Reviewed by Tzipporah Tiffenright
The Silent Invasion:
The Change Trilogy 1
by James Bradley
Pan Macmillan Australia
ISBN: 9781743549896, 28/03/2017, 300pp, $9.99
In a world of the near future, a different Earth suffers from a new ordeal. Since teenager Callie has been six, the world has changed drastically due to the glowing fungi called the Change, which alters the biology of plants, animals and humans and absorbs them into an enormous alien intelligence.
Since Callie’s father Changed, her only comfort has been her little sister Gracie, but when she starts to Change too, Callie makes the choice to run away with her, taking a chance to save her sister. Heading to the Zone where Quarantine can’t reach them, she meets people along the way who she must choose to trust or escape from.
Interwoven into this intense sci fi experience, there are very interesting messages, like on page 174, Callie makes a revelation, “The thought ran through me like ice- was it possible everybody was this way underneath, that this madness was always there, in all of us, just beneath the surface?”
Callie’s character is very insightful and from her perspective in the book, she describes the world with similes and personifications, creating and painting beautiful or terrible images. It shows the world in all its beauty and horror through the words on a page, but seems so much more than that.
In this game of fleeing, Callie and Gracie must risk everything, not knowing that their lives are on a knife’s edge, about to change forever. The stars hold the answers and Callie’s path will lead her there, and beyond, away from everything’s ever known.
This book has changed me, reminding me that anything could happen each day. But the lesson to learn is that every day we have to be happy and strong, follow your dreams and live. Just live. I cannot wait to read the sequel, as its cliff hanger ending shook me!
About the reviewer: Tzipporah Tiffenright, often known as Zippie, has loved writing and reading all her life. Libraries are a second home to her, along with Young People’s Theatre which houses her love for drama. She goes to a performing arts high school where she focuses on drama, but tap dances, plays piano, writes songs and sings. Zippie’s singing group, with her sister and mother, are called Songlarks and perform regularly. Follow Songlarks on Instagram for updates on gigs and performances @songlarks_
Zippie published her first book at 8, through her great uncle’s publishing company, The Maitland Press, and has published 3 more since, with her fifth book coming soon and another stand-alone being written. In year 7, she came first in her year for English, she loves writing book reviews and is thirteen years old. Recently, she has launched her new student newsletter.