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Wreckers
The lid gave, eventually, with surprisingly little noise. Nothing splintered. Nothing broke. No hinges flew, or even creaked, and for a second or two nothing happened at all. Then came the first scream. It blew out a candle, that scream ...'Shut the lid! For the love of God ...SHUT THE LID!' And so the box was slammed shut, hidden away, and forgotten about. But what lay within was only dormant ...waiting for the time when it would be released, and let loose upon the world. And that time was about to come ...That time is now. This fantastic new novel from acclaimed writer, Julie Hearn, is truly unique and tells of friendship, secrets, love, hate and hope.
352 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2011
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April 28, 2011
Wreckers
Julie Hearn
Wreckers is told through the eyes of five teenage friends, Maude, Dilly, Jenna, Danzel and Gurnet. Five very different and well developed characters. Set in the future where global warming has changed the world and the way we live, we also are told a story of the past that entertwines with the present coming together at the end with a exciting and thrilling climax. The story starts off with the gang going to a old manor house to spend the night on Halloween, where they find something inside a hidden wall. Maude thinks it evil, Danzel wants to kill it, but Gurnet takes it home to Port Zannon where the consequences will have devastating effects. Action packed and hard to put down, I would recommend this to anyone who loves books with fantasy or myths.
Five stars.
Julie Hearn
Wreckers is told through the eyes of five teenage friends, Maude, Dilly, Jenna, Danzel and Gurnet. Five very different and well developed characters. Set in the future where global warming has changed the world and the way we live, we also are told a story of the past that entertwines with the present coming together at the end with a exciting and thrilling climax. The story starts off with the gang going to a old manor house to spend the night on Halloween, where they find something inside a hidden wall. Maude thinks it evil, Danzel wants to kill it, but Gurnet takes it home to Port Zannon where the consequences will have devastating effects. Action packed and hard to put down, I would recommend this to anyone who loves books with fantasy or myths.
Five stars.
May 9, 2011
Seriously, wtf?! This book was as weird as A Clockwork Orange but not half as interesting. My thoughts after reading it are all centred around "eh?" with a good bit of "huh?" thrown in there too.
The basic gist of the plot actually had some great potential, it focused on Greek folklore/mythology, particularly surrounding Pandora's box. But it just didn't work! The author constantly switched viewpoints between five teenagers, the dreaded last remaining prisoner in Pandora's box, and then some seemingly random third-person crap. Confusing much?? And I've never been one to fall for the: messy writing = literary technique to show the inner turmoil of the characters. This rarely works, the most successful case being The Bell Jar and that was probably only because Sylvia Plath actually was a stark-raving lunatic so no pretense required(but an admittedly good writer too).
It was just all over the place and I couldn't connect with any one of the five teenagers because the book kept jumping from one to the other all the time. And even if it hadn't I'm not so sure any of them would have been particularly likeable... both boys were annoying, one seemed to also be a potentially murderous psychopath... Jenna drooled over annoying guy number 1 and also frequently pretended to be scared so the boys wouldn't think her too strong-willed and aggressive because these are not good traits for a female (?!)... Maude was a wet lettuce... and the only thing I remember about Dilly is that her parents hated her enough to name her 'Daffodil'.
I actually expected better. I'm not quite sure why because the novel doesn't have many ratings or reviews; I think it's just 'cause I keep seeing a number of Julie Hearn books at my local library, I've picked them up a few times, thought they sounded good... and then ended up leaving them for something else. Maybe by putting it off I have somehow worked myself up to be amazed when I finally gave in. Well, no, the mish-mashed plot and painfully irritating characters simply gave me a headache. Jeez, glad it's over.
June 13, 2011
An enjoyable enough young adult gothic about teenagers staying the night in a spooky old house on the Cornish coast. The trouble with the story for me is that this is all it ended up being after promising a lot more. The italicised interludes that conjure up episodes from the past which influence the present day story are very interesting enough in their own right to have formed a complete novel themselves. Still, there were episodes that were very chilling.
