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Class: The Novels #2
What She Does Next Will Astound You
‘We want your stunts, your dares, your whatevs. There is only one rule. There is no such thing as oversharing.’
At Coal Hill School, things have started to get public. Kids have become obsessed with a website that demands you perform risky stunts, or tell it your most painful secrets. And Seraphin, everyone’s favourite vlogger, wants you to get involved. All in the name of charity.
At first people just get hurt. Then their lives are ruined. Finally, they disappear.
As April’s fragile group of friends starts to fracture, she decides she’s going to uncover the truth behind this site herself. Whatever it takes, whoever she hurts, April’s going to win. But then, to her horror, she wakes up and finds her whole world’s changed.
What she does next will astound you.
At Coal Hill School, things have started to get public. Kids have become obsessed with a website that demands you perform risky stunts, or tell it your most painful secrets. And Seraphin, everyone’s favourite vlogger, wants you to get involved. All in the name of charity.
At first people just get hurt. Then their lives are ruined. Finally, they disappear.
As April’s fragile group of friends starts to fracture, she decides she’s going to uncover the truth behind this site herself. Whatever it takes, whoever she hurts, April’s going to win. But then, to her horror, she wakes up and finds her whole world’s changed.
What she does next will astound you.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
8 people are currently reading
550 people want to read
About the author
James Goss
230 books181 followersJames Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 30, 2016
ALL HAIL MISS QUILL
As for the book, it started fun and promising but then went meh*coughs* kinda like the actual TV show *coughs*. The plot at first was exciting but then started to tire me out. I liked the idea of the main villain though.
well, at least it was funny and I also liked Charlie & Matteusz moments AND MISS QUILL'S so yeah
As for the book, it started fun and promising but then went meh
well, at least it was funny and I also liked Charlie & Matteusz moments AND MISS QUILL'S so yeah
April 24, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ read this wasn’t as enjoyable for me as the rest of the series but I still enjoyed the writing style !!
March 15, 2017
The best way to describe this book is 'schizophrenic'. The first 100ish pages seem like a typical Class story - the kids investigate a new website that invites you to do very stupid things and film yourself, for charity. The latter 200ish pages are instead about the kids fighting an intergalactic hologram war. It's like two books smashed together, and there's no decent resolution to either half. It all feels very up in the air, with answers vaguely alluded but no closure.
The handling of the characters is also all over the place. The closest to the mark are probably Ram and April, with Tanya being a bit of a non-entity, and Charlie and Miss Quill falling far away from where you'd expect. Charlie seems to just be characterized as 'stupid alien who doesn't understand things', while Miss Quill's cutting sarcasm is thrown aside for a war-hungry monster, which is not who she is at all.
Again, disappointing. There are good plot points here, and some decent descriptions that will stay with me for a while (there's a section about April at the hospital after her mum was hurt, and that's amazing) but the rest of it falls flat.
The handling of the characters is also all over the place. The closest to the mark are probably Ram and April, with Tanya being a bit of a non-entity, and Charlie and Miss Quill falling far away from where you'd expect. Charlie seems to just be characterized as 'stupid alien who doesn't understand things', while Miss Quill's cutting sarcasm is thrown aside for a war-hungry monster, which is not who she is at all.
Again, disappointing. There are good plot points here, and some decent descriptions that will stay with me for a while (there's a section about April at the hospital after her mum was hurt, and that's amazing) but the rest of it falls flat.
November 1, 2018
An interesting take on internet crazes, the story fitted perfectly with the students from Coal Hill School.
Want to read
July 28, 2017Wow I thought people (Well the majority of Doctor Who fandom) hated Class (I don't hate it though so I'm excited for this book).
April 29, 2018
Toto je príklad toho ako môže byť kniha podľa seriálu lepšia ako seriál
November 29, 2016
So this is my first time reading a tie-in novel for a TV series, and I didn't expect it to be anything brilliant. And it wasn't. But it wasn't terrible either.
Basically, because Class is a BBC TV show it only gets eight episodes, and I thought I wanted to know more about the characters and spend more time with them, so I bought the one of the three tie in novels, which is said to be best. And in setup it's kind of clever, and with some polishing would have made a decent episode, I think. It has some of the humour of the original, the main characters aren't terribly far off the original, and the central problem the novel tackled was intriguing.
