Darok 9

Rating:
Summary: A recommended novel for science fiction enthusiasts
Review: Creative writing workshop educator H.J. Ralles as set her science fiction novel Darok 9 in the year 2120. This is an exciting post-apocalyptic story about the Earth's last survivors, barely enduring on the harsh surface of the moon. A top scientist perfects a drug that removes the body's need for water, making survival that much easier; but his discovery brings treachery and murder, and the teenagers Will and Maddie get swept up in a dangerous game with the welfare of humanity's legacy at stake. An enjoyable and recommended novel for science fiction enthusiasts.

Rating:
Summary: Cool book
Review: Darok 9 is another wonderful book for children by H.J. Ralles. As with Keeper of the Kingdom, the story is fast-paced, the action is relentless and the excitement of the story carries you right through to the end. The gripping plot combines the mystique of the lunar environment with computer wizardry in a way that cannot fail to captivate today's high-tech kids. The strong role of 13 year old Maddie is a delight to see in a science fiction novel. I bought this book as a present for my niece who had persuaded me to read Keeper as an example of what a "cool book" is "these days". I was just going to read a few pages but found I couldn't put it down myself!

Rating:
Summary: Cool book
Review: Darok 9 is another wonderful book for children by H.J. Ralles. As with Keeper of the Kingdom, the story is fast-paced, the action is relentless and the excitement of the story carries you right through to the end. The gripping plot combines the mystique of the lunar environment with computer wizardry in a way that cannot fail to captivate today's high-tech kids. The strong role of 13 year old Maddie is a delight to see in a science fiction novel. I bought this book as a present for my niece who had persuaded me to read Keeper as an example of what a "cool book" is "these days". I was just going to read a few pages but found I couldn't put it down myself!

Rating:
Summary: from Beyond the Words...
Review: DAROK 9 is another wonderful science fiction book for young adults by H. J. Ralles... Filled with nonstop action and suspense, it tells the story of a young scientist, Hank Havard, and his quest to keep his big discovery out of enemy hands.

World War III has been fought, and has rendered the Earth uninhabitable. The surviving humans have divided the Moon into four quadrants, and each of these quadrants are divided into cities, called Daroks. All are dependent on large shipments of water from Earth, and this must be decontaminated before it can be used. Hank has developed a vaccine which eliminates the human body's need for water. But his research is incomplete, although he has discovered that he has to keep the vaccine at a temperature of no more than forty degrees Fahrenheit for it to work.

The Fourth Quadrant was the last one settled and is the poorest in resources. ...
The language in this book is clean, as it was in KEEPER OF THE KINGDOM, something I found refreshing. Also, the message that violence doesn't pay is strong. The characters are believable, and the plot is solid. DAROK 9 is a can't-put-it-down, go-away-and-let-me-read science fiction thriller, sure to please any reader of any age!

Rating:
Summary: from Beyond the Words...
Review: DAROK 9 is another wonderful science fiction book for young adults by H. J. Ralles... Filled with nonstop action and suspense, it tells the story of a young scientist, Hank Havard, and his quest to keep his big discovery out of enemy hands.

World War III has been fought, and has rendered the Earth uninhabitable. The surviving humans have divided the Moon into four quadrants, and each of these quadrants are divided into cities, called Daroks. All are dependent on large shipments of water from Earth, and this must be decontaminated before it can be used. Hank has developed a vaccine which eliminates the human body's need for water. But his research is incomplete, although he has discovered that he has to keep the vaccine at a temperature of no more than forty degrees Fahrenheit for it to work.

The Fourth Quadrant was the last one settled and is the poorest in resources. ...
The language in this book is clean, as it was in KEEPER OF THE KINGDOM, something I found refreshing. Also, the message that violence doesn't pay is strong. The characters are believable, and the plot is solid. DAROK 9 is a can't-put-it-down, go-away-and-let-me-read science fiction thriller, sure to please any reader of any age!

Rating:
Summary: Out of this World Sci-Fi
Review: H.J. Ralles is the author and creator of this science fiction book for kids. However, Darok 9 certainly can hold its own in the adult world as well. This very entertaining book is hard to put down. Once you start reading it you just want to know how it will end. Filled with action and surprises around every bend this book keeps your attention.