January 19, 2012
I keep hovering between three and four stars for this... I think, going by what I've rated the other books of Julie Hearn's that I've read, I'll have to nudge it down to three because it's definitely my least favourite so far. Still good though - just not quite as awesome as the rest. It seemed to be missing a lot of depth, for instance you're not told all that much about the dystopian world - there was a terrorist attack on London, which was basically flattened to the ground... but why? From whom? Why does that mean the UK is now basically shut off from the rest of the world? And almost nobody has a car? And people are publicly executed for their crimes? etc etc. Wow, so many questions! And there was already the creepy backstory, with the abandoned manor house and the Thing in the Box, so it felt like really it could have just been set in a real-world little isolated fishing village without the whole dystopian angle. Because even these days you could find a place as cut off and insular as Port Zannon, you know?
It also felt a bit odd at first how there were five friends in the gang, but only four ever had their own narrating chapters. I know Maude came more into things later on, but for the first half or so it really seemed like she'd just been forgotten! I enjoyed reading but didn't really like boy-crazy Jenna... the bit with the ballgown made me imagine her growing up into a Miss Havisham though :P Dilly was a good main character, Danzel just generally wasn't my cup of tea... and Gurnet was WEIRD. He sounded from the start like he was going to turn psycho, like kidnap them all and hold them hostage or something... I mean they're, what, fifteen? And he keeps referring to his friends as "my Danzel", "my Dilly", "my Maude" etc... it just came across as really creepy. Maybe it was meant to? Maybe he was meant to always be a bit unhinged, which is how he was such an easy target for Laurence/Hopelessness? And also it meant that he kept Laurence (I have to) all caged up for much longer than anyone else would have done, which built things up a lot more.
Oh yeah - I LOVED the Pandora's Box tie-in, that was brilliant. Basically, as the tale goes, Hope wasn't the last thing left in the box. The lid was closed after she had flown out, but there was still something in there... Hopelessness. And Hopelessness remained in the box all those years, and the box ended up at the manor house, where the butler (?) glimpsed it and screeched for the box to be shut again (it had been pilfered from a shipwreck). And it was hidden behind a secret panel, all chained up, and the manor house fell into disrepair, but then of course the kids go there one Halloween. And they find the box, and Maude opens it...
Btw I kept picturing Laurence to look like the Psammead from the cover of Five Children and It, only blacker... and a bit slimy.
Argh, so much to say. I was amused when Laurence decided that going after plankton would be the way to destroy the world, after spitting in the eye of the preacher didn't do much. Although it turned out that, had he done that, things would have gone to shit. Not so amusing anymore. But still, plankton! Tee hee. I would have liked more the battle too... that was all over so fast. Like, just a ping of light and Laurence is gone.
All up? A really creepy-awesome idea for a story, but the execution just didn't make me fall in love with it as much as I'd hoped to.
It also felt a bit odd at first how there were five friends in the gang, but only four ever had their own narrating chapters. I know Maude came more into things later on, but for the first half or so it really seemed like she'd just been forgotten! I enjoyed reading but didn't really like boy-crazy Jenna... the bit with the ballgown made me imagine her growing up into a Miss Havisham though :P Dilly was a good main character, Danzel just generally wasn't my cup of tea... and Gurnet was WEIRD. He sounded from the start like he was going to turn psycho, like kidnap them all and hold them hostage or something... I mean they're, what, fifteen? And he keeps referring to his friends as "my Danzel", "my Dilly", "my Maude" etc... it just came across as really creepy. Maybe it was meant to? Maybe he was meant to always be a bit unhinged, which is how he was such an easy target for Laurence/Hopelessness? And also it meant that he kept Laurence (I have to) all caged up for much longer than anyone else would have done, which built things up a lot more.
Oh yeah - I LOVED the Pandora's Box tie-in, that was brilliant. Basically, as the tale goes, Hope wasn't the last thing left in the box. The lid was closed after she had flown out, but there was still something in there... Hopelessness. And Hopelessness remained in the box all those years, and the box ended up at the manor house, where the butler (?) glimpsed it and screeched for the box to be shut again (it had been pilfered from a shipwreck). And it was hidden behind a secret panel, all chained up, and the manor house fell into disrepair, but then of course the kids go there one Halloween. And they find the box, and Maude opens it...
