Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane

I received a review copy of Children of Paranoia from Penguin, and have heard a lot of buzz about this novel.  It's certainly not my usual ghosty/garden/food book.  It's the exact opposite, which was a refreshing change from my usual reads!


Joe is a young man who kills people.  Why?  Because he's on the side of good, and they are evil.  His father and sister were both murdered by the "other side", and he became an assassin at age 18.  Who are the bad guys?  Well, both you and Joe don't really know.  You just know they're evil, and they spend their lives hunting and killing the people on the good side.  So Joe's side spend their lives taking out the other side.  Tit for Tat.  An endless battle that has gone on for centuries.


But as Joe travels the country, and accepts his assignments by phone from the mysterious Intelligence, he begins to question what exactly he's fighting for:  how did this begin, and who can answer his questions?  When he meets Maria, and falls in love, he begins a dangerous journey to be free of his life and live peacefully with Maria.  Can he do it?


This book is full of random killings between two factions.  The rest of the world has no idea this is going on--they're the innocents.  There are a few simple rules to follow:  Don't kill anyone under 18, no killing innocent bystanders, and if you have a child before you are 18, it is taken away from you and raised by the other side--yep--it becomes the 'enemy'.  


You take the journey along with Joe as he struggles to do what he has been taught is right, but all the while he is questioning just what is right.  Can Maria understand his life?  Can they find happiness and escape his birthright?  


This is a good, edge of your seat book.  It would make a pretty effective action movie.  And it makes you stop and think--how many things do you just accept, without questioning.  And once you do question, how would it change your view?  


Anyone who likes action/adventure, or a fiction novel that has elements of science fiction in it, or wants to read something that will keep you thinking long after you've finished the last page--pick this up.  I would say it's suitable for high school kids and up.  

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Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane