Let's Hear it for the Boys - Earthfall by Mark Walden

Published: February 6th, 2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Pages: 368

Copy: My own

Summary: Goodreads

The battle for mankind is about to begin in this riveting story of Earth’s invasion from the author of the H.I.V.E. series.

Sam awakens to see strange vessels gathered in the skies around London. As he stares up, people stream past, walking silently toward the enormous ships, which emit a persistent noise. Only Sam seems immune to the signal. Six months later, he is absolutely alone.

Or so he thinks. Because after he emerges from his underground bunker and is wounded by a flying drone, a hail of machine-gun fire ultimately reveals two very important truths: One, Sam is not, in fact, alone. And two, the drone injury should have killed him—but it didn’t.

With his home planet feeling alien and the future unstable and unclear, Sam must navigate a new world in this gripping adventure

Has anyone been watching Falling Skies on TV?  well if you have, you'll know what I mean when I say  that Earthfall reminds me of it in some ways.  People walking around in a daze, not knowing what they are doing. A resistance force acting against the nasty aliens.  Alien drones searching for resistance fighters to take them out of the picture & etc.

Mark Walden has managed to produce a tense and frightening look at a possible alien invasion, but this time around it's the kids who are left that are the ones with the possible solution.  Sam has believed for so long that he is on his own, that it takes a huge leap to accept that there are others still alive with him. I liked Sam as character. He was resourceful and clever and was willing to do whatever it takes for the good of others, or earth in this case.

There is a lot going on underneath the surface here, both literally and metaphorically, and it was interesting to see the way things panned out.  I was surprised, which was rather nice. I like it  when story lines don't always follow the expected.  Earthfall was a quick read - I picked it up at the airport on my way home from England and had it finished well before I landed in Toronto - but it kept my interest and I enjoyed it.  A great choice for reluctant male readers.