Btw I kept picturing Laurence to look like the Psammead from the cover of Five Children and It, only blacker... and a bit slimy.
Argh, so much to say. I was amused when Laurence decided that going after plankton would be the way to destroy the world, after spitting in the eye of the preacher didn't do much. Although it turned out that, had he done that, things would have gone to shit. Not so amusing anymore. But still, plankton! Tee hee. I would have liked more the battle too... that was all over so fast. Like, just a ping of light and Laurence is gone.
All up? A really creepy-awesome idea for a story, but the execution just didn't make me fall in love with it as much as I'd hoped to.
January 15, 2013
A nice read overall, and I was plesantly surprised by the time I reached the end.
As the story began I found myself stumbling into a minefield of cliches - especially with the 5 main characters - Dilly - the daydreaming, voice of reason narrator, Danzel - the confident, good-looking bad boy, Jenna - the 'my hair will be ruined, I love boys' saracastic best friend, Maude - the quiet, nervous, shy but beautiful girl. And Gurnet. Who actually was the most interesting character there to be honest.
This did change over the course of the story. I liked the split narratives, but it always felt odd that Maude wasn't one of them, and I don't ever feel like we truly got a chance to explore the characters properly.
I loved the setting and the use of it. It really painted a fantastic picture for the story. I do feel that it would have benefitted from some more exploration of the dystopian nature of the world. I felt as though a lot of things were mentioned but not expanded on.
The overall plot was nice. I wasn't much of a fan at the end. I didn't really like how 'everyone lived happily ever after' and Maude, who had barely done anything the entire story rode off into the sunset with the handsome movie star. Especially because it was one of those 'love at first sight' things. Dilly and Danzel was a nice touch, but it just didn't seem to make sense seeing as they had spent most of the second half of the book seperate. It was as if WE saw their development as characters (and I enjoyed Danzel's a lot - his loyalty to Gurnet was nice), but they didn't see each others...
The other thing that irked me was the let down after big build ups of tension. I felt as though this could have gone further, and darker and made more of the tense situations - Danzel's encounter with the man down the alley for instance - I felt as though that was leaning towards something really interesting, and then it just ended. Same with the shipwreck. We had a cliffhanger ending to a chapter as the boys went sliding into the sea only to be told a couple of pages later that they were fine.
I felt as though this is the type of book a high school class would read in English Literature to discuss and write essays on. Lots of basic character stuff and interesting moral discussions to be had.
So. A nice litle book, which could have done so much more with what it had.
As the story began I found myself stumbling into a minefield of cliches - especially with the 5 main characters - Dilly - the daydreaming, voice of reason narrator, Danzel - the confident, good-looking bad boy, Jenna - the 'my hair will be ruined, I love boys' saracastic best friend, Maude - the quiet, nervous, shy but beautiful girl. And Gurnet. Who actually was the most interesting character there to be honest.
This did change over the course of the story. I liked the split narratives, but it always felt odd that Maude wasn't one of them, and I don't ever feel like we truly got a chance to explore the characters properly.
I loved the setting and the use of it. It really painted a fantastic picture for the story. I do feel that it would have benefitted from some more exploration of the dystopian nature of the world. I felt as though a lot of things were mentioned but not expanded on.
The overall plot was nice. I wasn't much of a fan at the end. I didn't really like how 'everyone lived happily ever after' and Maude, who had barely done anything the entire story rode off into the sunset with the handsome movie star. Especially because it was one of those 'love at first sight' things. Dilly and Danzel was a nice touch, but it just didn't seem to make sense seeing as they had spent most of the second half of the book seperate. It was as if WE saw their development as characters (and I enjoyed Danzel's a lot - his loyalty to Gurnet was nice), but they didn't see each others...
The other thing that irked me was the let down after big build ups of tension. I felt as though this could have gone further, and darker and made more of the tense situations - Danzel's encounter with the man down the alley for instance - I felt as though that was leaning towards something really interesting, and then it just ended. Same with the shipwreck. We had a cliffhanger ending to a chapter as the boys went sliding into the sea only to be told a couple of pages later that they were fine.
