Numbers#2(The Chaos)

Review and Character Synopsis by Maira Salman.

Adam sees “numbers” – when he looks in peoples’ eyes he can see their death-dates, just like his mum Jem used to. Adam has trouble dealing with his awful gift, and when he realizes that everyone around him has the same series of numbers, he becomes deeply afraid of what might happen in 2025. Desperate to find out what could be about to go wrong, Adam spends hours researching possibilities – war, nuclear accidents, killer viruses. He knows something big is coming, but what? And is there anything he can possibly do about it?

With its rich plot, suspense filled scenes and fast pace Numbers#2(The Chaos) astounded me. Rachel Ward's beautiful masterpiece was so engrossing that I had to finish it in one go. The main characters Adam, Sarah and Nelson were very well developed.

Adam was one of my favorite characters as he was willing to risk his life to protect innocent people. His ability to see peoples death dates made him realize there was going to be a massive massacre on New Year's Eve and he is desperate to save them. There are many hurdles and obstacles but he manages to overcome them albeit not without sacrifices.

Sarah has the ability to see how a certain person will die. She sees an alarming vision and remains fearful of its consequences the entire book. Although I did not like this character she was definitely brave as she left her house as a penniless vagrant to do something that had to be done.

Nelson was a true hero and also my favorite character. He is a computer geek and is consulted for help by Adam when he finds that there is going to be massive destruction soon. He takes practical steps and stands up to the police to order to save innocent people.

This book was very entertaining and interesting. However I had some issues with it.

Firstly the vocabulary and writing style had room for improvement and could have been much better. The book needed more descriptions to make it REALLY good as the setting was rather uni-dimensional and I would really have loved to read in more detail. In my opinion there were too few characters to make a prominent impression. Oh and there should be a more important role allotted for Nelson as his contributions and sacrifices were more than either Adam or Sarah.

But these are just a few misgivings I had about this book. Otherwise it is one of the best books I have ever read and I simply can't wait to devour the next books of this series. Rachel Ward has done a truly brilliant job with Numbers#2(The Chaos).