Darok 9 is set in the no so terribly distant future of 2120. The setting is a settlement on the moon. Humans were forced to leave the earth after a devastating nuclear war, but the fighting has not stopped and the hardships continue.

It is up to Hank Harvard, a young scientist to find the answer to the shortage of water with his top secret formula, SH33. His task is made even more difficult by the attacks and the danger he has placed his family in. Can Hank find the answer before his nephew falls deathly ill? Who is behind the plot to steal his formula? Can war be diverted? Or will humans finally do themselves in?

While, Darok 9 is certainly written for the younger generation sci-fi fans of any age will find this story entertaining and delightful. My only concern about the book is the glorification of computer hacking. In these very trying times where kids know more about computers than most adults is it really wise to let them think it is a courageous act to hack into government computers? All in all it is an interesting look into what life on the moon could be. And I look forward to reading H.J. Ralles' other book, Keeper of the Kingdom.

Rating:
Summary: SPACE AGE ADVENTURE - LET'S ROLL
Review: H.J. Ralles' science fiction novel, DAROK 9, propels the reader into a lunar setting where life-sustaining use of water impels the Quadrants to wage war on fellow Quadrants, rendering the ten Daroks (cities) and their inhabitants expendable. Central to the story is Hank Havard, a twenty-four-year-old vonderkind scientist who is on the brink of perfecting his SH33 formula which will enable humans to recycle water within their systems. Hank and his lab assistant, Linda Grant, plus the head of the science agency are the only persons who know of this classified formula. War breaks out, with Quadrant 4 on the rampage for power and supremacy over the other three Quadrants. Or perhaps their motivation is getting the formula. During the attack, Hank manages to secure 12 vials of SH33 as well as to download the formula onto two memory cards. He and Linda escape, taking the Bullet train to their Daroks. But in the pandemonium, Linda gets separated from Hank, who can only hope she made it onto the train. From this point on, Hank's life is rife with harrowing experiences which convince him that someone has leaked the secret of the formula and is out to get it...and him. To the rescue come two thirteen-year-olds, Hank's nephew Will and his young friend Maddie, who ply their knowledge of computers and work undercover to assist Hank from allowing the evil perpetrators to obtain the vials and the formula. Hank's sister Rachel plays a heroic part in hiding two vials of the precious heat-sensitive formula in the morgue cooler at the hospital where she works. The fact that the formula is untested and that its composition alters with any increase in temperature are critical factors in the story. Will gets inoculated with the untested formula and nears death. Will Hank save his nephew? Will Hank prove that his formula works? Will the perpetrators be caught and punished? Will Quadrant 4 be suppressed?
DAROK 9 brings a lunar environment and a time period three generations beyond the nuclear destruction of earth smack dab into a science fiction setting perfect for this gripping story. Domes provide a livable environment by using liquid crystal sandwiched between layers of silicon which act as insulators by either reflecting or absorbing sunlight. Bullets and Hoppers and Lunarjets provide transportation. Cloned soldiers provide needed numbers to bolster troop levels. Transport ships sent to earth return with radioactive water which must be distilled through a long and tedious process. With thousands of lunar inhabitants needing fresh water, the demand outstrips the output. Even allowing only one glass of fresh water every two days per person, can't lessen the demand.
The author incorporates space-age apparatus and a time period of circa 2120, slotting her novel into the science-fiction niche. By using the control of water as a central theme, she provides a built-in vehicle for tension. Her characters ring true to their actions, making them believable. The author's rapid-pace use of action scenes keeps the story skyrocketing to its climax and resolution. The author's use of clean prose hones the dialogue razor sharp. This novel meets the reading needs of adults as well as young adults. I highly recommend this book.
Sally A. Roberts
Author of the middle-grade historical, THE LEGEND OF CRYSTAL LAKE, published by Eakin Press, April 2001.
ISBN 1-57168-369-0, HB, 6X9, 136 pages, glossary, illustrations, RL grades 4-6, $16.95