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Hybrids

David Thorpe - Author

This is a speculative adventure about two people affected by a technology-linked pandemic, a search for Kestrella’s mother and the Gene Police’s interest in Johnny.

More about this book

A thrilling sci-fi novel set in a believeable – and terrifying – near future... Hybrids is the winning entry to the HarperCollins nationwide new author competition with SAGA Magazine.Johnny Online and Kestrella are hybrids – victims of "Creep", a pandemic sweeping the country which causes sufferers to merge with items of technology when over-exposed to their use. Kestrella persuades a wary Johnny to help her find her missing mother, but the Gene Police have other plans for him... Powerful, compelling, and narrated alternately by Johnny and Kes, it questions our human dependence on technology, and our reactions in the face of nationwide panic. This was the outstanding winner of the Children's Book Writing Competition run in conjunction with SAGA Magazine.Orange-prize winning author Helen Dunmore – one of the judges – says: "The writing is sharp, the dialogue good, and the action pacey and page-turning. But there's a real depth to this story, too. Like all good fiction it makes the reader see the world in a different light."

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

Alternating narration· ExplainedTechnology· ExplainedPublic panic· Explained

Consider

Fear and suspenseFrightening scenes

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

alternating narrationtechnologypublic panic

FictionNovel

Themes in Context

Two narrators in a technology-linked crisis

Johnny and Kestrella narrate in turn as the country faces “Creep”, a pandemic linked to over-exposure to technology.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The alternating voices frame the crisis through two characters; the novel explicitly raises questions about dependence on technology and responses to widespread panic.

Talk about: How do Johnny’s and Kestrella’s different perspectives shape your view of the crisis?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

Its science-fiction crisis gives readers a way to consider human dependence on technology and how people react when panic spreads across a country.

What Deserves Attention

The premise includes a pandemic, people merging with technology, nationwide panic and the Gene Police’s plans for Johnny; consider how these elements may land with your reader.

A Conversation Worth Having

What do you think the story suggests about relying on technology, and how might people respond when a crisis affects a whole country?

Reading Approach

Try reading a section from each narrator’s perspective, then compare what Johnny and Kestrella notice or want. Pause if the pandemic or public panic feels unsettling.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Two narrators in a technology-linked crisis: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.

Hybrids - David Thorpe - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Two narrators in a technology-linked crisis

Hybrids by David Thorpe | Open Library