The Supernaturalist
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 Front cover of The Supernaturalist in Europe |
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| Author | Eoin Colfer |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Sci-Fi/Adventure |
| Publisher | Puffin |
| Released | 2004 |
| Released in English | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Softcover) |
| Pages | 291 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-14-131741-8 |
‘The Supernaturalist’, by Eoin Colfer (author of the ‘Artemis Fowl’ series) is a children’s science-fiction novel (influenced in many ways by film noir and other predecessors of the cyberpunk science fiction movement, resulting in what could be termed a children’s cyberpunk novel).
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[edit] Plot summary
‘The Supernaturalist’ is set in a city in the near future, which is owned by a large corporation called Myishi. A low-orbit satellite (50 miles above ground) controls traffic, communication and sanitation, and hence the city is named Satellite City (and unofficially called "the Big Pig" by its inhabitants, due to the fact that the material it is made out of appears to be drab grey pig iron). Cosmo Hill is a 14 year old orphan living at the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, an awful living environment where the boys are forced to perform in dangerous chemical testing. Cosmo has been at Clarissa Frayne for his entire life. The average life expectancy at Clarissa Frayne is 15 years old, due to what the testing does to the boy's bodies. Cosmo and his friend, Francis, better known as Ziplock, escape one day when they're coming back from a test. And in doing so are severely injured in an accident involving a power generator on a rooftop. Ziplock dies immediately, but Cosmo survives, observing for the first time a cryptozoid species, which appears to drain his life-force and his pain.
He is rescued by a group of street children who can see and battle these creatures (which they call the Parasites). After recovering from his injuries he joins the group, whose members call themselves “Supernaturalists” and is immediately confronted with the problems that the daily life of hunting supernatural creatures entails.
This group of “Supernaturalists” consists of Stefan Bashkir (a name which is also mentioned in the second Artemis Fowl), the leader whose mother was fatally injured in a car crash and was supposedly to be killed by the Parasites. Then there is Ditto, a test tube boy created by a scientist who wanted him to have superpowers but the experiment went wrong resulting in him appearing six years old at the age of 28. Mona Vasquez is the only girl in the group, and fairly soon after Cosmo joins the Supernaturalists it becomes apparent that she and Cosmo like each other.
As in ‘Artemis Fowl’, there is heavy emphasis on humor, tough-guy posturing and technology. One of the main characters of The Supernaturalist is named Stefan Bashkir, used by Fowl as an alias in Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. (Stefan Bashkir in that book is a chess prodigy.) Also, the corporation that owns the city, Myishi (presumably linked to the scientist of the same name who provided technology for the devil in The Wish List), mentions beating Phonetix, a company that was also mentioned in Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code. The dystopian near future is in many ways similar to Blade Runner and to a lesser extent Neuromancer, but Colfer's influences are older; rooted in Raymond Chandler and other hard-boiled writers.
The surprising ending leaves enough room for a sequel, as there seem to be even more supernatural creatures around.
[edit] Characters
The Supernaturalists
- Cosmo Hill - Cosmo was sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, after his parents abandoned him. He was found on Cosmonaut Hill as an infant and was sent to Clarissa Frayne. After 14 years in the orphanage, Cosmo escaped and joined the Supernaturalists and became their fourth member.
- Stefan Bashkir - The 18-year-old leader of the Supernaturalists, Stefan always seems depressed because he lost his mother after explosives planted on his patrol car exploded, killing his mother. There he saw the "Parasites", or Un-Spec 4 sucking out his mother's life force (or so he believed) This leads him to believe that the Parasites are life-suckers. Stefan believes to be partially responsible for her death. He is the combat specialist in the team, for he once trained at the Police Academy. There, he was taught how to use weapons and learned fighting techniques. Stefan is the second member of the team.
- Mona Vasquez - 15-year-old Mona lost her parents in a food riot in Booshka long ago and joined a gang of street racers. She almost died in a car accident, until she was saved by the Supernaturalists. She is the third team member and the Mechanic.
- Lucien "Ditto" Bonn - 28-year-old Ditto was part of a genetic experiment by a scientist called Dr. Bartoli. Something went horribly wrong and each kid who took part stopped growing when they were between six and ten years old, so Ditto looks like a little boy, even though he's an adult. He has healing abilities and can communicate with supernatural creatures, which was a side effect of the experiment. Ditto is the first member of the team and the Medic. His nickname "Ditto" refers to his habit of repeating every question before answering, in order not to accidentally tell somebody of his abilities.
