A hero for Wondla by Tony Diterlizzi

Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN 9780857073013.
(Ages: 10+) Recommended. Fantasy. On finding this was the second volume in a fantasy trilogy, I was initially disappointed, but starting reading it was apparent that I did not need the first book to be able to follow what was going on. And there is quite a lot! Eva Nine and her helper, Rovender, have been found by Hailey, sent from New Attica to find humans or reboots, to take them to the new city, and he is less than willing to tell them much of what goes on there. We learn from the conversation between Eva and Rovender a little of their lives up to now, covering her loss of her MUTHR and the fact that few humans now exist. They have left the Sanctuary and have faced all sorts of dangers, not the least of which has been the loss of her omniport.
Once at New Attica, of course, the world Eva Nine has dreamed of all her life, does not materialise and she must again, fight for her very survival. A woman called Eva Eight finds her within the hedonistic city and tries to warn her of the total control of the lives of its inhabitants by the ruler. But they are captured after staying out after curfew and told they are to be evicted from the city.
The images of New Attica with its dependence on fashion and having fun, using a card to pay for what they do, being controlled by the media, all smacks of parallels to our twenty first century lifestyle and readers will have no illusions about these comparisons.
This is an exciting read, full of twists and incredible beings to absorb. I first came across DiTelizza when reading, The spider and the fly, his illustrations for that well known poem were dark and disturbing, sinister and funny, and his illustrations adorn this book, giving a face to the many characters and their settings.
This is a fantastic take on the theme of a 'brave new world' of the future.
Fran Knight