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Five hundred years into the future, the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.
Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.
Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?
From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.
Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.
Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?
From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.
454 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
33 people are currently reading
2003 people want to read
About the author
Lara Morgan
16 books83 followersLara Morgan writes for both adults and teens and is the author of The Twins of Saranthium series and The Rosie Black Chronicles.
She lives in a coastal town in Western Australia called Geraldton which is a long way from most places and too close to others.
Her mission is to rid the world of tea, one cup at a time. This is going quite well.
She lives in a coastal town in Western Australia called Geraldton which is a long way from most places and too close to others.
Her mission is to rid the world of tea, one cup at a time. This is going quite well.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
November 20, 2010
I loved this.
There's a great vibe to this book - which doesn't sag in momentum - the plot kept moving forward making it an energetic and captivating read. The prose is just lovely, clean and fresh, I'm a fan.
I adore Rosie. Mostly, I love that she stuffs things up a fair bit. She does things she's not supposed to - she's not always thinking straight. I love teens (and people) who have the best of intentions but somehow still manage to screw up and fudge their way along. Ultimately, she's one tough girl that I care oh-so-immensely about. She's inventive, and a strong protag. You will love her :)
Pip. I'll add him to the top of my crush-worthy list of fictional characters. He is just done so well. I can't pigeon hole him at all. He's a Feral and not what you expect and he keeps not being what you expect until you kinda don't know what to expect anymore. He's funny, clever, hot, mischievous and infuriating.
I was initially caught up by the mystery of the box, and how Rosie opens it and triggers a domino chain of events of seemingly never-ending catastrophic events (kinda like this run-on sentence). Then, the plot deepens, and twists and gradually I found myself invested not just in the story that was unfolding, but the characters. by the end, i was deeply invested in all the main characters lives. They have such intriguing histories and painful pasts and there's secrets, mysteries, and most of all - a huge betrayal. Ouch.
There's torture and freaky stuff going down on Mars... and other sci-fi stuff that I can't coherently relate but made sense when I read it, haha. (It's 500 years in the future: half set in Australia, then space and finally on Mars).
Boys will love this too. Plus, it would make an ideal classroom read. One of those non-boring high school texts that will captivate and spark a whole range of discussion and debate.
It's the first in a series. I'm really hanging out to see what happens next, hey :)
There's a great vibe to this book - which doesn't sag in momentum - the plot kept moving forward making it an energetic and captivating read. The prose is just lovely, clean and fresh, I'm a fan.
I adore Rosie. Mostly, I love that she stuffs things up a fair bit. She does things she's not supposed to - she's not always thinking straight. I love teens (and people) who have the best of intentions but somehow still manage to screw up and fudge their way along. Ultimately, she's one tough girl that I care oh-so-immensely about. She's inventive, and a strong protag. You will love her :)
Pip. I'll add him to the top of my crush-worthy list of fictional characters. He is just done so well. I can't pigeon hole him at all. He's a Feral and not what you expect and he keeps not being what you expect until you kinda don't know what to expect anymore. He's funny, clever, hot, mischievous and infuriating.
I was initially caught up by the mystery of the box, and how Rosie opens it and triggers a domino chain of events of seemingly never-ending catastrophic events (kinda like this run-on sentence). Then, the plot deepens, and twists and gradually I found myself invested not just in the story that was unfolding, but the characters. by the end, i was deeply invested in all the main characters lives. They have such intriguing histories and painful pasts and there's secrets, mysteries, and most of all - a huge betrayal. Ouch.
There's torture and freaky stuff going down on Mars... and other sci-fi stuff that I can't coherently relate but made sense when I read it, haha. (It's 500 years in the future: half set in Australia, then space and finally on Mars).
Boys will love this too. Plus, it would make an ideal classroom read. One of those non-boring high school texts that will captivate and spark a whole range of discussion and debate.
It's the first in a series. I'm really hanging out to see what happens next, hey :)
December 5, 2017
*3,5 stars*
Kitaba başlarken ne bekliyordum bilmiyorum ama pişman etmedi beni. Ne çok mükemmel ne çok sıradandi bana göre. Orta kısımlarda azıcık sıkılmam dışında puan kırmam için sebebim yok. Olayların durgunlastigi, azıcık baygınlık geçireceğiniz yerler olabilir ama kurgusu güzeldi ya. Ne bileyim sevdim yani.
Kitaba başlarken ne bekliyordum bilmiyorum ama pişman etmedi beni. Ne çok mükemmel ne çok sıradandi bana göre. Orta kısımlarda azıcık sıkılmam dışında puan kırmam için sebebim yok. Olayların durgunlastigi, azıcık baygınlık geçireceğiniz yerler olabilir ama kurgusu güzeldi ya. Ne bileyim sevdim yani.
August 15, 2011
3.5 stars
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve walked by this book without giving it so much as a second glance, so I’m a little late in making the discovery that this book is completely rad and excellent. (Yes, rad. I don’t give out that kind of praise easily! And shame on me for ignoring this book.)
Genesis was an ideal book to break out of my genre comfort zone, a smooth step into speculative / science fiction after a glut of contemporary and dystopian reads.
Lara Morgan’s depiction of “Newperth” was vivid – while the writing is not heavily descriptive, reading the book was quite a visual experience. Morgan has some seriously imaginative ideas for her future world and I loved the direction she took with the Melt and the division of Perth into the Old City, the Banks and Central, and the socio-economic repercussions for the residents. I particularly liked the portrayal of life for the Bankers: the squalor and the noise and the bustle really came to life on the page.
However, for me the real strength of this book lies in the pacing – it is tightly written and the tension mounts consistently. Even though Genesis weighs in at over 400 pages, it’s still quite a brisk read, with punchy chapters and cliffhangers drawing you quickly through the story. Morgan also weaves in some good twists and turns, keeping the plot engaging and the stakes high.
It also helps that the characters are well-drawn and interesting. Rosie herself is a resilient, inventive sixteen year old, who is still vulnerable and makes mistakes. I liked her blend of intelligence and street-smarts, while still being a relatable teenage girl.
Rosie’s dynamic with dreadlocked, blue-eyed Feral, Pip, is brilliant. Their interactions felt believable and true to their characters, and I couldn’t help but smile each time he showed up (except, of course, when bad things were happening. Pip!)
While I did read this book in a bit of a frenzy, flipping pages because I needed to know what was going to happen to next, I will say that I did prefer the setting of the first part of the book. (If you’ve read this, hopefully you’ll pick up what I mean here). While the latter setting was intriguing, I preferred the… believability… of the former, and found it easier to immerse myself in. During the later stages of the book I was more invested in the characters than particularly fascinated by the world they were in.
Also, I don’t feel qualified to comment here on the science used in the book, or how Genesis stands up against other young adult spec/sci-fi, but frankly, I was far too busy being entertained to care. I wasn’t distracted by questioning the world or the premise as I have done with other futuristic fiction. The story and the characters were strong enough to keep me thoroughly engaged in the prose.
Having now been suitably chastised for making a baseless assumption that this wouldn’t be the type of book for me, I will definitely read the second book without hesitation, and look forward to the next instalment in the Rosie Black Chronicles.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve walked by this book without giving it so much as a second glance, so I’m a little late in making the discovery that this book is completely rad and excellent. (Yes, rad. I don’t give out that kind of praise easily! And shame on me for ignoring this book.)
