The Roar
Template:Multiple isues
| The Roar | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Emma Clayton |
| Illustrator | Jim Murray |
| Cover artist | Ian Butterworth |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction, Suspense |
| Publisher | Chicken House |
| Publication date | 2009 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 473 |
| ISBN | 978-1-905294-63-3 |
| Followed by | The Whisper |
The Roar is a 2009 novel by British author Emma Clayton. It was published in the United States and the United Kingdom by Chicken House.
Overview
The Roar takes place in a "post-apocalyptic" world where a disease known as the "plague" infects every animal and causes them to turn vicious and attack humans.
When the plague began the entire population banded together and built a solid concrete wall 50 feet high and 30 feet thick. On the top of the entire wall there is an electrified fence and invincible, laser hurling Ghengis borgs mounted every few yards. It has been said that the fence could shred a rhinoceros to pieces. Behind this wall the population that survived has been living for more than 30 years. Many things have come about since space is limited. The government created a law that forbade people to have children. The Northern Hemisphere is where the population has gone to survive. Outside of "The Wall" the majority of the population has been made to believe that it is covered in a yellow poisonous dust that was used to kill all living things, because of the plague. The plague was actually a ruse so that the richest and fortunate people could save the planet from global warming by crowding the population together and only letting a select few live in the area beyond The Wall. This leads into a war, that is continued in the sequel The Whisper written by the same author, Emma Clayton.
Characters
- Mika: Mika is the main character. He believes his sister Ellie is alive, which is his main drive to reach his goals throughout the book. He is a mutant, powers including: webbed feet, the ability to move objects with his mind, he is a fantastic Pod Fight pilot, he can harm a person with a look, and he seems to have these strange, in a sense precognitive, dreams with people called 'Telly Heads.' Also, he has an emotional feeling inside him called the roar that he hears in his head when he uses his powers.
- Ellie: Ellie is Mika's twin sister, who is believed to be dead by almost all of the main characters except for Mika and Mal Gorman. She is an expert Pod Fighter pilot, can move objects with her mind, can communicate, to an extent, with animals, can harm or kill a person with a look, and is hinted to have other above-average abilities/skills based on how we hear she escapes from Gorman's space station at the beginning of the book.
- Audrey: Audrey is Mika's friend and possible love interest. She has no affiliation with Ellie. Audrey is a mutant and was born without eyes; she uses borg eyes to see. She can move things with her mind and she is a fantastic Pod Fighter gunner.
- Kobi: Kobi is Mika's friend from school. He likes to make tiny robot animals. Kobi came from The Shadows. The Shadows is the ground level of London, below the Golden Turrets.
- Mal Gorman: Gorman is the main antagonist of the story. He's ruthless and willing to do whatever is necessary to get what he wants. He thinks very little of children and does not hesitate to abuse, murder, or threaten/blackmail them. He often thinks that Mika, like his sister, might be more trouble than he is worth.
- Ruben Snaith: Ruben is Mika's rival in the Pod Fighter competition and could be considered the second main antagonist. He is a mutant and can smell emotions with his mutation and also has the ability to move things with his mind. He proves to be a little bit insane/deranged, clearly shown when he attempts to kill Mika, but Mika manages to fend him off with his powers (which seem to be greater than Ruben's).
- Puck: Puck is a capuchin monkey that Mal Gorman gave it to Ellie so that she would work harder.
- David: the father of Mika and Ellie
- Asha: The mother of Mika and Ellie
Trivia
- The book shares several plot similarities with Card]]'s Ender's Game.
- One of the minute robots made by the character Kobi is in the shape of a raven and is named Nevermore, this is a reference to Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, The Raven
Reception
The novel has received critical acclaim. The Roar was nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2009, won the Yorkshire Coast Book Award and was selected for the USBBY 2010 Outstanding International Books Honor List and the 2010 Texas Lone Star Reading List.
