The Messengers
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Summary
The Messengers is a young adult psychological thriller by British author Edward Hogan, published by Candlewick Press in 2015. The protagonist is fifteen-year-old Frances, who is sent to spend the summer with her aunt in a seaside town after something goes wrong at home. There she meets an unusual adult man named Peter, who calls himself a "Messenger"—and the messages he delivers are never good news: after fainting, he draws images of someone's death and must deliver the picture to the person concerned within a set time. Peter is convinced Frances is one of his kind: she too suffers fainting episodes and wakes to draw images she cannot explain. Together they investigate these images that foreshadow death, but Frances wants to take a path diametrically opposed to Peter's—to try to change the future shown in the pictures. Wrapped in suspense, the novel probes fate, free will, and courage: if you could see the future, would you dare to change it? It is a short, tightly paced book, and critics have singled out its portrayal of the characters' inner lives; it received a starred review from School Library Journal.
Editor's review
一册读完不费力的英文原版青少年惊悚小说，适合作为进入英文长篇阅读的过渡读物。霍根没有把“预知死亡”写成炫技的奇幻设定，而是把它做成一面镜子：弗朗西丝之所以愿意相信这些图像，是因为她自己的家庭已经先一步崩塌——哥哥卷入伤人事件后失踪，她被迫离开家。作者真正的兴趣在于一个少年如何在无力感中重新获得行动的能力。语言以现代英式口语为主，句子短、对话多，蓝思值约590L，高中低年级乃至英语较好的初中读者都能跟上；同时它并不幼稚，关于“我们是否有权干预他人的命运”的伦理张力足以支撑成人读者的一次夜读。若你喜欢《偷书贼》作者马克斯·苏萨克《传信人》那类以“传递消息”为核心意象的成长故事，这本书提供了另一种更冷、更幽暗的写法。需注意本书中文版尚未见到，阅读以英文原版为主。
Who it's for
A good fit for
- 想从青少年小说过渡到英文长篇阅读的中学生
- 喜欢悬疑、超自然元素的英文原版读者
- 对“预知未来与命运伦理”题材感兴趣的读者
- 希望用短篇英文小说练阅读速度的英语学习者
Not a good fit for
- 期待推理严密、线索闭环的传统侦探小说读者
- 对死亡预兆、家庭暴力等阴暗内容较敏感的读者
- 希望读到中文译本的读者
Reading tips
- 先通读全书感受悬念节奏，第二遍再留意弗朗西丝的绘画与昏厥在情节中的伏笔作用。
- 遇到英式口语与青少年俚语不必逐词查，先顺读，再回看标记处积累表达。
- 读后可对照马克斯·苏萨克的《传信人》，比较两部作品对“信使”意象的不同处理。
- 可与同好讨论结尾的伦理选择：改变未来是否一定意味着更好的结果。
FAQ
这本书和马克斯·苏萨克的《传信人》是同一本书吗？
不是。苏萨克的作品英文原名为 The Messenger，美国版改题 I Am the Messenger，中文译作《传信人》；本书是爱德华·霍根 2015 年的 The Messengers，主角是少女弗朗西丝，两者题材相近但作者与故事完全不同。
这本书适合几年级的英语水平阅读？
蓝思值约590L，属高中低段难度，句子较短、对话密集，英语较好的初中生即可尝试，高中生读起来更顺畅。
书里有中文版吗？
目前未查到该书的中文简体译本，市面上流通的多为 Candlewick Press 的英文原版，购买时请核对作者为 Edward Hogan。
这是系列小说吗？
不是。它是独立成篇的单本小说，可以单独阅读，不需要先读其他作品。
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