Genesis was an ideal book to break out of my genre comfort zone, a smooth step into speculative / science fiction after a glut of contemporary and dystopian reads.
Lara Morgan’s depiction of “Newperth” was vivid – while the writing is not heavily descriptive, reading the book was quite a visual experience. Morgan has some seriously imaginative ideas for her future world and I loved the direction she took with the Melt and the division of Perth into the Old City, the Banks and Central, and the socio-economic repercussions for the residents. I particularly liked the portrayal of life for the Bankers: the squalor and the noise and the bustle really came to life on the page.
However, for me the real strength of this book lies in the pacing – it is tightly written and the tension mounts consistently. Even though Genesis weighs in at over 400 pages, it’s still quite a brisk read, with punchy chapters and cliffhangers drawing you quickly through the story. Morgan also weaves in some good twists and turns, keeping the plot engaging and the stakes high.
It also helps that the characters are well-drawn and interesting. Rosie herself is a resilient, inventive sixteen year old, who is still vulnerable and makes mistakes. I liked her blend of intelligence and street-smarts, while still being a relatable teenage girl.
Rosie’s dynamic with dreadlocked, blue-eyed Feral, Pip, is brilliant. Their interactions felt believable and true to their characters, and I couldn’t help but smile each time he showed up (except, of course, when bad things were happening. Pip!)
While I did read this book in a bit of a frenzy, flipping pages because I needed to know what was going to happen to next, I will say that I did prefer the setting of the first part of the book. (If you’ve read this, hopefully you’ll pick up what I mean here). While the latter setting was intriguing, I preferred the… believability… of the former, and found it easier to immerse myself in. During the later stages of the book I was more invested in the characters than particularly fascinated by the world they were in.
Also, I don’t feel qualified to comment here on the science used in the book, or how Genesis stands up against other young adult spec/sci-fi, but frankly, I was far too busy being entertained to care. I wasn’t distracted by questioning the world or the premise as I have done with other futuristic fiction. The story and the characters were strong enough to keep me thoroughly engaged in the prose.
Having now been suitably chastised for making a baseless assumption that this wouldn’t be the type of book for me, I will definitely read the second book without hesitation, and look forward to the next instalment in the Rosie Black Chronicles.
October 4, 2010
★★★★☆ I loved it
Five hundred years into the future, the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.
Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.
Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?
From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.
I love anything to do with futuristic space travel and dystopian worlds, so when the publisher contacted me about reading this I got straight to it. I am so glad I had the opportunity as this novel is a fantastic story following the journey of a 16 year old girl living 500 years into the future where the human population is slowing dying due to a mysterious disease carried by mosquitoes. It goes by the name MalX which seems to be a reference to the widespread Malaria disease. Not much is known about how it was born but when Rosie finds a unique box, things are put into motion which travels the planets and takes away everything she has ever known or cared about. And it looks like MalX is the cause of it all.
I like Rosie. She's honest and most of the time, smart. She is a typical teenager in that she feels things she wishes she didn't and the lines between right and wrong are a little blurred. She's defiant almost to the last and then when the walls break, everything comes flooding out. Her life isn't easy and she doesn't make excuses, just tries to deal with it the best way she can. Pip, her "friend" is caught up in the game being played as much as she is, probably more so. We don't learn a lot about him until later on in the piece which adds great suspension to a lot of the scenes. There are feelings that grow between them and being the sucker for a good love story this was the only place I felt Genesis was lacking. Give me more awkwardness! Give me more butterflies! There was still enough there to keep me happy though.
The supporting characters were great also. Aunt Essie would have to be the coolest Aunt around. She's a pilot, has short spiky hair, listens to what Rosie has to say and understands what she's feeling. I'm glad that it seems we'll be seeing a whole lot more in the sequel. Riley was someone I wish we'd gotten to know a bit better. His past actions don't reflect too well on him though his most recent ones were commendable. Yuang was the perfect baddy. Let's just leave it at that. So if you can't tell already I'm looking forward to the sequel Equinox. No idea when it's to be released but I'm wishing for it not to be too far away. Hopefully this series will be released internationally so everyone out there will get a chance to go on this journey also. If you can get a hold of Genesis make sure you do. It looks like it's going to develop into an amazing series!
The Rosie Black Chronicles
1. Genesis
2. Equinox (date T.B.A.)
Five hundred years into the future, the world is a different place. The Melt has sunk most of the coastal cities and Newperth is divided into the haves, the “Centrals”; the have-nots, the “Bankers”; and the fringe dwellers, the “Ferals”.
Rosie Black is a Banker. When Rosie finds an unusual box, she has no idea of the grave consequences of her discovery. A mysterious organisation wants it – and will kill to get it.
Forced to rely on two strangers, Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?
From Earth to Mars, Rosie must learn the secrets of the box – before it’s too late.
I love anything to do with futuristic space travel and dystopian worlds, so when the publisher contacted me about reading this I got straight to it. I am so glad I had the opportunity as this novel is a fantastic story following the journey of a 16 year old girl living 500 years into the future where the human population is slowing dying due to a mysterious disease carried by mosquitoes. It goes by the name MalX which seems to be a reference to the widespread Malaria disease. Not much is known about how it was born but when Rosie finds a unique box, things are put into motion which travels the planets and takes away everything she has ever known or cared about. And it looks like MalX is the cause of it all.
I like Rosie. She's honest and most of the time, smart. She is a typical teenager in that she feels things she wishes she didn't and the lines between right and wrong are a little blurred. She's defiant almost to the last and then when the walls break, everything comes flooding out. Her life isn't easy and she doesn't make excuses, just tries to deal with it the best way she can. Pip, her "friend" is caught up in the game being played as much as she is, probably more so. We don't learn a lot about him until later on in the piece which adds great suspension to a lot of the scenes. There are feelings that grow between them and being the sucker for a good love story this was the only place I felt Genesis was lacking. Give me more awkwardness! Give me more butterflies! There was still enough there to keep me happy though.
The supporting characters were great also. Aunt Essie would have to be the coolest Aunt around. She's a pilot, has short spiky hair, listens to what Rosie has to say and understands what she's feeling. I'm glad that it seems we'll be seeing a whole lot more in the sequel. Riley was someone I wish we'd gotten to know a bit better. His past actions don't reflect too well on him though his most recent ones were commendable. Yuang was the perfect baddy. Let's just leave it at that. So if you can't tell already I'm looking forward to the sequel Equinox. No idea when it's to be released but I'm wishing for it not to be too far away. Hopefully this series will be released internationally so everyone out there will get a chance to go on this journey also. If you can get a hold of Genesis make sure you do. It looks like it's going to develop into an amazing series!
The Rosie Black Chronicles
1. Genesis
2. Equinox (date T.B.A.)
November 13, 2010
Life’s not easy in Rosie Black’s world.
The Melt has devastated the earth and sunken all the coastal cities and forced society into a crippling caste system of the haves, “The Centrals” and the have-nots, “The Bankers”. As a Banker, Rosie and her dad struggle to survive after the shattering loss of Rosie’s mother to the MalX disease.
The world as Rosie Black knows it is very different from the one we know today, and the contents of a seemingly harmless little box are about to turn that world upside down.
