“UNDERTOW,” by Michael Buckley, HMH Books for Young Readers, May 5, 2015, Hardcover, $18.99 (young adult)
“Undertow,” the first book in a new series by Michael Buckley, plays out like a summer blockbuster — an alien invasion of sorts, marshal law enforced and an epic battle.
Life as we know it changes when 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, arrive on Coney Island beach. And while the initial reaction to these new creatures is wonder and awe, that quickly melts away in paranoia and violence.
Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker has lived on Coney Island her whole life, but the small community she loves is changed forever when the Alpha arrive. Her small town is transformed into a military zone with humans on one side and Alphas on the other.
The whole area is a tinderbox ready to ignite, and that only gets worse when the town is ordered to integrate schools. Lyric is recruited to help crown prince Fathom adapt. Lyric is already walking a fine line, and when she falls for Fathom, that line disappears.
I can just see the movie posters for “Undertow” — Action! Suspense! Forbidden Love! And those movie posters would be right. If you’re looking for a popcorn book, “Undertow” fits the bill. It’s fast moving, full of drama and genuinely likeable. That’s not to say it’s the best book I’ve read. It’s not. It doesn’t crack the top 250. It is, however, enjoyable. It doesn’t particularly make you think or stretch in any direction, but while reading it, you find yourself immersed in a different world, experiencing new and exciting things, and that makes it totally worth it.
