"A pacey, peril-packed tech adventure centred on the sinister secrets behind AI-operated virtual fighting creatures."
Interest Age 9+ Reading Age 8
Brimming with dark secrets, Alastair Chisholm’s Blitzers is an edge-of-your-seat tech thriller that’ll have gamers gripped as it tackles big topics — big-tech abuses of power, toxic masculinity, and aggression versus empathy — in a relatable, readable fashion.
Everyone in Danny’s school is crazy about Blitzers, Tamagotchi-style virtual creatures with a notable difference — rather than being super-cute characters that need to be fed, Blizters are definitely “not cute. You don’t feed them, you train them to fight”. After finally getting his hands on a Blitzer, Danny is dismayed to discover that his creature isn’t exactly the fighting machine he’d longed for. Rather, Chew Lip “looks a bit like a tubby robot bear made from cubes. Its mouth is curved into a weird smile”.
While Danny hates being mocked for having “the only Blitzer in the world that doesn’t want to fight”, he can’t help but be affected when Chew Lip appears to cry, and feels guilty for having forced it to fight. Then, when a malfunction shuts down every single Blitzer in the world with the exception of Chew Lips, Danny makes a sinister discovery at Blitzers Inc HQ.
Powerfully pacey, Blitzers packs punch as a thought-provoking tech adventure for our times.
Five stars and I would recommend this to anyone around my age.
I loved the fact that it all happened because his big brother got him a Blitzer. I thought the relation to Tamagotchis’ was good, as it is a well known toy and made the idea of what a Blitzer is much easier to understand. I thought the secret messages were amazing and I loved how they all got emotional when they saw the Blitzers again. I also loved the song as it was comedy and how his Blitzer was a reject. I thought that the fact files were really good. They made me able to make a really clear image in my head. And the bit about the Blitzers being alive and able to feel emotions and, then this actually being true, was brilliant.... Read Full Review
Exciting, fast-paced story with lots of adventure!
Danny is desperate to own a 'Blitzer' - the latest handheld battle computer (like a modern, street-fighting version of a Tamagotchi!), and is overjoyed when his brother manages to get him a second-hand one. However, Danny's Blitzer never seems to work properly, and when Danny discovers the dark truth behind the software, it is up to him and his Blitzer to save the day.
I thought this book was exciting, and I would love to have my own Blitzer!... Read Full Review
I had to ask my mum what a tamagotchi was. They sounded dull. Blitzer's are much better! You can train them to fight!
This is a really cool book that made me want to be part of the story. It's all about Blitzers, the latest toy, that everyone has. Danny wanted a Blitzer for ages until his brother got him one as a surprise present. It wasn't what he expected though. Danny's Blitzer was different. Danny felt guilty that he was disappointed with his Blitzer, because he knew how much money his brother had spent on it. As the story continued Chew-Lips unusual behaviour made me wonder if Blitzers were actually real or just a fun harmless game.
I really liked this book. It was easy to read with lots of pictures.... Read Full Review
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