POD is the story of a massive alien invasion told from the alternating perspectives of sixteen-year-old Josh, trapped with his father in their home in a small town in Washington state; and Megs, an abandoned twelve-year-old girl using her wits to survive in a Los Angeles hotel parking garage. Josh's story focuses on his relationship with his father, which is under increasing stress as the attack unfolds and supplies run out. Megs' story is an adventure in which she tries to stay alive long enough to be reunited with her mother while eluding capture by thugs that have taken over the hotel. Genre: Science Fiction Purchase POD
I am a freelance writer living in Washington state. POD is my first novel. I am currently working on POD 2.
Excerpt from Megs:
I’m all cried out. I’m still alone. The sky is full of giant spinning black balls that kill anyone stupid enough to go outside. I’ve only been out of the car twice – once to pee and once to look at the sky. That one look was enough for me. Now I sit alone in the car, staring out the window like a rat in a cage. But I don’t have anyone to look at. The parking garage is empty, except for twisted-up cars, broken glass and the smell of leaking gasoline.
Ages: 12 and up
Publisher: namelos
Publisher website: http://www.namelos.com/
Cover art: Mokusai Design
View sample chapters
- namelos.com
- Amazon.com
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- Bookworm in Kennewick
POD REVIEWS
Kirkus (starred) "...written in short chapters that alternate between Megs and Josh, this masterful debut grabs readers by the throat from the first page and never lets go."
Publishers Weekly "...Wallenfels delivers an intense novel of humanity's reaction to an alien invasion...the book is fast-paced and engrossing."
Entertainer Feb. 2010 ""...Exceptional and unexpected, POD is a gem not to be missed, even by those that are not fans of the genre."
ALA Booklist May 15 2010 "...solid, straightforward sci-fi...a rarity in these times when vampires and zombies reign unchecked."
Wands and Worlds "...POD is science fiction at its best: a gripping post-apocalyptic novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat, yet has human character and human relationships at its heart."
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books April 2010 "...This world where no one, even the few who can outlast the pods, will ever be the same again is hauntingly contemporary and familiar, and the careful realistic details about the scraps of every-day life to which the protagonists cling are as terrifying in the post-invasion world as the laser-blasting pods themselves.”
The Horn Book Magazine July/Aug 2010 "Take the ominously threatening alien technology of John Christopher's Tripod trilogy and the suspenseful survival of an apocalyptic catastrophe of Susab Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It trilogy, combine them in a single debut novel, and you'll have a good idea of the premise—and the promise—of POD.”
thebooksmugglers.com "...With his apocalyptic invasion, instead of focusing on the sensational, Mr. Wallenfels focuses on the thing that makes the best apocalypse novels successful – the human element. The choice to use two young adults in different locations surviving the same (presumably) global event is ingenious and incredibly effective." For the entire review click here
