The Inventors (novel)

Last updated

The Inventors
The Inventors (novel) cover.jpg
First edition cover
Author Alexander Gordon Smith & Jamie Webb
Cover artistSue Mason
GenreFiction, Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Publisher Faber & Faber
Publication date
April 2007
Media typePaperback
Pages384 pp
ISBN 978-0-571-23310-6
OCLC 77256984
Followed byThe Inventors and the City of Stolen Souls 

The Inventors is a children's novel, co-written by Alexander Gordon Smith and his brother Jamie Webb. It follows the story of two best friends, Nate and Cat, young inventors who win a year-long scholarship at Saint Solutions, a giant skyscraper. There, under the eye of the world's greatest inventor, Ebenezer Saint, they are given free rein to invent whatever they want. But things take a dark turn when Saint refuses to let them leave the complex, and what started as the opportunity of a lifetime turns to a fight for not only their lives, but for the world. [1]

Contents

The book was shortlisted for the Wow Factor.

Plot summary

Nate is at home, about to test his latest invention - a machine that can dress humans, like in cartoons. However, the invention goes wrong and ruins his room, upsetting his parents. Nate goes to his best friend Cat's house, to test their latest invention, the Bully Blow - also known as Pergophosphaticus III - a goo-like substance that causes whoever eats it to turn blue. They test it on the school bully by putting some in her chocolate brownie, but it is confiscated by the Headmaster, who turns blue when he eats it. Rather than getting Nate and Cat into trouble, he asks them to take part in Ebenezer Saint's competition. They have under a week to invent something so good that Saint's company, Saint Solutions, will take it on. The winners will be given a year-long scholarship at Saint Solutions, working with Ebenezer himself. After many failed attempts at making Facial-Recognition Glasses, they decide to use the Bully Blow, now in the form of a helmet for the army, allowing the wearer to blend in with the surroundings by turning the appropriate color. Saint loves their invention, and they, along with the other winners, are taken to Saint Solutions. At Saint Solutions, they soon realise that Saint is reluctant to let them leave. He wants to create a nuclear bomb to wipe out the world and start again. However, the kids escape, but Nate and Cat stay behind to stop his bombs from being sent out. They use an EMP Cat hid on the bombs to detonate them early, with the duo just managing to escape before the compound is destroyed, along with Saint. In an epilogue, it is revealed that Saint's memory was saved onto a computer, which downloads his mind into a robotic body. As his memories come back, the robotic Saint heads for the exit.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invention</span> Novel device, material or technical process

An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an idea is unique enough either as a stand alone invention or as a significant improvement over the work of others, it can be patented. A patent, if granted, gives the inventor a proprietary interest in the patent over a specific period of time, which can be licensed for financial gain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyro Gearloose</span> Disney comics character

Gyro Gearloose is a cartoon character created in 1952 by Carl Barks for Disney comics. An anthropomorphic chicken, he is part of the Donald Duck universe, appearing in comic book stories as a friend of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and anyone who is associated with them. He was also a heroic creator star of the animated DuckTales. He first appeared in the Carl Barks comic "Gladstone's Terrible Secret", and was the regular lead character in 4-page backup stories in Barks' issues of Uncle Scrooge, starting with issue #13 and continuing through #41.

<i>Ultimate Iron Man</i> Comic book miniseries written by Orson Scott Card and published by Marvel Comics

Ultimate Iron Man is the name of two comic book miniseries written by Orson Scott Card and published by Marvel Comics. The stories tell the origins of the Ultimate Marvel version of Iron Man, who appears in The Ultimates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Devol</span> American inventor and robotics pioneer

George Charles Devol Jr. was an American inventor, best known for creating Unimate, the first industrial robot. Devol's invention earned him the title "Grandfather of Robotics". The National Inventors Hall of Fame says, "Devol's patent for the first digitally operated programmable robotic arm represents the foundation of the modern robotics industry."

<i>Tracey McBean</i> Australian TV series or program

Tracey McBean is an Australian animated children's television series produced by Southern Star Entertainment and Film Australia. The show was aired from 2001 until 2006 on ABC Kids.

<i>Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy</i> Book by Dav Pilkey

Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy are the sixth and seventh books in the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey. The first part was published on August 1, 2003, and the second part was published on September 30, 2003. The books feature the debut of George and Harold's new pets Sulu and Crackers who first appeared in the first and second parts respectively. The second part also features the debut of time travel in the series, which would become a core theme of the series later on.

Andrew Lost is a series of children's science fiction adventure novels written by J. C. Greenburg and published by Random House from 2002 to 2008. It features a boy inventor named Andrew Dubble whose inventions rarely work the way he expects them to. There are 18 books in the series and they constitute five complete stories, each released consecutively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pugsley Addams</span> Fictional character

Pugsley Pubert Addams is a member of the fictional Addams Family, created by American cartoonist Charles Addams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abelard Snazz</span>

Abelard Snazz was a fictional comics character, created by Alan Moore, and first illustrated by artist Steve Dillon. A super intelligent man, nicknamed "The Man With The Multi-Storey Mind", he appeared on the pages of British magazine 2000 AD.

<i>The Doraemons</i> Japanese manga series

The Doraemons is a Japanese manga series that is a spin-off of the long-running Doraemon series.

"Change of Life" is an episode of the British comedy television series The Goodies.

<i>Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier</i> 2008 video game

Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier is a video game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is a spin-off of the Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation series. Released on May 29, 2008 on the Nintendo DS, the title departs from the traditional tactical role-playing game elements for which the Super Robot Wars franchise is known and opts for turn-based role-playing gameplay instead.

The Lemelson Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) private foundation. It was started in 1993 by Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife Dorothy. The foundation held total net assets of US$444,124,049 at the end of 2020 and US$484,432,021 at the end of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Venom</span> Fictional character

Dr. Venom is a fictional character who appears in the Marvel G.I. Joe comic series. He is a scientist who is the inventor of the Brainwave Scanner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of United States inventions (1946–1991)</span> Inventions by native-born or naturalized citizens of the U.S. dating from 1946-1991

A timeline of United States inventions (1946–1991) encompasses the ingenuity and innovative advancements of the United States within a historical context, dating from the era of the Cold War, which have been achieved by inventors who are either native-born or naturalized citizens of the United States. Copyright protection secures a person's right to his or her first-to-invent claim of the original invention in question, highlighted in Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution which gives the following enumerated power to the United States Congress:

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., 563 U.S. 776 (2011), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that title in a patented invention vests first in the inventor, even if the inventor is a researcher at a federally funded lab subject to the 1980 Bayh–Dole Act. The judges affirmed the common understanding of U.S. constitutional law that inventors originally own inventions they make, and contractual obligations to assign those rights to third parties are secondary.

"Fear State" is a comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics in late 2021, featuring Batman and his family. Primarily written by James Tynion IV, the arc is his second and final major arc on Batman in DC Rebirth. The main story was from Batman #112–117, also including multiple tie-in issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Parr</span> Fictional character from The Incredibles franchise

Robert "Bob" Parr, also known as Mr. Incredible, is a superhero who appears in Disney/Pixar's 6th animated film The Incredibles (2004) and its sequel and 20th animated film Incredibles 2 (2018). He is a superhuman that has superhuman strength, durability, and stamina. He is married to Helen Parr, also known as Elastigirl, and has three children named Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack. He is voiced by Craig T. Nelson in the films, while in Mr. Incredible and Pals and the video games, he was voiced by Pete Docter, Richard McGonagle and Jeff Bergman. He was created by writer/director, Brad Bird, and is partly based on Bird's father, with Bird stating, "He’s a little bit like my dad, because my dad was a great guy, really funny and smart, and I love him dearly".

References

  1. "Inventors". BBC Retrieved 2016-6-26