One exceptional boy journeys into the ashes of society to find the cure for a devastating plague in this riveting post-apocalyptic standalone set in the same world as the USA Today-bestselling The Girl With All the Gifts. Once upon a time, in a land blighted by terror, there was a very clever boy. The people thought the boy could save them, so they opened their gates and sent him out into the … they opened their gates and sent him out into the world.
To where the monsters lived.
“Strange and surprising and humane” (Lauren Beukes), The Boy on the Bridge is a gripping, powerful story that will make you question what it means to be human.
For more from M. R. Carey, check out:
The Girl With All the Gifts
Fellside
Someone Like Me
By the same author, writing as Mike Carey:
The Devil You Know
Vicious Circle
Dead Men’s Boots
Thicker Than Water
The Naming of the Beasts
more
3.5
Not as good as the first book, but the end was satisfying.
“The Boy on the Bridge is very much its own thing, not a continuation of Melanie’s story but a new journey with a new cast of characters. But it answers a lot of questions that The Girl With All the Gifts implicitly asked.” -M.R. Carey
The Boy on the Bridge might be marketed as the sequel to The Girl with All the Gifts or the second installment in a series by the same name, but please know that if it has to be classified as anything, it should really be a prequel. The Boy on the Bridge is set ten years prior to the events and characters in The Girl with All the Gifts and can absolutely be read on its own. It’s an open and closed story, but fans of The Girl with All the Gifts will certainly get a little extra out of it since it takes you into that same [but earlier] postapocalyptic world, you might recognize a name or two (no cameos), and the ending reveals some interesting things about its predecessor.
Admittedly, I was thoroughly confused when I started reading this book because of all the new characters (and my lack of knowledge about the sequel versus prequel thing). But after googling some trustworthy reviews and interviews, I got myself situated and became easily engaged. All of the characters in this one have their own unique set of circumstances or even more unique personality and it was so, so easy to find investment in each of them. I didn’t love this one quite as much as the first, maybe because of my initial confusion, but I did thoroughly enjoy it and will likely re-read at which point I am hopeful my rating will match the shining 5 stars I gave Melanie. If you are familiar with this world or if you aren’t, this bit of zombie/hungries horror is for everyone. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“All journeys are the same journey whether you know it or not. Whether you’re moving or not. And the things that look like endings are all just stations on the way.”
I don’t think that The Boy on the Bridge is nearly as good as The Girl with all the Gifts. The story lagged in places. In my opinion whole sections and in some cases entire chapters could’ve been omitted and the story wouldn’t have been hurt at all.
There was a lot of repetitive things, such as McQueen and his hatred of everything and everyone. Fournier and his underhandedness.
The epilogue was unnecessary as far as I’m concerned. It should’ve ended about where TGwatG started. At least where they began teaching the children.
Forewarning: towards the end of chapter 4 the hungeries take down a stag. The description is gruesome in as much as I read as I skimmed past it.
Later when Greaves is in Invercrae. We are witness to the brutality of the feral children and what they do to a pack of dogs. These are told in graphic detail, but when Lute’s is killed we get very little detail until the aftermath.
Even with all that I am glad I read it. The characters were believable, for the most part. I liked the relationship between Rina and Stephen, how she had patience with him and obviously loved him unconditionally like a mother should. Even though McQueen was hatred personafied, how he was as a soldier, protecting even what he hated. That is what it should be like in the world.
Part of the charm of The Girl with All the Gifts was the way it let readers into the mind and life of its main character, Melanie. The other characters in that book were just as appealing. Because the first book was so successful in creating memorable characters, I found it a little disappointing that Melanie and the others weren’t involved in this follow-up, which is actually a prequel. Even so, I stuck with it and was glad I did. There is, perhaps, too much time spent with the characters talking about what they should do in each situation, but there is a pay-off and I found it definitely worth waiting for. The book gives a good picture of what happened in the years before The Girl with All the Gifts, and its ending is quite satisfying.
This book was every bit as good as The Girl With All The Gifts. It basically stands alone, but if you haven’t read The Girl With All The Gifts, definitely start with that one, as this one meshes nicely with it at the end. Fascinating and original characters with complicated allegiances and secrets trapped in a tin can together with the threat of death on every side. Can’t recommend it enough.
Definitely not as good as The Girl With All the Gifts, which came before it. It was good, but I wasn’t completely captivated by it. There wasn’t much mystery to the story line and some of the plot lines were a bit contrived. But there was definitely suspense and action.
Years before we met The Girl with All the Gifts, we are traveling with a team of scientists, looking for a cure or some way to treat this terrible disease that is decimating the human race. This prequel to the “The Girl” reveals a bit more about the world as it collapses and how people dealt with it, both in and outside society as the social structure crumbles over the years and as people – still human people – fight to retain their humanity.
I loved how the two stories tied together. This book can be treated as a stand alone and can be read without The Girl, but I’d recommend reading this as book 2 in the series. AND if you haven’t read The Girl, what are you waiting for?? Read it now!
If you haven’t read The Girl with All the Gifts – *spoiler*
There is also some revelation about the first hints of mutations that lead to the type of cross species genetics, of which Melanie is a part.
Not as good as the First book “Thee Girl with all the gifts”. I thought the first 100 pages was actually rather boring, but after reading the first book, I knew the author was capable of spinning a good yarn. My perseverance was rewarded by a rather interesting tale.
This was a wonderful follow-up to The Girl With All the Gifts. Written as a prequel, that takes place 10 years after the Breakdown (basically the zombie apocalypse) a team of soldiers and scientists are sent out to try and discover a cure. I really enjoyed that most of the novel took place in an armored vehicle nicknamed Rosie, which really allowed for character development and conflict to drive the narrative. I also liked that this could be read as a stand alone novel, but there were many little references for devoted readers of M. R. Carey.