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Oliver's characters are a disparate bunch who are bewildered and angered by the situation they find themselves in. They are ethnically diverse, exhibiting elements of cunning, bravery, ingenuity, loyalty and fortitude. Intrepid and stoical Luka is their centre as his decisions affect them. Often it is not clear whom he can trust as Oliver employs plot twists of cross and double cross. Luka also has a decision to make about whom he loves and whether he can rescue his family from the terrible fate that awaits them.
The Loop is part one of a trilogy. Ben's concept has already been optioned for a movie. Louise Sutton, producer at Lime Pictures commented, "I am absolutely delighted to be working on The Loop with Ben. He has created an irresistible world and filled it with characters who you care for desperately. The book marries big conversations such as crime and punishment, and artificial intelligence with universal YA themes such as love, friendship and betrayal. It is a riveting read that will be a joy to translate for the screen", while Barry Cunningham, m.d. at Chicken House, enthused: “I "I couldn't be more excited by this thriller series where drones, surgical enhancements and energy tech have created a divided world - unlocking the secrets of The Loop is going to be awesome.”"
In any event Oliver has certainly written an engaging YA novel with an intriguing premise. The only quibble is that there are too many ingredients. The Loop could also benefit from some fine tuning as the odd continuity error, cornucopia of genres, peppering of incongruous bad language and cliched plot devices might prove taxing for some.
For more thrilling and unsettling speculative fiction, you should try [[Unwind by Neal Shusterman]], a fearsome vision of the future with teens who are sacrificed and disassembled for body parts and Clappers with explosive blood who strike their hands to detonate themselves. If your tastes are gory head to Panem with the courageous Katniss in [[The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins]] and for an intellectual look at the socio politics of a dystopian world you should check out 1984 by George Orwell or visit the Alphas and the Epsilons of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Conversely if you long for a bit of humour among all the chaos and destruction you should sample [[The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness]]. You could try [[Walkaway by Cory Doctorow]] but we weren't all that impressed.
