Reviews...
Review from Giraffedays.com
My Top Ten ... Fictional Crushes
2. Captain Ray Nemo
from Polymer by Sally Rogers-Davidson
Long before Edward, before Gale and all the other “to die for” swoon-worthy etc etc heroes of romantic YA, there was Captain Nemo. He first appears in Polymer as a ruthless, dangerous enemy soldier; after Polymer’s run-in with him, he keeps her close – very close. Beneath his cold, calculating and smug exterior, he’s intense and insecure, suffering from being the forgotten child of powerful parents and so has not learnt how to show love and affection, or how to woo a woman. His methods of courtship leave a lot to be desired, and you could argue Stockholm Syndrome fairly easily, except that it’s long after Polymer escapes, and much later when they’re thrown together again in a survival situation that his true nature comes out and she falls in love with him. I was sixteen, seventeen when I first read this, and formed an instant crush on Nemo. If this were released today, it’d do extremely well – and it’d also bring out all those anti-Edward, Edward-is-a-stalker people who don’t get what we really find attractive in these heroes. (Hmm, post for another day?)
Go To Article on Giraffe Days Website: http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=11131
My Top Ten ... Fictional Crushes
2. Captain Ray Nemo
from Polymer by Sally Rogers-Davidson
Long before Edward, before Gale and all the other “to die for” swoon-worthy etc etc heroes of romantic YA, there was Captain Nemo. He first appears in Polymer as a ruthless, dangerous enemy soldier; after Polymer’s run-in with him, he keeps her close – very close. Beneath his cold, calculating and smug exterior, he’s intense and insecure, suffering from being the forgotten child of powerful parents and so has not learnt how to show love and affection, or how to woo a woman. His methods of courtship leave a lot to be desired, and you could argue Stockholm Syndrome fairly easily, except that it’s long after Polymer escapes, and much later when they’re thrown together again in a survival situation that his true nature comes out and she falls in love with him. I was sixteen, seventeen when I first read this, and formed an instant crush on Nemo. If this were released today, it’d do extremely well – and it’d also bring out all those anti-Edward, Edward-is-a-stalker people who don’t get what we really find attractive in these heroes. (Hmm, post for another day?)
Go To Article on Giraffe Days Website: http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=11131
Review from Giraffedays.com
My Top Ten ... Comfort Reads
Polymer by Sally Rogers Davidson (1995)
YA Science Fiction
From 16 to 18 I attended Launceston College for grades 11 and 12. I got Austudy – as it was called then – when I turned 16 but it wasn’t much money. The government paid for my education, and during the week I lived in The Villas, a student residence that used to be a motel. It was like flatting but without the responsibility of paying any bills except rent, which was, I think, a hundred dollars a week – or fortnight, can’t remember. Anyway, the point is it didn’t leave me with much money to spare, so buying myself a book was a real treat. When I was 17 I came across Polymer in the YA section – which was a very small section in those days (1997). YA has really taken off in the last ten years, since adults started reading Harry Potter.
Now, don’t be put off by the cover illustration – that’s how YA books looked back in the 90s. We’ve all seen worse. At the time it was a perfectly good cover. It’s the story of Polymer – a nickname – who grew up on an affluent space station where everyone had everything they needed and old people could be kept technically alive thanks to modern medicine, long past their natural deaths. Her life of friends and parties is destroyed when the space station is invaded by the Gloman Empire. Separated from her family and everyone she knows, she tries to resist the invaders and instead manages to catch the eye of one Captain Nemo (yes, his name makes her want to giggle at first). Events lead to events which lead to events, and it’s quite the story.
I can’t count how many times I’ve read it – though sadly I haven’t read it in a number of years. What’s even more sad is how hard this book is to find now. If I hadn’t got it when it was a relatively new release (one or two years old), I would have completely missed it. You might be able to find it in some school or public libraries, but that’s it. It’s not even available online. And it’s a real shame. Considering how much YA has exploded over the last decade, Polymer would fit right in there and find a new home very easily. It’s got a feisty, intelligent heroine, a hero who I had a big crush on (still do) and makes Edward Cullen a pretty routine character, lots of action and some romance and some travel across space. It’s a great one to snuggle down with!
Go To Article on Giraffe Days Website: http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=3571
My Top Ten ... Comfort Reads
Polymer by Sally Rogers Davidson (1995)
YA Science Fiction
From 16 to 18 I attended Launceston College for grades 11 and 12. I got Austudy – as it was called then – when I turned 16 but it wasn’t much money. The government paid for my education, and during the week I lived in The Villas, a student residence that used to be a motel. It was like flatting but without the responsibility of paying any bills except rent, which was, I think, a hundred dollars a week – or fortnight, can’t remember. Anyway, the point is it didn’t leave me with much money to spare, so buying myself a book was a real treat. When I was 17 I came across Polymer in the YA section – which was a very small section in those days (1997). YA has really taken off in the last ten years, since adults started reading Harry Potter.
Now, don’t be put off by the cover illustration – that’s how YA books looked back in the 90s. We’ve all seen worse. At the time it was a perfectly good cover. It’s the story of Polymer – a nickname – who grew up on an affluent space station where everyone had everything they needed and old people could be kept technically alive thanks to modern medicine, long past their natural deaths. Her life of friends and parties is destroyed when the space station is invaded by the Gloman Empire. Separated from her family and everyone she knows, she tries to resist the invaders and instead manages to catch the eye of one Captain Nemo (yes, his name makes her want to giggle at first). Events lead to events which lead to events, and it’s quite the story.
I can’t count how many times I’ve read it – though sadly I haven’t read it in a number of years. What’s even more sad is how hard this book is to find now. If I hadn’t got it when it was a relatively new release (one or two years old), I would have completely missed it. You might be able to find it in some school or public libraries, but that’s it. It’s not even available online. And it’s a real shame. Considering how much YA has exploded over the last decade, Polymer would fit right in there and find a new home very easily. It’s got a feisty, intelligent heroine, a hero who I had a big crush on (still do) and makes Edward Cullen a pretty routine character, lots of action and some romance and some travel across space. It’s a great one to snuggle down with!
Go To Article on Giraffe Days Website: http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=3571
