The Rendering

by Joel Naftali

Thirteen-year-old Doug narrates in a series of blog posts (many interrupted by either his best friend, smart girl Jamie, or the artificial intelligence who mothers him, the avatar) how he came to temporarily save the world and to be branded a terrorist and a murderer. He was innocently playing video games in the employee lounge of the biotechnology center where his aunt was a director when an insane genius ex-employee broke in, stole the equipment to digitize anyone and make his own biodroid army, killed Doug's aunt, and blew up the center (and soon the nearby town). Doug managed to escape, accidentally creating three super-powered creatures, and gaining a electronics-destroying superpower of his own with which to fight the evil Dr. Roach.

Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

The author of several books for adults, Joel Naftali was surprised to receive an e-mail from someone claiming to be notorious fugitive Doug Solomon. Although he cannot vouch for the accuracy of this book, and does not endorse any illegal activity, Naftali agreed to help Doug find a publisher. Naftali lives in Maine with his wife and son and lawyer, who instructed him to mention that he’s cooperating fully with the authorities.

Reviews

[Giovanni Gelati · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know I am a sucker for a good YA novel on occasion and yes, this is that occasion. The Rendering by Joel Naftali is a fun romp that can be shared with the young members of the family and for that, it scores some extra points. The cover looks to be something from a graphic novel, but then again I enjoy graphic novels, so I thought , how can I lose on the deal, I just couldn’t. So let’s enter the world of Doug, Jamie, Dr. Roach, The Skunks, and VIRUS shall we:
“Thirteen-year-old Doug narrates in a series of blog posts (many interrupted by either his best friend, smart girl Jamie, or the artificial intelligence who mothers him, the avatar) how he came to temporarily save the world and to be branded a terrorist and a murderer. He was innocently playing video games in the employee lounge of the biotechnology center where his aunt was a director when an insane genius ex-employee broke in, stole the equipment to digitize anyone and make his own biodroid army, killed Doug's aunt, and blew up the center (and soon the nearby town). Doug managed to escape, accidentally creating three super-powered creatures, and gaining an electronics-destroying superpower of his own with which to fight the evil Dr. Roach.”
Innocently playing video games when his aunt is killed is a great plotline. The microcosm Naftali creates in The Rendering is totally fun; the characters rock and I have to admit I am smitten with this novel, yes I used the word smitten. I am trying to increase my vocabulary and use the Thesaurus I was given at Christmas so look out. I enjoyed the genesis of Doug’s superpower, the Skunks rule and the ensuing battle is worth the read and the time spent. I look forward to discussing it with my youngest daughter once she is done with it. I have to admit the back cover is correct when it proudly pushes the graphic at the top of the page:
One Mad Scientist + One Evil Mercenary vs. Two Kids + Three Skunks= Nonstop Adventure
It is simple, it is fun, it is a good read. Enjoy it.
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[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rendering is an action-packed adventure filled with advanced technology. Through blog posts, Doug tells his story. An evil genius has set him up to take the fall for the death of his aunt and the explosion that destroyed her workplace. Doug's hiding out with three genetically and technologically enhanced skunks that serve as his protectors at his aunt's request. Doug's aunt is dead, but her consciousness lives on inside the internet.

Technically speaking, the blog post format bothered me. The writing wasn't what you would expect from separate blog posts. It was more along the lines of chapters being called blog posts in order for the book to seem more modern. Doug addressed his readers as a blogger would, but the flow of the story was definitely more of a novel format.

The Rendering is almost non-stop action. Doug is constantly under attack. It's easy to follow most of the fight sequences, but occasionally the technology gets a little confusing. The book showcases a lot of extremely advanced concepts, both in biotechnology and digital technology. Even explained at their most basic levels, a lot of the concepts were beyond my comprehension. Young readers may be able to understand the ideas better than I, having been educated in a more computer oriented society.

The Rendering will be enjoyed by middle grade readers with an interest in video games and computers. Adult readers that enjoy middle grade fiction may probably not find it very relateable.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this one, but I think that younger teen boys would like it a lot. If you want to get your son into reading, and he loves video games, this would be a great place to start.

I didn't really care for the blog post format, and think a straightforward telling of the story would have been better. Normally I like quirky things like that in books, but this time it didn't really work. It was actually boring at times.

Also, the thing that bothered me most was how, when they were super pressed for time, they sat and talked about things, like what they would do after they had accomplished what they needed to in their two hour deadline. Talk about that after! It got on my nerves.

I would definitely recommend this to teen and pre-teen boys, especially ones who haven't read a lot.
Grade: C-

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

have you been wanted for a crime you didn't do? Well in this book a kid named Douglas has been wanted for a crime did not do, and he's just a normal boy that plays video games every day. I like this book because it takes place in the future since it has robot skunks and travels through inside a computer. This book has small chapters in it. It also has some words that you will have to look in the back of the book.

This book takes place inside a computer and in Douglas's neighborhood. Douglas lost his parents, so goes to live with his aunt Margret. But when his aunt "dies" in a science lab his is wanted for murder, even though he did not do it. Then he makes like a blog to tell what happens next after his aunt dies. Like when he has to put some computer chips in skunks so they could help him save his aunt. After he puts the chips in the skunks they become to life they turn into cyberskunks like it says in the title. The two main villains in the story are Dr. Roach and VIRUS, Dr. roach is like a mad scientist and he is the one who killed Douglas's aunt. And VIRUS is like his henchman. The type of conflict the story is person vs. society because Douglas has to face these two villains who killed his aunt and the only reason he is fighting back is because his aunt is the only person he has left. Douglas is brave and determined because he is not afraid to face a big robot dog and he is determined because of the brave he wants to save his aunt.

A theme I think is love because Douglas would do anything to help or save is aunt since that is the only person he has. A part I liked is when Douglas was in the computer the police did not know where he was even though the locater said he was in his house. I thought the ending of the book was not good because it ends with his aunt saying to eat his veggies. I wish that instead of Douglas writing a blog he would of told someone directly. A connection is text to text because I remember a book I read that was similar to this book by how Douglas is brave and determined. A similar book is the Magic Thief because it involves science fiction.

I really liked this book a lot like I said in the beginning. I would rate this book 8 out of 10 because there were some parts that I think could of been more better. I would recommend this book to people who like adventures and science fiction. I also think people should read this because it has like a little message in it. And as always love and don't like the reviews you read. Peace.

[Jon Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rendering is a interesting and adventurous book about a boy named Douglas and his friend Jamie. Doug's parents died when he was young, so he just lives with his aunt. Douglas is a kid driven crazy by video games, and plays a lot. One day when he was playing video games at the biotechnology center where his aunt works, an ex-employee broke in and stole the center's equipment to digitize anyone, and he killed Doug's Aunt. He also exploded the center. Douglas escapes from the center and creates 3 superpowerful skunks. The ex-employee was a mad scientist named Dr. Roach. He and his army is very powerful, and he plans to digitize everyone and scan their minds online to make a virtual version of them. then he will destroy the real world with biodigital weapons. Doug, Jamie, and the 3 skunks go on and adventure to save all the innocent people who are in danger of going into the virtual world. They must get past Dr. Roach's high-security technology and even steal some technology to save the real world. And they have to do all of this and more, on a very short time period.

This book is confusing in lots of parts, but I didn't think it was that bad. If you like science fiction books and lots of adventure, i would recommend this book for you. I would recommend this book for ages 12-14. The Rendering also is a book that is a blog, and if you don't know much about technology and science fiction, you wouldn't understand most of this book.

After reading it, I thought that it was an interesting book with lots going on in it. But it definately wasn't the best book I have ever read. This book shows intense action and how Douglas never gives up towards anyone and how he overcomes lots of hard tomes. He also is wanted for murdering his aunt in this book of blog posts.

The Rendering is confusing and weirdly arranged, but after reading the end and what happens, I started to like this odd book a little better.

[Jessica Strider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: excellent pacing and tension, nifty creatures

Cons: technology gets farcical, fun but stereotypical protagonists

For Parents: some violence

Will appeal more to kids than to adults. While it was a fun romp that made good use of the blog post format to help with pacing and tension building, by the end of the story the unbelievable technology and crazy creatures were a bit much for me.

Doug's guardian, Antie M, works for a secret weapon's laboratory. One night, while she's working late and he's playing videogames in the staff room, evil Dr. Roach and a group of mercenaries break in and steal equipment. Their goal: to digitize all the people in the world and create a utopic society using the protocal program and hotlink created by the lab.

