Z-Rex

A brand-new, fast-paced, exciting thriller that will take bestselling Astrosaurs author, Steve Cole, to an older audience. Jurassic Park meets Alex Rider!

Adam Adlar is alone in an isolated apartment building wondering why his scientist dad hasn't been able to get home for over a week . . . Even he doesn't want to play computer games alone for ever. Z Rex is a living, breathing, man-eating dinosaur who has been brought to life by Adam's dad. He can talk, think – and kill. And, he has no idea why he's here. Zed wants answers, and Adam's dad has them . . . When Adam encounters Z Rex his first thought is to flee. But Z Rex is actually the closest Adam has to a friend in this new and terrifying reality. Can boy and dinosaur work together to defeat the evil forces ranged against them?

Author Profile

Born in 1971, Steve Cole spent a happy childhood in rural Bedfordshire being loud and aspiring to amuse. He liked books, and so went to the University of East Anglia to read more of them. Later on he started writing them too, with titles ranging from pre-school poetry to Young Adult thrillers (with more TV and film tie-ins than he cares to admit to along the way). In other careers he has been the editor of Noddy magazine, and an editor of fiction and nonfiction book titles for various publishers.

Reviews

A terrific thriller that younger fans of Anthony Horowitz will love . . . a romping read, with an original twist and lots of suspense,The book is full of action, with cliffhangers galore, a tight, tense plot, and some really great visual scenes. It would make an excellent film. I suspect that when this hits the book shops, there will be a lot of other children around the country who will be cheering too…,A novel which combines dinosaurs and fantasy is likely to prove popular, but Cole’s adventure tale has far deeper and darker undertones for those who read it more closely. The first in a projected trilogy, Z-Rex is centred on Adam, whose scientist/game-designer father has been missing for two weeks, and whose flat is suddenly attacked by a man-eating dinosaur who can talk. Together they search for Adam's father, to discover why Z-Rex was created and why there are people out to get him. The outcome offers a disturbing commentary on the ruthlessness of governments, on industrial espionage and on loyalty, seamlessly contained within a gripping thriller. Adam is an engaging hero, and Cole’s descriptions of catastrophic dinosaur-induced events are powerful.