The box contains a secret, one so incriminating that the powerful Helios corporation will stop at nothing to get back in their possession. But they’re not the only ones who want to get their hands on it. As it becomes clear that Rosie and her family’s safety is in jeopardy she finds herself on the run without knowing who exactly she’s running from or to where. As she falls into the web of the schemes and plots of others, Rosie must put her trust in Pip, a shady and much too attractive Feral (the outcasts of society) and his boss Riley, a man who keeps his cards, and true identity, close to his chest.
Rosie soon realizes that the situation is bigger than all of them as they race to Mars to put a stop to actions that could have devastating consequences.
Genesis is the very impressive first book in the Rosie Black Chronicles, Lara Morgan’s first foray into young adult fiction. Morgan’s dystopia paints a bleak picture of a society where the people are on the one hand, living in gleaming skyscrapers, making progress in medicine, technology and the colonization of Mars, yet at the same time the other half are struggling in poverty and desperation.
The story is gripping and complex as we uncover the layers of conspiracy and hidden agendas within Helios and to what extent each character has played a part in these schemes. Genesis at times had a very Hunger Games feel, not just with a strong female like Rosie but also with the author’s no holds barred approach to certain characters.
Like all good villains the one in Genesis is not only not apparent at first, but also has motives that sound logical but are obviously misguided. Our villain is also cold and ruthless, but needed a bit more explanation into what made him so, which will hopefully be seen in the next book.
To balance out the breathless action, we see Rosie as well as Pip battle with their emotions as they come to terms with their pasts and the current circumstance they find themselves in. The relationships between characters felt very organic and believable, and not just in the romantic sense. But, behind Pip’s demeanor and endless, obnoxious flirting could there be real feelings?
Genesis is fabulous novel that takes on the dystopia/sci fi concept and does it well. We have a strong female lead in Rosie and plenty of unresolved issues (and feelings) to take us through to the next book.
The Melt has devastated the earth and sunken all the coastal cities and forced society into a crippling caste system of the haves, “The Centrals” and the have-nots, “The Bankers”. As a Banker, Rosie and her dad struggle to survive after the shattering loss of Rosie’s mother to the MalX disease.
The world as Rosie Black knows it is very different from the one we know today, and the contents of a seemingly harmless little box are about to turn that world upside down.
The box contains a secret, one so incriminating that the powerful Helios corporation will stop at nothing to get back in their possession. But they’re not the only ones who want to get their hands on it. As it becomes clear that Rosie and her family’s safety is in jeopardy she finds herself on the run without knowing who exactly she’s running from or to where. As she falls into the web of the schemes and plots of others, Rosie must put her trust in Pip, a shady and much too attractive Feral (the outcasts of society) and his boss Riley, a man who keeps his cards, and true identity, close to his chest.
Rosie soon realizes that the situation is bigger than all of them as they race to Mars to put a stop to actions that could have devastating consequences.
Genesis is the very impressive first book in the Rosie Black Chronicles, Lara Morgan’s first foray into young adult fiction. Morgan’s dystopia paints a bleak picture of a society where the people are on the one hand, living in gleaming skyscrapers, making progress in medicine, technology and the colonization of Mars, yet at the same time the other half are struggling in poverty and desperation.
The story is gripping and complex as we uncover the layers of conspiracy and hidden agendas within Helios and to what extent each character has played a part in these schemes. Genesis at times had a very Hunger Games feel, not just with a strong female like Rosie but also with the author’s no holds barred approach to certain characters.
Like all good villains the one in Genesis is not only not apparent at first, but also has motives that sound logical but are obviously misguided. Our villain is also cold and ruthless, but needed a bit more explanation into what made him so, which will hopefully be seen in the next book.
To balance out the breathless action, we see Rosie as well as Pip battle with their emotions as they come to terms with their pasts and the current circumstance they find themselves in. The relationships between characters felt very organic and believable, and not just in the romantic sense. But, behind Pip’s demeanor and endless, obnoxious flirting could there be real feelings?
Genesis is fabulous novel that takes on the dystopia/sci fi concept and does it well. We have a strong female lead in Rosie and plenty of unresolved issues (and feelings) to take us through to the next book.
November 4, 2010
I will be reviewing this book in full in the first 2011 edition of Viewpoint journal, however in the meantime, here is a teaser!
I met Lara when I moderated one of her panels at this years AussieCon4 and she spoke about creating the world the The Rosie Black Chronicles are set in. Knowing nothing really about the book at the time (it wasn't out yet) I was intrigued by the concept of the world that Lara had created. This is a futuristic land, clearly set post global warming. Water is a precious commodity and citizens have fallen into the divisions of Centrals (the wealthy) Bankers (the have-nots) and Ferals (self descriptive!).
Rosie Black is a Banker has already lost her mother to the terrible MalX disease, a ravaging sickness that plagues the citizens of earth causing them to die slowly and painfully. Since her mother's death, Rosie has hunted the streets for items of value that she can sell to ensure another days survival for herself and her father. But one day she finds something that has more value to some that Rosie can ever imagine, and she is instantly snared in a web of conspiracy and deceit.
This is quite an energetic book, with strong characters and a carefully plotted setting. There are some moments in the narrative where I felt a touch a predictability, but overall I think this makes a refreshing change from the same same fantasy that is swamping our shelves at the moment. Genesis could potentially see readers swinging back to a more futuristic sci-fi and away from more traditional romantic fantasy.
I met Lara when I moderated one of her panels at this years AussieCon4 and she spoke about creating the world the The Rosie Black Chronicles are set in. Knowing nothing really about the book at the time (it wasn't out yet) I was intrigued by the concept of the world that Lara had created. This is a futuristic land, clearly set post global warming. Water is a precious commodity and citizens have fallen into the divisions of Centrals (the wealthy) Bankers (the have-nots) and Ferals (self descriptive!).
Rosie Black is a Banker has already lost her mother to the terrible MalX disease, a ravaging sickness that plagues the citizens of earth causing them to die slowly and painfully. Since her mother's death, Rosie has hunted the streets for items of value that she can sell to ensure another days survival for herself and her father. But one day she finds something that has more value to some that Rosie can ever imagine, and she is instantly snared in a web of conspiracy and deceit.
This is quite an energetic book, with strong characters and a carefully plotted setting. There are some moments in the narrative where I felt a touch a predictability, but overall I think this makes a refreshing change from the same same fantasy that is swamping our shelves at the moment. Genesis could potentially see readers swinging back to a more futuristic sci-fi and away from more traditional romantic fantasy.
December 11, 2010
A gripping, suspenseful science fiction tale for young adults with a strong Australian feel, I’m betting this one will be a winner. Set in what feels like a future-day Perth (Lara grew up in Western Australia and now lives in Geraldton), with a sidetrip to Mars, Genesis is filled with lots of lovely neologisms like pyroflex and digibook which I can see entering the popular lexicon. I’m putting this on my son’s pile to read – I think he’d enjoy it too.
February 24, 2018
Serinin ilk kitabı olarak çok hoşuma gitti. Acaba daha neler olacak merakla bekliyorum.
June 5, 2015
Rosie Black starts her adventure almost by accident.
Its based 500yrs into the future after the 'Melt' where humans are apt at space travel and have even managed to form colonies on Mars and hotels in space.
Its not really explained what the Melt was but you can figure it has to do with global warming. Society on Earth is still classed according to wealth and Rosie who is from the poor part of town who has a friend, Juli, in the richer part of town like to go poking around the ruins in the outskirts where it a bit dangerous but where small treasures can be found to trade for food/money. This is where Rosie's trouble begins as she finds something that holds a great secret that many people have been looking for.
The story was set up quite well and it was mostly fast paced.
I did find at times the character Rosie to be a bit naive, especially towards the end where she is running from danger and is warned not to do certain things but does them kind of 'without thinking' and then it puts her in further danger and more running. You would think after being on the run for a good portion of the book she would realise that she needs to think before acting.. but ah-well!
There is a hint of romance through out the book, this isn't the main story line and I found that quite refreshing - it meant there was very little self sacrafice for the man/woman you just met and are barely friends with!
It was mostly written from Rosie's point of view but there were some small chapters that were sporadically placed that were from another characters point of view eg. Riley or Pip and I would have liked a bit more to understand where these characters decisions to do what they were doing were coming from. There was also a brand new character, Nerita, thrown in towards the end that maybe should have shown up earlier as I was wondering where she popped up from..
Overall this book was a good read, easy to follow and mostly fast paced.
I think its for readers that enjoyed the 'Uglies' series by Scott Westerfeld as it did have a little bit of that vibe throughout the book.
Its based 500yrs into the future after the 'Melt' where humans are apt at space travel and have even managed to form colonies on Mars and hotels in space.
Its not really explained what the Melt was but you can figure it has to do with global warming. Society on Earth is still classed according to wealth and Rosie who is from the poor part of town who has a friend, Juli, in the richer part of town like to go poking around the ruins in the outskirts where it a bit dangerous but where small treasures can be found to trade for food/money. This is where Rosie's trouble begins as she finds something that holds a great secret that many people have been looking for.
The story was set up quite well and it was mostly fast paced.
I did find at times the character Rosie to be a bit naive, especially towards the end where she is running from danger and is warned not to do certain things but does them kind of 'without thinking' and then it puts her in further danger and more running. You would think after being on the run for a good portion of the book she would realise that she needs to think before acting.. but ah-well!
There is a hint of romance through out the book, this isn't the main story line and I found that quite refreshing - it meant there was very little self sacrafice for the man/woman you just met and are barely friends with!
It was mostly written from Rosie's point of view but there were some small chapters that were sporadically placed that were from another characters point of view eg. Riley or Pip and I would have liked a bit more to understand where these characters decisions to do what they were doing were coming from. There was also a brand new character, Nerita, thrown in towards the end that maybe should have shown up earlier as I was wondering where she popped up from..
Overall this book was a good read, easy to follow and mostly fast paced.
I think its for readers that enjoyed the 'Uglies' series by Scott Westerfeld as it did have a little bit of that vibe throughout the book.
July 30, 2013
Why I decided to read this book:
I decided to read this book because it was recommended to me by a friend and I thought it would be interesting to read as it ties into the topic we have been studying this term; social injustice. The cover also attracted my attention as it was black and white, contrasting the differences in society.
Category:
Despite the fact that I said that this book ties into the social injustice, I decided that his category fits in with 'a science fiction or fantasy book', because it is a futuristic novel with Mars and rockets, etc.
Favourite quote and why:
The best quote in my opinion from Genesis is "for the first time he wished he was back up on Earth. He couldn't think straight up here. This quote really interested me because it showed the contrast and the differentiation of the two planets.
What I learned:
I learned that you shouldn't take things for granted as it says above in the quote above. The full novel, however, also shows that you shouldn't take things for granted because the plot makes it clear about social injustice and how we are lucky right now to all be equal.
Character or setting that was interesting and why:
I found that the setting inside the giant space pod was really interesting because the futuristic theme was different to what I normally read and imagine. The description and the setting inside the pod intrigued me because I don't usually read dystopian fantasy books.
I really liked this book overall but I think that the dystopian fantasy genre put me off a little, although that's really just my taste.
I decided to read this book because it was recommended to me by a friend and I thought it would be interesting to read as it ties into the topic we have been studying this term; social injustice. The cover also attracted my attention as it was black and white, contrasting the differences in society.
Category:
Despite the fact that I said that this book ties into the social injustice, I decided that his category fits in with 'a science fiction or fantasy book', because it is a futuristic novel with Mars and rockets, etc.
Favourite quote and why:
The best quote in my opinion from Genesis is "for the first time he wished he was back up on Earth. He couldn't think straight up here. This quote really interested me because it showed the contrast and the differentiation of the two planets.
What I learned:
I learned that you shouldn't take things for granted as it says above in the quote above. The full novel, however, also shows that you shouldn't take things for granted because the plot makes it clear about social injustice and how we are lucky right now to all be equal.
Character or setting that was interesting and why:
I found that the setting inside the giant space pod was really interesting because the futuristic theme was different to what I normally read and imagine. The description and the setting inside the pod intrigued me because I don't usually read dystopian fantasy books.
I really liked this book overall but I think that the dystopian fantasy genre put me off a little, although that's really just my taste.
Read
June 12, 2011Being a huge fan of all things dystopian I absolutely adored Genesis. It is such a great read.
I loved Rosie and she is such a kick-butt chick. I could definitely read more books about her, which I look forward to doing so.
I loved Pip, he was a very cool guy and I just loved him too.
I think the idea that global warming has already happened in Genesis was a really interesting twist and just the entire idea about water being scarce seems kinda scary and completely new.
I think it was also nice to read a book set in Australia as so many of the books I read these days are set in the Northern Hemisphere.
I definitely recommend Genesis for those of you who are fans of the dystopian genre. It’s well worth a read.
I loved Rosie and she is such a kick-butt chick. I could definitely read more books about her, which I look forward to doing so.
I loved Pip, he was a very cool guy and I just loved him too.
I think the idea that global warming has already happened in Genesis was a really interesting twist and just the entire idea about water being scarce seems kinda scary and completely new.
I think it was also nice to read a book set in Australia as so many of the books I read these days are set in the Northern Hemisphere.
I definitely recommend Genesis for those of you who are fans of the dystopian genre. It’s well worth a read.
January 31, 2013
This book was a great book if there weren't so many try-hard YA comments that made the book awkward and laughably funny. Indirect Quote (I can't be bothered finding it) "I bet he (Pip) was putting on all that hand-holding stuff anyway" Now, who would say that at the age of 16? Also, if you're reading this book to read about a futuristic society, don't bother because you won't find anything past the blurb.
March 22, 2011
BEST..........BOOK..........EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I need the next book so badly.
I thought it was the best written book about the future ever and that if I could possibly pick one of my favourite books to be given an award, it would be this one!
I need the next book so badly.
I thought it was the best written book about the future ever and that if I could possibly pick one of my favourite books to be given an award, it would be this one!
September 3, 2017
Welcome to the city of Newperth, a futuristic version of present-day Perth in Australia. The oceans have risen, the gap between the haves (the Centrals) and the have-nots (the Bankers) has widened dramatically and the homeless (the Ferals) are pretty much as they are today, misunderstood and shunned. Rosie Black is a Banker but she goes to a Central school thanks to her aunt Essie’s charity and dreams of being a space pilot just like her aunt.
