2. Introduction
My book is called BZRK and it was
written by Michael Grant, who also
wrote one of my favorite series called
GONE. Grant is an acclaimed young
adult novel writer, with 150 published
books, many of them being science
fiction related.
BZRK was written in 2012 and published
by EgmontUSA.
3. Plot Summary
BZRK is a novel that centers around a war…
A war for the human mind.
4. Charles and Benjamin Armstrong are conjoined
twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts
Corporation. They have one goal: to turn the
world into their twisted vision of 'utopia'.
They want:
No wars
No conflict
No hunger.
5. But, here's the catch:
They also want no free will.
They plan to use nano-technology to manipulate
and essentially program the minds of everyone
on earth to achieve what they want. Although
mere teenagers, they promise that nothing will
stop them on the conquest for their desires.
6. On the other side of this, there's an opposing group of
teens, code named BZRK. They are an underground
secret society fighting for the right to be flawed and to
have choice,
To be human.
7. One of the protagonist is a young boy
named Noah, code named Keats. Noah's brother
recently returned from a war in Afghanistan, but
is not the same. But his problem isn’t shell shock
nor PDST- his brain has been completely been
rewired and we do not know why.
Noah joins BZRK to search for answers and
hopefully help his brother.
8. Another protagonist is young Sadie Mclure, code named
Plath. She too joins BZRK after an Armstrong-
orchestrated-accident that killed her brother and her
father. She got pulled into the world of nano-tech and is
fueled by revenge to give the Armstrong twins what they
deserve.
Together Sadie and Noah learn the science and put their
lives on the line for the cause. They make and learn how
to control their biots with endless training. Making the
perfect team, their biots fight side by side. The pair
ruthlessly fight the conjoined Armstrong twins.
9. The story takes place in New York and Washington, USA
and in London, England. However, the campaign is
world-wide on a common battle ground. In this book
there is battle for freewill fought on the human brain
with the warfare of nano-technology. Here, nano-
technology is able weave fibres in the human brain, and
essentially re-wire a person. This can alter memories,
invent occurrences, and complete change personalities.
Most importantly, using nano-tech, with just a simple
twitch, a person can die at the manipulator’s will.
11. Noah, Sadie, and the rest of the BZRK team intercept
the Armstrong’s twin’s plan to infiltrate the brains of
six major world leaders, barely surviving themselves.
The Armstrong twins are killed by BZRK biots in a
gruesome fight on their brains.
The reader is left on a cliff-hanger: What is BZRK’s
next mission, and what is going to happen with this
dangerous technology now?
Answer: read the next book in the series to find out.
12. Personal Insights/ Evaluation:
This book is extremely interesting and thought
provoking. Perhaps this phrase is overused, but I didn't
want to put this book down for a second when reading
it. I wanted to stay emerged in the world- not so
different than our- that Grant created. Maybe that’s
why it’s so interesting; because the world that Grant
created is not fantasy, but rather it is a possibility for
the near future.
13. This is a scary thought, as the world within this book is
very frightening. I was left cringing at the thought that
someday soon, maybe people will able to steep into
brains and change the very code for who you are with
the aid of nano-tech. This seems so wrong, but I
wouldn't doubt that the world we live in would come to
this for the same reason the antagonists in the book
did; for the misconstrued image of the "greater good".
14. The book was especially interesting to me as the brains
plays a large role in the story line as it is where this
warfare takes place. As I want to be a neuroscientist,
this granted me a new perspective on the human brain.
15. Although no computers are used or mentioned through the
novel, nanotechnology plays a very large role in the events that
unfold.
“Nanotechnology is a broad term that covers many areas of
science, research and technology. In its most basic form, it can
be described as working with things that are small. Things so tiny
that they can't be seen with standard microscopes. The same
stuff that has always been there, but we just couldn't see it. The
building blocks of nature, atoms and molecules. Nano-
technology involves understanding matter at the "nano" scale."
(Admin, Future for all).
A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. In comparison, a human
hair is about 100,000 nanometers in diameter.
Research/Technical Accuracy:
16. There is no exact indication as to what time frame that
this story takes place in. As the teenagers in the book
seem very current and relatable, it could be assumed that
the story takes place in the very near future.
Although, the story seems like it takes place in a world
that is much further in the advancements of nano-
technology than we are. It is not common knowledge
that nano-tech can currently manipulate human thought
or anything close to that, but we don't know for sure
what is going on in the underground science-scene.
17. I concluded that this book is set in the near future.
Certain people have developed the skill of
manipulating nanobiots so swiftly that it becomes a
part of them- literally.
Operators of these biot called “twitchers” can
simultaneously see from the perspectives of two
tiny biots as well as their own. Biots are made of
their own DNA, and they can direct and move
these biots from great distances away, just using
their mind. Mainly, these biots are used for
manipulation purposes.
18. This also book touches on the medical benefits of
nanotech, as one of the main characters in the novel
develops a brain tumor that is later repaired and
protected by nanobiots weaving fibres all around.
Many science outlets have reported that this is very
possible for the future of nanotech (Drexler, World
Future Society).
They report that the field of medicine can be advanced
stupendously with the use of nanobiots, they
predict nanobiots swimming through your veins,
repairing cells or attacking viruses, which could lead to
the curing of cancer.
19. Nanobiots do not exist yet, but when they do, futurists
predict possible uses for nanorobiots will include
molecular manufacturing (nanofactories) and
medical nanobiots that steer autonomously through
your blood stream making repairs and guarding
against infection (Drexler, The Guardian).
This raises many ethical concerns, but there is no doubt
that nanobiots can and will be used for this when
possible.
20. They also predict for nanobiots to be used
environmentally as well, such as breaking down toxic
debris and even repairing the ozone layer. In the next
20 years, nano-technology will touch the life of nearly
every person on the planet.
Currently, nanotechnology is being used to make
surfaces self-cleaning and stay clean for a long time.
Nanotech can be found in cosmetics, sunscreens,
clothing and many other consumer products today
(Admin, Future Nanotechnology).
21. However, the frightening aspect of this innovative
technology is the potential fact that if this technology
falls into the wrong hands, serious consequences will
present themselves (Bonsor et al, HowStuffWorks) like
the manipulation that takes place within the book.
Is this technology worth the risk?
22. References
Admin. "Future Nanotechnology." Future
Nanotechnology. Web. 2 May 2015.
Bonsor, Kevin, and Jonathan Strickland. "How
Nanotechnology Works." HowStuffWorks.
HowStuffWorks.com, 2007. Web. 2 May 2015.
Drexler, Eric. "A Radical Future for Nanotechnology."
World Future Society. 2013. Web. 2 May 2015.
Drexler, Eric. "Big Nanotech: An Unexpected Future."
The Guardian. 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 2 May 2015.
