Alien Rain

by Ruth Morgan

Bree is on a mission. She's trained to fight. But what she really needs to learn to do is listen...

Bree is an ordinary teenage girl living in a Martian city where everyone dreams of returning to Earth. She's never seen a bird fly or the sea or the rain.

She's amazed when she's chosen for a mission to Earth, a rare honour usually reserved for the highest-achieving pupils. Why her?

There are terrible shocks ahead. Who is trying to contact Bree? What are the others not telling her? As she discovers more secrets, she will have to decide who to trust. Whose side is she really on - Home or Earth?

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2016

About the author

I've written for children of all ages from picture books and preschool animation scripts, to YA novels. My novels often deal with mysterious or ghostly themes, as I am a huge fan of this kind of literature myself. My YA novel ALIEN RAIN was shortlisted for the Tir na n-Og award - English language category - in 2017. THE COMET AND THE THIEF, an 18C historical fantasy, was chosen by Wales Arts Review as their Young Persons' Book of the Year for 2019. My book ANT CLANCY GAMES DETECTIVE is an adventure story about gaming for 8-12 year olds.

Reviews

[Rhuddem Gwelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a gem of a book! We bought it at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff last summer because one buys books in museum shops, right? And this was sci fi so it was worth a try, right? So now we've read it (me aloud for husband). And wow. The story is good, young Bree lives on Mars and she's chosen to take part on a mission to Earth. All kinds of things happen and she saves Earth from destruction. Cool. But what we really loved was that she spent a lot of time in the ruins of the museum where we spent hours because we loved it. As we read we kept saying, 'We've been there!' 'We saw that!' Yay for this book.

[David]

This is a great read exploring a future world. It will exercise the imagination of lots of young people in an engaging, sensitive and exciting way. Beautifully written by a very experienced children's writer it should be in the bookshops and school libraries everywhere. Well Done, Ruth Morgan. Another triumph.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find my review of Alien Rain on my speculative fiction book blog.

In summary: Never boring, Alien Rain is fun to read. For any YA fans from Cardiff, it's a must-read!

[Haniya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original Post: http://booknauthors.blogspot.com/2017...

This story revolves around Bree, a girl living in Mars and talented in poetry writing. She gets shocked when she gets selected for a trip to Earth for the Great Mission. She doesn't miss this opportunity and joins her other 3 extremely clever classmates, Robeen, Nisien & Halley. But why is she selected for this mission? She isn't really intelligent. Whose the person in the chair trying to contact her? What's Doc Carter hiding from her? Who should she even trust?

The plot was really slow! Nothing intense or suspenseful but it was really light without any complexity. The writing style of the author is pretty good. I loved the main character, Bree and her determination. All the while she was picking on the device on her head, it hurt me so much. The other characters were very briefly written.

Overall, I enjoyed this light read. It isn't high on action etc but if you want a light action and summery read, I recommend this book.

[Jemima Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bree is on a mission. She’s trained to fight. But what she really needs to learn to do is listen…

Bree is an ordinary teenage girl living in a Martian city where everyone dreams of returning to Earth. She’s never seen a bird fly or the sea or the rain.

She’s amazed when she’s chosen for a mission to Earth, a rare honour usually reserved for the highest-achieving pupils. Why her?

There are terrible shocks ahead. Who is trying to contact Bree? What are the others not telling her? As she discovers more secrets, she will have to decide who to trust. Whose side is she really on – Home or Earth?

Thoughts:

I adored this book. I quite simply, 100% adored it. I’ve not read a book like it before. AND ITS TOTALLY AWESOME!!

I had to give this book 5 stars because seriously. 5 stars Ruth. 5 stars!!

I grew up on Torchwood (I know so inappropriate) and Doctor Who (Captain Jack ruined me) and have a love of all things Welsh ( go Wales!)

This book made me sob in a way that I never have done before, I truly appreciated Earth and all the beauty we have. I loved Bree, she was an amazing character that when she got insulted, I felt like I was being insulted. I wanted to reach into the book and throttle those who insulted her.

