Move over Bond and Alex Rider, Evan Boyd is here.
Before I post my thoughts on this, I have to thank the author, Benjamin Shaw, for reaching out to me on Goodreads and sending me a copy of this first in the series. I’m sorry it took me a while to get round to reading it…and, having just finished it, I’m keen to read more.
It would be easy to dismiss Operation Hurricane as a book that’s been done before. Teen hero, spies, gadgets and the like all feature so it does feel as if we’re in familiar territory. However, at no point reading this did I feel I was reading the same old story.
The last thing I want to do is give details away – this definitely works better not knowing much about what’s coming. Our story begins explosively, and the pacing of the chapters rarely lets up. I loved the sci-fi element of this, and the way the various strands were combined certainly sets up intrigue for later books in the series.
Inevitably, perhaps, Boyd will be compared to that other well-known teen spy. They certainly both show courage in the face of danger and are put in unenviable positions. However, Boyd is a snarky teen who often makes really silly decisions. He has not been trained from birth for this role…and just because he’s important doesn’t let him off his friends telling him when he’s out of order. Aside from the use of Facebook to communicate (don’t know many 15 year olds using it), I really liked the friendship between Boyd and his rather unwilling partner.
During the time I was reading there was rarely time to pause for breath. Everything happens fast…but there was still time to slot in details about certain characters that didn’t make complete sense at the time but was actually crucial to explaining the concept that seems to be driving the book. The villains are dangerous, and not too prone to gloating before being shown up, but it seems that sometimes those most dangerous are those closest to us.