That being said, my favourite character in the TV show wasn't in it enough, and of course since this wasn't authored by Patrick Ness, unlike the TV show itself, I couldn't quite trust that anything this revealed about the characters was really true about them.
Things that irked me a little (warning spoilers about book and TV show):
- April has a problem killing nasty aliens? Since when? Didn't she travel through space and time to do just that in episode 4 and 5? Didn't she then order one lot of aliens to slaughter another?
- Charlie is oblivious to human norms, but not actually stupid. So the bit about him posting his boyfriend's semi nude pictures online was pure fanservice :/
- One of the things about Matteusz that we know is that he has the patience of a bloody saint, so it's inconceivable to me that he should erupt in loud anger because of what Charlie did, to the point of suggesting (in a fit of rage) that they are no longer boyfriends. That didn't seem true to character.
- Tanya is chuffed to be blowing up aliens? Really? The most cerebral of the group would have been far more likely to try and puzzle out the mystery behind the Big White Box than anything else. Instead, this job went to April. Their jobs in this books should have been reversed.
Things that were good:
- Ram was pretty spot on. I can see him getting carried away with the sport of war.
- Quill was close to the real thing, too. I love her.
- The title of the book, and the titles of all the chapters were pretty clever, and tied in really well with modern social media culture.
- My favourite bit was Matteusz's explanation of Polish YouTube.
Charlie: "What about you? Do you have YouTube in Poland?"
Matteusz: "No. Poland is very poor country. We just have tube. It is big tube. Tube is carried by cart from village to village. When it arrive in village square you must dance in front of tube for everyone to watch. We dance for the men, for the women, for the goats. Whoever pay to watch tube."
Basically, because Class is a BBC TV show it only gets eight episodes, and I thought I wanted to know more about the characters and spend more time with them, so I bought the one of the three tie in novels, which is said to be best. And in setup it's kind of clever, and with some polishing would have made a decent episode, I think. It has some of the humour of the original, the main characters aren't terribly far off the original, and the central problem the novel tackled was intriguing.
That being said, my favourite character in the TV show wasn't in it enough, and of course since this wasn't authored by Patrick Ness, unlike the TV show itself, I couldn't quite trust that anything this revealed about the characters was really true about them.
Things that irked me a little (warning spoilers about book and TV show):
- April has a problem killing nasty aliens? Since when? Didn't she travel through space and time to do just that in episode 4 and 5? Didn't she then order one lot of aliens to slaughter another?
- Charlie is oblivious to human norms, but not actually stupid. So the bit about him posting his boyfriend's semi nude pictures online was pure fanservice :/
- One of the things about Matteusz that we know is that he has the patience of a bloody saint, so it's inconceivable to me that he should erupt in loud anger because of what Charlie did, to the point of suggesting (in a fit of rage) that they are no longer boyfriends. That didn't seem true to character.
- Tanya is chuffed to be blowing up aliens? Really? The most cerebral of the group would have been far more likely to try and puzzle out the mystery behind the Big White Box than anything else. Instead, this job went to April. Their jobs in this books should have been reversed.
Things that were good:
- Ram was pretty spot on. I can see him getting carried away with the sport of war.
- Quill was close to the real thing, too. I love her.
- The title of the book, and the titles of all the chapters were pretty clever, and tied in really well with modern social media culture.
- My favourite bit was Matteusz's explanation of Polish YouTube.
Charlie: "What about you? Do you have YouTube in Poland?"
Matteusz: "No. Poland is very poor country. We just have tube. It is big tube. Tube is carried by cart from village to village. When it arrive in village square you must dance in front of tube for everyone to watch. We dance for the men, for the women, for the goats. Whoever pay to watch tube."
July 12, 2020
4/5
This made up for the utter crap in The Stone House. Every character sounded exactly like themselves and the level of action was comparable to the show and equal to the character development. Hell, this book made me like April.
It was a crazy ride, that's for sure, but it was incredibly entertaining. There were some chapters that didn't need to be in there - like about the teachers that gave no value to the story at all. Overall, it was fast-paced, a thrill ride, and a little crazily put together.
