Strangelets

By Michelle Gagnon

17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California, awaiting the inevitable loss of her battle with cancer…
17-year-old Declan stares down two armed thugs in a back alley in Galway, Ireland…
17-year-old Anat attempts to traverse a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt…
 
All three strangers should have died at the exact same moment, thousands of miles apart. Instead, they awaken together in an abandoned hospital—only to discover that they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places on the globe are trapped with them. Somebody or something seems to be pulling the strings. With their individual clocks ticking, they must band together if they’re to have any hope of surviving. 
 
Soon they discover that they've been trapped in a future that isn't of their making: a deadly, desolate world at once entirely familiar and utterly strange. Each teen harbors a secret, but only one holds the key that could get them home. As the truth comes to light Sophie, Declan, Anat, and the rest must decide what to do with a second chance at life—if they can survive to claim it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781616951382

Michelle Gagnon

Michelle Gagnon has worked as a bartender, dog walker, Russian supper club performer, model, personal trainer, and writer. She lives in San Francisco.

Reviews for Strangelets

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Strangelets Strangelets starts off with a bang. Six teenage strangers wake up to find themselves locked in a mysterious location. Is it a lab? A hospital? No one really knows. The only thing that is certain is that all of them now have a common goal: survive. I have to admit that I was extremely curious as to what type of adventure Michelle Gagnon would be taking the teens and I on.

I had no problem settling into the world that was built for me. The characters, despite being complete strangers to one another, meshed really well together. I loved how each one had their own background story, and how they all culminated into something much bigger than what I was expecting. I won't deny that I felt a little rushed at times though. Gagnon does her best to fit a lot into the 288 pages that Strangelets contains, and sometimes my questions went unanswered.

Which brings me to the thing about Strangelets that really makes it a harder book to review. The first three-quarters of the book is pretty much non-stop action. I had so many questions as I watched these strangers band together to try and survive. Kudos to the author for the way she built the tension, and kept me guessing. However as I neared the end, all the action kind of culminated in a big pause. There was a huge explanation of what was really going on, with a lot of terms I struggled to understand, and then the ending. It felt a bit anticlimactic, especially since I felt so invested in their struggle.

To me, Strangelets is one of those books that I enjoyed reading but probably wouldn't read again. I liked the story line for the most part, felt for the characters, but was left a little unsatisfied at the end. Still, I know that if there were further adventures for these characters I'd be there to read them. As I said, very confusing to review. Suffice it to say that if you like stories that mix thrillers and science fiction, this is probably the perfect read for you.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Too strange. Didn't finish and have no intention of giving up any more time. The book just did NOT get better! :-(

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Six teens on the verge of dying find themselves suddenly quite live in a mysterious clinic of sorts. All came from different parts of the world and, as they eventually find out, the last day they remember wasn't always the same. As they find their way outside, everyone has inexplicably disappeared, nature seems to be taking over, and there are strange monsters roaming around. The reader is carried to the end to find out what the hay is going on and how will this end.

[shellypya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Six teens from different parts of the world world wake up to find themselves in what appears to be a hospital. At first they don't see a way out, but everntually manage to escape and find that the outside world has been devastated; there are no other people around, the electricity and other utilities don't seem to be working, and they keep glimpsing strange creatures.Once they discover when they are, survival is their primary concern.

[cathyskye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First Line: Sophie Page felt herself getting closer. 17-year-old Sophie lies on her deathbed in California losing a long battle with cancer. 17-year-old Declan encounters two armed assailants in an alley in Galway, Ireland. 17-year-old Anat finds herself in a booby-trapped tunnel between Israel and Egypt. All three strangers should have died. Instead they wake up in an abandoned hospital-- and they're not alone. These teenagers find that they are going to have to work together to find out what is happening and how they can get back home.This book is fast-paced and has a very intriguing premise, which I'm not going to spoil by trying to explain any part of it to you. But what could have been a good, fun read turned into one that was rather mediocre. The characters seemed right out of Central Casting, with the pretty, nice girl; the streetwise, handsome boy; the suspicious, kick-ass girl; the handsome, privileged boy; and the strange one that none of the others can figure out. After making their way out of the hospital, seeing all the changes in the world around them, and trying to find a parent who lives in the area, none of the teenagers seemed particularly quick on the uptake either. None of them pieced the facts together, and they had to be presented with the truth. Strangelets had good pacing and an interesting storyline, but the characters let it down. All in all, this was an average read and not quite my cup of tea.

