Reviews

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

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michael070's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

coldlikeadqblizzard's review against another edition

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5.0

I LOVE these books. The Tomorrow books are one of the greatest collections of series I have ever read. Each installment is gripping and exciting, full of suspense, teamwork and kick-ass action. So much happens in this series - wars are waged, governments are changed, many characters grow up and tons of beloved characters lose their lives.

I can't even begin to understand how John Marsden is able to put himself in the mind of a 17-year old girl and write this series from the perspective of Ellie in a way that is so real. Every character in this entire series was so dynamic and well created that they all just came to life for me. One of the most spectacular things about this series is that there is almost constant fighting and conflict, but yet it's so character driven! Marsden does an amazing job at balancing character growth and ass kicking. AND THERE'S SO MUCH ASS KICKING. Ellie and her gang are so smart, strong and amazingly brave. I won't even pretend that I could survive the sort of post-apocalyptic situation that takes place in the Tomorrow series, but somehow the way these kids survive is not only heroically epic but also believable.

I straight fan-girl over Ellie and Homer by the end of this series. I recommend it to everyone. READ THESE.

angek98's review against another edition

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2.0

the story line was boring and littered with plot holes, the writing was generic and the dialect was robotic.
2 stars

tiadots's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

yopoydan_kirjat's review against another edition

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4.0

Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993) on yllättävän hyvin aikaa kestänyt nuortenkirjallisuuden klassikko Australiasta. Seitsemän 17-vuotiasta nuorta lähtee joululomalla patikkaretkelle. Kun he palaavat paratiisimaisesta paikasta, hurmaavasti nimeltään The Hell, he huomaavat, että vieras valtio on valloittanut maan ja ottanut heidän perheensä vangiksi.

Mitä tehdä tällaisessa tilanteessa? Nuoret keräävät selviytymisen kannalta tarpeellisia esineitä ja ruokaa kodeistaan ja linnoittautuvat patikkaretkellään löytämälleen aukiolle. Sieltä käsin he tarkkailevat tilannetta ja taistelevat vastaan.

Harmillisesti tarina loppuu kesken, sillä se kattaa vain noin kuukauden ajanjakson. Sarjassa on seitsemän osaa ja voisin kuvitella, että vasta viimeisessä, 1999 ilmestyneessä osassa, sota lopulta päättyy. Kirjassa on romanttisia virityksiä, loukkaantumisia ja paljon kuvausta selviytymisestä niin fyysisesti kuin henkisestikin.

cornmaven's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a the first of a series. I am torn about whether boys would like it. The story is very interesting - a bunch of HS kids in Australia go camping in the bush for a week, then come back to find everyone in the town and rural areas missing, with all of the shops in town looted and smashed. They finally figure out that they have been invaded and the town is being held at the campgrounds, where they had gone for a county fair-type thing. The kids have to decide whether to go back to the bush and stay there or fight. They kind of do both in this book, as they prepare their base camp, having to go into town for supplies and get information. I think they will continue to be the resistance movement in the subsequent books.

The reason I am torn is that the narrator is female and she spends more time than I think a boy would like on romantic things. She muses about the boys in the group, and her 'dates' with one of the boys. There's kissing, and suggestions of heavier petting. But all of the action is definitely exciting and boy oriented. Thus, I am torn. I am interested to see what the next book holds, if I get enough time to read it. I liked the writing - the narrator even muses about the nature and source of evil. Not a bad read.
Oh, and I liked the Aussie setting and the fact that the author used Aussie terms, and included a glossary, plus some of the details are based on fact.