I found myself relating to Bree so so much! A lot of sci fi books can full of advanced technology that overwhelms and can bog down a book, but Alien Rain had a perfect balance of interesting gadgets, lots that reminded me of Stark Tech in the Marvel Universe. All the tech/gadgets were easily imaginable and verrry intriguing. I loved the fact this book interlaced a Martian plot with ghosts. I don’t think I’ve ever read a sci-fi book like it.

I love reading a unique book especially when you have so many turns that just have you not expected anything!

In short:

I loved this book. Ruth Mogan has concocted something epic in Alien Rain and I only hope that continues in her future novels.

[auteaandtales · Rating 3 out of 5]

A full review will be up on my blog, CrankyAutistic at Wordpress, in the next few weeks.

[Colin R Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being welsh, I loved this book by Ruth Morgan. The post-apocolyptic world she created was amazing in all its detail. I loved the city of Cardiff - so well described that I thought I was actually moving through the streets and canals (she obviously spent a lot of time there). I also warmed to Jonah - the ghostly friend Bree came into contact with. He made the story a little scary at first, but heartwarming at the same time. There was also the constant threat of the Dragonmansk insects hanging over them, ever present to add to the tension. Then there was Bree's mentor, Doc Carter - the sickly-sweet and charming professor. He was always ready to help and comfort her, but I found him creepy and deadly. This adventure was exciting and filled with magnetic characters. I enjoyed it right to the last page. Great read!

[Phil Rowlands]

Ruth Morgan’s Alien Rain is a great read. It is an intelligent, accessible and witty story with depth and empathy. Bree Aurora, the main character, is engaging, feisty and empowering but with all the natural problems, insecurities and impulsiveness of her age. The parallel worlds of Cardiff, both on Earth and Mars are intriguing and inventive. When Bree takes part in a research mission to the Cardiff on Earth, the Museum she loved in its recreation on Mars thrills her but reveals dark secrets that will change her world. The contemporary themes of nature and hegemony align it to and comment on our world today. Bree’s story will empower those of us who share her journey to realise that we can be heard and make a difference.

[Just_me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to two boys.

An easy story to get into and we took such a likeing of the main protagonist Bree we had to read quickly to find out what happened in the end.

With the first appearances of Jonah a young child might be scared, he screams in her face, appears out of nowhere, she is afraid of physical harm etc.

We enjoyed it though.

With thanks to Toppsta and the publisher for the free copy to read and review.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great young fantasy book a mission to earth,great characters good read.

[Imogen Herrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a long time since I was up virtually all night reading, because I couldn't put a book down. Loved it. More please.

[Andy James · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's lots to love about this book as a YA or adult reader. Most of all you're invited to reconsider planet earth from a whole new perspective and to rediscover your inner humanity in a technocratically engineered future. Stop and listen. Great unexpected twist and all set against the Celtic, dragonesque backdrop of a Venetian Cardiff.

[Oliver Loch · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book about Mars Cardiff I was fairly unimpressed.

[Aali Khn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really unusual and surprising story but I totally LOVED it. Still in my mind a week after finishing it.

[Hobbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set a thousand years in the future on Martian Cardiff where Bree is selected for a mission to Cardiff on Earth. I was intrigued immediately. It's Cardiff... but not as we know it.

Ruth Morgan packed a lot of ideas and themes into this young adult science fiction adventure. Bree is a likeable character because she has more empathy than most of her more clinical minded Martian crew and scientists and feels insecure about her selection among the intelligent elites. We experience her wonder at Earth's beauty and diversity; alien weather, nature and ecology, creatures and insects, plus the desolate decaying urban landscape and the artefacts it hides, which rustles up a sense of shame about the beauty of Earth disappearing in future. Bree soon learns that secrets are being kept and betrayals of trust send her on a different lone mission once she learns the truth behind her selection.

Bree is obsessed with the replica of the Natural History Museum on Mars, but her exploration of the Natural History Museum on Earth uncovers far more than her creative imagination would ever dare to believe, especially when she begins receiving messages. A result of Doc Carter's celephet implant at the base of her skull, or something more sinister? There is also terror in the skies in the form of bio-genetically engineered dragomansk that now dominate the planet. A dangerous mission to complete, for sure.

Loved the two Cardiff settings and there were several unexpected story twists. Bree has poetry in her soul and her poems make her a more believable descendant of humanity than her fellow Martians. Absorbing read which I'd recommend to Ages 10+ rather than just a YA audience.

[Lionheart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This outstanding book is one of those books that, for a start, has a very interesting idea of what it's going to be like in 1000 years time! Also all the characters have great futuristic names and some of the characters are described as compassionate, awesome, romantic, emotional and remarkable. However, other characters are scary, creepy and sinister!

In conclusion, all the characters have something good about them, for e.g. Bree Aurora who I felt is right to be the main character because she's compassionate, she gets treated badly, she's emotional and she's good at poems.

I give this book a 5-star because one thing I love about books like films is that the story reveals loads of secrets and in "Alien Rain" not everything is what it seems! Also I reveal that I loved every single character and the Dragomansks which are deadly enemies that make the story into one big adventure! Trust me, this is a book which can cheer you up when you're going through hard times and it's a book which can be read many, many times for even centuries.

[Karla Brading · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well crafted, fast paced novel that allows the reader to really appreciate Earth and its beauty after all has been lost. Bree was a wonderful character that when insulted, I almost took personally and wanted to reach into the pages to throttle those who bad mouthed her. Perhaps a part of me related to her, with her creative tendencies (poems!)? Some sci fi books are bogged down with advanced technology that overwhelms, but Alien Rain had a perfect balance of interesting gadgets that were easily imaginable and intriguing (celephet). I loved the fact this book interlaced a Martian plot with ghosts. Not what I expected! In short: a great read. I can only hope Ruth Mogan concocts something new for us all to enjoy!

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

i won this book on giveaways it is a YA. a group of teens get selected to go on a mission to earth, one of them Bree has been secretly been picked to be used as a gateway for a secret code they need on mars. From what i read the code will help them rid earth of creatures they created that have destroyed all human life form. the story did get confusing at times because it included the ghost of a human from years back that they needed the code from, however the story did pull me in at times thats why i gave it three stars. It will appeal to teens who like to read about space, aliens with teens in the story.

[Kat Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book! A perfect mix of futuristic sci-fi action and sinister secrets, Alien Rain kept me gripped from the first page to the last. I can't wait to see what Ruth Morgan writes next!

(I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review soon!

[Karen Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bree is selected for reasons she is not sure of to participate in a mission to fly to Earth and take part in valuable research. Now privy to information about the true state of Earth, Bree wonders how she can reconcile her knowledge with what she and her Martian peers have always been told.
We journey with Bree on the way to Earth and it's hard not to get sucked into her excitement at seeing some of the sights she has only read about for the first time.
Unfortunately, Bree soon realises that her role in the mission is to act as a conduit, channelling information received from things left on Earth to her leaders. They claim to want to discover the code to wipe out the dragomansk, the creatures that have the ability to poison anything they come into contact with. But that's not quite the whole truth...with her empathic skills allowing her to listen to the voices of those left behind, Bree soon discovers that the last days on Earth were spent in a fight with her own people, determined to not let them wipe out the thing that was designed to protect Earth.
While the general plot was of interest, it dragged in parts and the other characters were so minimal in their depiction that it was hard to get too bothered about what led them to make the decisions they did.

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Usually I DNF books pretty early on, but I got a third of a way through this book before giving up on it. Set on Mars, Earth was too messed up for people to live on anymore. Even though people have been living on Mars for many, many generations, the biggest thing everyone wanted was to go back to Earth. I had a lot of trouble buying that logic; my father's parents brought him to America, and I have zero desire to go live in Germany -- America is what I know, it's my home country. It's possible there could be a difference between moving to another country and moving back to Earth, but the logic just didn't work for me.

Once I realized I didn't care about any of the characters (and their teenage drama) and I wasn't at all curious about the mysteries the plot tried to set up, I DNFed it.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5