Hover Car Racer
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| Hover Car Racer | |
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| Author | Matthew Reilly |
| Cover artist | Roy Govier |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction, Sports, Thriller novel |
| Publisher | Pan MacMillan |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| Pages | 438 (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | 1-4050-3621-4 |
| OCLC Number | 64449525 |
| Dewey Decimal | 823/.914 22 |
| LC Classification | PR9619.3.R445 H68 2004 |
Hover Car Racer is a popular Sci-fi/Sports/Action story written by Australian author Matthew Reilly, originally released as a free fortnightly online serial, and later published by Pan MacMillan in 2004.
The novel, as the book title suggests, is about Hover Car Racing, a sport developed in the early 21st century. The fictional technology of hover cars relies on the magnetic field of the Earth, counter-balancing it to create an ultra-fast, new type of transport.
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[edit] Plot introduction
This is the story of Jason Chaser, a talented young racer selected to attend the Race School. He's younger than the other students. He's smaller. His trusty car, the Argonaut, is older. But Jason Chaser is no ordinary racer. And as he races against the best drivers in the world he will learn that at Race School winning is everything, that not everyone in this world fights fair, and that you never ever have any friends on the track.
[edit] Major themes
The novel is aimed primarily at a teenage demographic. It bears some resemblance to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game or Harry Potter, with each of these novels featuring harrowing situations thrust upon young protagonists in a school-like environment.
The book was originally released for free online, in eight parts, before being published in hard-cover format. It was followed by a paperback edition in 2005 to appeal more to a younger market. The first part of the story can be read here.
Hover Car Racer is written in a similar vein to an action movie script, employing similar clichés and stereotypes.[citation needed] According to Reilly himself, the book is best read in installments, the manner in which it was released online.
[edit] Literary significance & criticism
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The plot has been compared to Roger Zelany's Alien Speedway.[citation needed] The arguments are as follows:
- Plot similarities (although Alien Speedway is set in space and Hover Car Racer is set in Tasmania).
- Parallels throughout, eg: befriends female racer, youngest student, works hard despite early setbacks, in Hover car racer Jason and Bug are adopted from a children’s home, refusing to be separated; in Alien Speedway the character is orphaned when his grandmother dies, he then flees authority before he can be taken to a children’s home. In both books the lead character is supported by former racer now teacher of racing school, has some good luck and wins the big race in the end.
Some critics[who?] have also described this book as a cross between the Harry Potter series and Pod-Racing from the Star Wars saga (in particular The Phantom Menace).
[edit] Teaching Resources
A package of teaching resources was created in early 2006 by Brendan McKinnon[1]. The resources are aimed at giving students from the age of 12 to 16 a more thorough understanding of Hover Car Racer and help them to improve their skills in the areas of English, Geography and History.
Included in the resources are:
- A flow chart of the suggested study pattern
- A parts of speech example sheet
- An interview with Matthew Reilly from Teenreads that includes a sheet of comprehension questions based on the interview
- Location study resources - studies of some famous locations in the world as mentioned in Hover Car Racer
- Open and closed comprehension questions and activities for every chapter in Hover Car Racer (answer sheets included)
- Project sheets - projects for students to undertake after completing the reading of the novel
- Assessment for question work and project work
The resource package is available at: http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/ in the resources section.
[edit] Film adaptation
Disney bought the rights to the film when the book was still only a manuscript, and has begun the screen-writing process[2]. Currently it is unknown when the movie will begin production, though the rights are still with Disney as of 2009.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/resources/TN-HoverCarRacer.pdf
- ^ Dunkley, Cathy (Jul. 21, 2004). Disney hovers over 'Racer'. Variety.
[edit] External links
- MatthewReilly.com - homepage of author
- HoverCarRacer.com - official website, now just a splash page
- Foldable Paper Argonaut - a downloadable paper model of a vehicle from the novel
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