One day when she’s exploring the ruins of the Old City with her Central friend, Juli, Rosie finds a box with a mysterious logo on it and some mysterious contents in it, including a comkey. When they plug it into the comnet at Juli’s house, it tells them a beacon has been activated and a retrieval team is on the way. Rosie yanks it out of the comnet but it’s too late. The events of the novel have already been triggered.
Rosie knows her aunt can help but she’s in space and not due back until the next day so she has to just wait. She escapes the clutches of Ferals Riley and Pip, who know she has the box, and makes it home in time to escape the clutches of Helios, another set of baddies, but then witnesses her father being attacked and dragged away. And after she finds out Juli and her whole family have died in a mysterious explosion at their home where the comkey was plugged into the comnet. Suddenly, Rosie is the key player in a story that really has nothing to do with her.
That’s how it feels for the whole novel. If Rosie wasn’t there, the reader would have barely noticed her absence. She’s not particularly interesting and her skills aren’t really required. The same story could have played out with her presence at all. Essie, Riley and Pip are the far more interesting characters and yet they exist only on the sidelines.
In fact, the same story has played out without Rosie plenty of times before. The plot is derivative and felt like a lot of other stories I’ve read before mashed together in an effort to make it feel new. It’s a young adult, sci-fi, adventure, romance hybrid and doesn’t do justice to any of those genres.
The romance is clichéd and awfully reminiscent of an eighties Mills & Boon. The sci-fi is so-so. The adventure involves an awful lot of running away. The young adult components are the most successful but struck me as uninventive, unoriginal, sometimes inappropriate and a little bit ho-hum. Despite Rosie being in constant danger, it’s amazing how much time she devotes to thinking about Pip and how much she likes/hates/likes/hates/likes him depending on whether he’s helping or betraying her. And when he has to strip off his shirt to bandage her sprained ankle, it was just a little too contrived.
But, of course, I’m not the demographic of the intended audience. I don’t think it should matter – a good book is a good book regardless – but all of the issues I had with the book will probably be overlooked by a teenage audience who don’t overanalyse these things.
Genesis is the first book in a trilogy and I think it suffers from something that many planned trilogies do – the writer not spending enough time focused on writing just one great book. If a sequel and then a third book to make a trilogy are warranted, it should be decided by the insistence of the readers who loved the first book. But when writers decide from the start that they want to write a three-book series, a lot is held back for the second and third books, usually to the detriment of the first. That sense came through here.
Still, it’s readable. A couple more rewrites, the elimination of a character or two and giving those left some more complex motivations and it could have been great instead of okay. The cover art and design is brilliant, not something I usually comment on, but just too perfect not to mention, stark and beautiful at the same time.
In a few words: best left for teenagers.
One day when she’s exploring the ruins of the Old City with her Central friend, Juli, Rosie finds a box with a mysterious logo on it and some mysterious contents in it, including a comkey. When they plug it into the comnet at Juli’s house, it tells them a beacon has been activated and a retrieval team is on the way. Rosie yanks it out of the comnet but it’s too late. The events of the novel have already been triggered.
Rosie knows her aunt can help but she’s in space and not due back until the next day so she has to just wait. She escapes the clutches of Ferals Riley and Pip, who know she has the box, and makes it home in time to escape the clutches of Helios, another set of baddies, but then witnesses her father being attacked and dragged away. And after she finds out Juli and her whole family have died in a mysterious explosion at their home where the comkey was plugged into the comnet. Suddenly, Rosie is the key player in a story that really has nothing to do with her.
That’s how it feels for the whole novel. If Rosie wasn’t there, the reader would have barely noticed her absence. She’s not particularly interesting and her skills aren’t really required. The same story could have played out with her presence at all. Essie, Riley and Pip are the far more interesting characters and yet they exist only on the sidelines.
In fact, the same story has played out without Rosie plenty of times before. The plot is derivative and felt like a lot of other stories I’ve read before mashed together in an effort to make it feel new. It’s a young adult, sci-fi, adventure, romance hybrid and doesn’t do justice to any of those genres.
The romance is clichéd and awfully reminiscent of an eighties Mills & Boon. The sci-fi is so-so. The adventure involves an awful lot of running away. The young adult components are the most successful but struck me as uninventive, unoriginal, sometimes inappropriate and a little bit ho-hum. Despite Rosie being in constant danger, it’s amazing how much time she devotes to thinking about Pip and how much she likes/hates/likes/hates/likes him depending on whether he’s helping or betraying her. And when he has to strip off his shirt to bandage her sprained ankle, it was just a little too contrived.
But, of course, I’m not the demographic of the intended audience. I don’t think it should matter – a good book is a good book regardless – but all of the issues I had with the book will probably be overlooked by a teenage audience who don’t overanalyse these things.
Genesis is the first book in a trilogy and I think it suffers from something that many planned trilogies do – the writer not spending enough time focused on writing just one great book. If a sequel and then a third book to make a trilogy are warranted, it should be decided by the insistence of the readers who loved the first book. But when writers decide from the start that they want to write a three-book series, a lot is held back for the second and third books, usually to the detriment of the first. That sense came through here.
Still, it’s readable. A couple more rewrites, the elimination of a character or two and giving those left some more complex motivations and it could have been great instead of okay. The cover art and design is brilliant, not something I usually comment on, but just too perfect not to mention, stark and beautiful at the same time.
In a few words: best left for teenagers.
January 28, 2018
Barely a few pages in, and already a fat phobic joke. Also the main character is stupid and annoying. The boy with dreadlocks and flat nose, which seems to me a thinly veiled reference to indigenous people in Australia, was also annoying. The thin veiled reference makes this book slightly racist and like seriously, Aussie writers are just so bad. They’re just so many notches below what passes as okay writing in the rest of the world. Why does Australia have such low standards for everything?
Anything set in an Aussie dystopia, that doesn’t even acknowledge and understand the role of indigenous people and how come a dystopia they’ll be the ones leading us cos they actually know how to live on this land-is just stupid.
Like this book, it’s characters and it’s author.
Anything set in an Aussie dystopia, that doesn’t even acknowledge and understand the role of indigenous people and how come a dystopia they’ll be the ones leading us cos they actually know how to live on this land-is just stupid.
Like this book, it’s characters and it’s author.
October 11, 2022
The premise was good but the execution was - okay.
There were a lot of repeated words and spelling and grammar mistakes throughout which got really annoying by the time I was half way through the book. I had no clue how old the main character was supposed to be and some of the events that happened were a bit ridiculous in terms of their relation to the storyline.
Like a lot of YA books, there was too much that was too good to be true.
It wasn't awful but it wasn't something I thought was amazing. The writing was mediocre but the world was somewhat intriguing.
I only really read this as I had nothing else and I don't recommend unless you're a 13 year old die hard dystopia fan.
There were a lot of repeated words and spelling and grammar mistakes throughout which got really annoying by the time I was half way through the book. I had no clue how old the main character was supposed to be and some of the events that happened were a bit ridiculous in terms of their relation to the storyline.
Like a lot of YA books, there was too much that was too good to be true.
It wasn't awful but it wasn't something I thought was amazing. The writing was mediocre but the world was somewhat intriguing.
I only really read this as I had nothing else and I don't recommend unless you're a 13 year old die hard dystopia fan.
June 7, 2021
Definitely teen fiction with the style of writing simple and naive. I wonder about some major plot points - why would anyone do that!? - but the action moves quickly and the characters were quite well developed. Read in one day.
July 19, 2017
very intriguing, i couldn't put it down
February 21, 2019
I read this waiting for Morgan's sequal to come out for her dragon series and didn't enjoy it nearly as much.
March 10, 2019
It was readable. Characters were unlikable and boring. Pip sucks. Rosie sucks. Also, too much plot armour.
August 28, 2019
Started off strongly, then I found it hard to finish. Still I will try and find the second book to see what happens to Rosie.
December 16, 2023
This is an excellent series. All three books are well paced and compelling reading. If someone doesn't make movies of these one day, the world will be missing out! An utterly believable future world, great action, and characters.
February 15, 2014
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I dislike the characters so much. I know this is awful but I have an automatic repulsion whenever it comes to dreadlocks. The look of them, the smell of them, the way they feel. Pair that with a dude with dreadlocks down to his waist (which is how I imagined Pip, I'm not 100 percent if that's accurate or not) and I just felt disgusted. And then he was flirting with everything and I just felt like vomiting.
But Pip's dreadlocks are not the worst part. The worst part of this book was the fact that most of the characters were unlikable, probably because they all felt hollow, devoid of personality, one-dimensional. The most well-developed character was Rosie's father and he had a very small part to play in the story. Rosie, the MC, started off well. She seemed pretty interesting and so did her friend. I think their friendship despite their class differences would have been an interesting place to take the story, and yet Lara Morgan just doesn't go there. In fact, we pretty much just jump straight into the action. It's plot, plot, plot from the very beginning and it never seems to stop. Overall, there was just too much going on. If it had been taken slower, the twists and turns reduced a bit, and some time spent developing the setting and the characters this could have been an interesting, possibly even a great story. Instead it was just cheap thrill after cheap thrill and I felt bored most of the time in the second half of the book. I just didn't care about any of them.
To be fair though, the first half of the book was so promising. I enjoyed it quite a lot, even if I wasn't that into the writing style. But then when Rosie started to have feelings for Pip, I was thinking "this is just absurd". I mean seriously, who actually has time to develop feelings for some random boy when the lives of your family members are in danger? It just doesn't stack up for me. Wouldn't you be so busy trying to figure out the situation, being in shock, feeling traumatised, that you wouldn't really be able to worry about someone's blue eyes and whether they were standing too close to you? Psychologically, it just doesn't stack up for me. It doesn't mean it's not possible or that it doesn't happen. Maybe it does, I don't know. But for me personally, I don't think it would work like that and so I just can't relate. This isn't just a problem with this book though. It's a problem in a lot of young adult sci-fi that I've read. It's like a romance and/or some sort of teen angst regarding a member of the opposite sex is expected regardless of how ridiculous it actually is.
So, I wouldn't recommend this book. Although I am sort of half way tempted to find out what happens in the next book but I'm not really sure if I'd read it.
I'm not sure I've ever read a book where I dislike the characters so much. I know this is awful but I have an automatic repulsion whenever it comes to dreadlocks. The look of them, the smell of them, the way they feel. Pair that with a dude with dreadlocks down to his waist (which is how I imagined Pip, I'm not 100 percent if that's accurate or not) and I just felt disgusted. And then he was flirting with everything and I just felt like vomiting.
But Pip's dreadlocks are not the worst part. The worst part of this book was the fact that most of the characters were unlikable, probably because they all felt hollow, devoid of personality, one-dimensional. The most well-developed character was Rosie's father and he had a very small part to play in the story. Rosie, the MC, started off well. She seemed pretty interesting and so did her friend. I think their friendship despite their class differences would have been an interesting place to take the story, and yet Lara Morgan just doesn't go there. In fact, we pretty much just jump straight into the action. It's plot, plot, plot from the very beginning and it never seems to stop. Overall, there was just too much going on. If it had been taken slower, the twists and turns reduced a bit, and some time spent developing the setting and the characters this could have been an interesting, possibly even a great story. Instead it was just cheap thrill after cheap thrill and I felt bored most of the time in the second half of the book. I just didn't care about any of them.
To be fair though, the first half of the book was so promising. I enjoyed it quite a lot, even if I wasn't that into the writing style. But then when Rosie started to have feelings for Pip, I was thinking "this is just absurd". I mean seriously, who actually has time to develop feelings for some random boy when the lives of your family members are in danger? It just doesn't stack up for me. Wouldn't you be so busy trying to figure out the situation, being in shock, feeling traumatised, that you wouldn't really be able to worry about someone's blue eyes and whether they were standing too close to you? Psychologically, it just doesn't stack up for me. It doesn't mean it's not possible or that it doesn't happen. Maybe it does, I don't know. But for me personally, I don't think it would work like that and so I just can't relate. This isn't just a problem with this book though. It's a problem in a lot of young adult sci-fi that I've read. It's like a romance and/or some sort of teen angst regarding a member of the opposite sex is expected regardless of how ridiculous it actually is.
So, I wouldn't recommend this book. Although I am sort of half way tempted to find out what happens in the next book but I'm not really sure if I'd read it.
March 14, 2012
'Five Hundred Years Into The Future' and the world has changed. Society is segmented into the 'Centrals', those living with all the conveniences money can buy, the 'Bankers', those living on the banks of the river and barely getting by, and the 'Ferals', those who live wild with nothing but there wits to sustain them. Though different in many ways they all have one thing in common, anyone of them is susceptible to the deadly MalX, get bitten from the wrong mosquito and there is no cure only death.
Living on the banks, Rosie knows all to well the dangers of MalX.She watched her mother die from the disease, the mutated strain that Mother Nature threw down upon the world. That was why she was always careful in her expeditions to the old city, the dangers not being enough to keep her away from her explorations, besides the items she found she sold and they desperately needed the money. But when she found the box, the dark blue metal box with its distinct and somehow familiar icon stamped onto the lid, she knew what she had found was special, what she didn't know was just how many lives were going to be lost because of what she uncovers inside.
Pip wasn't always a feral, all but homeless with only his wits and a fear of the deadly MalX to drive him. He may be nothing but a feral now but was smart and he had a plan for the future, besides being a feral had its advantages too. He was all but invisible to the world and could therefore go places, find out things that others could not, and others were willing to pay for skills like that, others that were restricted by there place in society. Pip got by on the jobs his bosses gave him, but when asked to go after a girl and a box, he had no idea just how life changing that task would be, and not just for him.
Genesis takes you on a journey from the banks of Newperth through the blackness of space all the way to the Genesis colony on Mars. Having triggered a chain of events that will spark an explosive revelation, Rosie and Pip are drawn deep into a mystery that leaves death in its wake. Through the many layers of deceit and deadly encounters they will uncover a truth but at a great cost. For Rosie it was only ever about saving her family, for Pip is was about loyalty to the only family he had left, but when both are betrayed and hundreds of innocent lives become at risk it becomes about surviving long enough to expose the truth.
