Cosmic
by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Cosmic is the third novel published by Frank Cottrell Boyce, after the award-winning Millions and the equally successful Framed. Those who enjoyed these stories and the style in which they were narrated will not be disappointed by his latest work.
Liam Digby, the protagonist and narrator of the story, is not yet twelve but looks much older than his age. This can present some problems, such as not being able to fit into the school uniform and being denied a lift in the school bus, but also offers a few opportunities, like gaining access to theme park rides excluded to his peers and being offered to test-drive a Porsche.
It is Liam's love for thrill rides, computer games and gadgets that leads him to live the ultimate experience: a thrill ride in space. To access this adventure, however, Liam has to pretend to be an adult, accompanied by his daughter (celebrity-obsessed classmate Florida Kirby).
With another three boys and their dads they attend a training programme to become a 'taikonaut' - the Chinese counterpart of an astronaut or a cosmonaut.
However, while the four children have a guaranteed place on the rocket, only one dad is allowed to take part to the expedition, so soon the very competitive dads try to outdo each other in order to be the winner.
It is easy to guess how this part ends - the title and blurbs are a bit of a give-away! - but once in space it is interesting to see how the characters develop and how Liam deals with the situation in which the crew finds itself.
The whole book has a cracking pace, but the expedition part is a real page-turner.
Cosmic is a delightful read, funny and touching. Once again Cottrell Boyce has created a protagonist who, while displaying an adorable innocence and naivety throughout the narration, grows, matures and develops through the course of the story. The interplay between children and adults is as funny as ever. Is the author at risk of becoming formulaic? I do not think so. He obviously knows his audience and he is clearly confident with the material he writes about, be it the mentality of an adolescent boy, the behaviour of his parents or the world in which they move.
While the readers will be able to develop an attachment and sympathise with the characters and their quests, Frank Cottrell Boyce's books will keep on attracting both old and new audiences.
I warmly recommend this book to readers of all ages, from 9 years up!