Readers may wish for a more focused approach to the many provocative issues and premises here. Unfortunately, she also leads the audience down one too many garden paths, planting suspicions which she then uproots much too easily. Franklin's Island, Halam (a pseudonym for Gwyneth Jones) conjures the atmosphere so tensely that readers will be white-knuckled. Soon Tay is on the run with only the super-intelligent orangutan Uncle for company, and anguished about the fates of those in the refuge, as well as hungry, exhausted and desperate to reach safety she begins to speculate about the source of his mysterious intellect. Before Taylor can come to grips with this development, regional fighting intrudes upon the refuge and the story takes a very dark turn. Taylor's genetic 'mother' is someone she's known for years, a famous scientist.

As the novel opens, news of the company's success in cloning has been announced to the media, although Taylor's identity has been kept secret. A year and a half ago, Taylor learned that she is actually a clone as are four other children born at the same time, to parents who worked for the same company as the Walkers. Taylor Walker, 14, lives with her parents, wardens of an orangutan refuge in Kandah State, an independent nation 'squashed' between Malaysia and Indonesia. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Taylor Five by Ann Halam. Ordinaryif you overlook the fact that she lives on the island of. Taylor Walker seems like any ordinary 14-year-old. A gripping, deeply moving adventure raises startling questions about what it means to be human. Read millions of eBooks and audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android.

This mostly taut but ultimately disappointing sci-fi thriller opens with a complex, riveting set-up. Read Taylor Five by Ann Halam with a free trial.

Taylor five by ann halam