Ram was a real stand out in this book. I adore his passive-aggressive leg and the relationship Ram has with it. I really wish we'd gotten to see that on the show, it was amazing! Oh and Ram texting Rachel is heartbreaking and beautiful and shows the grief that gets a little glossed over in the show sometimes. Also adored Varun and being Ram's cheerleader, always.
Charlie and Matteusz were great as always and I loved seeing into their relationship more. The idea of Matteusz explaining traffic to Charlie is the most adorable thing, and their fight felt very real and like a thing that needed to happen in their relationship. They are still, and always will be, maddeningly in love.
Quill, what a rockstar, always. I'm confused about her use of guns and her less that attentive way of protecting Charlie - Not sure how the aliens got past the Arn but suuure. She's still the biggest badass in the galaxy.
There was a Mr. Smith reference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was great, the characters were great, the story was thrilling (if a little confusing) and makes me want to rewatch Class for the hundredth time.
This made up for the utter crap in The Stone House. Every character sounded exactly like themselves and the level of action was comparable to the show and equal to the character development. Hell, this book made me like April.
It was a crazy ride, that's for sure, but it was incredibly entertaining. There were some chapters that didn't need to be in there - like about the teachers that gave no value to the story at all. Overall, it was fast-paced, a thrill ride, and a little crazily put together.
Ram was a real stand out in this book. I adore his passive-aggressive leg and the relationship Ram has with it. I really wish we'd gotten to see that on the show, it was amazing! Oh and Ram texting Rachel is heartbreaking and beautiful and shows the grief that gets a little glossed over in the show sometimes. Also adored Varun and being Ram's cheerleader, always.
Charlie and Matteusz were great as always and I loved seeing into their relationship more. The idea of Matteusz explaining traffic to Charlie is the most adorable thing, and their fight felt very real and like a thing that needed to happen in their relationship. They are still, and always will be, maddeningly in love.
Quill, what a rockstar, always. I'm confused about her use of guns and her less that attentive way of protecting Charlie - Not sure how the aliens got past the Arn but suuure. She's still the biggest badass in the galaxy.
There was a Mr. Smith reference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was great, the characters were great, the story was thrilling (if a little confusing) and makes me want to rewatch Class for the hundredth time.
September 4, 2017
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2845708.html
James Goss is one of the most consistently excellent writers in the Whoniverse right now, and he's pulled it off again here: this is a great book, both thrilling and funny, about social media, fake news, memes, and awful alien invasion from a parallel reality (and perhaps the former producer of the BBC's Cult TV website has been thinking about these themes for a while). He even manages to make April's character look interesting (and has some quite good Charlie/Matteusz exchanges). The three books are all pretty decent efforts, but this is the best of them. (Not sure when it is set, but I think also between episodes 3 and 4 is the most likely.)
James Goss is one of the most consistently excellent writers in the Whoniverse right now, and he's pulled it off again here: this is a great book, both thrilling and funny, about social media, fake news, memes, and awful alien invasion from a parallel reality (and perhaps the former producer of the BBC's Cult TV website has been thinking about these themes for a while). He even manages to make April's character look interesting (and has some quite good Charlie/Matteusz exchanges). The three books are all pretty decent efforts, but this is the best of them. (Not sure when it is set, but I think also between episodes 3 and 4 is the most likely.)
September 22, 2018
James Goss... immer wenn ich denke, ich weiß in welche Ecke ich diesen Autor stecken soll, erstaunt er mich von Neuem. Ganz besonders mit diesem Buch. Die erste Hälfte des Buches ist einfach grandios geschrieben. Voller innovativer und abgedrehter Ideen, welche den Leser mit Freude dazu bringen das nächste, meist recht knapp gehaltene Kapitel lesen zu wollen. Die erste Hälfte nimmt gezielt die Generation Facebook/YouTube auf Korn und beschäftigt sich fast schon satirisch damit, wie Menschen sich vom Internet gefangen nehmen lassen. Das ganze ist nicht nur mit Witz und Tempo geschrieben, sondern auch subtil hintergründig. Desweiteren sind die einzelnen Charaktere wirklich gut getroffen, auch wenn es in der Serie nicht so sehr zum Tragen kam, dass Tanya so gut mit Computern umgehen kann.
