One teen’s incredible journey may just blow his father’s mind… leaves him unattended, Bernard does what any teen would do: wander into the particle accelerator and accidentally get transported through a wormhole!
It doesn’t take long for Bernard to realize he’s in deep trouble. Not only did the wormhole drop him in the middle of a civil war over a depleted resource, but the battle is actually taking place inside his father’s brain. Bernard has one chance to save the dying side of his father’s creative brain from the tyrannical left side. Can he use his outside-the-box thinking to save his father’s life?
Brainwalker is a young adult sci-fi fantasy novel that turns the world of neuroscience on its head. If you like incredible fantasy worlds, fast-paced entertainment, and the human mind, then you’ll love Robyn Mundell and Stephan Lacast’s amazing journey inside the brain.
Buy Brainwalker to help the mind survive today!
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I would have loved this book even more if it was around when I was 13 years old. Whilst my friends we all about the Spice Girls, I was all about Patrick Moore and Stephen Hawkins. I would watch astrophysics documentaries with my dad, and whilst I barely understood a thing, but I did learn that physics was crazy. So reading ‘Brainwalker’ by Robyn Mundell, brought those days right back to me when I would wonder what would be on the other side of a black hole or wormhole. I would never have imagined that it would be inside the brain of my dad. This is what happens to Bernard, who presses a few too many buttons in his dad’s physics lab, and long story short ends up slap bang in the middle of a war in the brilliant brain of his father.
I loved how accessible this novel was, it could be enjoyed by so many. It was fun and exciting, and I believe it could inspire so many young people to learn more about the sciences.
As a choreographer my mind deciphers stories with movement AND words , I found ” BRAINWALKER ” to be an inspiring book. I can envision the battles between the two sides of the brain, Reezon & Intuit. I’m dreaming of the costumes for the holons, the inhabitants of the brain and what a spectacle for the forging of energies ! An entertaining read and one of the most original books Ive read .
I don’t always reach for scientific fiction; it has to have more to the plot that I feel I can relate to… and I found myself really enjoying this one! It is an impressive book to recommend to younger readers, middle grade and teen/ya.
Brainwalker is a fast-paced, adventurous ride. I thought the use of facts with imagination was genius! Giving the reader real world topics to explore while in a fantasy world is such an engaging combination. The main character is a fourteen year old boy that I found to mimic many traits from a realistic boy of that age, making him easily relatable.
If you enjoy time travel, history, matters of the mind, and action/adventure, then this book is a must read for people of all ages.
Make sure you read and recommend Brainwalker to your friends and your friends kids because it truly deserves the recognition of many. Bernard is a unique 14 year old boy with a unique father whom we come to discover has a war going on in his own mind! The characters which represent the left and the right hand sides of the brain are informative and well structured and if you’re a neuroscience novice or pro you will appreciate everything about this world that Bernard finds himself in. I don’t believe there is anyone who is interested in the sci-fi genre that couldn’t find joy in this book. 10/10 will read again!
I bought Brainwalker for my niece, but after reading a couple pages, I knew I’d have to buy a second copy. Seriously, I couldn’t put it down! This is an imaginative, SMART, beautiful story. The universe (or brainverse) Mundell and Lacast have created inside Bernard’s father’s head (yes, that’s where Bernard ends up) is wild and exciting. I loved this book because it feels important and because it celebrates “thinking outside the box.” But mostly, I loved it because it was a page turning joy to read! Fingers crossed these two writers have another book in the works!
Brainwalker by Robyn Mundel has easily one of the most unique plots I have ever come across, but not only that, it was interesting and funny and had so much action. I simply could not put it down, and that is not something I would usually say about a YA Sci-Fi book. Robyn Mundel has shown with her incredible imagination that YA fiction, can be enjoyed just as much by adult readers too.
The inconceivable plot follows young Bernard on his journey through his father’s brain, which is home to a civilisation at war. The battle within the brain threatens not only to destroy his dad but Bernard himself if he can’t find a way to stop it and get back home.
It was 100 years ago that Alice fell down the rabbit hole, and boy has things moved on since then. Instead of falling through a muddy hole, Bernard falls through a wormhole and lands in his father’s brain, when he presses one too many buttons on a particle accelerator in his lab. That would be scary enough, but when he realises his father is in great danger, thanks to the civil war that is raging over Energeia, the resource that keeps his father’s brain functioning. The creative side of the brain is in serious trouble from the rational side, but if one hemisphere of the brain fails, can the human mind survive?
Not only in Brainwalker by Robyn Mundel and Stephan Lacast, do you get a cracking fantasy and action novel, but you also get a chance to learn more about what makes the human brain work as well as it does. I was left with a feeling of awe for the human brain, it accomplishes so much, and is responsible for everything we do, but it is half the size of a rugby ball.
