【 HOVER CAR RACER 】

Genre: Young Adult
Audience: Young Adult
Author: Matthew Reilly
Published: January 2004
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 440 (hardback)

This was absolutely thrilling – 100% fun in all the ways you can expect from Matthew Reilly. I had been so curious as to whether this would live up to his usual standards, seeing as it is quite different to his norm. But this was completely addictive and totally unputdownable, just like all his other stuff.

Being YA and sci-fi (this is essentially futuristic Formula 1), I was super intrigued. I have to begin by stating that I cannot state enough how much I don’t care about cars or car racing. So, naturally, I had some small doubts as to whether this would be for me or not. But omg, it’s just so fun.

We have a teenage protagonist (14 years old) who’s super into hover car racing. There are several types of tracks/races you can do, and hover cars take way less time to get around than normal cars. This means, for instance, that one of the tracks covers the entire of Italy, and takes place within a day.

I can’t think of a single person who wouldn’t enjoy reading this. It’s pacy and grabs your attention from start to finish. Reilly originally published this as a free online serial, which I think seriously bolsters its readability because it was designed to be short, snappy instalments.

I was so hooked with every chapter of this book. I powered through it and couldn’t put it down. I was excited in the mornings to chow down into as much of the book as I could before work, then I looked forward to my lunch break to read more, and dove straight back into it after work. It’s one of those books, you know?

And it wasn’t just that the book is non-stop action, it’s that you get really invested in the characters, too. I laughed and I even cried a little bit (from happiness) multiple times. Jason is such a classic “good guy” character, and his little brother “The Bug” was fantastic. Sally was awesome too, and there are a smattering of side characters who really make this a complete picture.

It’s not just about the racing; it’s about the relationships and team spirit between the characters. And it’s particularly about the determination and courage of Jason as he pursues his goals, even in the face of some pretty serious adversity.

What I loved about the racing (honestly, maybe I should try Formula 1??? Nah…going in circles on a track has nothing on shooming between clanging icebergs) was the gauntlet-style challenges of each. I am going to assume that real car racing could not possibly have different track challenges in the same way that Reilly has invented here, and so to me, this felt unique and super fun. There are time trials, fetch and retrieve trials (though not called quite that), elimination rounds (where the bottom 3 or 4 are eliminated every however many laps) and so on.

So yeah, this was bloody excellent and I’m not really sure what to do with myself now that I’m done. Probably, I should read more Matthew Reilly books – it’s the only remedy.

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Title: Hover Car Racer
Author: Matthew Reilly
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A SPORT LIKE NO OTHER

In the world of the near future, the most popular sport in the world is hover car racing. Superfast and dangerous, it’s heroes are the racers: part fighter pilot, part race car driver, all superstar.

A BRUTAL QUALIFYING SCHOOL

But to get to the Pro Circuit, you must first pass through the International Race School, a brutal cauldron of wild races on even wilder courses, where only the best of the best will survive…

JASON AND THE ARGONAUT

This is the story of Jason Chaser, a talented young racer selected to attend the Race School. He’s younger than the other students. He’s smaller. His trusty car, the Argonaut is older. But Jason Chaser is no ordinary racer. And as he races against the best drivers in the world he will learn that at Race School winning is everything, that not everyone in this world fights fair, and that you never ever have any friends on the track.