Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Roar: A New Future is About to Exp
The Roar: A New Future is About to Exp
The Roar: A New Future is About to Exp
Audiobook12 hours

The Roar: A New Future is About to Exp

Written by Emma Clayton

Narrated by Jane Collingwood

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Twelve-year old twins, Mika and Ellie, live in a future behind a wall - safe from the plague animals beyond. Or so they've been told. But when one of them disappears, and the other takes part in a sinister virtual reality game, they begin to discover their concrete world is built on lies. Determined to find each other again, they go in search of the truth. And as a strange sound in their heads grows to a roar, they find out that children and the planet have never mattered more...
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 1, 2009
ISBN9781407433332
The Roar: A New Future is About to Exp

Related to The Roar

Related audiobooks

Children's Science Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Roar

Rating: 3.853801274853801 out of 5 stars
4/5

171 ratings24 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the not-too-distant future, there is an animal plague, causing people to hide behind high walls for protection. It is overcrowded, and nature has been destroyed. Mika's twin sister has disappeared, and he believes she has been abducted. Then all the 12 and 13 year olds are forced to start taking special vitamins and competing in a special arcade game.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoyed reading it very much, even though I think there are some pretty major plot holes. I certainly hope it has a sequel, because it ended in a supremely unresolved state. In fact, if she can pull off resolving it believably, I will be profoundly impressed and intrigued, but I have a feeling that she will do it.
    It reminded me a great deal of Ender's game, but lacks the finesse. On the plus side, the book has strong male and female characters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fast paced and just an amazing story. I can't wait until the sequel, The Whisper comes out.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Loved the story but not the writing
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It took me quite a while to get into this book, but once I was a few chapters in, I really started to feel like I had picked up a good read. I was right. It was recommended to me after I read the Extinction series by Lizzie Wicock, and I loved it
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wonderful science fiction in the tradition of Enders Game-- but why oh why did the ending have to be quite so abrupt? I really thought Emma Clayton was leaving us hanging for a sequel, but I don't see any indication out there that a sequel is forthcoming. A good read nonetheless.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I admit it-- I took my time getting to this book. The cover didn't catch me, nor did the blurb on the back. Months of it hanging over my head, I finally gave in and I'm quite glad I did! This book turned out to be much more than I expected. It was a page turner, despite the lack luster cover.

    The story follows Mika, a pre-teen boy who's sister disappeared a year prior and is believed to be dead by everyone but himself, as he finds himself involved in things much larger than he ever expected. Mika lives behind the protective Wall put up fifty years ago to save people from the dreaded and highly televised animal plague. After a new Pod Fighter video game is put up at the local arcade, Mika and his classmates are encouraged to play, as well as take a nutrient drink that is supposed to help them grow big and strong. But for what? That mystery propels this young adult novel. What is behind the wall? What has the government been hiding? What is the purpose of the new 'fit' regime and, most importantly, how do Mika, his sister, and his friends fit into that plan?

    I couldn't put this YA novel down and recommend it those who might not be ready for Enders Game, Hunger Games, or The Uglies Trilogy yet, but want something that is fully planted in Science Fiction.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Mika has never gotten over the death of his twin sister--mostly because he's positive she's not dead. He can feel her out there, somewhere, and it's up to him to find her. It's not easy, when the world is surrounded by a giant wall to keep out the plague-ridden animals, and going to school now means drinking cups of the vile FitMix and going to FitCamp. When the new Podfighter game comes to the arcades, Mika takes to it like he's been playing all his life, and there's something about it that will bring him closer to his missing sister.

    Hmm. I didn't love this. I didn't even particularly like it. There are some huge plot holes (have Ellie and Mika always been telepathic? How is the competition rigged so that only mutants make it all the way through?) and abandoned plot threads (where did Helen go? Will she be back?) Maybe some of this will be addressed in the sequel (due out Feb 2012, it seems) but I'm not inclined to pick it up and find out.

    So: the world has been reduced to the space inside the wall, safe from the plague-carrying animals and the dangerous, deadly nature. Inside the wall, people are packed tightly together in strict classes, with little in-between: the wealthy live in the Golden Turrets, the luxury apartments; the poor live in the slums in tiny fold-down apartments prone to mildew and dampness; the really poor live in the Shadows, where they frequently die of illnesses induced by living in mold and dankness. You've got your garden-variety class issues, plus environmental ruin, population control (Mika and Ellie are among the oldest kids around after a 30-year population halt), gaming culture, conspiracy, and technology (anti-aging drugs, hovercars, tiny pocket-sized "companions" in place of phones).

