''TIM, Defender of the Earth'' is a 2008

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by Sam Enthoven, written in the spirit of classic monster movies such as

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

and

Gamera is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. Debuting in the 1965 film ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'', the character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's ''Godzilla'' film ...

. It was shortlisted for the

Waterstone's Children's Book Prize The Waterstones Children's Book Prize is an annual award given to a work of children's literature published during the previous year. First awarded in 2005, the purpose of the prize is "to uncover hidden talent in children's writing" and is there ...

Plot summary

The story begins with the newly appointed Prime Minister, Mr Sinclair, being taken by Dr Mckienzy to a top-secret underground lab. There he views TIM (Tyrannosaur Improved Module) sleeping in a giant tank. Mckienzy explains that the military have been developing hybrids to fight their wars, but all except Tim have died. Mr Sinclair tells her that he considers her experiment a failure and instructs her to close it down and euthanize Tim. Meanwhile, a class visits the British Museum. Chris meets a security guard, who shows him a strange bracelet, which glows when Chris goes near it. The guard clamps it on his wrist and tells him that he is now joined to the Defender of the Earth. Dr Mckienzy floods Tim's enclosure with gas, to poison him. Tim breaks out and rampages over London, scared and confused by the world that he finds himself in. He blocks

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

, which Chris and his parents are driving over. As he gets close to Tim, Chris's bracelet starts glowing, and Tim suddenly feels peaceful. He trots into the Thames and wades off. Swimming in the sea, Tim runs into the

Kraken The kraken () is a legendary sea monster of enormous size said to appear off the coasts of Norway. Kraken, the subject of sailors' superstitions and mythos, was first described in the modern age at the turn of the 18th century, in a travelogu ...

, who informs hims that he is going to be the 'Defender of the Earth'. The next morning, Anna's father, Professor Mallahide, is giving a demonstration to an audience that includes the head of the army and Mr Sinclair. He reveals to them that he has created a swarm of

nanobot Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer (10−9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics (as opposed to mic ...

s for the military. His audience is unimpressed when he demonstrates by changing a squirrel from grey to red, but when his nanobots eat the squirrel alive on his orders, increasing the swarm, they give him permission to continue his work. Once they have departed, Mallahide restores the squirrel to full health, calling the prime minister and his friends morons. Chris returns to the museum to ask the guard that gave him the bracelet to remove it. When he learns that the guard has no way of doing that, he stalks off. Mallahide orders his machines to devour him and make him one with the swarm. Just as he is almost gone, he thinks of Anna and regrets his decision. Then he is completely eaten and the experiment appears to have failed. Anna waits in her family's flat for Mallahide. He does not appear, and at 11 o'clock, his work rings to tell her that there was an accident at the lab, and her father has died. She is lying in bed, with a counselor sent over by the government sleeping on the sofa, when her father turns up. She begins to argue with him. The noise in her room wakes the counselor, who comes up the stairs. Mallahide hears her coming, and disappears into thin air.

Critical reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' found ''Tim'' disappointing despite its promising concept, citing its inadequate character development and confusing story structure. In ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', John Peters wrote that the novel should appeal to fans of

M. T. Anderson Matthew Tobin Anderson (born November 4, 1968), is an American writer of children's books that range from picture books to young adult novels. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2006 for '' The Pox Party'', the first o ...

's ''Whales on Stilts'', although it does not match the latter in terms of "sheer zaniness". In ''

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne (Graduate Library School, University of Chicago).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. Chi ...

'', Elizabeth Bush cautioned that while the novel may satisfy those looking for "light and cheesy entertainment", readers looking for more sophisticated and "hardcore" science-fiction will be disappointed. Other reviews were more positive. Paula Rohrlick's review in ''

Kliatt ''Kliatt'' (stylized as ''KLIATT'') was a bimonthly magazine that published reviews of young adult literature. It also published reviews of related media, such as educational software, that was designed for teachers and librarians interested in ...

'' called ''Tim'' " n escapist fantasy", noting that it contains more humour and less horror compared to Enthoven's previous novel ''

The Black Tattoo ''The Black Tattoo'' is a 2006 young adult fantasy novel by Sam Enthoven. It deals with a boy, Charlie, becoming possessed by a demon that manifests itself in the form of a black tattoo on his body. The audiobook, read by John Lee, won a ''P ...

''. Jane Henriksen Baird's review in ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' concluded: "This fun, action-driven, science fiction tale will be snapped up by restless boys who can never find books written just for them."

References

External links

* http://www.timdefenderoftheearth.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Tim Defender Of The Earth 2008 British novels 2008 science fiction novels British science fiction novels Children's science fiction novels Kaiju British young adult novels Doubleday (publisher) books