Stone Rider by David Hofmeyr

Four Stars!

Overall, this novel was a modern, sci-fi take on old westerns. The grit, violence, and raw circumstances make it  a bundle of toughness that shines light on the human quality of perseverance. This is a Mad Max take on the ultimate gun fight, with a bit of modern motorcycle racing.

In a decrepit future world, Earth is barren and those left living on its surface are poor and left to struggle for their meager existence. Humans living on Earth are stuck mining (and dying) for the benefit of those lucky enough to have escaped Earth's surface, those living on the Sky Base. One singular hope remains: the winner of a mystical and treacherous byke race wins passage to the Sky Base and a life of better health, better food, and better overall circumstances.

Adam Stone is a product of his environment. He's born witness to terrible ordeals, lived in squalor, and survived horrific environmental assaults. He's dreamed of winning The Race, but it has never been a reality to even compete. Gangs dominate his world and thwart most moves he tries to make to even enter the race. Adam's character struggles to maintain some measure of the humanity that we cherish, all while trying to survive and seek a better future. His is a story of loyalty, family, danger, humility, pain, and perseverance.

This was a powerful novel that pulled no punches. It is gritty, suspenseful, and at times, depressing. However, the drive to compete and survive pulls this novel from a mere retelling of a race story into something with more depth and insight. This is a debut novel for author David Hofmeyr, and I am definitely looking forward to the sequel, although this was enjoyable as a stand alone novel. I definitely recommend this one, my friends!

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

5 Stars!

I am xxxxx-blown away! This was a phenomenal novel! It is probably the best book I've read all year! At it's core it's a science fiction, ya-romance, but it's broader than those simplistic labels.

Let's start off with the structure, because that's where you'll notice a complete divergence from the norm. The "story" is relayed via a collection of briefing documents: conversation transcripts, memos, maps, etc. Soooo, there's a bit of inferring to be done in order to put the pieces of the puzzle together. However, paperclip briefing notes help the reader make sense of the varying documents and point out some easily missed important details for consideration. The integrated graphics and running text plays with shape and space for a truly artistic layout. Much of the story is relayed through transcripts of casual conversations built like text message exchanges making for fun reading.

It is chock full of literary devices for exploration. Allusion with a snarky bite abounds as do other forms of figurative language. Sarcasm is rampant, but I think I enjoyed the many allusions so much more. I found myself laughing when I noticed some of the odder references. Multiple thematic topics are explored including love, loyalty, duty, family, ethics, bioweapons, artificial intelligence, the meaning of life, and more. Rather than a hodgepodge of truisms, these themes are woven throughout with a subtlety that is natural and thought-provoking. The plot develops at a reasonable pace that seems true to a possible real-life scenario. It is neither rushed nor stilted. Goldilocks would say that it's just right. This would be a fun novel to explore with a high school class. Some of the topics are a bit mature for in-class exploration at the middle school level.

I also loved the characters! Kady Grant is a smart 17-year-old dealing with an emotional break up when she is thrust into the middle of a horrific situation. Yet throughout her ordeal, she manages to hold on to her core values, even though others falter. Her ex-boyfriend Ezra Mason is a decent guy also caught up in this fight for survival, but his interactions with Kady are remote by necessity. Add in an insane AI computer, some people constrained by military duty, and some ethical scientists, and you have the recipe for great conflict!

Inherent to the story is its science fiction core. The action begins at a remote mining colony in another universe. Space travel, wormholes, vector jump drives, and technical specs are referenced throughout the tale. Critical to the storyline is the presence of a ship's artificial intelligence onboard computer. For those new to science fiction, these are concepts that should be investigated beforehand so that understanding of the plot is easier. Also, basic understanding of military positions (lieutenant, captain, corporal, etc.) would be helpful as there is a big military component to this novel.

So, a couple of warnings. While there are no explicit expletives, the number of blacked out blanks for expletives leaves little room for the imagination. It's pretty clear what's being said, and being said frequently. Also, there are a few sexual references during conversations among some of the male characters, but I think that makes it a bit more realistic. Yes, this is a violent book with extreme loss of life thrown directly in your face, so this is not a book for those upset by violence.

At times I found myself angry beyond belief, and then a few pages later, I was crying. Wait a bit, and then I'm chuckling. Yes, this book evoked so many emotions for me, but it wasn't overkill. Again, it was just right. I think I liked the fact that this novel wasn't a straight romance, but it had romantic overtones; it wasn't an epic adventure, but it had plenty of heart-pounding action; it wasn't a morose, cerebral text, but it encouraged deeper thought; it may have been science-fiction, but it had the right amount of realism.

My friends, it is a long text (600 pages), but it is totally worth the read. I HIGHLY recommend it!

The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni

3 Stars!

For those of us always wanting more time to get things done, an extra day sounds like the ideal situation. For Jax Aubrey, it comes upon him in a terrifying manner. Jax has had it rough for a while; his parents are dead and he's stuck living with a guardian who can barely take care of himself, let alone Jax. When Jax wakes up one day, all of a sudden, everyone, that's EVERYONE, is gone. Thinking he's been thrust into an apocalypse, Jax proceeds to scour for supplies to survive. Little does he know that he's been exposed to an alternate timeline, one filled with magic and a legacy that will affect his every move.

The Eighth Day is a fun romp that ties in survival, magic, heraldry, kings, and family loyalty into one neat package. While not particularly insightful, it's fast-paced plot will keep you involved in the storyline. I like the uncertainty that Jax brings to the story. He knows what's right and what's wrong, but it can be difficult to apply these morals under these new time constraints.

Enjoy!

Seventh Son (The Last Apprentice series) by Joseph Delaney

2 Stars

This was a fairly pedantic fantasy novel. I find it hard to believe that it was a best seller, although perhaps a middle grades audience would appreciate it more. A young boy is apprenticed to a Spook, a person who seeks out boggiest, witches, ghosts, and other creatures of the dark in order to keep his community safe from evil. As you can imagine, this is new territory for Thomas Ward, and much of the book is spent explaining the dangers of these various creatures.

Much of the book was too transparent, so it lost my interest. However, if you are new to fantasy or tales of creatures from the dark, this may be a good entrance point for you.

The Selection, The Elite, and The One by Kiera Cass

3 Stars

This was a decent dystopian novel series with a heavy hit of romance. The action is fast-paced, but it is definitely a chick-lit series. I liked the voice of the main character, and I appreciated the flight of fancy the novel provided. This is not a heavy-hitter, but it is an enjoyable romp. I did find myself chowing through all three of these books in a single day, so even though they are light, they are still compelling.

Enjoy, my friends.

Never Let Me Go by Kazua Ishiguro

2 Stars

Meh. Perhaps previous positive reviews raised my expectations too high, but I just didn't enjoy this book. Promised a dystopian tale with tons of emotion, I found instead a narrative masquerading as a memoir with a hint of dystopian wrongness. The descriptions of the narrator were involved and reminded me of my grandmother's stories -- a bit rambling, but eventually they got to the point, but sometimes it was so late that you weren't sure why the point was even relevant any more.

Soooo, if you're looking for a great dystopian novel... this isn't it. However, if you want beautiful descriptions of childhood friendships and coming of age stories in a slightly altered life situation, then this is for you. There's probably some literary merit in this as well. It just wasn't enough to keep me interested. It just dragged on and on. Since the previous reviews promised that it got really good at the end, I kept plowing through, but any reader who has read more than a few dystopian novels would realize the transparent nature of the secret... and that's the only part that was truly interesting.

I can see this being used in a high school setting as a springboard for discussions on the controversial topic within. Of less literary merit, but certainly more action, consider a book study on the same topic that includes Unwind by Neil Shusterman, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, and The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow (coming out in September). All have powerful themes relating to otherness, cloning, and disenfranchised youth.

My recommendation? It's only for people who enjoy memoirs.

Undertow by Michael Buckley

Four Stars!

As the title implies, Undertow subtly latches on to you and pulls you into its mystique. From the very beginning, you realize that there are monsters prowling everywhere and the world itself is in disarray. The iconic Coney Island, known for its fun amusements, is now the center of this apocalyptic demise. Trash-ridden, isolated, and filled with undesirables, Coney Island is part of The Zone, an area separated from the rest of the United States using military and police force. Caught in The Zone is Lyric Walker, a girl just wanting normalcy, but she suffers from terrible migraine headaches, so rough that they are classified like hurricanes. Beyond her migraines, Lyric and her family have a secret that they must keep at all costs as their very lives depend on it. All this is revealed in the very first pages, and the suspense just keeps going.

This is not your typical coming-of-age story, nor is it your standard dystopian novel, nor is it a thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat. It is, though, a combination of these elements that provides for a great thrill ride. The action is subtle but believable. Driving the plot is a sequence of events originating from fear: fear of the unknown, fear of aliens, fear of violence, fear of persecution, fear of mob mentality, and fear of insanity. Yet the narration provided by Lyric is almost hopeful despite the depressing events consuming her life. She is a strong but realistic character who approaches this issues with a matter-of-factness that seems reasonable under the circumstances.

Yes, I loved the strong action and the conflicts with the government and mob groups. It's always fun where there is a strong villain you love to hate. Yes, I loved the gentle unfolding as the secrets revealed themselves. This was exactly the right pacing! Yes, I loved both the main and secondary characters. They each had the right depth and interaction to provide a wonderful storyline.

Negatives? There weren't too many, but I think the tone of the ending was too different from the rest of the novel, and as such, it lost some of the punch that had been building steadily from the beginning. Nonetheless, this was a great story overall, and I can definitely recommend it. I'm really looking forward to the sequel as well, although I think you can stop at the first book and be totally satisfied.

Enjoy, my friends!