Human.4 - Softcover

"From the first page, Lancaster has got you: 'Warning: This data storage unit, or "book," has been designed to reprogram the human brain.' Then Lancaster himself steps in as 'editor,' introducing the audio tape transcripts that are to follow in which 15-year-old Kyle Straker relates a story of great historic value to the beings of the future. What kind of beings? Well, that's the story. Kyle was living a regular life until he was one of four volunteers to undergo hypnosis during a small-town talent show. By chance, while the four were under, the rest of humanity received an upgrade. When the four wake up, the entire town is frozen in place. Soon after, the townspeople come back to life, but they can no longer see or hear Kyle and his three companions, who have become little more than ghosts, fragments of old code that the new programs simply ignore. Wringing his Stephen King–like premise for all it is worth, Lancaster fashions a fast-paced, upsetting little thriller punctuated by ominous editorial notes that translate Kyle's details for the futuristic audience (example: explaining what 'lips' were). The characters are somewhat thin, but few plots race along with this kind of speed and purpose." ―starred, Booklist