The final book in the six-book The Phoenix Files series, Doomsday brings this gripping sci-fi thriller story to its suspense-filled conclusion, with author Chris Morphew maintaining the tension until the final chapters.
I have been a fan of The Phoenix Files since reading the first book, Arrival, in 2009. I’ve waited with great anticipation for each new book to be released, as has my now 14-year-old son. We have both enjoyed the suspense of this great ‘end of the world’ series, told from the perspective of the three central teenage characters.
Book #5, Fallout (review here), finished with only 17 hours remaining until the release of a fatal virus, code named ‘Tabitha’, onto an unsuspecting world. Doomsday traces the events of that final 17 hours as the teens face threats to their own lives and the lives of their family and friends within Phoenix, a town designed and constructed with the purpose of protecting the selected few chosen by Shackleton to restore the human race in the aftermath of Tabitha’s release.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series, which falls within the crossover fiction category, appealing to both YA and adult readers. The interactions between the characters – their relationships, alliances and responses to the unfolding drama in Phoenix – create a fascinating human drama with the science fiction aspects (mostly relating to medical and communications issues) taking a secondary role.
I highly recommend The Phoenix Files and admit that I’m keeping tabs on Chris Morphew’s Facebook page to find out what he will be working on next.
Title: Doomsday (The Phoenix Files #6)
Author: Chris Morphew
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $16.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 June 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781921502446
For ages: 12+
Type: Young adult
