Insignia

S.J. Kincaid

As we know our lives are dependent upon the goods produced by big corporations. But what if those big corporations controlled everything from the water that we drink to the way we wage war. Tom Raines is a sixteen year old boy who lives with his deadbeat, gambling addicted father. Together they roam the southeastern united states surviving on their winnings and constantly evading old debts. However, for mysterious reasons Tom is selected to join the most prestigious military academy in the world, a school inside the Pentagonal Spire. Here the Indo-American alliance trains their best and brightest to one day become a member of the Intro-solar forces. In order to avoid loss of life and collateral damage combat has been moved into space where the Indo-American forces battle the Russo-Chinese forces for control of resources and mining operations around the galaxy. Camelot Company, the highly trained and effective squad under the command of America is being beaten down by a shadowy new foe, Medusa. Lighting fast, brutal, and utterly merciless, Medusa singly handedly turned the tide of the war and things look bleak for America. Our only hope is a victory at the upcoming Capitol summit where the worlds corporations would discuss the war and what will happen next, and unless the U.S. wins, their allies might stop funding them. Tom knows nothing of this and The Spire is like a dream come true to him as he finally gets everything he ever wanted. A real life, friends, even a chance to become one of the most prestigious and loved people in America, a member of Camelot company. That is if he can survive training.

Let me start by saying that Insignia was awesome. The characters were well built, an interesting plot and background story, even a cool location. This book fell just short of perfect because of one fatal flaw, it felt rushed. Things happen with nearly no discernible time lapse jumping quickly from event to event hardly giving me time to fully comprehend the impact of what just happened. After I went back through however I did find some vague references to the passing of time. If Kincaid had made the book a little longer so that the reader could get a better picture of what’s going on then Insignia could easily get up there as one of my top ten books. Moving on, Tom was a like able character with a good base build and personality but like the plot his troubles and worries hit hard and fast hardly giving me time to react. All in all this was a book that fell just short of perfection.

Recommended to: slow readers, people who like amusing and tense sci-fi books, Readers of Genius Wars and Divergent.

SuperHuman

Michael Carroll

This is a world were comic book heroes are the no longer the thing of dreams, real flesh and blood heroes roam the earth defending the innocent and punishing those who prey on the weak. But with heroes come villains that are just as if not more powerful as they are. Good and evil are in a constant struggle to maintain dominance. New heroes rise everyday to replace those that might fall and this tale is of a foursome as unlikely as you ever may see. Roz Dalton, a telekinetic, was raised by her famous brother who is one of the worlds most prominent heroes. Her training began the day she learned of her powers but she has never been out in the real world. Thunder, a young man who can control sound waves, a self made hero who has been fighting crime since he first was able to throw his voice. Abigail, incredibly strong she has the unique ability the manipulate metal, her powers developed late and she has never used them before now. Unlike the others she is a natural fighter who moves with the skill and grace of a master swordsman. Lance is a regular young man who has spent his days amongst the criminal element working his swift hands and critical brain to his own advantage. These four are all that stands between the world and utter destruction at the hands of the Helotry and their immortal master, Krodin the Fifth King. These young heroes will have to face challenges they never dreamed of including Slaughter, the Helotry’s deadly invincible assassin. For these young heroes there is only two options, victory or death.

SuperHuman was an exceptionally well crafted book that left me highly satisfied, kinda like an all you can eat buffet. I know I enjoy harping on characters but these characters were well done and lovable, Lance left me feeling a little unsatisfied as his story was, well it was somehow incomplete. The book had by far one of my favorite endings of all time. Immediate conclusion to the main threat but it still left space for a later return to the plot-line in The Ascension. I loved Krodin, he is a villain unlike any other. Immortal, Invulnerable, with strength, dexterity, and skill like no living being has ever possessed combined with a killer intellect he could have been the perfect hero. But buried deep in his subconsciousness is the need to rule, to crush the world under his thumb and mold it into his own twisted image. and with his remarkable powers he can do just that. A quick touch on the plot, the book flowed like a lively stream, never failing to be boring or to err from its purpose, in all this is a fantastic book. Also here is the hilarious trailer for the book:

Reccomended for: comic book fans, superhero fans, readers of comics and Maximum Ride

Rot and Ruin

Jonathan Maberry

First Night, the horrible cataclysmic event that sparked the zombie apocalypse. No one knows what caused it but they knew what it meant, humanity was facing extinction and losing. The survivors linked up, became tight nit packs that eventually set down roots and became small towns and villages. In the midst of one of the largest of these groups, 20 year old Tom Imura carried his baby brother Benjamin, hoping and praying that the nightmare was over. 13 years later. what was once the United States has become the great Rot and Ruin, largely unpopulated by the living only small settlements remain of a once great society. In Benny’s home town of Mountainside people must find jobs once they reach the age of 15 or else their rations will lose a large portion of their ration tickets. Benny is nearing his deadline and he can’t seem to nail down a job that he likes. Finally he asks the person he hates the most to take him on as an apprentice, his older brother Tom. Tom is a special type of bounty hunter, a closure specialist. His job is to find and kill a specific zombie that was once a relative or friend of his client. Benny thinks of Tom as a coward someone who runs from fights and sulks in the shadows, that is until he goes out on his first assignment. Soon the brothers are wrapped up in a hunt to find the mysterious Gameland. A den of debauchery and evil Gameland is home to some of the waste’s most vile scum. But the worst is the zombie pits, gladiator arenas that pit people against zombies in order to win vital rations or medicine. During this hunt Benny learns of the Lost Girl, a beautiful but deadly phantom who hunts down the worst the world has to offer from her secret hideaway in the mountains. But Benny is only just begining his training and what good will his “cowardly” brother Tom be on this hunt?

