Review: Six Days - Philip Webb

For Cass and Wilbur, the life of a Scav is all they have ever known - ransacking what's left of London for a lost relic that no one, not even their new masters, has ever seen.

But when two strangers from another time arrive, scavving will never be the same again.

Buried beneath the rubble is something waiting to be found - with the power to begin and end life on Earth.

They have six days to find it.

Visit the Six Days website for more information






Review:
London may have been emptied of life because chemical warfare but it is the Scavs who are tearing it to pieces.  Under the orders of the Vlads (their new Russian leaders) the Scavs are destroying everything one brick at a time as they search for a mysterious artifact.  No one knows what this artifact looks like or what it can be used for but they know they have to find it if they want the Vlads to leave them in peace.  Cass and Wilbur have grown up helping with the search but it is only when they meet a pair of mysterious strangers that they realise just how important the artifact is.  Now they have only 6 days left to find it, and if they don't it will mean the end of the world.

When I first picked up Six Days I was expecting a dystopian story but it came as a pleasant surprise to find that it is also science fiction - I loved the mixture of the two genres.  Although the story works well as a stand alone I'd be interested in revisiting this world again so I won't be disappointed if I find out there will be a sequel.

Cass is someone I liked from the first page, I loved her cockney accent although I can see that this could be harder for someone not familiar with her way of speech to get used to at first.  It was fun watching the confusion her accent causes when she first meets Peyto, he spends quite a lot of time not having a clue what she is talking about so it's lucky her little brother Wilbur is there to translate for them.  Cass is plucky, brave and very protective of Wilbur, she is also intelligent and uses her skills to keep her brother safe.  In a lot of ways Wilbur is her opposite, he has a different way of looking at things and has always been a bit of a dreamer spending much of his time in his own little world.  Cass often things of him as a little bit simple but as the story progresses you get to see just how smart really is.

It took me a few chapters to get hooked but once the story had it's claws in me I didn't want to put it down.  It's action packed and compelling and a story I'd highly recommend to both dystopian and science fiction fans.  Although the story is aimed at younger readers it has plenty for older teens and adults to enjoy too.  A great debut from Philip Webb & I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Source: Received from Chicken House in exchange for an honest review

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