Darkness, Be My Friend

Darkness, Be My Friend by John Marsden is the fourth book in the series about a group of teens who return from a wilderness camping trip to find their country has been invaded and their families taken prisoner. With very few options they become guerrilla fighters, but after a particularly dangerous mission they found themselves being hunted down.

After a perilous rescue at the end of the last book, Ellie and her friends have been living safely for the past five months in New Zealand. Even though they have suffered terrible losses and are sick with fear at the thought of returning, when they are asked to go back, they know there is only one answer.

This is an excellent YA series that really takes a hard look at war and what it can do to show more the individuals who are swept up in it’s tumult. As there is a lot of hiding and waiting in this particular volume, the book delves into Ellie’s feelings about being responsible for the death of others, even though they are enemies and how she and the others are coping with the overwhelming grief they feel over the loss of loved ones. I have been rooting for this group since the first book and these books are ones that I look forward to reading. show less

John Marsden's Tomorrow series is one of the best Australian young adult series ever written. It follows the experiences of a group of teenagers who go camping in a serene clearing called 'Hell' and return to find their homeland invaded, their beloved pets dead and their families held prisoner at the local showground. After the initial shock and fear, they decide that it wouldn't do just to sit tight and hope for the best - better to fight. With realistic action and the conflicting emotions that come from war (at one point Ellie wonders how many people it is OK to kill just to keep herself alive), this series will have you thinking about what you would do if you were in their shoes. The Tomorrow series is neither pro or anti war. It show more simply tells what happens and leaves the reader to judge. If you don't read this series you are missing out on something great. show less

This series is just amazing

We've watched these poor kids go from the safety of Hell (a little spot in the bush that has kept them safe when they were off camping) - and sacrificed everything to attack and try to disable parts of the invading armies resources.

They finally get out after losing so much (friends, family, sanity) and now...they are going back.

I think Elle losing it and writing about how hard it was is so dead on and I have so much respect for John Marsden to show Elle really struggling. I don't know how anyone could stand up to this.

I also love how much each character in each book is slowly evolving. Parts of life are just becoming common place. Things that are horrifying to even think for us are just ever day life for show more them. and Elle is flippant while writing about it - which she should be. It's become their life and they are just struggling to be alive and stay alive.

So much happens in this book, so much action, the story progressing, updates of the hostages and growth from each character.

I can't wait to read the next book, but with each book, I know I'm getting closer to finishing this series. I hope for a HEA for them, but I'm sad to end the series too....bitter sweet show less

I understand wanting to continue the story, but this plot is a bit convoluted. I have a difficult time believing that any army would send untrained teenagers back into a warzone form which they'd just been rescued. However, once back in Australia, the teens find out the status of their families and find themselves abandoned by the adults meant to protect them. Despite my incredulity, I'm still very interested in what happens next.

The fourth book in the Tomorrow series, Darkness Be My Friend centers around Ellie and her friends. The book starts off in New Zealand, where the protagonists have been for a few months. They're asked to go back to Wirrawee to help with a mission to attack the air field. They're not directly involved with the mission, they're just leading New Zealand soldiers around Wirrawee. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan.

This series is gradually becoming slower in pace. I know some people don't like it - the first book is action packed, and by this one, there is a lot more retroflection and waiting for things to happen. But I think it's very realistic. These teenagers aren't trained soldiers, they're just teenagers who were in the show more right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) place at the time of the invasion. Instead of carrying out missions every few days, they have to rest, think about what they're doing, and try very hard not to be killed.

This book took me a bit longer to read than the last ones, but I'll definitely pick up the next one and eventually finish the series. I'm very involved with the characters, I want to see what happens to them. I wonder if I'm the only one who could see Ellie and Homer eventually getting together. They have pretty strong personalities, and would always be butting heads. show less

These are very enjoyable reads about six teens in Australia who are camping when their country is invaded. Circumstances force them to become partisans. Marsden writes with good suspense, action and leaving you looking forward to the next volume. My two main complaints are: we never really find out who invaded Australia and the group never accumulates although they have numerous clashes with th enemy.

This book was much like the 2nd book in the series for me, in that the tone of the book was more exhausted and futile in the efforts of Ellie and friends. But I would guess that would be what it is like when you are engaged in war. Not everything goes your way and people do die. Another great book in the series and I'm still looking forward to book 5.