Dann folgt die zweite Hälfte, und die könnte sowohl inhaltlich, als auch qualitativ nicht anders sein. Was sich Anfangs anschickte, ein grandioses, gesellschaftskritisches Jugendbuch zu werden, verwandelt sich von einer Seite zur anderen in einen billigen Ender's Game Klon. Das ganze ist so abgedroschen, faul und dumm, dass es ein wirkliches Ärgernis ist. Das Finale setzt dann an Dämlichkeit noch einen oben drauf und lässt den Leser fassungs- und ratlos mit der Frage was das nun wieder sollte zurück. Die psychischen Probleme, welche sich durch die zweite Hälfte für die Jugendlichen ergeben würden, werden zwar angeschnitten, sind aber weit von einer Abhandlung entfernt. Der ganze Schluss ist an Faulheit und Klischee absolut nicht zu überbieten, und so bleibt mir leider nur übrig hier die schlechteste noch mögliche Bewertung zu vergeben, auch wenn die erste Hälfte wirklich Spaß gemacht hat.
Dann folgt die zweite Hälfte, und die könnte sowohl inhaltlich, als auch qualitativ nicht anders sein. Was sich Anfangs anschickte, ein grandioses, gesellschaftskritisches Jugendbuch zu werden, verwandelt sich von einer Seite zur anderen in einen billigen Ender's Game Klon. Das ganze ist so abgedroschen, faul und dumm, dass es ein wirkliches Ärgernis ist. Das Finale setzt dann an Dämlichkeit noch einen oben drauf und lässt den Leser fassungs- und ratlos mit der Frage was das nun wieder sollte zurück. Die psychischen Probleme, welche sich durch die zweite Hälfte für die Jugendlichen ergeben würden, werden zwar angeschnitten, sind aber weit von einer Abhandlung entfernt. Der ganze Schluss ist an Faulheit und Klischee absolut nicht zu überbieten, und so bleibt mir leider nur übrig hier die schlechteste noch mögliche Bewertung zu vergeben, auch wenn die erste Hälfte wirklich Spaß gemacht hat.
September 8, 2018
This was a surprise. Randomly grab a book at the library day and found this gem.
Helps I like the BBC show Doctor Who as this is a spin-off, I latter found out.
A school in London call Coal Hill where the student body contains aliens as well as regular humans.
April is a human, so I Graham, but he ends up getting an alien leg.
And then is is Ms Quill, the physics teacher. Cold as ice, she is the last of her planet, from Quill. She is a body guard who has nothing but contempt for the humans she has to spend he time with defending her intergalactic princling charge, Charlie Smith. And she is a crack shot with a laser.
Yeah, I have to look up this show.
This story deals with social media and a nice turn on the ice bucket challenge. Here is used to raise awareness of Scansees. Don't look it up not matter how tempted you get.
I leave off here because it gets fun and the conclusion is well done.
Helps I like the BBC show Doctor Who as this is a spin-off, I latter found out.
A school in London call Coal Hill where the student body contains aliens as well as regular humans.
April is a human, so I Graham, but he ends up getting an alien leg.
And then is is Ms Quill, the physics teacher. Cold as ice, she is the last of her planet, from Quill. She is a body guard who has nothing but contempt for the humans she has to spend he time with defending her intergalactic princling charge, Charlie Smith. And she is a crack shot with a laser.
Yeah, I have to look up this show.
This story deals with social media and a nice turn on the ice bucket challenge. Here is used to raise awareness of Scansees. Don't look it up not matter how tempted you get.
I leave off here because it gets fun and the conclusion is well done.
May 8, 2018
U této série jsem opět za černou ovci, jelikož jsem z ní nadšená.
Z druhého dílu jsem překvapená snad ještě více než z jedničky. Krom toho, že ukrývá alegorický, psychologický a filozofický příběh (který v dnešní YA fantasy literatuře moc nenajdete), je k tomu neuvěřitelně čtivý.
Já jsem nadšená a těším se na druhý díl a na to, co předvede další autor. James Goss má mou poklonu stejně, jako jeho "předchůdce" Guy Adams.
