The Best Dystopian Thriller of This Year: Killer T

Name: Killer T

Author: Robert Muchamore

Published: 2018

Harry and Charlie live in a world of designer babies, gene splicing in garages and genetically modified bugs. Now, with a lab in your cellar, you can enhance your brain to pass tests or change a few genes to get a permanent tan and bikini body. But the world didn’t expect the devastation that this technology would bring. When you can create a crazy synthetic virus in your bedroom and then kill half the world with the push of one button, no one is safe.

Spanning 10 years, Killer T follows crazy developments in technology and Charlie and Harry – two teenagers in a futuristic Las Vegas who, like most of the world, have no clue of the destruction science will bring America. In the beginning of the novel, Harry has just moved to a swish American apartment from London with his aunt, whilst Charlie lives in a dirty trailer with her brain-damaged brother and psychotic sister. Not the most likely of friends. However, they stay in touch throughout the separate trials of their lives and we watch as they drift together and apart. I understand they were necessary, but at some times I just felt like the time skips were unexpected places to stop:  Are they going to kiss? Is she going to kill him?! *2 years later* Guess we’ll never know.

My main flaw with the book was just that a lot of the characters lacked depth. People don’t kill others without a a reason, and you don’t spark a crush with someone just because the top buttons of their shirt aren’t done up. Some days I really don’t like my sister – but would I seriously chase her to the ends of the earth for stealing my barbie as a kid? Sometimes, some of the characters’ actions just weren’t explained well enough and that annoyed me.

However, something I loved about this book was how well thought out everything was. Intelligently written, the world inside this book is frighteningly close to ours, and Muchamore asks some pretty serious questions about the relationship between society and science. It’s scary how easily I can see the mass panic and biological warfare caused by the gene editing. But, thankfully, there is more to the storyline than just science. And yes, whilst Harry and Charlie are ‘thrown together in a world falling apart’ (swoon) it’s not one of those. Their story isn’t soppy and sentimental, I really enjoyed watching them finally come together. And then… oh my god. No spoilers but I really did NOT like the ending. I’ll just leave it at that – drop a comment if you know what I’m talking about!

So, if you’re a fan of dystopian thrillers this is totally for you! I enjoyed it a lot, my only problem was that some of the characters were a little 2D. It’s action packed and will keep you guessing until the end… or at least the next slightly random time jump 🙂

MATURE CHEESES ONLY!  Killer T contains some quite disturbing violence, language and references that I would only recommend if you’re over 13.

       If yHave you read this book? Did you also cry your heart out? Or do you have a book recommendation? (songs also excitedly accepted) Please like and let me know in the comments!