The Devil's Breath

This book is in the same general vein as the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz: a capable and resourceful teenage boy from England travels to some sort of exotic locale and faces a variety of dangers before saving the day. Lots of action and gadgets, and Gilman introduces a mystical element with the inclusion of African shamanism. If you are looking for high-stakes adventure and plenty of action it may be worth checking this book out, but you will also need to be able to overlook some aspects of the writing that I found distracting.

Gilman is rather obviously accustomed to writing scripts for television shows. I counted at least fourteen distinct viewpoint characters while reading, and the book is just under 400 pages in length show more (American hardcover release). That makes for a lot of jumping around, even within scenes, and whenever it happens the story turns rather clunky. A television show is better designed for quick changes in viewpoint, and it can accommodate more viewpoints in a single episode than a novel can. (It did not help matters for me that some of the jumps seemed solely for the purpose of explaining why the adults in the story were keeping vital information from the teenagers, even when giving the teenagers that information would have vastly simplified matters for everyone involved. In other words, it felt very artificial as I was reading it.)

It was also just as obvious to me that one of the goals of this story is to impart information in order to educate the readers about environmental and social issues. When information and issues are so obviously presented as such in a novel -- when the main purpose and goal is not to tell a good story -- I tend to resent it, since I was expecting a story and not a lecture or lesson. Including morals and information and serious discussion in a story isn't bad -- it's actually quite important -- but they don't have to be blatant, and it is probably better if they aren't. For one thing, slowing (or stopping) the story in order to explain something can contribute to clunky writing, and in an action/adventure/thriller type story you really don't want to put a high-speed chase on hold in order to describe the countryside. It tends to throw the reader out of the story. show less

This book is in the same general vein as the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz: a capable and resourceful teenage boy from England travels to some sort of exotic locale and faces a variety of dangers before saving the day. Lots of action and gadgets, and Gilman introduces a mystical element with the inclusion of African shamanism. If you are looking for high-stakes adventure and plenty of action it may be worth checking this book out, but you will also need to be able to overlook some aspects of the writing that I found distracting.

Gilman is rather obviously accustomed to writing scripts for television shows. I counted at least fourteen distinct viewpoint characters while reading, and the book is just under 400 pages in length show more (American hardcover release). That makes for a lot of jumping around, even within scenes, and whenever it happens the story turns rather clunky. A television show is better designed for quick changes in viewpoint, and it can accommodate more viewpoints in a single episode than a novel can. (It did not help matters for me that some of the jumps seemed solely for the purpose of explaining why the adults in the story were keeping vital information from the teenagers, even when giving the teenagers that information would have vastly simplified matters for everyone involved. In other words, it felt very artificial as I was reading it.)

It was also just as obvious to me that one of the goals of this story is to impart information in order to educate the readers about environmental and social issues. When information and issues are so obviously presented as such in a novel -- when the main purpose and goal is not to tell a good story -- I tend to resent it, since I was expecting a story and not a lecture or lesson. Including morals and information and serious discussion in a story isn't bad -- it's actually quite important -- but they don't have to be blatant, and it is probably better if they aren't. For one thing, slowing (or stopping) the story in order to explain something can contribute to clunky writing, and in an action/adventure/thriller type story you really don't want to put a high-speed chase on hold in order to describe the countryside. It tends to throw the reader out of the story. show less

Fifteen year old Max Gordon is out on a training run when an assassin tries to kill him. A bit of intelligence, and quick wits, mixed in with a huge amount of good luck means the attempt fails. Shortly after reporting the attempt on his life to the school officials, Max learns that his father is missing, and decides secretly, that he has to try to find him. Max's dad has left him a few clues as to what he should do, and he also has a few friends; Kallie van Reenen, a female pilot, Sayid, a school mate with excellent computer skills, and !Koga, the son of a bushman and an excellent tracker, who all help him in his quest. Max, however, has multiple enemies who are determined to end his life before he can expose them. His journey takes him show more to Africa, where he locates an area known as, The Devil's Breath. According to Bushman legend, this is where people die. According to other legends, Max is going to die, and !Koga is going to kill him. Max is determined to find his father, even as events and evidence indicate that the path he is pursuing is an extremely dangerous one and that his father might not be alive.
This is an exciting adventure; one that decent middle school readers will gobble up. It reminded me of Hardy Boys on steroids, even though the two boys in the stories are not brothers by birth. I'll definitely be interested in reading book 2; Danger Zone # 2; Ice Claw. Book two begins with Max competing at an X-treme sports competition, where he is attacked during his kayak trial by a fellow competitor named Scarface. While defending himself, Max knocks Scarface out then saves him. Sounds like book two will be as exciting as book one. show less

The Devil's Breath is an exciting adventure story featuring fifteen year old Max Gordon, a high school student at Dartmoor High in England. Dartmoor isn't a normal boys' school. Running, throwing, shooting, fighting, and other skills are taught there along with the regular high school curriculum.

Max rarely sees his father, but he knows he is a dangerous man who often finds trouble investigating crimes in other countries. After Max is out for a run and attacked, he discovers that his father has gone missing. When Max starts getting clues as to where his dad might be, he decides to try and find him, leading him to an adventure in Africa and a possible ecological disaster.

This was an action packed story with lots of twists and turns. show more There are a few mystical elements to the story that aren't explained in detail, but they do add depth. Anyone who likes mystery and adventure will love this story. show less

I have mixed thoughts about this book. Let me start off that I had to put it on hold for a bit because I didn't have time to continue reading it (Life has its moments). The beginning of the book was very interesting but at the same time a bit dull. Max Gordon is a fifteen-year old boy who attends an all boy school called Dartmoor High, which is located in England. The story begins with an assassin following Max as he is running through the remote part of the school grounds during his spare time.

The assassin is then killed in his attempt to kill Max. The school is near a Military training facility and the killer was caught in the middle of a shooting session. Max then learns that his father has gone missing in Namibia. He also starts to show more realize that someone wants him dead, but who? Max makes the decision to runaway and search for his Father in Africa in which a great and dangerous adventure lies before him.

I found the whole adventure in Africa to be thrilling. I think Max is a good protagonist, especially for boys. He's headstrong, smart, and can handle situations well under pressure. The descriptions of the Namibia really brought the story to life. My only problem was that in certain parts of the story, there was more telling then showing. This made the story lag a bit and made it a bit difficult to continue reading.

This was a good start in a series. I'm sure the other books will be as interesting as this one. If you're in the mood for an action packed read, then check this one out! show less

Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com

Max Gordon is on the run.

He was almost killed by an assassin, his dad has been kidnapped, and he only has one clue as to where he is. Still, he is determined to find him no matter what kind of danger faces him.

With the one clue he is given, he figures out that his father is in the deserts of Namibia exploring a company that is about to hurt thousands of people. Those people know that Max's dad has found evidence against them and think that Max has knowledge of this evidence, as well. While he is on the mission to find his father, regardless of the evidence, the company is determined to kill Max.

Max is aided with the help of Koga, a local bushmen, who has a very keen sense of the wild; Kallie van show more Reenen, a local girl who has a great knowledge of planes and the sky; and his best mate back in England. All three of these people form Max's support system as he embarks on the most grueling adventure imaginable, all in search of his father.

Will Max be able to beat the odds and survive - or will his captors get the better of him?

THE DEVIL'S BREATH is an action-packed book that any reader will find hard to put down. With every page turned, you don't know what's coming next, and you're on the edge of your seat. Throughout the book, you hear the story from different perspectives, whether it be the main story from Max, the antagonist's point of view, and even sometimes the story is heard from Max's two friends, who are helping him with his search to find his father. I thought that the use of alternating perspectives was interesting, but at times it got confusing because some of the characters sounded the same.

While the author did a great job building up the book with lots of suspense, I did find parts of the story to be very predictable and not that interesting. Other parts of the book, though, definitely made up for this, and I found myself intrigued.

At times the book got a bit violent, which I didn't think was necessary, but it may have been appreciated more by the male readership. Despite this fact, I think THE DEVIL'S BREATH would be a good read for all teens, and it was a good start to a potentially thrilling series. show less

Great spin on the latest genre of teenage spy/adventure stories. We begin this adventure in England and then move to Namibia in Africa. What makes this story different is that it has an environmental aspect where greed overtakes the importance of human life. I loved this book and would recommend it. Can’t wait for the next instalment released in 2008.