Rot and Ruin is one of the most moving and enchanting tales of zombie slaying I have ever lain eyes upon. Benny’s story is not so much a romance or mystery or even a hack and slash zombie thrill ride as a story of a troubled young man who comes of age in a time of uncertainty and fear. Benny is complex, he hates his brother for his supposed cowardice but he cannot turn his back on his only remaining family, but he understands almost nothing about Tom who is highly guarded about his work and his life outside of his home. Tom meanwhile is simply put a very Zen sort of sensei guy who teaches Benny the importance of controlling your emotions and not letting them cloud reality. The supporting cast do their jobs extremely well and all of them are potent enough to keep your attention on their story-lines as well as Benny’s. Despite having read the book twice i still have trouble getting a read on the Lost Girl and that is the way Maberry intended her to be.

Reccomended: Zombie fans, coming of age enthusiasts, action addicts, readers of World War Z, Catcher in the Rye, and The Enemy

Ripper

Stefan Petrucha

Jack the Ripper, a notorious murdered from London who is considered the worlds first serial killer. His victims were lower class women, people that had no true purpose. His killings were little more than senseless violence committed on the undeserving, or were they? 7 years later, Carver Young is introduced to the Pinkertons. The Pinkertons were considered the first real private investigators. Armed with a sizable fortune and a facility that produced the greatest gadgets the world had seen, the Pinkertons battled crime at its very heart stopping crimes before they even happened. Led by the founding trio of Alan Pinkerton, Albert Hawking, and Mr. Tudd, the Pinkertons became good’s greatest champion. Following the death of Alan and the tragic accident that destroyed Hawking’s career, Tudd became the only head and the group quickly spiraled downwards into almost nonexistence. Then the first killing, a young woman of high status and prestige brutally murdered in the middle of a party. But newly inducted Pinkerton apprentice Carver young is busy tracking down his father despite his odd urges to get involved in the murder case. Soon however Carver realizes that the cases are one and the same, his father is the killer. Although the Pinkertons were notorious for bending the rules, Carver will have snap them in two if he ever wants to catch this phantom assassin. With Hawking’s help the identity of the killer is finally attained, the one and only Jack the Ripper. Too Carver and the rest of New York the killings are a tragedy that must be stopped at all costs, but to the Ripper? It’s all just a game.

The Ripper was an excellent book that fell short in only one area. Despite the detectives and the cloak and dagger style writing this mystery is not much of a mind bender. Despite the fact that revealing the killer as the infamous Jack in my synopsis may be considered a bit of a spoiler, the book did an even worse job of concealing his identity. However the Petrucha redeems himself somewhat with fantastic steampunk gadgets and deep interesting characters. He does a wonderful job of creating a realistic world that could have very well have actually been real. His writing style however leaves a bit to be desired and can often acquire a monotonous tone, making you feel a bit lost in the fast paced and ever evolving case. I know I said the mystery is a it obvious but events that take place as Carver tries to find his father are exciting and entertaining even if as the reader they fail to serve a practical purpose, they could best be compared to a high quality youtube video, and i mean that in the nicest way possible. Despite some misgivings it was still a good read for a dark and stormy night.

Reccomended too: mystery fans, Horror/Murder movie lovers. Readers of Half Moon Detective

Divergent 

Veronica Roth

Five factions, one choice, one fate, that is the path of the people left behind by a war long over. Dauntless: The Brave, Amity: The Peaceful, Candor: The Honest, Erudite: The Intelligent, and Abnegation: The Selfless. Each faction is a pinnacle of what they believe in each blames the troubles of the past on the opposite of what they value. On the sixteenth birthday of children they are evaluated to see which faction they belong to, however the ultimate choice is the child. Beatrice, an average Abnegation teenager, devout and kind, is evaluated as Divergent, someone who has the values of multiple factions and someone who is feared by the authorities. Beatrice chooses to leave the only life she has ever known to become a Dauntless, fearless and strong the Dauntless value courage and work as the army and guardians. This once noble group of fearless combatants has been without a true enemy for so long that they have lost their way and have devolved into wild thrill seekers, some however value the old ways and seek to restore the group by influencing the new initiates to be both honorable and fearless. Others seek to teach them to be ruthless and vicious and to further bring the Dauntless into the shadows. Beatrice is small of body and weak but her spirit is that of a true Dauntless, one that belongs to the true Credo of the Brave “We Believe in ordinary acts of Bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” As Beatrice struggles to pass initiation and become a Dauntless the Erudite are stirring up trouble. They assault the Abnegation calling them pompous fools that keep the best things for themselves and run the government unfairly, eventually they even assault individual members creating false reports of cruelty and acts of spite and malice. Using their advanced technology they bring about something totally foreign to the people of the world, War.

Grace recommended Divergent to me and I caved and bought it. I have to say I am very glad I did Veronica Roth created an epic Dystopian planet that is beautiful and deadly. The various factions were well developed and their inner workings were well crafted, as was their interconnectivity. The Dauntless were on a whole a very diverse group of individuals that all shared the core value of courage creating a sort of disjointed family unit. I actually enjoyed the romance aspect of Divergent and I admit I was interested in what would blossom from it. Normally I try to skim the lovey dovey parts but Veronica created a tense and interesting love story that tied well with the rest of the story. My only complaint is the fact that the importance of being Divergent is never explained in any detail or is it even a major factor in the story. Hopefully I will find out in Insurgent when I read it.

Reccomended to: Dystopian fans, hunger games enthusiasts. Readers of Hunger Games, Blood Red Road, and other dystopian novels.