Be Home For Armageddon

 Be Home for Armageddon by Luke Edwards (Omnibus)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN 978-1-86291-941-9
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Be Home for Armageddon starts with a bang when something falls from the sky creating a huge crater in a suburban street. Making it even more mysterious is the terrifying suction which draws objects into the crater at random intervals.

No-one in the neighbourhood seems quite sure about what to do and it falls to Victor and Soo, science nuts, lovers of sci-fi movies and addicts of old arcade games, to investigate what they hope is an alien invasion. After discovering what has moved in to the crater in Grundell Street, they enlist the reluctant help of their science teacher Mr Blake.

Although Victor, Soo and Blake are comfortable with the new residents, the Holingtons, the rest of the streets residents’ are not. Victor’s mother decides it would be best to move, far away. Then a gift from the Holingtons, with which they hoped to win favour with their neighbours, creates even more problems and the three realise that the Holingtons may not be quite so harmless after all.

This is a great science fiction story for young teenagers. It has an original premise, with twists and turns that surprised me many times. Although I didn’t always understand the scientific content (black holes, sentient beings, planet systems and computer technology) many science fiction readers will, and it didn’t detract from the storyline for me anyway. And the ever present vague sense of approaching doom kept me hooked until the end.

This adventure will appeal to both male and female readers. There are strong characters of both genders and it is a straight forward sci-fi adventure without added issues, coming of age problems or romance distractions. It is a light read and the often amusing banter between Victor and Soo keeps this adventure bouncing along.