Crash Course

Hover Car Racer #1

by Matthew Reilly, Pablo Raimondi (Illustrator)

Imagine twenty fighter jets racing around a twisting, turning aerial track, ducking and weaving and passing at insanely high speeds, and you've just imagined a hover car race.

Fourteen-year-old Jason Chaser is a hover car racing phenom who against the odds has been admitted to the prestigious International Race School. With his kid brother, Bug, who doesn't speak, as his navigator, he's competing against the best of the best, including his hometown rival, the obnoxious Barnaby Becker; the fiercely determined Ariel Piper, the first girl ever admitted to the school; and a mysterious driver in black, who never seems to lose. With tyrannical instructors, sabotaged equipment, and the most intense competition he's ever faced, can Jason prevail?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Action, Adventure, Thriller, Young Adult

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2005

About the author

Born in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading. It was only after he read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that he realised reading could transport you to another world. Following this revelation, Matthew soon began creating stories of his own and set about writing his first novel, Contest, at the age of 19 while still at university studying law.

Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.

In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!

Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.

His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.

Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.

Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.

He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.

Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Str4tus4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly way better than I thought it was going to be.

[Mark White · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one might stretch to three stars on the assumption it meets the brief for its target audience. That's firmly a non-critical pre-teen boy. For them the fast pace and episodic nature with plenty of cliff hangers (it was originally published in eight instalments) make it easy reading. The dramatic endings to each section become ever more hair raising and improbable and the language is highly dramatic throughout. The luxurious multi storey apartment has a fireman pole between floors!

For anyone else though it is pretty awful stuff.

The basic premise - professional racing teams don't stand a chance against a plucky 14 year old in his home built car - is probably the most believable part. The car has an on-board navigator (I still haven't figured out why), the 12 year old younger brother. Luckily he's autistic which of course means he's a lightning calculator. Aren't all autistic kids brilliant at maths? There are some girls in it too but they read like boys with girl's names, except for the evil temptress.

There's a simple life lesson broadly stated through the book - do your best, work hard and never give up - that is very worthy but somewhat diluted as our protagonist wins several races more by luck and long odds gambles than anything else. Oh, and gambling is bad, unless you win.

For a novel set in the future (albeit published in 2005) it also seems very dated. The author missed the rise of the mobile phone much less the smart phone and the kids write home regularly. There's also a bit of "invent on the moment" the thing that gets our hero out of a hole. The obvious consequences of hover cars on society are never explored. Illogic and inconsistencies also get my goat and there's a lot of that.

On the plus side there's a bit of fun in spotting names and places adapted for the story, especially for an Aussie reader. It might help ease the pain of guiding your pre-teen boy through the story but for the adult reader it's not enough to make a difference. And even for those pre-teens there are better novels out there.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Matthew Reilly's novels, so I decided to give this series a try, even though it sounded a bit more YA, than his other action packed books. I was pleasantly surprised with the characters, the setting, and the world building. I didn't immediately hate the younger kid main characters (usually I kinda do), and I liked the supporting characters surrounding them.

I do find overly naive characters a tad bit annoying which was the case in this book, but they are young so I tried to look past it.

My main issue with this story is that these Hover Car races seem to be a very big normal thing in this future and the races have been around for many years with a huge industry revolves around them...so why is it so damn easy to cheat? Cheating in these races is sooooo overly prevalent and there's ZERO systems in place to safe guard against them. That is so unbelievably unrealistic that it actually made me angry. It would be like if in every important F1 race, each team could go around sabotaging opponent cars all the time with no one to stop them. No official rules and regulations in place to prevent it but instead it's up to each racer and pit crew to protect themselves and their cars, before, during, and even after races. Like come on....

I was 100% fine with the devious things that happened outside of the racing grounds, the mental attacks, and the more subtle subterfuge , but the blatant things like people sneaking onto the race track when all the cars are lined up to race and planting bombs on them....please...

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good kids' book. I'm a big fan of Reilly's action-packed adult novels so I decided to check this out as I'd already read all the rest of his books. It's about a 14 year-old boy from Australia and his little brother navigator who gain entrance to a special school for hover car racing in the near future. They are the little guys that could, with little money but lots of skill. They have to fight against all the typical stuff for a book like this while learning about how to drive. I liked all of the world building around the hover car racing. It added an interesting element to the book. It is the first book in a trilogy and ends abruptly, half way through the school year. The next book does pick immediately where this one ends. I almost wonder if Reilly wrote this as one book and then they decided to break it down into 200 page chunks. Comic book artist Pablo Raimondi provides some nice full page illustrations as well although this is prose and not a graphic novel.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 4.5 Stars

