), but it looked so different from the other books surrounding it (books like "Really weird fantasy name of a really cool character with special powers who can save the universe and the really scary thing that is determined to kill the really cool character for the purpose of world dominion." And then on the cover, there's a picture of a really cool-looking elvish girl and boy with really dramatic expressions and glowing green eyes. Yes. I have so much experience with these books that I bet I could predict the whole story plot just from the cover. It's sad.)...
It's a pretty bumpy start for The Roar. Emma Clayton would have done better to write a book before this one explaining everything, because when I reached the end of the book, I was thinking "Dood... That was so weird.", and for some good reason. I was always getting mixed up between Asha (the main character's mother, whom the author calls by name. Not a bad thing, but confusing...) and Audrey (the main character's *cough * special friend.), which are, ahem, entirely different characters. It made for some pretty funny instances to laugh at myself and my clumseh readin' skills, however... And I'm not sure how many chapters it took for me to realize that "David" is his dad!
It's not so much that it's hard to understand or to read. It was just a little confusing at times.
The plot itself? Meh. * shrug *. That's what I give it. A shrug. A year before the novel begins, a young girl named Ellie gets abducted
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Jan 19, 2011 P.M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book begins with a bang as 12 year old Ellie is on the run in a Pod Fighter accompanied only by a Capuchin monkey named Puck. Ellie was kidnapped about a year ago by the Minister of Youth Development, Mal Gorman who has been recruiting young people for his army of mutant children. Ellie's attempt is fruitless as she is re-captured by Gorman's minions. The narration switches to her twin brother Mika who is firmly convinced that Ellie is still alive. When someone shows up at school touting th...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Zeek rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult, dystopian

A YA book, I would even say it fits for younger audiences- although some elements are quite frightening. I found the hook to be just too obvious- or perhaps simplistic is a more accurate word- for the more seasoned readers of dystopian fiction.

Set in a dark future where some time in the past the animals of earth became infected by a plague, the people of earth are still living behind man made walls in fortified cities. Little does everyone know that the walls and fortification are not to keep ra...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Kaitlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. DONT READ THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING.
In the book The Roar, by Emma Clayton, relationships basically shape the outcome of the whole population of the Earth and the Earth itself.

The setting takes place in London,England. The government built three levels to London since the whole population of the world occupies it. The Shadows are where the poorest of the poor live. The Barford North is where people who aren't quite poor but aren't middle class either. The Golden Turrets is wher...more DONT READ THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING.
In the book The Roar, by Emma Clayton, relationships basically shape the outcome of the whole population of the Earth and the Earth itself.

The setting takes place in London,England. The government built three levels to London since the whole population of the world occupies it. The Shadows are where the poorest of the poor live. The Barford North is where people who aren't quite poor but aren't middle class either. The Golden Turrets is where rich people live on the very top of London and are the only ones that see the sky.

The plot is about how all the animals "supposedly" caught The Animal Plague and started eating people. So the government gathered Earths population and threw them in London. Then the government "supposedly" poisoned two-thirds of the world to a point where nobody can live there. For 43 years humans were stuck behind a wall eating mold just to stay alive. Until Mika's twin sister, Ellie, was kidnapped. Mika never believed she was dead and entered a competition to find her. Turns out that Mika and Ellie were mutations, and they were not the only ones. They can move objects with there minds. Ellie's kidnapper, Gorman was going after Mika now because he knew Mika had the powers too. When Mika got over the wall he found out that everything was a lie, an the richest people in the world were greedy and wanted the Earth to themselves. As a result, they invented The Animal Plague. The only reason Mika flew back over the wall to meet Gorman was because he still had Ellie. But Gorman would only agree to let him see her was if he would be part of his kid army. Mika said yes and took Ellie home. When they hugged each other they sent out a message to the kid army telling them to go over the wall. That there was still
life.

Relationships shape the main characters, Mika and Ellie, as two siblings that would go to the ends of the Earth for each other. When they're together again the whole world wakes up.

I would definitely recommend this book.
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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I got this book as an Advanced Reading Copy from the Amazon Vine program. This was an interesting book with a few creative elements and many not so creative elements.

Ellie has been kidnapped by a man seeking to develop her "powers" for some unknown purpose. Mika is her twin left behind; everyone believes Ellie is dead except for him. They both live in a world where the northern hemisphere of the earth is walled in order to protect humans from the evil Animals infected with the Animal Plague a ge...more I got this book as an Advanced Reading Copy from the Amazon Vine program. This was an interesting book with a few creative elements and many not so creative elements.

Ellie has been kidnapped by a man seeking to develop her "powers" for some unknown purpose. Mika is her twin left behind; everyone believes Ellie is dead except for him. They both live in a world where the northern hemisphere of the earth is walled in order to protect humans from the evil Animals infected with the Animal Plague a generation before them. Ellie it trying to get home and Mika is trying to find a way to get to Ellie despite the fact no one believes she is alive.

This was a fast paced, engaging read. It had some creative elements in the idea of an Animal Plague wiping out half of the earth. Unfortunately it had more uncreative elements in it. For example trapping a subset of humanity behind an enclosure and telling them they are all that is left is a concept explored in many novels. Also genetically modifying kids to develop special talents for fighting or humans morphing to a new species are also both topics that have been overdone in both books and film. Still, if you like reading novels about these types of things this could be the book for you. Personally I thought that this story rehashed a lot of the stories out there. If you are interested in this type of story I think Storm Thief, The White Mountains, The Hunger Games, and The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer (Bantam Spectra Book) do this type of story in a more creative and better way that this book does. A lot of people also like The City of Ember (Books of Ember) (although it wasn't a favorite of mine) and this explores a similar type of story.

What really got me about this book was the end. The ending is rushed and very unsatisfying. This book is either blatantly setting up the reader for a new series or the author just had absolutely no idea how to end the book. Many of the main events in the book were left unresolved and other events are only partially or quickly wrapped up. Nothing about this book was surprising mainly because there are already so many books like this available; especially in the young adult category.

This book is a quick read about isolating humanity in a post-Armageddon type walled city; it is also about genetic modification. If you are really into these topics this isn't a bad read, but it is not an especially mind-blowing or enlightening read either. I personally don't think I will be looking into any more of Clayton's work; it just wasn't creative enough. (less)

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Nov 02, 2010 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Amanda Drozd

The roar by Emma Clayton is about two twelve year olds named Mika and Ellie both born mutant twins. When they were eleven a evil scientist named Mal Gorman kidnaps the sister ,Ellie, after she storms out of their apartment in the Barford North because of an argument with her brother Mika. Even after a year of Ellie being gone Mika can’t believe and feels that Ellie isn’t really dead. Even after the authorities had presumed she was, after not being able to find her. Both twins were...more
Amanda Drozd

The roar by Emma Clayton is about two twelve year olds named Mika and Ellie both born mutant twins. When they were eleven a evil scientist named Mal Gorman kidnaps the sister ,Ellie, after she storms out of their apartment in the Barford North because of an argument with her brother Mika. Even after a year of Ellie being gone Mika can’t believe and feels that Ellie isn’t really dead. Even after the authorities had presumed she was, after not being able to find her. Both twins were born with a deformity of webbed hands and feet but Ellie had her webs removed when she was a baby. The whole city lives behind a wall because of an incident that had happened where the animals would attack humans and the humans had to poison the animals and keep them out so they built the wall.

After being captured by Mal Gorman, Ellie is trained how to use a Pod Fighter. Being alone all the time, Mal Gorman got her a Monkey that she named Puck. One day while everyone was busy she slipped out of her room and out of the prison there with a Pod Fighter. The henchmen of Mal Gorman follow her through the city and she loses them with her expert flying. Finally being hit she goes down into a dark barren lake. Mika didn’t know but she was close and when she went down he had a stroke. As though he could feel her. After recovering he went back to school and this women tried to make the class drink a drink called Fit Mix and he refused. Mika’s parents came and he had to wear a shock collar and not go anywhere. He finally gives in and drinks the Fit Mix and makes a friend who shows him how to play this game called Pod Fighter. After the first time he finds out how to play and pretty soon he becomes number one on the charts.

Meanwhile Mal Gorman goes looking for Ellie in the lake and finds that she and the monkey are still alive. The officers with him open the Pod Fighter and Ellie springs disarming all the officers guns with her mind until Mal Gorman threats her family. He puts her in a box but before closing the lid he stares into her eyes while she looks at him with the look of wanting to kill him. Mal falls to the ground in pain and they close the box. They take Ellie back to the ship and bandage her eyes so she can’t do anything to anyone . Confused at what she had done they run scans and tests on her with no effect.
After awhile of playing Pod Fighter Mika meets Audrey who has red borg eyes and matches his ability to steer with expert gunning skills. Becoming new partners they take on A completion comes up and Audrey and Mika win with some other people. They get a new kind of fit mix that makes their eyes see different colors from objects and people. Now in the competition Mika and Audrey battle their way through it even having to beat their friends on accident. They learn to do new things like move things with their eyes and they win some cool prizes that satisfy their parents. Then the remaining contestants win a trip to a beach with their families. On the beach the parents have fun eating real food while the competitors go against each other moving things with their mind. Dangerous things happen but the kids are sworn not to say anything to stay in the competition. Mika has a bow go through his leg while trying to spear fish and a girl goes crazy and accidently shoots him.

Mika gets a home in the Golden Turrets and he has to go to a mansion where the people will pick the final people who win. Mika goes does some more tests and has a brain scanning. Mal Gorman who is behind all of the competition brings Ellie to the mansion in a different hall. Mika wins the competition with Audrey and they notice all the finalists were mutants. Mika knows Ellie is in the mansion and asks Mal to see her but first Mika had to swear to do anything that Mal asks. During a party a riot starts from the Shadows because people are dying so they try to tear down the building. The contestants had promised not to leave but they all do except for Audrey and Mika who steal a cop car. Thinking the kids are trying to escape cops try to shoot them so they fly over the wall. On the other side Mika and Audrey are shocked to see plants and animals because the government said that it was all destroyed. Further along they find houses.

They flew back because Mal Gorman had made a promise to let him see his sister. At the mansion Mal Gorman tells Mika all about his plan to use the contestants in a war and the kids that go into the arcade too against the people already living there for the land back. That only the mutants wouldn’t be destroyed by the animal borgs because the borgs thought they were animals too. The animal attacks were lies and the news had lied. Agreeing to do whatever it takes Mika is reunited with his sister. Ellie and Mika fly home relieved and going to tell everyone. Meanwhile the sleeping hypnotized kids were quite when one came out of the hypnotism and started chanting and they all wokeup.
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Nov 03, 2010 Ian Mclean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ian McLean 11.2.2010 The Roar book review

I gave this book a five out of five because I could find nothing wrong with it. In this review I will give you my opinion on the setting, a part in the plot and the conflict/resolution.

There are a some characters in this book that you will need to know about. Mika is the main character that is a troubled boy who can not get over the fact that his sister is dead. Which she is not and his sister is Ellie who for the last year everyone thought was dead be...more Ian McLean 11.2.2010 The Roar book review

I gave this book a five out of five because I could find nothing wrong with it. In this review I will give you my opinion on the setting, a part in the plot and the conflict/resolution.

There are a some characters in this book that you will need to know about. Mika is the main character that is a troubled boy who can not get over the fact that his sister is dead. Which she is not and his sister is Ellie who for the last year everyone thought was dead because she came up missing.

The setting in the roar is kind of a post apocalyptic setting where the world has mostly been destroyed and everyone is forced to live in one designated location and all natural resources are almost extinct and only the rich get to use them. Theirs a place called the shadows in the United kingdom where millions of poor people live, many die each day. There is also a place call the golden turrets where the richest of the rich live.

One of my favorite plot moments is where Mika and Audrey went to the arcade and tried out the most popular simulator called pod fight, And finds out that Mika has a strange talent of flying these machines. He travels around the world and over the wall that holds the people inside while he is in a sumlulator . This scene really shows what kind of diversity and action this book expresses.

The conflict in The Roar is that Everyone is living in this little walled in fortress and resources are running out so a change needs to happen and fast or else no one will survive. plus their on the endge of war. Also Mika wants to find his sister who he believes is alive but everyone else is certain that shes dead. But Mika just has that gut feeling that she is alive so his quest in this book is to do anything possible to get his sister back.

