Talent

by Michael Pryor

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction

234 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Michael Pryor's bio
Check out my Fantasy podcast, 'The World Below the War in the Heavens' wherever you get your podcasts!

I was born in Swan Hill, Victoria. I spent my childhood in country Victoria and Melbourne before moving to Geelong at the age of 10. I lived in Geelong until I went to university in Melbourne after secondary school.

I currently live in Melbourne. I’ve worked as a drainer’s labourer, a truck driver, a bathroom accessories salesperson, an Internet consultant, a Multimedia Developer, a Publisher, in a scrap metal yard and as a secondary school teacher. Whew.

I’ve taught English, Literature, Drama, Legal Studies and Computer Studies.

I've published over thirty-five novels and more than sixty of my short stories have appeared in Australia and overseas in publications such as Overland and the New South Wales School Magazine. My writing moves from literary fiction to genre Science Fiction to slapstick humour, depending on my mood.

I’ve been shortlisted eleven times for the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction, and have also been nominated for a Ditmar award. My short stories have twice been featured in Gardner Dozois’ ‘Highly Recommended’ lists in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and The Year’s Best Fantasy. Nine of my books have been CBC Notable Books, I’ve been longlisted for a Golden Inky and I’ve been shortlisted for the WAYBRA Award. I’ve also twice won the Best and Fairest Award at West Brunswick Amateur Football Club.

My reviews tend toward the three word style of the trenchant critic, N. Molesworth.

Reviews

[Cameo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read this again, mainly because I got to thinking about what my favorite book was, and this was one of the options event hough I couldn't remember what is was really about, just some of the major plot points and the fact that I remember the feeling I had when I first read it nearly 20 years ago. I still think it's a great book, it draws some horrifying parallels to the concentration camps of nazi Germany, but still with a twist at the end that you do not see coming. I'm taking away a star from my original score, because with my mature eyes, the translation is just not that great and the ending is a bit abrupt although good in its own way.
I hope to get my hands on an English copy at some point.

***
I read this book when I was in my mid-teens, and I absolutely LOVED IT! It just struck a chord! I loved it so much that I actually contacted the publisher (by the time I read it, it was out of print and only accessible in libraries) and got my hands on a prestine copy, that had been locked away in some random office at the publishinghouse. Oh yeah, it was a danish version, though I can see the english version is hard to get too.

[Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably just my younger self gushing over finally having remembered and found this book. However, I feel like this was the first book I read that wasn't a children's book, my first stagger into young adult fiction, something that had a different meaning back then than it does now.
For me this was my first dystopian novel, something surreal and creepy and in my young mind, something totally believable.
This book stuck with me for so many years that at times I considered ringing my old primary school and asking them to look the book up for me.
I have not read it for probably 20 years (god I feel old), but I would love to stumble across a copy one day and reread it.

[Mal Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 12 year old self would probably like it, which I guess is where this book is pitched. Something like a cross between Tomorrow When The War Began, and Hogan's Heroes, with a dash of Obernewtyn. If you liked any of those, you'll probably like this. I'm not sure how it made its way onto my not-read-yet shelf - but it was there, and I read it as leavening amid more demanding reads.

[SBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was set in Melbourne in a military state. Some aliens (The Outsiders) landed on a Pacific island and set up a grey forcefield around it, it's not clear how many years ago, whether before or after Kate was born, I'm not sure, but not a particularly long time. This gave the military-like people a chance to take over (again not clear if this is an international thing or just because Australia is in the Pacific). Basically there is a curfew, you don't get free information, you can't gather in groups of more than six (except at school apparently) and they will just drive by and murder you if they think you're out of line. Supposedly normal culture goes on around this. But now Kate's family has been hit, her parents murdered and her brother Rowan kidnapped. She finds refuge with his friend Deuce and both are kidnapped and taken to a camp where they are tortured and used in an experiment to enhance their unique talents (Deuce and Rowan's are maths, seeing patterns, etc; Kate's is leadership). K, D, R and a young boy name Jimmy hang together. Eventually the military group which has factions (all equally as evil as each other) battle over the camp and they all escape, but not before Deuce is killed by a stray bullet and Rowan and Kate are involved in one more experiment in which they join psychically with a few others outside their bodies and go and talk to the Outsiders who say they are an ancient race come there just to die (with apparently no knowledge or caring if it is destroying the societies of this world). The novel ends with the implicit idea that Kate will take leadership of the kids with talent (and why only kids and not adults is unclear) and stop the whole military state terror. Not my type of book or sf (not enough positive emotion, a bit too bleak).

[Mary Baldwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was published in 1997 and I found it in a cupboard. Odd timing, I've recently read The Maze Runner and Hunger Games trilogies and this book from all those years previously is based on a very similar concept. I'd probably have enjoyed it more had I not read the others beforehand. It didn't rock my world, maybe a little tremor. A tiny one.

[aprille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back in high school and I've been searching for it ever since. Rebecca McNutt got in touch with me via the recommendations tool and found it!

I'm going to try my best to get another copy of this book. It honestly feels like I've rediscovered a unicorn.

[Janice Bucholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the book that sparked my love of reading. I read it at school and loved it, so years later i tracked down the author and he sent me a signed copy which i treasure to this day. Without this book i would never have discovered all the other wonderful worlds i have experienced in every book i have read since.

[Leyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book :)