Do any adults out there remember that great cartoon about the human body called ‘Once Upon a Time…Life’ where you would learn all about how the body (and its inhabitants) would tackle challenges? ‘Brainwalker’ by Robyn Mundel really reminded me of this, giving me some serious early 90’s nostalgia, when I wanted to explore the human body, just like in the cartoon. As the title suggests the brain or the ‘Brainiverse’ is the focus of the story, when through a series of crazy events, Bernard ends up inside his father’s brain. In the midst of a civil war over vital resources, the brain is I danger of shutting down completely, and if that happens his dad will die. Having just lost his mother, Bernard will do whatever it takes to stop this happening. Whilst learning about the intricacies of the human brain, Barnard encounters a number of characters, which join him in his journey to find the resource that will save his dad, and himself and his new friends too.
Even though it is clear that ‘Brainwalker’ aims to educate its readers, it does so in a way that is completely effortless. It is so clever the way the authors weave interesting information and facts into a super exciting plot. I could see ‘Brainwalker’ being the ‘Once Upon a Time…Life’ for the 21st century.
I’ve been waiting for a book like this to come along for a long time. A book that explores the inner universe of our minds and celebrates the fact that we all think differently. We live in such an outer directed world filled with so many distractions and disconnections. I love that this book grounded us in a universe we have long forgotten. Bernard was a character that touched me. I haven’t read a teen character with this kind of depth in a long time. He was curious, lonely, a somewhat tormented boy but a fundamentally kind person. This was an inspiring read with many messages.
I was struck by two things when I read the science fantasy “Brainwalker”. First, there was a clear message of non-conformity and individuality, which I related to both as a father and an artist. The young 14 year old protagonist Bernard, who is an adventure hungry character in pursuit of science was fascinating to me. Second, the perspective the authors brought to this budding young scientist felt wonderfully skewed, as if they were indeed reporting from the mind of an odd but brilliant scientist. Mundell and Lacast’s take on the universe of the Brain, and their exploration of imagination and inspiration is high-concept while being moving and funny.
As an example of smart & savvy literature for smart & savvy young adults ‘Brainwalker’ is one-of-a-kind, in a class by itself. Entertaining and phenomenally exciting in equal measure, it’s an ambitious and adventurous work of fiction that manages to educate and inform in a non-didactic style that’s super easy to absorb, even when the factual neuroscience is quite advanced. No-one can read this wonderful book and not come away feeling smarter and way more knowledgable about the both the human brain – and the human heart! ‘Brainwalker never talks down to its reader and never ceases to demand anything but full engagement in a yarn that might once have been called ‘incredible’ – yet in light of recent scientific advances what Mundell & Lacast have achieved can no longer be characterized as ‘science fiction’ but more accurately as speculative science ‘fact’. It would come as no surprise to learn that movie studios were sniffing around this terrific book. After all, they wouldn’t have to do a re-make, they can shoot ‘Brainwalker’ instead. A ‘Fantastic Voyage’ for the new millenium!
There were many things about Brainwalker I found provocative. Although the
plot was simple ( boy goes inside his father’s brain to save him ) the
novel was riddled with complex themes. How to find balance in your
thinking, connection vs. disconnection and the idea that we are all in
this together. The relationship with the father and son, Bernard and Floyd
was tender and poignant and illustrated this theme of two people who
struggle to connect. The quest that Bernard goes on inside his father’s
brain is essentially a journey to bridge that disconnect. They were two
characters with internal conflict who I felt compassion for. They are
different but they love each other and communication between them is
strained. The secondary characters ( creatures and friends in the brain )
were quite compelling as well. All in all, I would say ” Brainwalker” is
one of the most interesting and innovative books in YA literature I’ve
read in a long time. It manages to reach out and deal with complex issues
while still being accessible to a younger audience.
I loved this book. It kept me involved enough that I read it through in 2 sittings. As an adult, it was clear that it was geared towards a younger audience but that didn’t take away from it. It will take you on a wondrous adventure and allow you to enjoy time spent in an alternate universe.I really hope that there will be a follow up.
Wonderful scifi adventure/quest. Like “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” told by a neurosurgeon/scientist where the playing field is the kid’s dad’s brain. Well-told and well-written by an author who really knows science (or at least it looks like it to me) and who knows how to blend that science with imagination. I received this book free from eBook Discovery. This is my honest review which I voluntarily post here.
Bernard isn’t a bad kid, but at 14, he is like all teenage boys stupidly impulsive. He drives his teachers mad, and a suspension sees him stuck in his physicist dad’s workplace. You would think in such an unfamiliar environment, Bernard would keep his hands to himself, but alas, no. His impulsiveness kicks in, and before he has time to think he has pressed a button, activated a powerful particle accelerator, and found himself whooshed through a worm hole into another world. If the lab was unfamiliar, his new surroundings are down right bonkers…he is within his dad’s brain. It is here that he faces danger and strife, but he also learns a lot about his father, when travelling through his mind.
‘Brainwalker’ is an imaginative and unique story, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. I read it in one sitting, and will probably read it a few more times in the future. Although this is a book catered to a young adult audience, it will make a cracking read for anyone with an interest in anatomy and human biology, as well as those who love a good bit of Science Fiction. Well done Rob Mundell and Stephen Lacast.
Brainwalker by Rob Mundell and Stephen Lacast was a welcome departure from the dark, moody thrillers that I usually read. That isn’t to say that there wasn’t any peril in this light-hearted adventure. The life of a ‘Neuronaut’ is full of peril and danger, especially when the brain you’re in, s that of your own father. Bernard can not afford to be reckless, or he may risk causing his fathers head to blow up, and that would probably not go down too well. On the journey through his dad’s brain he encounters a whole new world, full of fantastical creatures, and groups at war. Who would have through pressing a button on a particle accelerator would lead to this…the late, great Stephen Hawking probably.
Not only is the plot wonderful, playful and exciting, it is actually full of useful information about the intricacies of the brain and the amazing neural network it contains. This makes it a great read for young people interested in neuroscience, as it educates in such a fun way.
A five star read, and I will be looking for more from this writer duo in the future.
Brainwalker is pure science fiction adventure, perfect for older kids. It has everything from a main character who gets in trouble at school and home, a particle accelerator and a wormhole that transports our protagonist into an amazing world within his father’s brain. The Brainiverse is a magical but dying kingdom where buildings are alive and breathing and weird and wonderful chimerical creatures are made by hand out of molten energy. This is an epic tale of good battling bad and saving the day, full of clever little flourishes like the idea that when kids’ ideas are quashed the energy has to go somewhere, so it turns into the “energy of dumbness” and they do something dumb. I really like the way the authors describe things in kids’ terms too and I was amused by the wordplay, e.g. “ascared” – to be afraid and scared at the same time. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read and highly recommend.
Bernard is the young teenager at the center of this story. He’s a daydreamer, interested in science and possibilities but bored by facts and figures at school. His lack of impulse control and curious nature get him into trouble, but ultimately help him when his life is turned upside down and he embarks on a fantastic adventure and epic journey inside his own dad’s head.
It all starts when, expelled from school and unattended, Bernard gets lost in his dad’s workplace science facility and encounters a particle accelerator. He is fascinated and can’t help but press buttons. He gets sucked in and enters a wormhole in the fabric of space and time, where that morning’s neuroanatomy class has become his entire world. He is inside his dad’s brain, having to navigate this uncanny territory where there are enemy factions and depleted resources, amazing creatures and people depending on him.
A very good, absorbing read for young adults, set in a truly magical world.
Despite being in my mid-30s I have a real fondness for young adult fiction, particularly in the fantasy and the Sci-Fi genres. They manage to retain the magic and otherworldliness of adult fantasy and Sci-Fi, but without difficult descriptions or complicated dialogue. They have an ease when you read them, whilst immersing you in another world, full of mystery and adventure. There is no better example of the magic of YA Sci-Fi than ‘Brainwalker ‘ by Rob Mundell and Stephen Lacast. It has a completely unique, whimsical and fantastical plot, with a protagonist anyone will love, in Bernard.
Bernard is a relentlessly unique teenager, which can cause great frustration to his teachers, and especially to his brilliant physicist father. He is about to cause a lot more bother for his dad when he starts messing about with a particle accelerator and gets sucked into a wormhole and into his dad’s brain…that’s right, his brain. And if that wasn’t weird or distressing enough, there is a war going on his dad’s brain, which if it isn’t resolved, will destroy father and son.
Funny, exciting, and even a little educational, this book is an absolute triumph. It would make a great read for the whole family, and I will definitely be sharing my kindle copy around.
Let me start by saying I think this is a great sci-fi adventure for younger readers! It’s exciting, creative, very readable and most of all educational, as I guess the best sci-fi is, based as it is, on facts. The facts for this story are supplied by physics and brain anatomy and the storyline is that the narrator, 13-year-old Bernard, finds himself as a ‘neuronaut’, inside his dad’s brain. He gets there via a wormhole in a particle accelerator in a science facility where his dad works. The basic premise is not unlike the concept in the films Inner Space and Fantastic Voyage.
The story is narrated in the first person, which makes the reader instantly empathise with the main character and engage with the plot. The authors have provided plenty of action, good descriptions and believable dialogue and they have set the story in a fantastical inner world, populated by an array of characters for Bernard to learn from along his journey.