[rayneofdarkness · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book - picked it up on a whim from the library because the summary sounded interesting. As I was reading I was interested in what was going to happen and what happened to get them there. It was a good thriller/mystery with a good set up to keep you guessing on what is going on. I enjoyed the other small romantic interest that took place but didn't drag down the novel either. While, yes, the characters weren't completely developed and seemed a tad one-sided the focus was more on the mystery which I liked - doubling the book just to get character depth seemed like it would take away from the book. I think what little we did find out about them and what was happening their developed was perfect.

[booktwirps · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sophie, Declan and Anat -- three very different teens, all from different parts of the world, all facing life-threatening situations. Each of them wakes up in a deserted hospital. None of them know how they got there. Sophie is sure she's dead. She was in the final stages of battling Lymphoma. Declan and Anat, while not dying before, were both facing life-threatening situations. How did they end up here? Why?The three teens meet a group of other teens in the same building -- all were facing similar life-threatening circumstances before they awoke in the deserted hospital. None of them know how they got there. They just know that they need to get out. But, once they reach the outside world, they realize something is terribly wrong. They are now in the future, and by the looks of things, the world has ended. How can they get out of this alternate reality? Who sent them here? If they get out, can they save the world?It's really hard to describe this book without giving anything away. I can say that I really liked all of the characters -- especially the leads. Each of them had their own voice and personality, and they complimented one another very well. Sophie was sweet and innocent. She was so convinced she was dead (or in the last stages of dying), that finding this new "life" was a little overwhelming for her. Anat was the exact opposite of Sophie. She was strong, hardened and used to fighting for survival and not trusting others. Declan was my favorite. He was a smart ass, yet protective.The three other teens they meet in the hospital were also very interesting, and while the story is told from the POV of Sophie, Anat and Declan, the other teens are just as important to the story.Ms. Gagnon does thrillers very well. I really enjoyed her Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-esue Don't Turn around. I knew when I picked this one up that I was going to be in for an action-packed thrill-ride. And I was. But this one is way different than Don't Turn Around. This one kind of messes with your head.There are good guys and bad guys, but you're never quite sure who is truly good (or bad), and there are a ton of twists and turns. The only thing that felt off was the ending. It felt a tad rushed and everything was tied up too quickly and perfectly.Creepy, unexpected and fast-paced, Strangelets is a fun little mind-trippy book perfect for fans of thrillers. If you like end-of-the-world scenarios, or alternate realities, you should definitely pick this one up.

[jeneaw-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a review that I’ve sat and tried to figure out how not to spoil the book with too many details. I am a sucker for the books that kinda mess with your mind, and well, this one kinda does that. I will do my best to not spoil anything, because it seems to be easy to do that with this one.

The three main characters were all interesting in their own ways. Some good and some bad. Sophie has been sick for a long time, and had come to grips with the fact that she was going to die. Declan on the other hand was not expecting to die at all, and didn’t want to accept that he really had. Anat, well, she was bossy and moody. But why wouldn’t she be, she had been on her way to her fiance and then wakes up here. She’s a little angry. They were perfect kids at all, and that made them more realistic.

The premise was something that caught my attention. Three teen, all the same age, dying at the same exact time. The world building was slow at the beginning, and did take some time to get going. Once they make it out of the building they woke up in, they aren’t expecting what they find. They have no idea where they really are. They all have to work together to figure out what is going on, and they don’t exactly get along so there is banter between them. There were some eerie things going on, and it is like that from the beginning, and as the mystery unfolds the pieces start to fall into place. It was all a little strange, but I still wanted to know how they ending up where they had and how. Once the big reveal of the how and why, everything took off and the ending came so fast, it just felt rushed. But overall, it answered all the questions and still was a pretty good ending.

Strangelets was an interesting read for sure. The quantum physics aspect of this was what I found really fascinating and the whole parallel world was as well. Full of suspense, betrayal and super creepy happenings, it made for a fast read. Fans of thrillers, and science fiction will enjoy this one.