The Project

Brian Falkner (author)

Walker Books, Australia: 2010; 339pp

ISBN: 9781921529795

Genres: action, adventure, science fiction

Issues: politics

Luke has recently moved from New Zealand to the USA, thanks to his father's new job at the university. He's fitting in okay – almost too well, given that he's already got himself onto the headmaster's radar. But in the process of helping save the town's library from a flood, Luke and his mate, Tommy, find themselves getting into much more serious trouble, all as a result of resucing the most boring book in the world.

 How can Leonardo's River, a book where the writer takes an entire page to say 'it's cloudy', be so valuable that Luke and Tommy find themselves chased by serious looking German-speaking men with very serious-looking guns? Somehow, Luke and Tommy have to work it out because their English teacher has been kidnapped and only Luke's unusual problem-solving skills lie between her and sudden death. The boys find themselves on a very strange journey – one that involves Leonardo Da Vinci, time travel, and the Third Reich.

New Zealand writer, Brian Falkner, already a popular children's writer, exploded onto the science-fiction scene with his breathtaking novels The Tomorrow Code and Brainjack. The Project is another compelling action adventure with a sci-fi twist that will appeal to many teen readers. Falkner celebrates gifted youngsters – teenagers with unusual interests and abilities who find themselves called upon to save the world. He avoids the stereotyping that often weakens narratives of this genre. His adults are complex people driven by their own needs and problems; his teens are reluctant heroes who try the 'ask and adult' route before it becomes evident that the craziness of their new reality makes adult help unlikely. Falkner has a gift for including very believable gadgetry and the detail and conviction of his writing facilitates suspension of disbelief for more sophisticated readers.

The combination of action and intellect, forged into a unique, well-crafted narrative peopled with interesting characters make The Project another of Falkner's successes.