Let's Hear It for the Boys - The Assault by Brian Falkner

 

Published: September 2012

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Pages: 304

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

 

 

It's 2030, and humanity is losing the war against alien invaders. A Band of Brothers meets Ender's Game in this sci-fi military thriller.

A team of six has been chosen . . .

. . . to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters in the heart of the Australian Outback. The six teens have been modified to look like aliens. They have spent years mastering alien culture so that they can talk, act—even think—like their enemies. But from the start, the recon mission goes terribly wrong. It's only when they are close to discovering the shocking truth of the aliens' plans that the team is forced to ask:

Who among them is a traitor?

Brian Falkner, author of The Project, Brain Jack, and The Tomorrow Code, delivers a page-turning military thriller with his signature heart-pounding action and unique sci-fi twists.

I have been reading The Assault exclusively at work in small doses in my lunch hour.  It stood up well to that type of reading.  I didn't get  bored and had no problems at all keeping up with the story and the characters, which was great. 

One of the things I loved was the easy camaraderie amongst the characters.  They really sounded as if they had lived and trained together and felt authentic.  There was a nice level of tension that kept up throughout the story which kept it interesting and there were enough explosions and gun battles to keep even the most avid gamer happy.  It was very easy to forget that the characters were just a bunch of 17 year old kids out on their first mission. 

 Librarians out there, remember this one for your reluctant male readers, or those who like playing military video games. It was an exciting and thrilling read.