Tim: Defender of the Earth

SPOILERS ALERT! From the first page, I loved this book. An advanced dinosaur, a T-Rex, has been created. When the prime minister comes to see what all the research funding has been spent on he's very disappointed. Tim is just a big dinosaur to him. He orders him to be exterminated and moves the funding to another scientist who's creating something for the military. When Tim is being gassed he panics and breaks out of his cage underground and appears in the middle of London. He's attacked by the scared tiny people and he runs to the sea. There he meets the one and only Kraken, who is the old Defender of the Earth. He explains to Tim what his duty is; to protect the planet and the life on it. The funding is moved to a scientist who has created a nanobot. After showing how he can change a species to another species the prime minister is not impressed. He demands to see what kind of a fighting machine the nanobots are. After being shown in a matter of seconds how quickly the test subject is destroyed he approves funding. After the prime minister leaves the scientist brings the test subject back to life and makes a terrible decision. Chris takes a school trip to the museum and ends up with a bracelet on his wrist that can't be removed. He soon discovers he's supposed to be the strength for the defender of the earth. When the scientist's good intentions turn into a power trip Tim comes to the rescue to fight him and destroy him, however, without Chris' help Tim just can't seem to make a dent. When the United States informs Britain they are going to be destroyed because of the nanobot monster that's eating up all living things and threatens to take over the world Chris will finally step up to the plate. Tim is all but dead and comes back to life with Chris' help and the crazy nanobot/man is destroyed. This was a page turner, keeps you interested from the get go. I think this would make a great movie. I recommend it to all.

Sam Enthoven's new book, TIM, DEFENDER OF THE EARTH, is a blend of fantasy, science fiction, and giant monsters that tends to range all over the place. Honestly, he does a pretty good job of mixing all the genres because not one of them can completely exist without the other. This is a confection aimed at young male readers and it shows, though there's a scrappy girl character that I enjoyed a lot too. It's really hard to discuss the book without giving away some of the novel's progression, but I'll try to keep all the mysteries intact as much as I can. Enthoven braids his story together by bringing his characters together, and the story summary on the book's jacket gives away a lot. In the beginning, there's TIM. Yep, all capital letters. It stands for Tyrannosaurus Improved Model, and that's exactly what he is. For years, scientist have labored in a laboratory seventy stories below the earth's surface to blend DNA to create a new soldier. They tried blending several different creatures, but the tyrannosaur model was the only one that became viable - for reasons they still don't understand. Then we get introduced to Chris Pitman, a young slacker coasting through school and trying to fit into the cool crowd. He exists on the fringes of it, never quite getting into that longed-for territory. He's also the guy that gets outfitted with the bracelet that links him to TIM and to the magical power of the earth. He doesn't learn that for a while. I liked Chris a lot because he never comes across as the superhero type. He's just a guy who's stepped into a situation that's over his head. Anna Mallahide is the daughter of Professor Mallahide, and she ends up being the strong, scrappy girl I enjoyed getting to know. Her life hasn't been easy because her dad has been working on nanotechnology even after international agreements between countries stated they would not. After TIM's funding is cut, Professor Mallahide's project is totally green-lighted. And it doesn't take long for the professor to make himself into one of the most nefarious villains I've seen in a long time. I loved Mallahide's presence in the book because the author talks about nanotechnology and what might eventually come of it. He plays fair to both sides, building a case both for and against the advance of nanotechnology, and he does so with clear-cut examples. But most young male readers aren't going to be there for a discussion of nanotechnology. They want to see the battle royale between TIM and Professor Mallahide. There are a couple of warm-ups to the main event, and those only build the feeling of the coming fight. The hardback edition of this book also contains a pull-out poster of TIM and Professor Mallahide as they carry on the battlefield. The book is wildly inventive and a lot of fun, but there were a few places where the action seemed to come to a standstill. Information we'd heard was sometimes repeated. Still, if you've got a young male reader in t

Reviewed by Dylan James (age 11) for Reader Views (3/08) If Tim sits in his cage his whole life, he could well end up as Tim: Destroyer of Earth. But if he breaks out in defiance, he might be able to beat the swarm of deadly Nanobots and their psychotic creator. It wouldn't be that hard to decide except that he's just dead lazy. So it looks like it might be up to Chris. Desperately trying to be cool, Chris doesn't want to have a weird bracelet stuck on his wrist, doesn't want to have to work with a weird girl, and definitely doesn't want to risk his newfound coolness and help Tim by stripping to his boxers on television! But he may have to do all that if the Nanobots can't be stopped... I really liked "Tim: Defender of Earth." I think boys and girls will like this equally because the main characters feature a no-nonsense girl and a kind of cool boy. It is a little violent at times but just enough to get the point across, nowhere near excessive violence. I actually think "Tim: Defender of Earth" would be a better book if it had one or two more battles though, because most teens and preteens like a little more action than it has right now. The main thing I like about this book is the way it can make sense and have a gripping and awesome storyline without hardly any violence. There are some people that might be a little bit bored with this book; this could be helped by adding a little bit more action. Because there is not much violence, hardly any sensuality, and a great storyline, I think "Tim: Defender of Earth" will be fine for, and loved by, anyone age 11+.

On a school trip to the British Museum, Chris wanders off alone and discovers a private room in the basement. A strange woman appears and shows him a special display case. The object in the case starts to cast a strange glow around the room. The lady opens the case and places the object, a bracelet, on Chris's wrist. It clamps shut and Chris is unable to remove it. With the cryptic words "You've been chosen" uttered to Chris, he is sent back upstairs to join his class and try to figure out what it means. Seventy stories below the center of London, a strange creature has been created and slated to be destroyed. With voices inside the creature's head, it starts to fight and break its way to the surface and to freedom. And in another secret location in the city, a brilliant scientist is given the funding from the British Government to proceed with his illegal experiments that will break the Nanotech Non-Proliferation Treaty. Little does the British Government know that the scientist has a secret agenda of his own. The city of London is under siege by a swarm of nanobots controlled by Professor Mallahide. The hopes and future of the city, and ultimately the world, rest with a boy and a mysterious creature named TIM (Tyrannosaurs: Improved Model). With the help of Ms. Plimpton from the museum, and Anna, a schoolmate and the daughter of Professor Mallahide, Chris and TIM stand a chance of fighting the swarm and the Professor. I have to admit that I offered to review this book because my son is a dinosaur fanatic. The concept sounded interesting enough on its own merits, so I gave it a go. Well, I was hooked from the first page! For fans of Michael Crichton, TIM, DEFENDER OF EARTH will not disappoint. The action is fast, the science fantastic, and the mounting tension almost too much to bear. I wanted to get to the end to find out if Chris and TIM can save London. Except for the technical, scientific jargon, the book is appropriate for all ages. I can easily picture this being made into a motion picture with the stunning special effects that the swarm would create, as well as the larger-than-life descriptions given to TIM. I give this book a Gold Star as it's one that I will definitely be recommending to others. Reviewed by: Jaglvr