The Shadow of the Leopard
Giuseppe Festa
The Counter World
Adventure
Sci-Fi
How far can you go to do the right thing?
It is one morning in early summer and Sara is upset. Or rather, much more than upset: she is ready to explode. Her special place, the botanic garden in which she’s found refuge since she was young, is going to be razed to the ground to make way for a multifunctional centre. Deciding to save the garden at all costs, Sara begins to carry out research on the iScroll and comes into contact with a clandestine environmentalist association. She receives a psy-pod, a small ball under the skin, and a new identity: Neurone N6012. The members of NeuroNet, thanks to the psy-pod’s visual projections, are all clothed identically, and their faces are unrecognisable, but they are children like her, with the same ideals, the same anger, which finds its outlet in increasingly aggressive missions. Sara, guided by the persuasive voice of Medulla, is convinced she’s doing the right thing, but how far is she prepared to go?
- This novel was born from Do you have a story?, a contest for children under 18 to select the best narrative idea for a book.
- Martina Gerenich, winner of the second competition, was awarded the prize by a panel of experts: “As in the cult series Black Mirror, Martina’s idea describes a future inspired by today’s world that not only could become a reality, but perhaps is already becoming one. It unites classic science fiction tropes with themes of great relevance. Topics that constitute a great challenge for any writer and that, we are sure, will satisfy the tastes of young readers who want to be taken seriously.”
Publisher:
Mondadori
Target:
10+
Year:
2019
Author
Jacopo Olivieri
Jacopo Olivieri was born in Verona in 1966. He spent his childhood between the countryside just outside the city and Ivory Coast, thanks to his father’s work (who was an architect and set designer). Since he was a child, he had a passion for reading and drawing, and he nurtured interests that are still reflected in his books: the imaginary in general, ancient legends, prehistoric animals, museums, monster stories, and exploring abandoned and mysterious places.
After finishing classical high school and a brief attempt at Natural Sciences at the University of Bologna, he pursued his first career as a comic book author. At the same time, he spent decades working in theater (set design, costumes) both in his home country and abroad and experimenting as an illustrator wherever he could (carton packaging, Swatch shops, educational publishing, records, toys…).
His life took a turn when he had the adventure of meeting Pierdomenico Baccalario, who proposed that he write books for children and young readers. Since then, he has published with Italy's major publishing houses, as well as a few abroad.
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