The resolution is that Mika finds his sister and brings her back home for only a little while. Mean while a war is about to go with the kids mutants from the city against the people of barford north and the golden turrets. They will fight for the remaining space and resources in the world.(less)

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Jun 07, 2010 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mika's life is pretty bleak. He lives on the British coastline behind a giant wall that was erected three decades earlier as a result of the Animal Plague. The plague was not all that different from rabies in that it turned animals of all types, from insects to whales into tremendously dangerous creatures. The populations of the world had to retreat to the far northern and southern countries behind giant walls built to keep animals out. Anything outside of the wall was decimated with poison to e...more Mika's life is pretty bleak. He lives on the British coastline behind a giant wall that was erected three decades earlier as a result of the Animal Plague. The plague was not all that different from rabies in that it turned animals of all types, from insects to whales into tremendously dangerous creatures. The populations of the world had to retreat to the far northern and southern countries behind giant walls built to keep animals out. Anything outside of the wall was decimated with poison to eradicate danger for the surviving humans.

As you can imagine, everyone lives in cramped quarters and limitations on what people can eat. As you can imagine, meat is a rarity, and meat products are actually produced on racks using molds. Hmmm ... yummy!

To make matters worse, Mika's twin sister Ellie went missing almost a month earlier. While most people, including his parents, believe she is dead, Mika thinks he can sense her. To him, she must be alive. The readers quickly join him in that belief with the books opening, which finds Ellie racing to escape a group of evil overlords under the leadership of Mal Gorman. With the help of a small ape named puck, Ellie makes her way to a Pod Fighter and uses it to escape an orbiting space station and crash on Earth not far from her family's settlement. Unfortunately, she is quickly recaptured.

Gorman realizes that Ellie is special because she seems to exhibit some sort of telekinetic powers and is hoping to find others like her. As a result, he starts a competition on earth using neighborhood arcades. The 12 and 13 year olds living behind the wall will compete in various arcade games that will test various skills in order to help highlight the perfect people.

While Mika doesn't know the details, he does believe success in the games will allow him to find Ellie and bring her back home. He is willing to do whatever it takes to make it. Along the way, he gets help from some friends like Audrey, a girl who was born without eyes and has two optic implants to help her see, and a few others. As they progress through the competition.

Along the way, they also learn some horrible secrets about their global society that will answer questions about why no one was allowed to have children for 30 years and why everyone has been hiding behind the Wall. The truth may be even more horrifying than they thought they new and the definition of who is a hero and who is an enemy will be harder to identify.

I thought this was a really interesting read. Clayton has done a wonderful job of creating a dark, dystopian society. parts of it reminded me of the Earth as it was presented in The Fifth Element, which starred Bruce Willis, only this is even worse. The young characters are strong, though the adults that surround them seem overly simplistic and lemminglike. The latter is explained more thoroughly as the book moves into its conclusion.

The games are interesting and fill the book with danger and action that leave the reader cheering for Mika and his friends. Ellie also has a number of scenes that highlight the troubles that she is going through. Mal Gorman is not as powerful as one would think considering his position, and his faults make him more human and more complex.

The story is definitely plot driven. While it is enjoyable, most of the characters are pretty flat and a bet stereotypical, which is disappointing considering the length of the book and the fact that little is resolved, leaving it open to at least one sequel, which I am definitely looking forward to reading.

Mika and his friends are easy to identify with, and the reader is likely to be left cheering for more. In some ways, the book reminds me of a James Bond tale. A fully defined otherworld is created, and the reader is just willing to accept the differences even if they are not fully explained or defined.

The title is hard to explain until the final chapters, when the people behind the Wall find themselves split by caste differences that have become more defined over the years.

All-in-all, I thought this was pretty good. While it is not a must-read. I was really glad that it was recommended to me by a good friend of mine.(less)

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Oct 26, 2009 Jennifer March rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, sci-fi

This was another one of those books that had all the elements I love: the dystopian setting, the overly corrupt government conspiring to control the people to further the greedy aspirations of a wealthy few, the underdog kid who is special but doesn't know it, the evil old man behind the curtain out to get our hero, the cool high-tech gismos... this one was even set in post-apocalyptic England (which stroked my anglophilic fancy).

And yet even with all of that going for it, the Roar just didn't...more

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Sep 19, 2009 A&E rated it 4 of 5 stars

If the simple the fact that the story is posed in London in the future doesn't grab your interest, Emma Clayton's thrilling sci-fi novel Roar will pull you in on its own. It gives you a fresh new feel, with a touch of Star Wars added, like a delicious dash of exotic spices. Even though it's from a twelve-year-old's point of view, I think older readers (including myself, of course) will enjoy this book.

Mika lives in futuristic London, behind a huge wall that protects the citizens from the mysteri...more If the simple the fact that the story is posed in London in the future doesn't grab your interest, Emma Clayton's thrilling sci-fi novel Roar will pull you in on its own. It gives you a fresh new feel, with a touch of Star Wars added, like a delicious dash of exotic spices. Even though it's from a twelve-year-old's point of view, I think older readers (including myself, of course) will enjoy this book.

Mika lives in futuristic London, behind a huge wall that protects the citizens from the mysterious animal plague that swept the city many years ago. But since his twin sister vanished a year ago, Mika has suspected there is more to his world than he has always been told. When an organization starts recruting children to play violent, very realistic virtual reality games, Mika uses it as a chance to search for his missing twin and uncover a startling truth.

Mika is easy to root for. Throughout the story, he is a brave and believable character that you want to stick with for the exciting ride; even when the dialogue gets a bit sketchy. He manages to discover secrets, and unravel their truths in ways that kept me reading with eager anticipation. When the end of the book came and a fountain of surprises erupted before me, I was quite dissappointed that the book had finished.

At one point, the book touches on the fact that humans didn't take care of the earth, and that was what caused the disastrous animal plague. I thought 'Oh great, this is going to be some environmentalist book that bashes people while at the same time trying to be a science fiction, action packed adventure.'I was pleasantly surprised to find that yes, it was an action packed adventure, but there was no bashing involved.

I had a bit of a problem connecting to the villain of the story. My friends, the villains do, in fact, need to be identifiable, as twisted as that may sound, but I had trouble relating to this particular 'bad guy.' Even in the end, when the motives for his evil deeds become clear, I still felt that he could have had much more depth.

With that aside, the book was completely enjoyable and I would personally reccomend it to sci-fi fans and people who simply enjoy a good tale. Emma Clayton certainly wrote an amazing first novel that kept me guessing and sucked me in all the way through until the end. (less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Chris Lopez rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have always seemed to be drawn to futuristic dystopian society books. This book falls under that category except that it as a twist. Half of the planet is cut of from humans. A giant walls crosses across the middle of the planet splitting it from the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere. The half without humans is dead. A plague carried by the animals forced humans to kill them all with poisons that killed all life on the other side of the wall. To fit everyone into one half of the...more I have always seemed to be drawn to futuristic dystopian society books. This book falls under that category except that it as a twist. Half of the planet is cut of from humans. A giant walls crosses across the middle of the planet splitting it from the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere. The half without humans is dead. A plague carried by the animals forced humans to kill them all with poisons that killed all life on the other side of the wall. To fit everyone into one half of the planet, a second level was built onto the first level. This created a first level called the shadows and a second half that was brightly lit up for the wealthier folk. Children were not allowed to be born for thirty years once the plague hit and now everyone has come to hate the animals because they are the reason that they had to leave their land.

I liked how Emma was able to portray the two siblings as one unbreakable bond. The fact that they can em-pathetically feel each others presence and how they always know when the other is in danger is awesome to me. I also like the way that the author switched points of view from each of them every few chapters or so. This book did seem to remind me of the book Ender's Game in the way that the children were pilots of ships and ended up going to war. It also reminded me of Truancy in the way that the school systems were so closely controlled.It blended the two story's together nicely to get a good medium.

What I did not like about this book was how the invisible dog was always being mentioned because it did not seem to have anything to do with the story. It started coming out in the middle of the story but then it ends up not going anywhere else. Every once in awhile it pops up but then its gone. I was waiting for the dog to come out in the end and be something important but nothing ever happened. I don't know if I read over some part but that's just what I got from it.

This book is good for all ages. Children will enjoy it just as much as adults will. I would recommend this to anybody and I feel that anyone else who has read it would agree. I'm not sure if there are anymore books in this series but if there are, I want to read it really badly to find out how the war happens.
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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: YA Dystopian novel about a walled society with a video game tournament...?	3	8	5 hours, 29 min ago
the whisper is out right?	11	32	Jan 04, 2013 12:23pm
Dystopian Fiction...: The Roar	3	4	Aug 14, 2012 06:38pm
Monthly Book Club: The Roar [June]	1	2	May 23, 2012 08:53pm

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