The Gryphon Project- Carrie Mac

In your search for excellent science fiction, look no further than Mac’s The Gryphon Project. With the underlying”what if” question possibly looming just around the corner, this is the story of a society who are able to assign groups of people a set number of lives. The top group gets 3 recons, or chances at life. The middle group receives 2, while the lowly group only get 1 extra chance. Gryphon and his sister Phoenix, belong to the elite group, but Phoenix has already been “reconned” twice which only leaves her with one more death. This, plus Gryphon’s fame as an athete and popularity, drives a wedge between the siblings. There is lots of action in this story and some romance as well. In fact, Phee’s best friend, Nadia, is very much in love with Saul, one of Gryphon’s best friends and part of his group of followers. The action really heats up when Gryphon accidentally falls in front of a train and loses one of his lives. Or is it an accident? The governing body which oversees the recon system, deems the accident to have been a suicide, and that there will be no recon, meaning Gryphon is truly dead. In spite of their recent estrangement, Phee determines to find the answers for herself. But Gryphon’s buddies seem to have taken a vow of silence and Phee takes on more and more dangerous activities as she pursues the mystery behind her brother’s death.

This was one of the most compelling novels I have read in a long time, but I must add some reservations. There is a certain amount of language in this novel, which may make it unsuitable for your Young Adult collection in elementary school. But even if that would pass, there is ONE, and one only, strong sexual connotation that makes it inappropriate. Oh, Carrie Mac, so little to change and we could offer this to so many more readers! As it is, I would recommend this for high school only.