Read the reviews ( $$\(\mathbf{A}-\mathbf{C}\)$$ ) written by three people about a book called Stone City. Then answer Question 9 (a)-(h). Stone City doesn't follow the usual rules of superhero stories. Instead, it invites you into a darker world where the bad guys are already in control and no one is willing to challenge them. That is, until a group of ordinary people, who call themselves The Champions, decide that enough is enough. They find the bad guys' weakness and use it to try and destroy them. Harry is a clever and educated member of The Champions who wants to change the world. He's witty and charming, unlike Asha. She's aggressive at the beginning of the book but softens as the story goes on. The writer spends as much time describing the people and their relationships as he does on the action. As a result, this makes the book appealing to all sorts of readers. If a story is rushed, readers might get confused; if it's too slow, then they may feel bored. Stone City avoids falling into either of these traps. I'd heard some of my mates saying great things about Max Kelly's books, so decided to give Stone City a try. I'm not sure I'll listen to their ideas about literature quite so closely in the future, though. Kelly starts by setting the opening scene very well. It's dramatic and we get a feel for what motivates Harry. As the story goes on, though, it lacks originality. In my opinion, there is nothing you can get from this book that you can't get from better ones about superheroes and supervillains. I much prefer reading about interesting characters and following a fast-moving and unpredictable plot. It might sound old-fashioned, but I personally feel that it's aimed at teenage boys, rather than girls who might not like reading about car chases. All I can say is that Stone City failed to live up to my expectations. Maybe this book just isn't for me. The plot is hardly new: Harry and his fellow good guys, The Champions, against the Stone City bad guy and his followers. However, the action scenes are vivid and full of surprising developments. Parents need to know that Stone City contains some scenes that might not be appropriate for younger children. Author Max Kelly's action adventure novel has great potential, and kept me turning the pages more enthusiastically than l'd expected. Although this book reaches a satisfying conclusion, readers are sure to meet Harry and Asha again in forthcoming titles in the same series. The pace in some chapters of Stone City was a little slow, although I can see that the author was trying to develop the lead character and analyse his motives. If there is a follow-up, it would be good to see more of a focus on Asha though. She could have played a much bigger part in this story. ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......

Answer:

C
A
B
B
A
B
C
A

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Solution: