The Missing Link

Missing Link #1

by Kate Thompson

Danny has always believed that his scientist mother is dead. But when a talking dog tells him it isn't true, Danny sets out on a mission to find his mother and her hidden laboratory in Fourth World. But Danny is locked in his own world, so he will need the help of his step-brother Christie, if he is to succeed. After a long and difficult journey the boys discover that Danny's mother is involved in some complex genetic engineering, and she holds the key to Danny's past and his future.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy, Childrens

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Kate Thompson is an award-winning writer for children and adults.She has lived in Ireland, where many of her books are set, since 1981. She is the youngest child of the social historians and peace activists E. P. Thompson and Dorothy Towers. She worked with horses and travelled in India before settling in the west of Ireland with her partner Conor. They have two daughters, Cliodhna and Dearbhla. She is an accomplished fiddler with an interest in Irish traditional music, reflected in The New Policeman.

While Kate Thompson's children's fiction is primarily fantasy, several of her books also deal with the consequences of genetic engineering.

She has won the Bisto Children's Book of the Year Award four times, for The Beguilers, The Alchemist's Apprentice, Annan Water and The New Policeman. The New Policeman was also awarded the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Dublin Airport Authority Children's Book of the Year Award for 2005.

Reviews

[4meagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was awesome. It starts that there is a boy named Danny and there seems to be something wrong with him. He wants to take his stepbrother to scotland to go and visit his mother. It turnes out that Danny's mom runs a lab where she is able to create animals that can talk. She takes certain genes from humans and puts them in the animals so it makes it so that the animals could talk. Anyways, it was a really good book.

The strengths of this book were that it had a really good setting and the author had a really good idea for the book. The only thing I really didn't like about the book was that there were a few slow parts where I didn't feel like reading anymore, but I kept reading and the book got better as I went on.

The connection that I had was that I had a friend where there was something wrong with her brother. They didn't really know what was wrong with him. One day, they took him to a doctor and discovered something that shocked them all just like Cristie was shocked when he found out what his brother was.

[Eva Mitnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so hard to find good science fiction for younger teens, so I'm happy to recommend this first in the "missing links" trilogy by the author of the fabulous "The New Policeman." 15-year-old Christie and his older stepbrother Danny(who is "different" - autistic? Brain damaged? This remains mysterious until the end) are called away from Ireland to Scotland by Danny's mother. The messenger? A talking starling named Darling. On the way, they link up with Tina, a homeless teen, who has befriended a talking dog named Oggy. They all make their way to Scotland in the midst of what appears to be a world-wide energy/food crisis to Scotland, where Danny's mother lives on a compound where she conducts rather morally dubious genetic experiments. The science is nebulous, the talking animals are adorable (if unnerving), the altered children are disturbing - and the writing and plot are first-rate. Can't wait to read the next two in the series!

[KA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, suspenseful, hard to put down. And loads of moral ambiguity. Can't wait to read the next two.

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, the best part of this book was their journey to Scotland. Once they got there, the pace slowed down a lot, and it got a bit boring. This honestly didn't have to be a trilogy. The conclusion to this book would've been perfectly fine. I have not, and I will not be reading the sequels.

[Aelvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christie has a brother who is, if people put it kindly, "different." But, as Christie says in the first chapter, only two people know what's really up with him: his father, who doesn't believe it, and his mother, who does. Danny sets off after his mother, and Christie gets dragged with at a time when society across Scotland is breaking down due to an oil crisis. Christie has doubts about the whole trip, and is torn between the desire to help his brother and the desire to return to his own comfortable life, even if it means betraying Danny.

The chapters are short and terse, and the voice is very crisp, making the pace flow very quickly. Christie's frustrations with his brother are developed well: the farther he goes, the more he wants to quit before they die or Danny's mother does something crazy to them. And the science at the end was fascinating, though it did leave lots of room for the next book(s) to explain what's going on. I have not seen notice of a sequel, but I will keep my eyes peeled.

That said, it was a fairly simple story, and lacked a lot of the complications I was hoping would pop up. Most of it was simply a survival story and a look at a world without oil. Christie is young enough to be ignorant of what's going on, so he sees things without bias, but at times that innocence seems like criminal stupidity.

Overall it's a fast read and a pretty good one. Oggy and the puppies were my favorite characters, and I will be looking for the next book. Recommended.

[Nanci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Booklist says: "Gr. 5-8. Thirteen-year-old Christie has become irreversibly entangled in his developmentally disabled stepbrother's half-cocked plan to reunite with his scientist mother, Maggie. The contemporary setting, combined with Christie's ambivalence about his "shambling, top-heavy freak" of a stepbrother and frank resentment toward his newly blended family, seems to anticipate a story rooted in reality. Assumptions are shattered, however, when a talking starling arrives to escort the boys from Ireland to Maggie's lab in Scotland. The travelers are soon joined by another talking animal and by a homeless girl, whose acerbic personality adds vibrancy to Christie's somewhat drab first-person narrative. Too much of the novel deals with the drudgery of the journey. But the pace accelerates once the travelers arrive at Fourth World, Maggie's remote compound, where Christie, though charmed by the menagerie of chatty critters, grows increasingly suspicious about the underground laboratory. Slow beginning aside, the novel's agreeable Doctor Doolittle dimension and shocking conclusion will reap a sizable audience for the next installment of the Missing Link trilogy."

[Cathleen Ash]

Okay, it took me a while to figure out that Christie was a guy - it's an Ireland thing, I guess! It sure made a whole lot more sense thinking of him as a brother! I was thoroughly enjoying the book anyway, but about halfway through, I was again startled by a description or an action, and thought to myself: is Christie a guy? or girl? It was then I read the jacket, where it mentions Christie is a brother - and all was well :)
So Christie's brother Danny is a little, well, odd. Okay, maybe a lot. Sometimes he freaks out and then it's really tough but mostly, he just marches to a different drummer. The drummer is telling Danny it's time to go - find his mother. See, Danny's Dad and Christie's mom got married - so they're kind of half-brothers, or step-brothers or something, but they get along well enough. Well enough to creep out of the house in the middle of the night and start walking down the road. Christie figures he'll talk Danny out of the idea once they hit the bus stop, but well, suddenly, Danny and Christie are on a bus, to get to a ferry, to take a boat, to get to Scotland, to find Danny's mom. It's a wild, wild ride. Did I mention the talking dog?

[Yuwei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a teenager, named Christie, he goes off with his stepbrother to find the real mom of his stepbrother. His stepbrother, Danny is kind of different from everybody else, and they want to find out why by going to find his mother. A talking starling bird called Darling and a talking dog call Oggy helps them find his mother. When they got there, they realize that their were many strange things that Danny's mother was experimenting on there. They encounter many talking animals and this other strange girl. They also picked up a poor orphan girl while getting to the lab.
Danny's mother, Maggie gave them a good home but Christie doesnt know if they can trust her. Christie sneaks into the lab and found many things that scared him.
This book was very interesting, at first it wasn't that interesting, but it gets better. They are all teenager and they are learning to deal with each other. It was a good book, i am hoping to get to read the sequel.

[NS - Cami Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appropriate for 6-8 th grade, Danny is different. He's slower than other kids his age, and prone to violent outbursts. But when Danny runs off to find his biological mother, his older stepbrother Christie impulsively follows him. Along the way the two boys are joined by a runaway girl, a bird, and a dog that can speak to humans. However, nothing can prepare them for what they learn when they finally locate Danny's mother at her laboratory, Fourth World. It seems Danny's mother has been performing experiments-secret experiments-with terrifying genetic significance...A great book because it has all the elements needed for great science fiction read with the criterion intact. It combines science with the impossible....or is it?