As the first book in a series, this book introduces you to thirteen year old Doug - a boy who's not so good in school but rocks at videogames, and Jamie - a computer genious who wants to be a scientist when she grows up, and their Cyberskunk protectors.

The intended audience (10 and up) will love reading Doug's blog posts about how he's not responsible for the bombing of the medical facility near his town (actually the high tech weapon's laboratory). They'll love learning about the creation of the Cyberskunks and hearing about how Doug faces Dr. Roach and mercenary commander Hund. They'll sympathize with him when his digitized aunt comes online to tell him he has to finish his homework before doing another post.

Adults... well, it is a fun read, with some violence but otherwise no objectionable content. The short blog posts format helps create and maintain the tension in the story that's pretty intense anyway.

[Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rendering by Joel Naftali is a graphic novel about a thirteen year old name Doug.Doug narrates in a series of blog posts how he came to temporarily save the world and to be branded a terrorist and a murderer. He was playing video games in the employee lounge of the biotechnology center where his aunt was a director.Then an insane genius ex-employee broke in, stole the equipment to digitize anyone and make his own biodroid army.He killed Doug's aunt, and blew up the center. Doug managed to escape,accidentally created three super powered creatures, and gaining a electronics-destroying superpower.Which to he'll use to fight the evil Dr. Roach.

The blog post format bothered me. The writing wasn't what you would expect from separate blog posts. It was more along the lines of chapters being called blog posts in order for the book to seem more modern. Doug addressed his readers as a blogger would, but the flow of the story was definitely more of a novel format. But I also did like the conflict in the book. It made me feel as if I were in the book myself. The action in the book was very good and the characters as well. Doug having to go undercover and keep his identity a secret was awsome because it came of mysterious but it went into that action part.

Despite the format of the blog in the book, I would recommend The Rendering. The action in this book keep me so into this book. I enjoyed every last page in this book as well. I think any one who like graphic novel will most likely want to read this book. I would like to read the next book when it is release.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was after I finished reading the book that I realized that is a skunk on the cover. Brilliant. Who in their right mind would think "I need an animal to turn into a superpowerful being. A skunk! Perfect." Apparently, Joel Nafatali would and it's awesome.

This science fiction novel is heavy on the tech speak, but it's not exclusionary if you don't know your way around. The tech savvy characters discuss it in tech talk, then break down for the lay person, otherwise known as the main character. And it's all done in a way that is not condescending to the character or the reader.

Doug's story is told in the form of a blog. Since is a techie novel and the reader meets Doug after everything has already happened, this medium makes sense. Some "posts" end abruptly for various reasons, which I had a little bit of a hard time with because blogs are not in real time. But this can be easily overlooked.

I love that these characters have real names: Doug and Jamie.*

This book is great. It's got adventure. It's got a loving (if not odd) family: Doug and Jamie are like brother and sister (no romance here!), there's Auntie M, and the Skunks (two male and one female) who are like surrogate parents to Doug.

The story is fresh and entertaining. Wonderful debut.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

When The Rendering opens, Doug is blogging furiously about what has happened to him. Wrongly accused of killing his Aunt Margaret, his goal is to tell the world what really happened that fateful day. Between fighting off terrifying boidroids, befriending cyberskunk hybrids, and attempting to finish his homework, Doug's story is one high-octane adventure!

The Rendering is an exciting book for those boys (and girls!) out there who embrace their computer-loving, dorky side. Packed with so much action, there's hardly time to pause and catch your breath. The story is quite a high concept, and there is a lot of science and tech to back it up. Readers will have to be up-to-snuff on their computer tech knowledge if they don't want to feel lost in the action. Doug's friend Jamie is brilliant - the super smart female best friend who's always there to lend him a much-needed hand. I absolutely loved how Joel Naftali played around with font sizes and styles to help emphasize certain parts of the blog. Very creative and a welcomed break from the monotony of blog format. And he wrote Doug's voice with a perfect blend of sarcasm and hilarity. While not my usual cup of tea, I certainly enjoyed the ride.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this to be a rather fun read of kids battling an evil mad scientist type. Telling the story as though they were blog posts recounting the events is an interesting idea. Overall I thought that plus the concrete description text were appealing additions.

I did find that the storytelling conceit broke down at times when events were described that our protagonist wasn't actual present for. Those times seemed to fall into third person perspectives that didn't jive with the blog format near so much. I feel like that could have been tweaked a bit, and maybe resolved with some of the other characters posting.