I felt as though this is the type of book a high school class would read in English Literature to discuss and write essays on. Lots of basic character stuff and interesting moral discussions to be had.
So. A nice litle book, which could have done so much more with what it had.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2013
Yes. I paid for this book, I believe it was discounted but still. I paid for this rubbish. I didn’t finish it, didn’t even half way, which says it all really.
I’m not entirely sure what Wreckers was really about, the plot is fairly simple, set in Great Britain (YEY!) in a dystopian future where London has apparently been destroyed and the country is set back to a world of rations and poverty (more on this later). The book is told from the perspectives of five friends (although we hear from some more than others) who find a box in a haunted house on Halloween, so they open it.... its pandoras box and for any that know the story, all that was left after the nasties had flown was hope. But apparently not, apparently there is still one more nasty left, and these plonkers are all set to release it.
The primary let down in the part of the book I read was the scene setting and the book set up, flitting from character to character gave no depth to any of them, and I couldn’t see why there were even friends. The world Hearn’s created has no validation - the country is in poverty and no-one has cars, yet they still holiday to cornwall and all the shops and cafes are open? The characters talk obsessively about getting milk shots (WTF are they?) and go and pay for them at the diner? None of it makes sense - either the country (or those we see in this story) are barely surviving or they are not really effected by it all - this half way, picking and choosing annoyed me, it was like there was no real thought going in to it, almost like a child had drawn the future and Hearn had picked things out of the picture to use as ‘gimmicks’ to prove it was the future.
Like I said the characters were weak and had no like-ability at all, the plot was feeble (which is a shame as pandora’s box would have been a great story to tell). I can only comment on the bit I read obviously, but I can’t imaging that it would of suddenly got better....
I’m not entirely sure what Wreckers was really about, the plot is fairly simple, set in Great Britain (YEY!) in a dystopian future where London has apparently been destroyed and the country is set back to a world of rations and poverty (more on this later). The book is told from the perspectives of five friends (although we hear from some more than others) who find a box in a haunted house on Halloween, so they open it.... its pandoras box and for any that know the story, all that was left after the nasties had flown was hope. But apparently not, apparently there is still one more nasty left, and these plonkers are all set to release it.
The primary let down in the part of the book I read was the scene setting and the book set up, flitting from character to character gave no depth to any of them, and I couldn’t see why there were even friends. The world Hearn’s created has no validation - the country is in poverty and no-one has cars, yet they still holiday to cornwall and all the shops and cafes are open? The characters talk obsessively about getting milk shots (WTF are they?) and go and pay for them at the diner? None of it makes sense - either the country (or those we see in this story) are barely surviving or they are not really effected by it all - this half way, picking and choosing annoyed me, it was like there was no real thought going in to it, almost like a child had drawn the future and Hearn had picked things out of the picture to use as ‘gimmicks’ to prove it was the future.
Like I said the characters were weak and had no like-ability at all, the plot was feeble (which is a shame as pandora’s box would have been a great story to tell). I can only comment on the bit I read obviously, but I can’t imaging that it would of suddenly got better....
September 18, 2021
DNF at page 138.
I don’t like quitting books but I don’t have a clue where this is going or leading or what the hell is going on! I don’t like the characters and it is all over the place and very bitty and nothing is explained very well, so I have given up!
I don’t like quitting books but I don’t have a clue where this is going or leading or what the hell is going on! I don’t like the characters and it is all over the place and very bitty and nothing is explained very well, so I have given up!
May 20, 2019
A fairly disappointing read. The desire to understand what was going on got me through the novel, but was scarcely rewarded with the ending.
February 20, 2025
good i think ?? interesting concept and structure and funny in places i’m not sure i was that invested but i liked the intertwining of myth
November 10, 2011
It took me a while to realise that the modern day setting for Wreckers is actually an altered reality, where London was completely destroyed in a terrorist attack. The British King has frozen the borders so no-one can leave or enter the country; news is highly restricted; mobile phones, technology and transport systems have been taken away; and strangers are a very uncommon occurrence. The world has united to prevent the seas and the ozone dying, and eco-christianity has become the hottest new religion. I like the concept for this setting, but I did find myself rather muddled at the start trying to figure out some of the dialogue and references to this new alternate reality.