Living on the banks, Rosie knows all to well the dangers of MalX.She watched her mother die from the disease, the mutated strain that Mother Nature threw down upon the world. That was why she was always careful in her expeditions to the old city, the dangers not being enough to keep her away from her explorations, besides the items she found she sold and they desperately needed the money. But when she found the box, the dark blue metal box with its distinct and somehow familiar icon stamped onto the lid, she knew what she had found was special, what she didn't know was just how many lives were going to be lost because of what she uncovers inside.
Pip wasn't always a feral, all but homeless with only his wits and a fear of the deadly MalX to drive him. He may be nothing but a feral now but was smart and he had a plan for the future, besides being a feral had its advantages too. He was all but invisible to the world and could therefore go places, find out things that others could not, and others were willing to pay for skills like that, others that were restricted by there place in society. Pip got by on the jobs his bosses gave him, but when asked to go after a girl and a box, he had no idea just how life changing that task would be, and not just for him.
Genesis takes you on a journey from the banks of Newperth through the blackness of space all the way to the Genesis colony on Mars. Having triggered a chain of events that will spark an explosive revelation, Rosie and Pip are drawn deep into a mystery that leaves death in its wake. Through the many layers of deceit and deadly encounters they will uncover a truth but at a great cost. For Rosie it was only ever about saving her family, for Pip is was about loyalty to the only family he had left, but when both are betrayed and hundreds of innocent lives become at risk it becomes about surviving long enough to expose the truth.
May 22, 2011
Genesis is quite an interesting book. It definitely wasn’t what I had expected in reading it but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
I thought that Genesis would be a mystery with a dystopian/post-apocalyptic twist. I had thought that there would be a lot of world building and explanations for what had happened over the 500 years between now and then. You’re actually not given that much information on it. In reading the description I thought that quite a main part of the plot would be that water is scarce but it actually wasn’t.
Genesis is actually more of a getting into the action with a little bit of character building sort of book. You get little bits of clues about the world and you’re told about some of the things but there isn’t a lot of background into the world and its aspects. It doesn’t detract from the story any either.
Rosie is a pretty kick-ass character and I loved that she was tough and didn’t let people push her around or stop her from doing whatever it takes to rescue her family. I also liked Essie. I have to say that Lara Morgan does an awesome job at writing strong, independent female characters. Not to say that there weren’t some great male characters too; because there were. Pip was one such character, he was quite mysterious and I wondered about him quite a lot. I also liked Riley. I loved how both Pip and Riley were characters that you aren’t sure about for quite a lot of the book.
On a completely different note, I’m not sure if it was just my copy of the book or the edition of the book I had but I kept getting distracted from reading the book because it smelt so good! Maybe I’m just a little odd but the paper smelt amazing.
I’m really interested in reading the next book in the series because I want more Rosie, more Essie, more Riley, more Pip and more of their world. So I will definitely be on the lookout for Equinox which I believe may be out later this year. Not too sure though. Fingers crossed I’m right though.
Needless to say, Genesis is a really interesting book. If you’re a fan of dystopian sorts of novels then I think this one might be right up your alley. Not to mention that Lara Morgan is an Australian author so it adds a little bit of something different. So definitely check it out!
I thought that Genesis would be a mystery with a dystopian/post-apocalyptic twist. I had thought that there would be a lot of world building and explanations for what had happened over the 500 years between now and then. You’re actually not given that much information on it. In reading the description I thought that quite a main part of the plot would be that water is scarce but it actually wasn’t.
Genesis is actually more of a getting into the action with a little bit of character building sort of book. You get little bits of clues about the world and you’re told about some of the things but there isn’t a lot of background into the world and its aspects. It doesn’t detract from the story any either.
Rosie is a pretty kick-ass character and I loved that she was tough and didn’t let people push her around or stop her from doing whatever it takes to rescue her family. I also liked Essie. I have to say that Lara Morgan does an awesome job at writing strong, independent female characters. Not to say that there weren’t some great male characters too; because there were. Pip was one such character, he was quite mysterious and I wondered about him quite a lot. I also liked Riley. I loved how both Pip and Riley were characters that you aren’t sure about for quite a lot of the book.
On a completely different note, I’m not sure if it was just my copy of the book or the edition of the book I had but I kept getting distracted from reading the book because it smelt so good! Maybe I’m just a little odd but the paper smelt amazing.
I’m really interested in reading the next book in the series because I want more Rosie, more Essie, more Riley, more Pip and more of their world. So I will definitely be on the lookout for Equinox which I believe may be out later this year. Not too sure though. Fingers crossed I’m right though.
Needless to say, Genesis is a really interesting book. If you’re a fan of dystopian sorts of novels then I think this one might be right up your alley. Not to mention that Lara Morgan is an Australian author so it adds a little bit of something different. So definitely check it out!
December 31, 2014
Space and Mars aren't usually my thing but when it comes to Genesis, it turns out that doesn't really matter. In fact, that setting, along with Earth is what made this book all the more thrilling. Set 500 years into the future, enough humans have settled down on Mars that children are already born on that planet. Pip is one of them, which makes him stand out among the Ferals on Earth, although not any less menacing to Rosie, a Banker.
Since I don't generally read books set in outer space, Genesis obviously offered something very different for me. I also appreciated that the setting wasn't a gimmick but rather added to the plot as a whole. Written from a third-person omniscient view, I thought the characters needed to all be well-developed. Lara Morgan did not disappoint. Rosie is a believable character who as brave as she is, depends on the guidance of her elders, particularly her Aunt Essie. Pip in a way represents the typical brooding type, yet never fails to be full of surprises. Mr Yuang is a mysterious man who charming as a is, has many secrets to hide. Not to be outdone, Riley has many secrets of his own, making it difficult at first to pick any side, be it as Rosie or as the reader.
Throughout the book, I was completely kept on my toes. Although by the time I was done, I was convinced that Lara Morgan is a fan of Murphy's Law. Anything that could go wrong, just had to go wrong, so that was a bit much for me. I like happy books but sadly they don't build up as much tension. So I do have to concede, this is what builds conflict and that is why I couldn't stop reading. I had to know how they all would work through these obstacles to reach their goals.
I feel like I should say more but I've already jumped right into the next book in the trilogy, so I don't want to accidentally spill any spoilers. All I can say is, do try to pick up this book if you can. It might be difficult to find for those not living in Australia but hunting it down is well worth the extra effort!
This review is also available on dudettereads.com.
Since I don't generally read books set in outer space, Genesis obviously offered something very different for me. I also appreciated that the setting wasn't a gimmick but rather added to the plot as a whole. Written from a third-person omniscient view, I thought the characters needed to all be well-developed. Lara Morgan did not disappoint. Rosie is a believable character who as brave as she is, depends on the guidance of her elders, particularly her Aunt Essie. Pip in a way represents the typical brooding type, yet never fails to be full of surprises. Mr Yuang is a mysterious man who charming as a is, has many secrets to hide. Not to be outdone, Riley has many secrets of his own, making it difficult at first to pick any side, be it as Rosie or as the reader.
Throughout the book, I was completely kept on my toes. Although by the time I was done, I was convinced that Lara Morgan is a fan of Murphy's Law. Anything that could go wrong, just had to go wrong, so that was a bit much for me. I like happy books but sadly they don't build up as much tension. So I do have to concede, this is what builds conflict and that is why I couldn't stop reading. I had to know how they all would work through these obstacles to reach their goals.
