The Boy from Reactor 4 by Orest Stelmach

Published by Thomas & Mercer, March 2013
ISBN: 978-1612186085 paperback

ASIN: B008BU75D6 e-book

377 pages

Review by Karen Yarmol-Franko

The Boy From Reactor 4 is the first novel of The Nadia Tesla Series about a courageous and spontaneous American-Ukrainian heroine, Nadia Tesla. She embarks on a quest to solve a mystery that is connected with her father and a long-lost uncle. Along the way, she encounters a young cousin she must smuggle out of Ukraine. Nadia is threatened, bugged, tailed, shot at, and followed across international borders in a high intensity chase by Ukrainian criminals that is at times, violent and brutal. Her quest takes her from New York to Kyiv, inside the boundaries of the ravaged Chernobyl, through the Siberian tundra, and over the Bering Strait to Alaska – home to American soil. 

Author Orest Stelmach has most certainly done his research. He has a knack for creating vivid and lively scenes putting you ‘on location’. His haunting and immersive depiction of the exclusion zone that surrounds the ruins of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor gives readers an intimate glimpse into a neglected and desperate part of the world. His portrayal of Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, and weaving of the history and culture of Ukraine into the story is skillful, though somewhat forced. As Nadia circumnavigates the globe, Stelmach describes each location, from New York’s city streets, to the treacherous backroads of the Siberian tundra, to the claustrophobic caves of Pecherska Lavra in Kyiv, in rich detail. In fact, with such diverse scenery, non-stop action, and diverse characters, The Boy From Reactor 4 would translate well into film.

While Stelmach fully develops and details the intense action and vivid locations, the same cannot be said of the characters. We understand little of the “Boy” of the title. And Stelmach’s gangsters, while terrifying, are described superficially. Nadia’s mother, brother and Johnny Tanner are also enigmas but perhaps Stelmach will develop them further in the next books in the series. Having read the prequel novel, The Altar Girl, I had a deeper insight into Nadia. Stelmach repeats some of those details in this novel, but Nadia’s strong motivations would’ve been a mystery had I not recalled the character development from the prequel novel.

The Boy from Reactor 4, with its short chapters and breakneck pace, is an easy yet compelling read embellished with Ukrainian history lessons along the way. The surprise ending pays a proud and patriotic homage to America that reminds North American readers to be proud of their heritage yet grateful for their freedom.

Note: Readers should note that Orest Stelmach donated 10 percent of royalties from the first two books in the series, The Boy from Reactor 4, and The Boy who Stole from the Dead to Chernobyl Children International (CCI). CCI funds surgical missions to Ukraine to help victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.