Omega Place

George Orwell presented the idea of Big Brother in the book 1984 (Signet Classics). OMEGA PLACE brings the idea into the present tense. We are reminded of how things like closed-circuit television surveillance are infiltrating our lives, and we often don't even give it a thought. Should we be worried or are we just being protected? Paul Hendry is seventeen. His parents are divorced. He lives with his mother and his less than likeable stepfather. Life has to be better somewhere else, and Paul is determined to find out where. He packs a few of his belongings and leaves. While searching for that better than home life, Paul observes a guy and a girl about his age vandalizing a closed-circuit security camera. He picks up a paper left behind and discovers they are part of a group calling themselves Omega Place. Their purpose - to make the world aware of the Big Brother aspects of modern-day society. When Paul bumps into the partners yet again, he mentions the flyer and hints that he might be interested in helping out. Rob and Terri let Paul tag along and even train him to help them with their next security camera hit. The heart-stopping intrigue is just what Paul has been looking for. It's definitely more exciting than the life he left at home. After revealing his trustworthiness, Terri says she'll check in with their mysterious boss, Orlando, and see if there is a permanent place in the organization for Paul. Running parallel to Paul's adventures with Omega Place are two other storylines. One involves the police, who are interested in the vandalism and catching up with this mischievous crew. The other is the group who originally created Omega Place, who believe Orlando has overstepped the boundaries of his power and needs to be stopped. All together this creates a complex plot with enough twists and turns and adventure to challenge readers. Graham Marks has created a story that is startlingly close to real life. With constant threats of attack worldwide, most people believe the governments of today are trying their best to protect their citizens -- but is some of the technology being used for more than just our protection? Readers will need to have some knowledge of today's global problems and quite a bit of concentration to follow this unusual plot, but they'll find it is worth the time and effort. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"