Crash Course is the first book in the Hover Car Racer Series by Matthew Reilly. This is a series that I had put off reading for quite some time because, frankly, I didn't think I would enjoy it. As Mr. Reilly is a favourite author of mine, and I have loved all his other books, I didn't want to feel disappointed with these. But now I am kicking myself that I didn't dive in sooner, because this was a great read- and I can admit that I was wrong and should never have doubted Mr. Reilly.
It is a fun YA adventure thriller set in the near future where the dangerous new sport of Hover Car Racing has hit the heights of popularity, and all the racers are vying to become the champion. Jason Chaser is determined to win the top title and takes us on a wild ride of an adventure as he seeks the ultimate crown.
Happy Reading...

[Cameron Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when hover technology is the new thing? Companies like Ford and Boeing go into competition!

Hover Car Racer is a fast-paced story about young Jason Chaser, his brother 'The Bug', and a great cast of characters you either love, or love to hate. Jason is a real underdog, and it is good fun seeing him go against the norm, doing things his own way. The story has a feel good vibe and we keep you cheering for Team Argonaut the whole way through.

Listening to the story in audio was the way to go for me as I was driving around Tasmania: the state where most the story is set. Too bad my ol' troopy is no match to the Argonaut!

[Radar696 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to all three parts of this story in one reading/audio-file.

Great characters and great action scenes!
Sure it was written as a young adult story but it was fun none the less!

I keep hoping that they will continue the story-line even though I know they would start to move out of the young adult and into the adult faze.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first novel, some 13 years ago...

Matthew Reilly helped ignite my passion for reading with this novel. Late nights before school, laying to rest video games, all manner of surprising activity to read this page-turning delight.

I shall cherish this book.

[Стл Трйкв · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most entertaining books I have read recently. In addition to being a high-octane thriller , it delivers a very interesting and gripping story , with lots of plot twists . Keeps you nervous before you read the whole book - which will happen in a couple of days .

Must read

[Cory Gilchrist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad idea with excellent lore of hover technology taking over the world. But I could get on board with the characters and overall story. Reminded me of Speed Racer: The Next Generation and not in a good way.

A quick read which is always nice.

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was just completely the wrong audience for this book. If you love cars and auto racing, if you like a completely overpowered young boy main character (a 15 year old boy who built his own hover car somehow beats professional adult racers), then this book is for you.

[Veselin Nikolov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Би излязла добра книга-игра от тази история - група тийнейджъри попадат в серия от състезания с летящи коли. Печелят, губят, катастрофират. Нещо като историята за младия Анакин, но на Земята, от едно алтернативно настояще. Оръжието на Чехов фигурира - всеки елемент от историята е там с причина.

[Ian Higgs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not at all interesting.

[AudreyMM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooo good! Like a non-magical Harry Potter, with a wild imaginative adventure! For ages 12+.

[Suresh Vijendran · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entirely different kind of arena and a tough young racer, the reader would definitely root for him.

The story moves in a fast pace.

[Quentin]

I read this book 3 or 4 times as a kid already. Can't wait to open it again!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reluctant early teen readers will love it; it’s full of spills and thrills while carefully written and just repetitive enough that no plot or character point is missed.

[Stiv_Matters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matthew Reilly writes insanely over the top techno thrillers. Books like "Ice Station" and "Scarecrow", while easily dismissed as junk are also very exciting to read. Every chapter is a cliffhanger, all the characters are superhuman, and I'm pretty sure he makes up half of the technology used in his stories. He has a mad enthusiasm for storytelling that I can't help but appreciate even while laughing at the utter absurdity of his stories. When I saw this book in the young adult section at Half Price Books, I had to get it. It's a quick read. The story takes place in a future where hovercars have become the standard mode of transportation and souped up hovercars are the main form of racing entertainment. The story follows two brothers as they get in to the hovercar academy and compete with other students. Think Harry Potter mixed with the pod races from "The Phantom Menace". Reilly is very good at explaining how the cars work and describing the action of the races. The characters are stock, nothing exceptional and the plot is pretty basic but I think if you had a 5th grader who didn't enjoy reading, this might get his or her attention and keep it. My only huge criticism is that this book ends at the climax of a race, there is no denoument and there are a lot of loose ends. Who's been sabotaging the hovercars? This appears to be the first of a series. Unless I see the other volumes at a used book store someday, I'll probably never know what happens to those hover car kids.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

New York Times Best Selling Author Matthew Reilly writes an exciting racing thriller to top all others. Hover car racer Jason Chaser has a certain love for hover car racing. After being invited to International Race School, (an accomplishment few hover car racers get to call their own) Chaser finally has the chance to prove his superior racing skills for the slight chance to become a professional. However, this will be no easy task considering the other well determined racers and the exorbant amount of unlikley malfuctions with Chaser's and other racers cars. Overall, it's a great book and was exhilarating all the way through what with the intense races and the suspicions going around about the sabotaging of other racers cars. Although this book is nothing less than extremly exciting, its highly innacurate. Hover cars aren't a reality at this point and probably wont be for a while. That would be the only flaw I seein the book. I enjoyed the size of the book as well as the level of reading. Personally, I would recomend this book to people of all ages and especially racing enthusiasts.

[Tevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book back in the 3rd grade, and having to do a book report on it. It was a great book about 2 teen Austailians named Jason Chaser and little brother Bug go on to a hover car academy and having to face new thrills and new danger of the fast-paced sport of hover car racing. Scott Scyracuse a legendary racer discovers Jason and Bug's talent in a hover car and invites them to a race school in Austrailia. They meet a new friend named Sally. Sally was a student mechanic who love the high octane of the track. When meeting Jason and Bug she points out the racers that have won the world teen grand-prix and the racers who she has no idea how they got accepted to the school. Jason becomes known quickly for his fast time trials and races Scott Scyracuse for a race that will be never forgotten.

Overall this was a VERY GREAT book and so good I've read it multiple times. This book was my first chapeter book I've read i think.

[Conor Lyons]

This book is thrilling and very interesting. The reason i really liked it was because the main character Jason, is only fourteen so it really relates to our age group, because the life he has, is really the one that every teenage boy would one. He is at a school with his brother, and they are hover car racers and the story is about there progression through the ranks of racing until they get to the top of the world league. This story i personally think is attempting to try and show that even boys who at some time in there life don't have much to live for, suddenly are projected as heroes among there friends, so this book really tries to show how the underdog has the potential to rise to the top, i really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who has previously read any Matthew Reily Books

[Angelina Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great light read. Although the story is geared toward boys, it will appeal to any techie. Despite the story being set far in the future, the experiences of the main characters are applicable to young adults today.

My favorite character so far, is Bug, the 12 year old savant who does navigation for his driving whiz of a 14 year old brother.

I love that the two boys are not biological siblings, but have a deep connection and are part of a successful adoptive family.

The integrated artwork and the sometimes dramatized content might appeal to Manga crossover readers.

[04mitchn]

I read Crash course By: Matthew Reilly. It is a 4 point book, 208 pages. There is three main characters JASON, Bug(Jasons little brother) and Sally. Jason wants to become a pro hover car racer. He got a invition to the bottom part of Australia to learn hot to get better how at racing. He got invited by Scott Syracuse. He went to Australia and met Sally. She is a pit chief. There was a team of three, there were Jason, Bug and Sally. Jason improved everytime he raced. Their last race in the book was a big race. He won it, then got invited to a different part Australia to race.

[Sollie]

How can I rate this? This was good for what it wanted to do, and being a 22 year old it's clear that this is not intended for me.
But I remember me as a 10-year old loving this for some reason. So it's good. And a kids book. So.
It's a bit funny how it is dated by no longer relevant references, such as the protagonist having the same hair as David Backham in the 90:s. Give it a few more years and the kids will have no idea who that Backham is. But whatever.
It's nice, I guess.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had my son read this book aloud to me. The story has excellent form, has a good plot, and several life lessons that my son and I were able to talk about. The greatest part of the book is that it is written with Matt's trademark fast pace, non-stop style. My son thoroughly enjoyed the entire series, even though he had to read it aloud to his dad... Thank you Matt Reilly.

[Johnathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that got me into reading. It opened the worlds of books for me. My whole life I have been around racing its what drives me to this day. These books have all the trilles hart racing, hart bracking, and underdogs coming out on top trow hard work and a lot of hart. It has everything that makes racing great. This sears will always be my fav.

[Renardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me entertained all the way through! From my days of watching Back to The Future, I always dreamed of making a hovercar. Realizing that I would probably never invent an actual hovercar did not, however, deter my interest in reading about them. Great read for readers of all ages.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book. Again I was not disappointed. Certainly fast paced and has more of a family feel. Set in a school of hover racing, a young boy and his brother compete against the very best. All with the aim to win, people will do anything to win. A defo for anybody who wants a good read.

[Octavius · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites.

[Ken30MU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great - entertaining - fun. Perfect for the commute. Lots of races with different, exciting finishes. I had to buy the books and have Amber read it.