My biggest issue, however, is how the protagonist makes a big deal out of how he is living in hiding under another name now, yet especially at the end of the story he's giving away details that could help to easily locate him, including that his friend Jamie is living with her aunt and uncle 20 minutes away and the name of his teacher. For someone so consumed with staying hidden, and with a supercomputer for a guardian, this slip of info seems nonsensical.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book! The cover’s not really pretty, but the story itself was fantastic.
The Rendering is told in blog posts which I think is really cool. The main character Doug is just your average thirteen year old-except that he’s wanted for murder by the government. I really liked that Doug had an awesome sense of humor even though he was being hunted down by VIRUS and the government. The skunks were also awesome characters. My favorite was Cosmo because he was so hilarious. The super powered skunks are so adorable because 1) they’re skunks and 2) they’re funny and dangerous.
Joel Naftali is a genius for telling this story. The whole idea of some evil guy wanting to transfer everyone into a world that he can control is exciting and fun to follow. The Rendering is definitely a book you don’t want to miss out on. The only thing I didn’t like was the cover:P
Grade: A

[Samantha Boyette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got into this knowing it might not be quite my bag of tea, but it was actually pretty good. It's really aimed at a much younger audience and that's very obvious, but it was still a fun read. The book was creative, that's for sure. If you've got a little boy who isn't so into reading, this is probably a great book to give them. It's got action, adventure, video games, and mutant talking skunks. It's pretty much your typical ten-year-old boy's dream book.

Overall the story was good, the characters are well thought out with a goofy MC who loves video games and is kind of a slacker, but a good friend and nephew. His best friend is a smart girl who never backs down and is just as much a hero as he is. Overall, a good book for kids who might be reluctant to read.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Solomon is being hunted for murder but he's only a kid. He has to stay away from the cops to help solve the "murder" and to keep the world from being destroyed by Roach and his henchmen. To help him he has his best friend and neighbor Jamie, 3 skunk people, and his "cyber" aunt. How will they stop this madman?

This was fun! I liked the style of the writing. It was different. I love first person point of view and Doug's voice is a hoot at times. He is a gamer and will be more than happy to explain how games work and how you can win but, of course, he is often interrupted by his aunt so he'll stick to the story. I liked the creativity of the story. I hope there are more books to come. Totally fun read.

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was eager to begin reading a book that had a Matrix-like description attached to it. To be able to tell an action packed story in the form of blog posts after the fact is a hard task to undertake. I’m not sure why the author chose this format, but it did nothing for the story. Adding in the continual interruptions from Doug’s aunt and best friend – it slows down the story tremendously. The story could have been fun to read, exciting, and move along at a better pace if the format was changed. There isn't much else to comment on about this book as there weren't any great parts and the characters were dry, which I expect is once again, due to the format.

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in "blog" form, and while the story was fast paced, the narration felt a little disjointed. Also, there was so much futuristic technology that played such a huge role in the entire thing that it got confusing. Also, the book didn’t really end. It wasn’t quite a cliff-hanger, but I’m not quite sure if there will be more. And if there is, I’m not sure that I would be interested in reading it.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting through this book. I don't like science fiction, but I'm trying to read more of it so I can help kids who like SF find books. Maybe a kid would enjoy this more, but I found it incredibly boring and difficult to understand. Yes, I fully admit to having a hard time understanding a book written for a 5th grader!

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am definitely not the target audience for this book (12-15 year old boys). There was so much futuristic technology that I was often confused. The unbelievable technology and crazy creatures were a bit much for me. The story did keep me engaged enough to finish. I am sure that 12-15 yer old boys will love this series, but I don’t think I will be reading any more of this series.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me reading, in spite of not expecting to. I expect that 5th-7th grade boys would appreciate this sci-fi, turn real life into video game feel. And there's always the "what if it really is true" question, with a sequel wanted to continue the fight.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story and unique storytelling format of a blog. Some unique characters.

[Jenny Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall - interesting concept but it simply did not grab me.

[Marlana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.

I have never been big on science fiction, but the humor and plot just made this book a winner. 5 Stars from me and I can't wait to read the next installment.

[Sajjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good book. I can't wait to read more books by this author. I really enjoyed it some funny parts some violence. All in all it was a great book.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brayden (age 11) said, "It was super-good! Something was always happening."