[Carol Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christie has always looked out for his step-brother, Danny, who is different and slow. When Danny suddenly takes off, saying he must find his mother, Christie follows. The two brothers leave their home in Ireland and travel to Scotland amid fuel shortages, rioting, snowstorms and hunger. They are accompanied by a talking bird and a talking dog, who guide them back to 'Mother'. But when they arrive, Christie is alarmed and afraid at what he finds there. This was an entertaining and imaginative story that combines reality with the possibilities of future science. I enjoyed it.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book came in a HPB YA Book Box and I was intrigued by the cover and the front flap of the story. I liked the relationships of the step brothers in the beginning and the story telling voice of the author but got quickly turned away as I realized where it was headed. I liked the characters and was sort of sad that I knew I wouldn't like where the story went so so ended up skimming through to the end.

If you are a science fiction fan, or have a teen one in your life it would probably be a better fit but the premise just wasn't for me.

[J.Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fantastical, but I enjoyed it. I am interested enough to keep an eye out for the second installment in the trilogy to make its way to my local library. Narnia-ish with talking animals, a "supposed" bad woman and a journey with lots of cold and some snow. Of course, it can't compare to C.S. Lewis' genius by any stretch of the imagination, but without giving away any of the book, that gives you the best idea what to expect.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am intrigued to discover more about Fourth World and what the long term plans are of those who founded it. Hopefully book two will involve more action and adventure around this world. This first book is entirely based on the journey Christie and Danny take to get from Ireland to Danny's mother's lab in Fourth World, Scotland. It is a perilous journey that feels about 100 pages too long. Just get there already! I thought to myself several times.

[Amy Irish · Rating 4 out of 5]

While others thought this started too slow, I enjoyed the suspense and the development of the characters. (Maybe because I'm American and the kids were all from the UK and I was getting to know a culture as well as the characters). Also, I'm guessing the early chapters will also prove important in the next books by setting up the shortages and the farm's isolation. I will be reading the sequels and I'm interested to see where these go.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat apocalyptic in setting, and rather ... ambiguous on the moral standpoint. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more with a map, since I am not all that up-to-date on even the most basic Scottish geography. I thought it an interesting read, and am curious to see what the other books in the trilogy will be like.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the opening lines of this book, I thought I would love it. But as more of the novel unfolded, it became harder and harder to suspend my disbelief. I wonder if the author did any research for this book. I would give it a 3 1/2 stars if I could because I did enjoy the narrative. I just couldn't swallow the shaky science.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I absolutely loved it. It is a trilogy, and I can't seem to find the other 2 books anywhere, but it was a great book. It is a fantasy type book, and a little "different", but I really liked it. Desperately searching for the other two...

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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Ugly and mildly disturbing but the biggest let down is the plot spoiler up there, in the brackets, right next to the title.

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting story, but not exceptionaally accurate when it comes to the gene manipulation process.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough to make me check out the next one in the trilogy.

[Roshni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting series with science and technology mixed to create a decent plot, not too special

[Narimon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it was a decent book, but not one I would recommend. There are many better books out there.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. Its a good, it wasnt quite what I expected but good none the less. Cant wait for the next one.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out slow, but once it gets moving its very interesting. I will definitely stick with this trilogy. I cant imagine what the next book could be about.

[Ashara · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my reading list from back when I was eight and had just finished this, I have noted that this is "a half-evolved book". Upon a reread, I'm inclined to agree with my earlier assessment!

[Matthew Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. It was poorly written and, despite the intriguing summary, had a very boring plot that consisted of 250 pages of traveling.

[EmmaLouM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Slow going. Pretty tempted to put it down. Kind of wish I had.

[Carmen]

LOOL, another Total.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrific Genetic experiments...
In the book Fourth World, the main character Christie has a step brother, Danny, who has always been a bit slower than other kids, and can hold his breath for a minutes at a time. Meanwhile in the world, there is a lack of oil. Danny wanders off at night to find his biological mother, and Christie has no choice but to follow. They wander across the country and meet a talking bird, a talking dog and a tramp, but when they find Dannys mother, they find her doing horrific genetic experiments. This is not like most other Sci-Fi books because it is set in the modern day with no spaceships, so if you like that kind of stuff in a sci-fi book, then this might not be your type.