Tim, Defender of the Earth
by Sam Enthoven
TIM, DEFENDER OF THE EARTH by Sam Enthoven
Category: Science Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 3/27/08
Publisher: Razorbill
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 5 Stars
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.