Z druhého dílu jsem překvapená snad ještě více než z jedničky. Krom toho, že ukrývá alegorický, psychologický a filozofický příběh (který v dnešní YA fantasy literatuře moc nenajdete), je k tomu neuvěřitelně čtivý.
Já jsem nadšená a těším se na druhý díl a na to, co předvede další autor. James Goss má mou poklonu stejně, jako jeho "předchůdce" Guy Adams.
October 12, 2018
Contrary to most Whovians, I liked the tv show Class. It had potential; if they could get the writing and the characterization consistent. This book, however, it was, eh.
What She Does Next Will Astound You deals with social media and the impact it can have on those who invest too much into it. Of course, with an alien twist; it is after all the Whoniverse.
What She Does Next Will Astound You deals with social media and the impact it can have on those who invest too much into it. Of course, with an alien twist; it is after all the Whoniverse.
January 6, 2021
Having never seen the show from which this book is based upon, I didn't quite know what to expect. It took me a while to figure out what was happening and who was who, but I let myself be taken along on this trippy ride. What this amounts to is a treatise on social media, told through a funny and intriguing sci-fi story.
July 11, 2017
I don't know... I like some points and Quill was great in this story but... I don't know. I'm giving it four stars maybe because I love when humans see how awful they are and the skandis have all the rights to declare war and the first part was kind of interesting too.
August 1, 2017
I actually think that my have been my favourite Class book of the three. it reminded me a bit of Nerve by Jeanne Ryan at the beginning but quickly changed when it went all Sci-Fi and as always I love Quill.
August 17, 2017
This book stayed true to the characters of the television series. It was somewhat of a slow start to begin with, but picked up towards the end. There were some elements that I felt was close to the themes of the book and movie Nerve, but with a twist to suit the genre and the television show.
January 5, 2018
I loved this book but I felt that the characters didn't feel as they felt on the TV show. I understand that it is of course different but April was to much of a flower child and Tanya to much of the nerd. It felt that they were all exaggerated to much.
May 30, 2018
Překvapivě mě to bavilo hodně. Příběh ve stylu Stačí jen chtít nebo Nerve je úplně nejvíc a v další knize k seriálu Class to máme, jen s příměsí ufounů. Konec sice trochu nudnější, ale celkově to bylo fajne. Doporučuji.
4/5*
4/5*
August 7, 2018
The story is interesting, the writing is mostly meh. However it has a certain "viral" quality to it that makes you read more - cliffhangers everywhere! Enjoyable enough. Would I read it again? No. Would I recommend it? Maybe.
October 26, 2018
As much as I love Dr Who, this is my first foray into reading books based in this universe - and it doesn't disappoint. Great Dr Who themes which are equal parts terrifying and bittersweet - these make for a great read.
June 11, 2019
DNF @13%
I think I probably would have really enjoyed this about 10 years ago... or maybe even 5, but my reading style has evolved a bit and I just couldn't get into this one.
I think a lot of people will enjoy this book. It is just not my style ATM.
I think I probably would have really enjoyed this about 10 years ago... or maybe even 5, but my reading style has evolved a bit and I just couldn't get into this one.
I think a lot of people will enjoy this book. It is just not my style ATM.
January 14, 2021
There's a website, everyone's heard of it. Complete dares and help fight a disease. Simple right? Until Aprils friends start getting hurt doing them. And then some go missing, including April.
I definitely felt like I was reading two books, but either way the story was a great read. Very different
I definitely felt like I was reading two books, but either way the story was a great read. Very different
January 26, 2025
It lost me in the middle - just don’t think we needed that much exposition to get to the resolution - but once we finally entered the final third of the book, it won me back. Truth be told, I had seen the ending coming from a mile away but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
February 27, 2017
Entertaining spin off from the Class series on BBC.
March 26, 2018
Slabší než jednička: 3,5*
July 20, 2018
I really wanted to like it, but instead of being like Aliens it ended up like The Adventure Game
October 12, 2018
Very Dr. Who-universe, with some entertaining characters and an interesting social media/clickbait frame. I loved "11 reasons you might die in the next hour. #7 is standing right behind you."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews