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Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden


chesilbeach

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This is the first book of the Tomorrow series by John Marsden.

 

Synopsis (from amazon.co.uk):

When their country is invaded and their families are taken, eight high school teenagers band together to fight. Seventeen-year-old Ellie Linton wants one final adventure with her friends before the school holidays are over. Packed in Ellie's parents' land rover they drive to the famously isolated rock pool Eden dubbed 'Hell' by the locals. Returning to their home town of Wirrawee, the seven teenagers realize that something is seriously wrong. Power to the houses has been cut, pets and livestock have been left dead or dying, and most alarmingly of all, everyone's family has vanished. When the hostile armed forces discover that the teenagers are lying low in the vicinity, Ellie and her friends must band together to escape, outwit and strike back against the mysterious enemy that has seized control of their town and imprisoned their friends and loved ones...

 

Review:

Unusually for me, I actually saw the film before I read this book, but Kylie reminded me it was book first, so I had to read it, especially when I found out it the was the start of a series, as I wanted to know what happened next as soon as I'd finished watching the film.

 

Anyway, as far as the book was concerned, I wasn't disappointed. It's a very interesting premise - while the teenagers have been away for a few days in the mountains, Australia has been invaded and their town is close to one of the main ports the occupying forces have used for entry into the country. Told in the form of a reported story by Ellie, recalling the events that have led them to their living as resistance fighters.

 

The characters really grab you, and you can identify with their emotions and actions throughout the story, from their initial carefree life as ordinary teenagers, through finding the families missing, then the realisation that the country is at war. I think the author writes the teenagers very well, they feel authentic enough to be realistic, but talk in a way that isn't alienating to older readers, or would feel dated quickly. There are some upsetting scenes, particularly when they initially return home after their trip, but it's never too graphically horrific, but the theme itself would mean it's for mid-teens onwards.

 

I already have the second book in the series downloaded, and I think I'm going to enjoy carry on the story to see what happens next.

 

Just a final word about the adaptation to the screen. The screenplay has made a few changes to the story, but they were pretty minor and make sense in terms of working better on screen, and also from the fact that technology has moved on since the book was originally written (even though it's not that old!).

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Great review Claire, the premise sounds really interesting and definitely my kind of read. :) I saw the trailer for the movie and remember thinking I wanted to see it, nice to know there was a book first, I hope you enjoy the rest of the series, how many more books is there? :)

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I think you'd enjoy it Paula. There are seven in the main series, and then there are three more books in the Ellie Chronicles which follow on I believe. :)

 

Thanks Claire, I just bought the first book on my kindle :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Rather than start a new thread, I'm going to add reviews here for each book in the series as I read them.

 

The Dead of the Night by John Marsden

 

I won't add the synopsis as it does give away plot spoilers for the first book.

 

Review:

The second book picks up where we left the story at the end of the first instalment. I loved that there was quite a slow start to the book after the big emotional end to the first book. There are ups and downs, both in terms of action and emotions, but what I love is how through the different characters, the author explores the moral side of war, and how the teenagers feel about the acts of violence they have committed. There is no black or white, or condemnation of what they have had to do, and there is a brutal honesty in both Ellie's thoughts and the discussions with the others. I also like that Marsden introduced other Australians who are waging their own campaign against the invading army, and you get to see how different people are coping with this devastating upheaval in their lives.

 

A thoroughly absorbing read, and I will definitely continue with the series.

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I'm so, so glad you're enjoying the series! I have been waxing lyrical about the series for years, but no one has ever paid attention to me before, so hopefully with you on my side we can convince a few more people to read them. ;)

 

I can't wait to hear your thoughts about The Third Day, the Frost. I'm not sure if you're aware, but the series was originally going to be a trilogy....there's more I want to say, but I absolutely don't want to give any hint of anything whatsoever, so I'm going to sit here and bite my nails (figuratively speaking) until you've read the third book and can talk to me about it. :D

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Oh now you've got be wanting to read book three straight away! :D I didn't know about it originally being a trilogy, so I wonder if there's a big denouement coming up? I've got a couple of other books on the go, and three more lined up for reading groups, so it's probably going to be a few weeks before I get around to it, but I can't wait now. :lol:

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Oh now you've got be wanting to read book three straight away! :D I didn't know about it originally being a trilogy, so I wonder if there's a big denouement coming up? I've got a couple of other books on the go, and three more lined up for reading groups, so it's probably going to be a few weeks before I get around to it, but I can't wait now. :lol:

 

Good! Surely you can fit it in between those other pesky books? ;)

 

And my lips are sealed about book 3....but it's blooming excellent!

 

I watched the film yesterday and quite enjoyed it, I read a few reviews for the book on Amazon and it sounds really good, I downloaded a sample but haven't read it yet. How do you find the writing? it's not too simplistic is it?

 

It's definitely a YA book (we studied it at school when I was around 13 years old), so it's a very easy read, but I don't know if 'simplistic' is the word I'd use. There's some nice introspective moments with the characters discussing/thinking about morality etc (Chesil's review of the second book says it very well). The sample will give you a good indication.

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Good! Surely you can fit it in between those other pesky books? ;)

 

And my lips are sealed about book 3....but it's blooming excellent!

 

Oooooo that's my favourite book out of the lot!

 

 

 

I am too so happy that someone else is reading them! I have been trying to get a couple of my reading friends to read them for years, I am actually trying to get my boyfriend to read them at the moment. :giggle2:

 

I think a reread is in order soon!

Edited by Devi
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So glad you like them! They are one of my more favorite series and one of the few books I actually reread a couple of times. I've not read every single one of them though. They library didn't had all of them at the time. But, oh, so glad to find someone else liking them too! 

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Amazing books! I read them when I was in high school.I haven't seen the movie yet though. Do you think the movie does the books justice?

On the whole, yes. As I mentioned in my first review, they have tweaked a few of the characters and events, and had to update for technology, but apart from that, it's totally recognisable as the story from the book, and for a smallish budget, they've done a great job.

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  • 4 months later...

The Third Day, The Frost by John Marsden
I won't add the synopsis as it does give away plot spoilers for the first book.

 

Review:

This is the third book in the Tomorrow series, and just as heart-stopping as the first two. Marsden manages to convey the rawness of the emotions that the teenagers are going through, having had to grow up in such a short space of time to face a situation they could never have imagined. But it's not all non-stop action and it's the time between their attacks on the enemy that really demonstrates their sense of loss and brings a futility with it, and how the tiniest things can bring about anger and depression but still at times, hope.

One of the main characters makes a huge sacrifice at the end of the book, and it was so unexpected and told in such a matter of fact way, that it broke my heart and even now, I can still feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Marsden has created characters you care about, despite their flaws in character and actions, and when events like this happen, I felt very involved and went through the same emotions as the characters on the page.

I can't recommend these books enough, especially for older teenagers to make them think about the realities of conflicts and wars.

Edited by chesilbeach
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  • 3 months later...

Just to let you know the Tomorrow series is quite cheap on the Kindle in the UK at the moment.

 

  • Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993)   £1.37  
  • The Dead of the Night (1994)  £0.69
  • The Third Day, The Frost (1995)  £0.89
  • Darkness, Be My Friend (1996)  £0.56
  • Burning for Revenge (1997) £0.89
  • The Night Is for Hunting (1998)  £3.60
  • The Other Side of Dawn (1999)  £5.01 (Not released yet)
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  • 9 months later...

I love John Marsden's Tomorrow series, and his follow-through series The Ellie Chronicles. I don't think it would be out of order to number both series amongst the best in the young adult genre. The premise and characters are all relatable in today's unsettling climate.

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Books 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the series are only £1.95 each on Kindle at the moment, so I might invest in them soon.  I can't believe it's a year since I last read book 3, but I still want to try and reduce my TBR first, so I'm going to hold off for a little while longer.

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They are much more pricey here, maybe I can find a deal.  Anyway, downloaded the sample for Tomorrow, When the War Began, sounds good  :smile:  Actually, they all sound good!  Maybe with all this library talk, I should try out my local one!

Edited by Anna Begins
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