For some reasons I also expected the story to be about mermaids, maybe it was the cover image and because I didn’t know that Wreckers referred to those living on land in the 1700s who salvaged goods that have have washed up from wrecked ships. Instead the focus was around one box in particular - Pandora's box. Without giving away too much, I was also surprised over what the box contained, as I expected it be darker and more sinister.
The story is told from six different perspectives: Maude, Dilly, Danzel, Jenna, Gurnet and a mystery voice. This last voice was all-knowing; it was able to explain the alternate reality that the teenagers lived in, the history of the box, and also what happens in the future. I enjoyed hearing the story from the different charcters perspectives, and felt that without the mystery voice I would have lost within the plot. However I couldn’t help but wonder whether this was because within the characters narrative’s things like the setting weren’t tied in enough.
Out of all the characters Dilly was my favourite, because she was down to earth, friendly and caring. I did however like all the characters including Gurnet with his knack for adopting stray or dangerous animals, and even brash Jenna who just about redeemed herself by being completely un-tempted by the box (a positive in my book).
There are several reasons that made me feel this book would be better suited to a younger audience: there was the potential to make the box’s content scary and dark but it wasn’t, so much so that Gurnet befriends what is inside; there wasn’t the depth of thinking behind the setting (personally I can’t see the world uniting peacefully to save the world, although I really wish it would happen!); and finally because the narrative was all-knowing, needing to explain everything from the past, present and future.
An interesting and engaging story for young readers, Wreckers explores mythology, friendship and hope.
Rating: 3*
For some reasons I also expected the story to be about mermaids, maybe it was the cover image and because I didn’t know that Wreckers referred to those living on land in the 1700s who salvaged goods that have have washed up from wrecked ships. Instead the focus was around one box in particular - Pandora's box. Without giving away too much, I was also surprised over what the box contained, as I expected it be darker and more sinister.
The story is told from six different perspectives: Maude, Dilly, Danzel, Jenna, Gurnet and a mystery voice. This last voice was all-knowing; it was able to explain the alternate reality that the teenagers lived in, the history of the box, and also what happens in the future. I enjoyed hearing the story from the different charcters perspectives, and felt that without the mystery voice I would have lost within the plot. However I couldn’t help but wonder whether this was because within the characters narrative’s things like the setting weren’t tied in enough.
Out of all the characters Dilly was my favourite, because she was down to earth, friendly and caring. I did however like all the characters including Gurnet with his knack for adopting stray or dangerous animals, and even brash Jenna who just about redeemed herself by being completely un-tempted by the box (a positive in my book).
There are several reasons that made me feel this book would be better suited to a younger audience: there was the potential to make the box’s content scary and dark but it wasn’t, so much so that Gurnet befriends what is inside; there wasn’t the depth of thinking behind the setting (personally I can’t see the world uniting peacefully to save the world, although I really wish it would happen!); and finally because the narrative was all-knowing, needing to explain everything from the past, present and future.
An interesting and engaging story for young readers, Wreckers explores mythology, friendship and hope.
Rating: 3*
August 28, 2014
I thought this book had a good premise of a box originally found in 1732 that should never be opened. In reality I thought it was rather clumsy. You have narrators of 4 out of 5 characters, Maude just got one measly paragraph. The main thing that annoyed me is it is never revealed what year it is or what this attack was. One review claims that it's 2028 and London was bombed but I'm assuming they must have had inside info from Ms. Hearn seeing as even on her own website it doesn't reveal the setting.
The characters were interesting. The only one you had any real insight into is Dilly, Danzel was adequate although why was he drinking? Maude seemed very flat, her biggest storyline came from the visitors about half way through, oh and opening the box. Jenna annoyed me, she was too narrow-minded, constantly thinking about boys and sex yet for a 15-year-old she childishly referred to her breasts as "thingies" which was frustrating. Also we never given any reason for her mother's erratic behaviour. Gurnet he was just a weird potential psychopath. The way he spoke was weird (my Dilly, my Danzel etc) and I found it disturbing how much he cared for the creature.
