The Roar
By: Emma Clayton
Character Analysis
Mika is a young boy in a poor family. He lives in a concrete apartment in the Shadows, the poor hiding under all the rich people living above them. His sister was declared dead just a few years before, but Mika chose not to believe. He lived in misery of the fact he had lost his sister. One day, strange things start happening, and he knows it. He is forced to do things he is uncomfortable with, without choice. By the end of the story, he realizes that he was missing out on something big, and given a chance to see his sister again.
Plot
A plague sweeps over the world, as the human population rises. The Northern Hemisphere becomes crowded with people. They are blocked from the rest of the world by a 50 foot high wall. They are told on the other side, a yellow poisonous dust covers the land, and that life is impossible. What they do not know is that the government is lying to them. Mika's dream is to find his sister, and he will do what ever it takes. His sister is in space, kidnapped by the mastermind Mal Gorman. A campaign starts, said to be making kids stronger. Arcades open up, and a pod-fighter game becomes popular. The hope of making your family rich appeals to all the poor kids, who fall into a trap. A trap in which they have no control over. They will be brought to war, and if Mika wants to see his sister, he has to do something.
Setting
The Roar mostly takes place in The Shadows, a flooded, moldy place where all the poor people are thrown without choice. Up above, the rich people live in the Golden Turrets, on a giant platform. A giant shadow is cast upon this area, giving it the name.
Author
Emma Clayton is the Author of the Roar and the Whisper, two bestselling Dystopian books.
Summary
Mika lives in future London, behind The Wall: Solid concrete, fifty feet tall, topped with high-voltage razor wire, and guarded by a battalion of borgs, it was built to keep out animals, because animals carry The Plague.
Or so he's been told.
But ever since Ellie vanished a year ago, Mika has suspected that his world may be built on secrets - and lies. The doubting voices in his head are building to a deafening roar. When a mysterious organization starts recruiting mutant kids to compete in violent virtual reality games, Mika takes the chance to search for his missing twin sister- and the truth.