SUBJECT SEVEN

When Subject Seven, a 10-year-old boy forced to undergo horrific laboratory tests as a human guinea pig, first breaks out of the Janus Project, a military operation building government assassins, it’s hard to tell if he’s the good guy or the bad guy. His mind operates like a confused child, but his body is a killing machine, strong enough to slaughter his bodyguard, the Janus Project leader’s family and anyone else in his path. Five years later, Seven now survives on the streets of a big city, and he’s imprisoned another boy named Hunter to help him uncover his past and find others like him, should they exist. Moore’s story races at breakneck speed with straightforward, terse prose that literally cuts to the quick without batting an eyelash at the gory remains that Seven leaves in his wake. His characterizations are as enticingly puzzling as his plotting. The author does well to play Seven’s hard-edged fearlessness against Hunter’s timorousness—the dramatic tension between their characters along with their mission will have readers racing for the next installment. (Thriller. 12 & up)