I also found the majority of the back-stories under-developed, yes Hopelessness may have amplified certain feelings e.g. Jenna's mother throwing herself at men - literally! - but what caused these behaviours in the first place?
Also who the hell was the sub-narrator (in italics)? I thought it was just a non-narrator giving background info to the box until page 277: "You're wondering, aren't you, how I know all this? You've been wondering for a while, haven't you, who, or what, I am? Well, sorry. You won't know until after you die, and maybe not even then." I'm disappointed that it wasn't revealed who he or she is.
Also I thought the final clash between Hope and Hopelessness was very rushed and I didn't find it very clear what was going on.
The characters were interesting. The only one you had any real insight into is Dilly, Danzel was adequate although why was he drinking? Maude seemed very flat, her biggest storyline came from the visitors about half way through, oh and opening the box. Jenna annoyed me, she was too narrow-minded, constantly thinking about boys and sex yet for a 15-year-old she childishly referred to her breasts as "thingies" which was frustrating. Also we never given any reason for her mother's erratic behaviour. Gurnet he was just a weird potential psychopath. The way he spoke was weird (my Dilly, my Danzel etc) and I found it disturbing how much he cared for the creature.
I also found the majority of the back-stories under-developed, yes Hopelessness may have amplified certain feelings e.g. Jenna's mother throwing herself at men - literally! - but what caused these behaviours in the first place?
Also who the hell was the sub-narrator (in italics)? I thought it was just a non-narrator giving background info to the box until page 277: "You're wondering, aren't you, how I know all this? You've been wondering for a while, haven't you, who, or what, I am? Well, sorry. You won't know until after you die, and maybe not even then." I'm disappointed that it wasn't revealed who he or she is.
Also I thought the final clash between Hope and Hopelessness was very rushed and I didn't find it very clear what was going on.
June 1, 2013
This started off great (the flash back parts were so epic I was sad they couldn't be woven into the rest of the story) and then about halfway it just got... I don't know how to say this... boring. Like it stalled completely for me, sometime around the whole Hopelessness thing and how slowly that story line progressed. And I don't really like saying that because obviously she's an accomplished writer. I did have trouble with the continual switching of so many POVs. But the start was so good! Two starry stars.
August 1, 2011
When I began this dystopian novel, I thought it would be a lot different to how it was. To begin with I did enjoy this book, it had a nice pace and had a wonderful air of mystery about it; but it didn't really keep me gripped. I didn't really get properly engrossed in the story until around the last 100 pages or so. I have to say though, the story was clever with a great moral message for us now, it taught me a lot and I loved the mythical element. It's an odd mix but works extremely well!
December 16, 2011
Wreckers By Julie Hearn - It was so different to the books I've read before, at first I was a bit confused as to what was happening and where it all was set, but then I slowly started understanding what was going on. I really loved the fact that the story was narrated by different characters, it made the book very unique! The story was based around a myth of Pandora's box, it was truly enticing!
I recommend this to readers who dont mind a bit of a slow start and a peaceful end ! :)
I recommend this to readers who dont mind a bit of a slow start and a peaceful end ! :)
October 27, 2013
This book was absolutely fantastic. An easy but pleasing read, detailed and a huge variety of imagery was used so I really felt absorbed. I couldn't put it down! Beautifully written, with heart-wrenching features to the plot and an inedible climax at the end! One of those books where the words just keep rolling, a perfect book.
July 12, 2013
This story is about the Gang (Dilly, Dan, Gurn, Jenna and Maude) and what they find in the old mansion on the hill and the trouble and adventure this leads to. Set in the past and the future, full of mystery, adventure, end of the world, environmental issues, romance and Greek myths.
February 6, 2013
A funny, fast paced excellent read.
April 9, 2021
Ended up not being my cup of tea.
September 29, 2014
This was a great book, with a good story line and interesting style of writing! I really enjoyed it!
February 13, 2012
When I read this, it was too slow and too boring...
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews