Reviews

Day of Deliverance is set in 1587 (the Elizabethan times) in London, but the first section is written in modern day. The main characters throughout the book are Jack and his best friend Angus; however, we do meet many others during Jack's adventure, such as the playwright Christopher Marlowe and the young William Shakespeare. Many things happen to Jack and Angus on this quest; some good, some bad. But one thing's for sure; they're always getting up to something, whether it's riding a motorbike up a very steep slope, or having a conversation with Christopher Marlowe.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I would have liked to. I have always been fascinated by the Elizabethan era and Queen Elizabeth herself, but this book did not give me the sort of atmosphere that I believe London in 1587 would have had. However, I did like the way certain characters were portrayed, such as Christopher Marlowe being a slightly nervy man with constant things on his mind. I did also liked the part when Angus gave a Monk and a man called Fanshawe, Jelly Babies because their reaction ‘a most providential delicacy' was funny, thinking we just take sweets as everyday things now. After reading this book, I don't think I would read another Johnny O'Brien book, merely because the characters and setting don't really seem right compared to other interpretations of these famous events and people.

I think that the reason I didn't enjoy this book so much was because a lot of the characteristics of people are quite modern and didn't really speak or say things that you expect someone from the 1580's to talk. I also disagree with some of the settings, as lots of them are too related to present day.

If someone was going to read this book, I think they should be roughly a 12-13 girl or boy and be interested in the Elizabethans and their way of life.

by  Violet

 

"This book is exciting and full of adventure, a real page-turner!"

In the latest book in this series, Jack and his best friend Angus are yet again the main characters. They both work for a time-travelling agency -Set up to stop people trying to alter time to save a loved one- The agency HQ is based at the school which the two boys attend. With strength, courage and quick-thinking, the duo set out, this time bound for Elizabethan London.

Finding themselves in London, the hero's manage to walk straight in on a very important historical event which is not for the faint-hearted. They also meet a few certain individuals during the course of the book, William Shakespeare to name just one. Along the way, the two boys discover a dangerous plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, which leads them to a double-agent working for the Spanish and English forces and trying to stir up war.

The author uses suspense and tension throughout the book, creating an urge to read on and find out which important, dangerous, or brilliant characters they will stumble across next.

On the cover of the book, there is a picture of an old watch with the silhouette of a boy (presumably Jack) falling into it. There is also a picture of Queen Elizabeth I in the background. When I saw this book for the first time I wouldn't have guessed that it was about time-travellers. Even when I looked at the blurb I couldn't really get any information about the storyline out of it.

My advice is maybe next time be a bit less subtle when designing the front cover because to someone who hasn't read the other book and has just picked it up off the shelf, it looks like just another old history book with not too many facts. Whereas actually this book is exciting and the facts that it does have are cleverly embedded in the story.

by Joe