    Middle-schoolers may be excited by all the action; high schoolers are more likely to be jaded and bored by the loooooooong details of podfighter tournaments. Similar to Ender's Game or Epic(video gaming), X-Men or Witch and Wizard (mutant powers), Uglies (flying sequences; going beyond city limits), Maze Runner (safety only inside walls), or Inside Out (discoveries about the world outside).
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    A really excellent story that, unfortunately (in my opinion), was bogged down by not so great writing, too many details, and unrealistic dialogue. The ending was a bit confusing too (she's setting this book up for a sequel, right?), but overall, it was honestly a great story. Good twists, good commentary on environmental issues, but not as good overall as I was hoping.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really liked The Roar and was anxious to read the sequel The Whisper. Anxious enough to buy it online and read it on my iPad while at a conference out of state. But, I was very disappointed! Let me start back at the beginning again.The Roar is the story of a horrible world future. In this world an animal plague was turned loose and pets attacked and killed their owners. In order to keep humanity safe - an enormous wall was built encircling the globe just a little south of England. All humanity was secured behind the wall and all life outside the wall was destroyed - a vast wasteland.A very odd thing happened after this event - no children were born for years and the first offspring were born with strange appendages and mutant traits. Life continues in this horrible concrete pen until the children are 12. And then...The head of the Youth Development Organization, Mal Gorman, has a new idea - a way to take over the entire remaining world. He must figure out a way to control this children and mold them into his very own army. The first step is to kidnap Ellie and figure out her special talent of moving things with only her eyes. Ellie disappears and her twin brother Mika is left alone, the only one who believes she is alive. He continues to believe in her even as weird things begin to happen to him - like a strange dog that appears first in his dreams and then by his side, a feeling that he is connected to Ellie and finally his uncanny ability to fly the new space ships in the local game room. Those space ships are not only a game - instead they are all part of Gorman's master plan.That sets the stage...a pair of twins, a kidnapping, a secret and a mad man. It seems like a perfect plot. And honestly throughout The Roar I agreed. I rooted for the kids and their friends as the evil plot unfolded. Then I started reading The Whisper.Honestly - I felt like I was reading a rough draft about a book rather than the actual book. The conversation was stilted and the plot quite predictable. I was sorely disappointed.The story does resolve itself - but by the end I just wanted it to be over. Too bad!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Science fiction at its best.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An entertaining read. Although the beginning was a little slow, the story built up to an extremely exciting ending. This story is sort of like a modern-day Ender's Game. Loved it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Roar was an amazing story. It had a lot of action and suspense. I would recommend this story to people that love futuristic and out of this world stories
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found this book really interesting, especially as the story finished. I was not satisfied with the ending because it did not wrap up all the loose ends. But throughout the whole thing I was hooked and did not want it to finish.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    By the last quarter of this book, it really had me hooked. A lot of setup started this story of grim future where the human population has been relocated behind a wall in the northern portion of the earth as a result of an animal plague. Mika is angry and distrustful of the powers that be after he's been told his twin, Ellie, is dead. He is determined to get her back and guided by his connection with his twin realizes he must play along and win the pod fighter competition. There must be sequel planned because there were a lot of loose ends left, and the book seemed to end abruptly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the not-too-distant future, there is an animal plague, causing people to hide behind high walls for protection. It is overcrowded, and nature has been destroyed. Mika's twin sister has disappeared, and he believes she has been abducted. Then all the 12 and 13 year olds are forced to start taking special vitamins and competing in a special arcade game.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    it is an amazing book for sci-fi lovers. i read it over the summer break and finished it in a week it was so good!!!! although if you do not like long rich reading and sci-fi/fantasy books this IS NOT the book to read...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I got this book as an Advanced Reading Copy from the Amazon Vine program. This was an interesting book with a few creative elements and many not so creative elements.Ellie has been kidnapped by a man seeking to develop her "powers" for some unknown purpose. Mika is her twin left behind; everyone believes Ellie is dead except for him. They both live in a world where the northern hemisphere of the earth is walled in order to protect humans from the evil Animals infected with the Animal Plague a generation before them. Ellie it trying to get home and Mika is trying to find a way to get to Ellie despite the fact no one believes she is alive.This was a fast paced, engaging read. It had some creative elements in the idea of an Animal Plague wiping out half of the earth. Unfortunately it had more uncreative elements in it. For example trapping a subset of humanity behind an enclosure and telling them they are all that is left is a concept explored in many novels. Also genetically modifying kids to develop special talents for fighting or humans morphing to a new species are also both topics that have been overdone in both books and film. Still, if you like reading novels about these types of things this could be the book for you. Personally I thought that this story rehashed a lot of the stories out there. If you are interested in this type of story I think Storm Thief, The White Mountains, The Hunger Games, and The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer (Bantam Spectra Book) do this type of story in a more creative and better way that this book does. A lot of people also like The City of Ember (Books of Ember) (although it wasn't a favorite of mine) and this explores a similar type of story.What really got me about this book was the end. The ending is rushed and very unsatisfying. This book is either blatantly setting up the reader for a new series or the author just had absolutely no idea how to end the book. Many of the main events in the book were left unresolved and other events are only partially or quickly wrapped up. Nothing about this book was surprising mainly because there are already so many books like this available; especially in the young adult category.This book is a quick read about isolating humanity in a post-Armageddon type walled city; it is also about genetic modification. If you are really into these topics this isn't a bad read, but it is not an especially mind-blowing or enlightening read either. I personally don't think I will be looking into any more of Clayton's work; it just wasn't creative enough.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Ever since the 'animal plague', the world's population has been crowded in the northern third of the Earth, with the Wall separating them from the dangers of the south. For a while, all were equal, but then the rich decided to build a second layer above the cities, which made the already cramped and uncomfortable lower level even worse, dark, disgusting, and unhealthy. But when people find out the Secret, everything will change.I love both fantasy and science fiction, but they don't always blend well, and this is another book that I think would have been better if it had been straight science fiction instead of a mix. The writing was very good and the plot, while not new, was generally well done. But once it left science fiction and veered into fantasy, it became a lot less interesting.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It’s been forty-three years since the Animal Plague forced everyone to move behind the safety of The Wall. Every animal on the planet was effected by the plague, causing them to turn viscious and kill anyone that got in their path. People still have nightmares and are afraid to even look at pictures of animals.Space is definitely a problem since the construction of The Wall. Only about a third of the planet is available for living space since everything outside The Wall is dead from the poison gas used to kill the animals and their habitats. Every available space is covered with concrete to make room for people. There isn’t any “real” food anymore since animals don’t exist and there isn’t any place for food to grow. People have to live on top of each other and those unfortunate enough to live on the lower levels have to battle the mold that grows everywhere because of the moisture and lack of sunlight. Life is dreary in the Shadows (the lower levels).Mika is a good kid, but He has been having a tough time lately though because he can’t get over the fact that his twin sister, Ellie, has disappeared. It’s been a year and everyone thinks she is dead - except Mika. He refuses to believe Ellie is gone. Mika has even more to think about when the government introduces a new game and fitness program in the schools. He has an unexplainable distrust of anything to do with the Fit For Life program, but when he learns that participating in the games might lead him to Ellie, he puts everything he has into winning.Emma Clayton does a great job of creating this post-apolcalyptic world for the reader. Science Fiction elements like Pod Fighters, space travel, and mental telepathy quickly draw the reader into the story. Mika is a loveable character and you’ll be on the edge of your seat as he and his gaming partner, Audrey, navigate their way through a sinister plan cooked up by an evil government. The ending definitely leaves room for a sequel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was looking at new YA books and came across Roar, read the synopsis and was curious. It turns out that Clayton's book is yet another dystopian take on our future. Set in a world without plants or animals, Mika lives in a world behind a wall. After the animal plague, it was too dangerous for people to survive and so everyone moved behind the wall. One day, Mika's twin sister Ellie disappears. Everyone expect Mika believe that Ellie's dead and he's right. The story is told through Mika's eyes as he tries to find a way to his sister and Ellie's as she fights her kidnappers to get back home. In story that's both science fiction and fantasy, Clayton creates a world that is both beautiful and terrifying. I really hope she writes a sequel!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Roar is not a little reminiscent of Ender's Game; children playing arcade games in training for some mysterious mission the government has planned for them. But the comparison wasn't too startling that I couldn't suspend my indignation and become completely involved in the story, in the very believable character of Mika, in the world of animal plague and mould-made 'fab food'. This was really very good, to the point where I felt willing to forgive the very abrupt ending and the myriad questions left unanswered.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Roar is a great book that expands your mind like an over blown baloon! Your imagination will take the ride of a lifetime. Based on a future where the human civilisation is forced behind a giant wall because of an animal plauge, when twins Mika and Elly discover a secret, they have to tell everyone. Where are Mika and all the mutants powers coming from? Is Elly really cared about by her kidnapper?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great read! 'Edge of the seat' story about the trials of Ellie and Mika who share a special communication bond as twins. Would appeal to kids who are into computer games.