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• Sig's father died trying to cross the ice. Now a man who has been stalking him has trapped Sig and his sister Anna and is threatening them. He claims that their father cheated him out of gold ten years ago and he wants it.

  5.00 out of 5

  pmlyayakkers

• Not long after he finds his father's frozen body on the lake near his remote arctic homestead, Sig is visited by a menacing stranger who has unfinished business with his father. This taut thriller makes excellent use of its remote, punishing setting as well as the protagonist's moral dilemma: take advantage of the power of his father's revolver or protect the humanity instilled by his mother's bible?

  5.00 out of 5

  mrcmyoung

• Sedgwick writes primarily for the young adult audience, but his books have much wider appeal and are always thought-provoking reads for adults too. I loved one of his other titles, Blood Red, Snow White, and I also really enjoyed another of his which I read last Easter, Kiss of Death. So I was really looking forward to reading his latest book.Revolver is the story of a boy and a gun – a Colt forty-four forty revolver to be precise. It’s set in the Arctic north, where three continents meet around the North Pole. It starts in the northernmost town in Sweden, Giron (Kiruna), and Sig Andersson is sitting alone at home, except for the corpse of his father, who died falling through the ice that day as if he was running away from something, or someone.Sig’s sister and step-mother had gone for help, leaving the young teenager to think about his father and their hard life up in the Arctic, but also his late mother. When Sig was little, they had lived in Nome, Alaska during the gold-rush of 1899; Sig’s father Einar was an assay clerk in the claims office. Einar’s most prized posession is a Colt revolver – it lives in its original box in the storeroom, and needless to say, Sig has always been fascinated by it...." ‘A gun is not a weapon, Einar once said to Sig, ‘It’s an answer. It’s an answer to the questions life throws at you when there’s no one else to help.’Sig hadn’t understood what he meant by that. Not then."While Sig is mounting his vigil over his father’s body, there is a knock at the door. But it’s not the help he was waiting for, it’s a giant of a man who has come looking for Einar, to claim back what he thinks is his. Wolff knew Einar back in Alaska, and has a tale to tell of gold and the corruption and lust it brings. Now Sig knows why Einar kept a gun; if only he could manage to get it out of the storeroom. Einar had let him and his sister shoot the Colt just once to know what it was like."He tried not to smile, for Anna’s sake, but inside he felt the best he’d ever felt in his whole life. It had felt amazing, incredible, indescribable. It hadn’t been frightening at all."The only frightening thing was how easy it had been, but it would be years before he understood that."The tension rises with each short chapter, and there is a definite frontier feel to this novel with its themes of gold and guns. The far north too has never seemed as cold as when Einar is explaining about the effects of sub-zero temperatures on gunmetal – as always, Sedgwick’s research is top notch. Ultimately though, Sig’s dilemma over whether or not to use the gun is the most fascinating part of the story and makes this short novel a great little thriller making it my first 10/10 read of the year.

  5.00 out of 5

  gaskella

• Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.comIt's 1910 in the frozen land of the Arctic Circle. Sig has never known any other life. His father came here to get rich finding gold, but that never happened. Now, it is just Sig, his sister, Anna, and their step-mother, Nadya, because Sig's father is dead.It happened as he returned from town. He foolishly cut across the lake on the dogsled. He always told Sig it was not the safest route, but for some reason he didn't heed his own advice.When Sig discovered his father's frozen body, he was able to piece together what probably happened. The lower portion of his father's body fell through the ice, and using his remaining strength, he was able to pull himself from the frigid water. Scattered papers from his pack and jumbled stick matches were evidence that he had tried to start a fire in hopes of warming himself, but the sub-zero temperature worked faster than his ungloved hands could manage to generate heat.With the help of Nadya and Anna, Sig brings the body back to their tiny cabin, and the two women head back to town for help. Sig waits uncomfortably with his father's remains until he hears a knock at the door. Instead of the help he anticipates, it is a huge man who identifies himself as Gunther Wolff, and he demands his share of the gold he says Sig's father owes him.What follows is a day and night of terror for Sig, and soon his sister, as well. Sig learns secrets about his dead father's past and his connection to this frightening man. The siblings also discover that lessons learned in childhood do provide answers even in the toughest of situations.Author Marcus Sedgwick tells an amazing story of survival in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth. He takes readers into a tiny, isolated cabin and keeps them on the edge of their seat until the last page. Adventure fans are sure to love this one.

  5.00 out of 5

  GeniusJen

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