Flash Point
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Reality TV meets a chillingly realistic version of America--and the fame game is on!
Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she's right to have them. TLN's Who Knows People, Baby--You? has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life--on and off camera.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's Fear Factor meets The Running Man by way of the 99% in this tense drama, Hugo and Nebula winning SF author Kress's first book for teens, set in a near-future America after "The Collapse" brought widespread disease and poverty. Sixteen-year-old Amy Kent, desperate to provide for her family, signs up to star in a new reality show, Who Knows People, Baby You?, in which contestants are exposed to stressful situations in their daily lives while viewers vote on the possible outcomes. As the scenarios become weirder and more dangerous, Amy and her fellow contestants find it increasingly difficult to tell what's real and what's staged, who's legitimate and who's a studio plant. Soon, they're risking their lives all the while tempted by popularity, success, and ever-higher bonuses but economic riots and desperation threaten to push everyone to the breaking point. Sadly, the concept of this exploitative reality show is entirely believable, as is the financially ruinous setting. Strong characterization rounds out this unsettling thriller, although the resolution lacks oomph given all the buildup. Ages 12 up.