I feel like I should say more but I've already jumped right into the next book in the trilogy, so I don't want to accidentally spill any spoilers. All I can say is, do try to pick up this book if you can. It might be difficult to find for those not living in Australia but hunting it down is well worth the extra effort!
This review is also available on dudettereads.com.
June 24, 2012
A refreshingly realistic book in a genre that is anything but realistic
I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I decided to read this book. I was expecting some sort of Hunger Games rip off or something similar to 1984. Instead I was surprised to find that this book, Genesis by Lara Morgan, is a hardcore sci-fi. And by hardcore I mean, jetting to mars, wearing space suits and using awesome technologies with strange names. I can’t remember the last time I’ve read a book as refreshing as this. It wasn’t trying to be a romance novel, although it did have some in it, and it wasn’t trying to latch onto the uber popular fantasy genre. It was just a really interesting science fiction novel and I found that so cool.
Set five hundred years in the future, the story focuses around a girl who finds a mystery box and key. The girl, Rosie, is a “Banker”, a lower middle class citizen who struggles to get everything she needs. After accidentally unlocking a secret computer program, an evil organization is out to get the box and key. And they’ll do anything to get them. Rosie is forced to rely on two strangers and she must decide who she can trust. Rosie goes to out of space, to an awesome theme park like place where there is zero gravity, and she travels around her city, NewPerth. The setting and technology is equally as interesting as the story itself.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves the science fiction and action genres and isn’t as interested in the romance and friendship genres. Or someone who wants to be adventurous and try a new genre. Whilst there is some romance it is most definitely not the main focus. Possibly in the next book it will be a bigger deal.
60/100
I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I decided to read this book. I was expecting some sort of Hunger Games rip off or something similar to 1984. Instead I was surprised to find that this book, Genesis by Lara Morgan, is a hardcore sci-fi. And by hardcore I mean, jetting to mars, wearing space suits and using awesome technologies with strange names. I can’t remember the last time I’ve read a book as refreshing as this. It wasn’t trying to be a romance novel, although it did have some in it, and it wasn’t trying to latch onto the uber popular fantasy genre. It was just a really interesting science fiction novel and I found that so cool.
Set five hundred years in the future, the story focuses around a girl who finds a mystery box and key. The girl, Rosie, is a “Banker”, a lower middle class citizen who struggles to get everything she needs. After accidentally unlocking a secret computer program, an evil organization is out to get the box and key. And they’ll do anything to get them. Rosie is forced to rely on two strangers and she must decide who she can trust. Rosie goes to out of space, to an awesome theme park like place where there is zero gravity, and she travels around her city, NewPerth. The setting and technology is equally as interesting as the story itself.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves the science fiction and action genres and isn’t as interested in the romance and friendship genres. Or someone who wants to be adventurous and try a new genre. Whilst there is some romance it is most definitely not the main focus. Possibly in the next book it will be a bigger deal.
60/100
July 27, 2015
I didn't expect to like this one, but I did - there was space travel and conspiracy theory, which I'm always a fan of, and though it took a little while to warm up and for the real story to get going, once it did, the plot was well-paced and interesting. The plot is great - which I won't say much of, because it's good to read not knowing what will happen next - and despite serious subject matter it's a lot of fun. I think the novel's weaknesses mainly lie in character development - on occasion, the dialogue and character behaviour becomes a little unbelievable.
This is perhaps related to my overall dislike of third person (I mean, really, it's just so impersonal. I want to know what everyone is thinking in great detail.), but I felt that particular events that should have been very significant and emotional for Rosie were brushed over and she seemed in parts a bit emotionally detached. However, it is a far more plot-driven rather than character-driven novel, and it remained pacy and enjoyable and mostly realistic (well, you know, for a novel that's set in the distant future and partly in space!).
Overall, it's an enjoyable, fast-paced read, and though it's sci-fi it's not so hardcore that teen readers who are not fans of sci-fi won't be able to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series! It's definitely worth picking up if the blurb sounds interesting to you.
This is perhaps related to my overall dislike of third person (I mean, really, it's just so impersonal. I want to know what everyone is thinking in great detail.), but I felt that particular events that should have been very significant and emotional for Rosie were brushed over and she seemed in parts a bit emotionally detached. However, it is a far more plot-driven rather than character-driven novel, and it remained pacy and enjoyable and mostly realistic (well, you know, for a novel that's set in the distant future and partly in space!).
Overall, it's an enjoyable, fast-paced read, and though it's sci-fi it's not so hardcore that teen readers who are not fans of sci-fi won't be able to enjoy it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series! It's definitely worth picking up if the blurb sounds interesting to you.
February 15, 2018
I just re-read this for the first time since it came out to decide if I want to continue the series. I am from Perth and I love supporting local authors so I was pretty excited when I found this book in 2010. Unfortunately re-reading has not changed my original opinion of the book and I won't be continuing with the series. I loved the setting of Newperth, but the second half of the book loses some appeal for me. I thought the 'sci-fi elements weren't as strong, and many aspects of the world building didn't really work. However my real issues with the book come from the characters. The main character Rosie seemed to know nothing until it was convenient for her to be skilled at everything and her reactions seemed off. Pip was written as a person of colour without any identity, I read him as an Indigenous Australian and I wish there had been some mention of Australia's first people in this story. I also read Aunt Essie as a Lesbian, but then there was a weird romantic moment with a guy for no reason that went no where. I feel like Australia of the future would probably have some queer people somewhere. I could talk about this book for a while but I will leave it there. Overall it was good to see this style of book set in Australia, but it just feels like the story could have done so much more.
January 16, 2011
Genesis is a very nice opening novel for a series by Aussie Author Lara Morgan.
The first thing that struck me: the writing. I loved Morgan's descriptions! They painted an image right in my head and I never lost the image, either. It flowed well and the plot itself was not only original, terrifying (based off Global Warming slightly), but also rather brilliant. I felt Rosie's pain and her happiness. Though sometimes I didn't feel or understand her emotions; but hey, what can you do when ya disagree?
The part that lacks in Genesis are the characters themselves.
Rosie is the MC and she's great, well-rounded character. In fact, all of our characters that are important are extremely well rounded. It's just that the characters actions didn't really meet up well with their personality. Also, their motives at times weren't very clear and their actions unbelievable.
Genesis was also very fast paced and action packed. There wasn't really a moment when I felt like I was going to fall asleep in this novel. It was amazing.
A great YA debut and an opening novel for the Rosie Black Chronicels.
The first thing that struck me: the writing. I loved Morgan's descriptions! They painted an image right in my head and I never lost the image, either. It flowed well and the plot itself was not only original, terrifying (based off Global Warming slightly), but also rather brilliant. I felt Rosie's pain and her happiness. Though sometimes I didn't feel or understand her emotions; but hey, what can you do when ya disagree?
The part that lacks in Genesis are the characters themselves.
Rosie is the MC and she's great, well-rounded character. In fact, all of our characters that are important are extremely well rounded. It's just that the characters actions didn't really meet up well with their personality. Also, their motives at times weren't very clear and their actions unbelievable.
Genesis was also very fast paced and action packed. There wasn't really a moment when I felt like I was going to fall asleep in this novel. It was amazing.
A great YA debut and an opening novel for the Rosie Black Chronicels.
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