- Splinter* - Ex-Supernaturalist, seeing the Parasites drove him mad, so he wears blue sunglasses and moved into the desert. He is mentioned briefly by Ditto.
Myishi Corporation
- Ellen Faustino - Once a head coach at a police academy, Faustino later became the president of a division of Myishi Corporation who was trying to earn money by creating a generator for the Myishi 9 Satelite, called Faustino NuSun. She wanted the wealth so much she lied to the the Supernaturalists that the Parasites' energy was interfering with the satelite, when she knew all along that they took pain away from injured people. Stefan sacrificed himself to try and destroy Faustino, but she survives to meet with the Chairman of Myishi Industries, Ray Shine. Shine assigns Faustino to another attempt to make the Faustino NuSun at the South Pole. She has a bodyguard called Manuel.
- Mayor Ray Shine - The mayor of Satelite City and Chairman of Myishi Industries, he only makes an appearance at the end of the book, where he tells Ellen Faustino that they must make another attempt at the Faustino NuSun, and assigns her to fufill that goal at the South Pole.
- Manuel - One of Ellen Faustino's bodyguards; a minor character.
Clarissa Frayne
- Marshal Redwood - a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get revenge on Cosmo, due to the fact that he cost him his job. Redwood must now sit behind the security desk in the lobby at Clarissa Frayne. He nearly gets revenge when Stefan and Cosmo enter the institute, to locate the parasite nest that was in the basement. You are not informed what becomes of him after the basement incident, and many are wondering if he will return in the 2nd book.
- Ziplock - An orphan at Clarissa Frayne, and Cosmo's best friend. He dies at the beginning of the book, electrocuted by an old generator.
- Fence - An orphan at Clarissa Frayne, a younger boy who is one of Cosmo's friends. After the explosion in the basement, Stefan and Cosmo tell him to run outside and find a phone. This is the last we ever hear of him in the story.
- Clarissa Frayne - Although she died long before the beginning of the story, she is an important character due to the fact that she founded The Institute. The story says that she was an awful women, who hated children. The question is, though, why would someone who despised children found an orphanage?
[edit] Locations
[edit] Clarissa Frayne Institute
The Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys (referred to as "Clarissa Frayne") is an orphanage in which all orphans are used as guinea pigs for various untested medicals, military supplies, solvents and other materials. The wardens there are described as twisted and cruel, often mistreating the unfortunate young boys. By the end of most days, the orphans are exhausted, bleeding, and often sick. The average life expectancy of an institutionalized orphan is fifteen years. Cosmo is one of these orphans, along with Fence and his friend, Ziplock. Ziplock has trouble keeping his mouth shut; he got his nickname from "talking too much to the wrong person" and getting a ziplock from a plastic bag superglued to his mouth. He dies in the beginning of the book, after being electrocuted on a rooftop - the same accident that opened Cosmo's eyes to the supernatural spectrum.
[edit] Abracadabra Street
The Supernaturalists live in a warehouse on Abracadabra Street that Stefan Bakshir 'picked up for a song'. The streets of the city were originally named so that like minded people could live together. This particular street was so named for the 'Vegas people' to live in e.g. magicians, artists and singers. Another example for these street names is Monet street.
[edit] Booshka
Booshka is a downtrodden, very poor area of Satellite City. The main 'pastime' of people there seems to be stealing cars, tuning them up and taking them for drag racing competitions against other gangs in the area such as the Sweethearts (Mona Vasquez's former gang), Bulldogs and many others. This so-called hobby is also called Booshka and the area is named after the amount of car thefts that happen there.
In Booshka, the Supernaturalists involuntarily take part in a car race using a high-tech car stolen from the Myishi Corporation. However, shortly after their victory, paralegals from the Myishi Corporation come to retrieve the stolen car. Half of the Supernaturalists are arrested and taken into Myishi custody after putting up an almost effective fight.
[edit] Book Two
Eoin Colfer, author, has stated that he may be working on a sequel, but nothing is yet known. It is said that he will start or finish later in 2007.
[edit] Trivia
- The name Stefan Bashkir actually appears in one of the Artemis Fowl books as one of Artemis's numerous alter egos (in this case, a junior champion chess player).
- Phonetix, from the third of the Artemis Fowl books is mentioned when Faustino says that "Myishi is going to kick Phonetix`s butt next quarter". Phonetix was a communications company based in Chicago in Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code.
- Myishi is the same name of the scientist, who sold his soul to the devil in The Wish List.
