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Ellie Quin #4
Ellie Quin in Wonderland
Ellie Quin and Jez have managed to escape off Ellie's home world, Harpers Reach, as stowaways aboard a freight ship. But, when the crew dump them on a mothballed theme park floating in the middle of space, it looks like they may have got lucky.
WonderLand - a series of domed mini-worlds in which anything and any creature you can imagine can be made; a luxury resort for the universe's rich and famous. Only, it never got a chance to open and now it's kept ticking over by a pair of eccentric technicians and their bizarre creations.
Ellie and Jez are having the time of their life, like kids in a candy store. But Ellie soon discovers something here isn't right...
Back on Harpers Reach, The Administration are beginning to discover the truth about Ellie. She's so much more than just one madman's secret project. She is what a terrorist organization called 'The Awoken' have been patiently waiting generations for...
WonderLand - a series of domed mini-worlds in which anything and any creature you can imagine can be made; a luxury resort for the universe's rich and famous. Only, it never got a chance to open and now it's kept ticking over by a pair of eccentric technicians and their bizarre creations.
Ellie and Jez are having the time of their life, like kids in a candy store. But Ellie soon discovers something here isn't right...
Back on Harpers Reach, The Administration are beginning to discover the truth about Ellie. She's so much more than just one madman's secret project. She is what a terrorist organization called 'The Awoken' have been patiently waiting generations for...
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2014
13 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Alex Scarrow
63 books1,050 followersI live a nomadic existence with my wife Frances, and son Jacob. For now we're living in Norwich. I spent the first 10 years out of college in the music business chasing record deals and the next 12 years in the computer games business as a graphic artist and eventually a games designer. For those of you who like their computer games, here's some of the titles I've worked on:
Waterworld, Evolva, The Thing, Spartan, Gates of Troy, Legion Arena
Since signing up as an author with Orion, I seem to spend most of my time hunched over my laptop in various cafes and coffee bars sipping lattes, tapping keys and watching the ebb and flow of shoppers outside on the street. As I write this, I'm awaiting the launch of my next book - the sequel to , LAST LIGHT, and getting ready to find a publisher for the first book in a separate series, ELLIE QUIN. Ahead of me, lies research work for my next thriller, and also some screenplays I'm looking forward to writing. Although I'm glad to be where I am now, I do occasionally kick myself for not having succumbed to the writing bug much earlier. But then we all just muddle along through life, don't we? There's rarely a plan.
-Source: http://www.scarrow.co.uk/page9.html
Waterworld, Evolva, The Thing, Spartan, Gates of Troy, Legion Arena
Since signing up as an author with Orion, I seem to spend most of my time hunched over my laptop in various cafes and coffee bars sipping lattes, tapping keys and watching the ebb and flow of shoppers outside on the street. As I write this, I'm awaiting the launch of my next book - the sequel to , LAST LIGHT, and getting ready to find a publisher for the first book in a separate series, ELLIE QUIN. Ahead of me, lies research work for my next thriller, and also some screenplays I'm looking forward to writing. Although I'm glad to be where I am now, I do occasionally kick myself for not having succumbed to the writing bug much earlier. But then we all just muddle along through life, don't we? There's rarely a plan.
-Source: http://www.scarrow.co.uk/page9.html
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 12, 2017
This book felt kind of slow compared to the others and I found it somewhat boring compared to the previous books in the series.
I did like the TimeRiders reference though.
Re-Read 2017
This instalment follows Ellie and Jez as they escape the Administration and are subsequently abandoned on a theme park / pleasure resort world called WonderLand. Originally built for the rich of Celestion, it was abandoned mid-build due to the decline and later ecological disaster of Celestion.
This was very much split between two plots; Ellie and Jez living on WonderLand, and Deacon searching for clues on Ellie in New Haven.
Ellie and Jez's part feels very much like filler between book 3 and 5, with a vague murder mystery built into WonderLand. Why are there only two maintenance crew at WonderLand and why are they so odd? Grey and Shelby are indeed very strange, and you read it very much from Ellie's perspective who finds Shelby robotic and Grey creepy.
Deacon's part on the other hand, is much more interesting. I got the feeling that it was Deacon's parts pushing the plot forward, as he hunts for those helping Ellie Quin and rubs into the Rebornist Church and their violent subset the Awoken. Sean, Ellie's childhood friend is returned and it is explained who he is and what he's been doing since The Legend of Ellie Quin.
As such, this instalment felt very slow, much like The World According to Ellie Quin. I'm hoping that this doesn't become a pattern across the series. Also, the series is beginning to show the time period in which it is written. It relies heavily on famous scientists from this era when the novels are set multiple centuries in the future. With the various technological advances that have been made prior to this series, you'd think that there would be the scientists to accompany that, but there isn't. The ending is also very abrupt. It's neither a cliffhanger or has closure. It felt very strange.
I did like the TimeRiders reference though.
Re-Read 2017
This instalment follows Ellie and Jez as they escape the Administration and are subsequently abandoned on a theme park / pleasure resort world called WonderLand. Originally built for the rich of Celestion, it was abandoned mid-build due to the decline and later ecological disaster of Celestion.
This was very much split between two plots; Ellie and Jez living on WonderLand, and Deacon searching for clues on Ellie in New Haven.
Ellie and Jez's part feels very much like filler between book 3 and 5, with a vague murder mystery built into WonderLand. Why are there only two maintenance crew at WonderLand and why are they so odd? Grey and Shelby are indeed very strange, and you read it very much from Ellie's perspective who finds Shelby robotic and Grey creepy.
Deacon's part on the other hand, is much more interesting. I got the feeling that it was Deacon's parts pushing the plot forward, as he hunts for those helping Ellie Quin and rubs into the Rebornist Church and their violent subset the Awoken. Sean, Ellie's childhood friend is returned and it is explained who he is and what he's been doing since The Legend of Ellie Quin.
As such, this instalment felt very slow, much like The World According to Ellie Quin. I'm hoping that this doesn't become a pattern across the series. Also, the series is beginning to show the time period in which it is written. It relies heavily on famous scientists from this era when the novels are set multiple centuries in the future. With the various technological advances that have been made prior to this series, you'd think that there would be the scientists to accompany that, but there isn't. The ending is also very abrupt. It's neither a cliffhanger or has closure. It felt very strange.
November 27, 2024
I zoomed through this installment. This book made me realise what this world means to the author. It's definitely a passion-project, the time he spends describing things is so personal, I know he wants the reader to see them just as he does. I haven't loved a futuristic world this much since the arc of a scythe series. The inventiveness of the technology and the way he explains the politics of the world is intoxicating. This one was a hard-hitter too. I can't spoil anything, but I freggin' wasn't expecting certain characters to die. I find it jolting how the world can be so fun and playful, but have such brutal twists. I'm sad this series got cut short.
February 11, 2014
Entertaining and an enjoyable light read, but although a little longer than each of the first three books, this is still short and less happens than in each of the first three - which I read together as a decent-length whole. The end was rather abrupt without leaving either closure or a cliff-hanger. Yes I now await the next, but with a higher ratio of frustration to eagerness than is perhaps ideal.
Sadly the punctuation needs work: there are apostrophes where there shouldn't be, but they are missing where they belong. And the author has clearly heard about semicolons and decided to scatter a good few around the book without quite understanding their role, so that almost all of them are misplaced; elsewhere commas work hard to do the roles that really belong to semicolons and colons. The punctuation problems are compounded by an apparent difficulty in differentiating between "affect" and "effect".
Sadly the punctuation needs work: there are apostrophes where there shouldn't be, but they are missing where they belong. And the author has clearly heard about semicolons and decided to scatter a good few around the book without quite understanding their role, so that almost all of them are misplaced; elsewhere commas work hard to do the roles that really belong to semicolons and colons. The punctuation problems are compounded by an apparent difficulty in differentiating between "affect" and "effect".
October 21, 2022
Vote: 3,25
Class: L-B3 (FP)
(fourth of the Ellie Quin books)
I've read and appreciated the Time Riders Series by Alex Scarrow and while I found his writing style and imagination quite amazing I've also found some debatable views about religion in general, the christian faith and some moral issues.
This book is also well written and original and the story is quite catching as are the characters.
This was my least favorite book of the series, and the story is set mostly in WonderLand, while the Administration is closing on her.
I enjoyed the story but I can't recommend this series to young readers.
Class: L-B3 (FP)
(fourth of the Ellie Quin books)
I've read and appreciated the Time Riders Series by Alex Scarrow and while I found his writing style and imagination quite amazing I've also found some debatable views about religion in general, the christian faith and some moral issues.
This book is also well written and original and the story is quite catching as are the characters.
This was my least favorite book of the series, and the story is set mostly in WonderLand, while the Administration is closing on her.
I enjoyed the story but I can't recommend this series to young readers.
January 5, 2016
I think I have finally nailed down what bugs me most about this series.
The story happens 7-15 centuries into the future, yet nearly everything is told from an early 21st century centric view. Not to dismiss their achievements, but I am sure there will be other famous scientists after Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. Obviously, they probably aren't born yet, but why not make someone up rather than base everything on our times?
Futuristic sci-fi deeply anchored in the modern day... Makes it fall kind of flat.
The story happens 7-15 centuries into the future, yet nearly everything is told from an early 21st century centric view. Not to dismiss their achievements, but I am sure there will be other famous scientists after Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. Obviously, they probably aren't born yet, but why not make someone up rather than base everything on our times?
Futuristic sci-fi deeply anchored in the modern day... Makes it fall kind of flat.
February 22, 2014
As always a roller coaster ride with Ellie, fast paced and nail biting from start to all too soon finish. Alex is master of the cliff hanger and leaves you almost furiously awaiting the next installment. As a heroine, Ellie lacks nothing, and Alex brings her to life to beautifully. He writes so much into the characters that you even find yourself wanting to learn more about the "bad guys"! Any lover of the Time Riders books will love Ellie. And its a must read for all sci fi fans.
February 9, 2020
My only complaint about this book is it was way too short!! Ellie and Jez have escaped from Harpers Reach and the Administration and have arrived in Wonderland. All is not as it seems however and they are soon in more potential danger. The story is fast moving and easy to read and I look forward to Chapter 5 in the story.
November 1, 2014
Disappointing and almost filler between books three and five. The book was OK and the two strands of story have started to come together but I couldn't help thinking that there was a large amount of indulgent narrative in this one which could have actually been more at home in another story altogether.
I'll approach book five (the last?) with caution.
I'll approach book five (the last?) with caution.
May 9, 2022
Well what can I say, one of my pet hates is Wonderland theme park type stories, and book 4 filled that story, but I can't knock the authors writing for my pet hate, now can I 😃, that being said Im really enjoying the series and this book had some good twists and still a great series, 5 Stars from me
March 9, 2014
Really enjoy this continuation of the Ellie Quin saga. Has definite hints of the Hitchhikers Guide to it with a far darker undertone. Aimed at, I suspect, the teenage market but enjoyable for any age like its predecessors.
May 20, 2015
looking forward to book five.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews