Sci-fi – Page 10 – My Good Reads

‘Feed’ – Mira Grant

The common cold has been cured, but the after-effects are horrendous and the world has become plagued by zombies. The most obvious thing to say about ‘Feed’ is that this will not be to everyone’s tastes. If you like zombies, you’ll be disappointed by the lack of action; if you’re not that interested in them, you’ll find (as I did) large chunks of the book seem to drag.

Teenagers Georgia and Shaun Mason are part of the popular blogging community. In this futuristic setting, it is the bloggers that people turn to in order to find out what’s happening.While trailing the Presidential campaign, these two uncover some awful information. Information that they are prepared to die for if it means they can ensure the truth comes out.

On the whole I found this a difficult novel to get into. The exploration of how power corrupts, and the concepts of truth and the media were fascinating – but I’m not sure the zombie setting really added much to this for me. Perhaps I’m missing out, but there wasn’t enough here to tempt me to sample the rest of the Newsflesh trilogy.

‘The Loneliness of Distant Beings’ – Kate Ling

Due for publication in May 2016, this novel explores what it means to love and just how it can impact on your life.

This has a beautiful cover, and I was intrigued by the idea of a group of people living completely alienated from anything we have experience of. For reasons I’m not totally clear about, this ship has left Earth trying to find somewhere to settle. The mission is due to take several hundred years, so it is clear that many of the people we meet have never experienced anything other than the routine of the ship, and may die before they have the opportunity to experience anything other than this sterile environment.

Seren, the 16 year old main character, is a little different to many of those on board the ship. She questions things, and doesn’t seem completely satisfied with the life mapped out for her. In many ways, this is a fairly typical YA story of someone coming to terms with who they are and what they want from life, while dealing with the fact that their wishes don’t necessarily fit with those of the people around them.

The first part of the book is about setting up the environment for us. I feel I never really got this fully, and I got so frustrated by how quickly she fell in love with Dom. Not being totally accepting of this meant that I found a lot of the book hard to accept. The drama of the final section however sneaked up on me. This was confidently handled, and I got more of a sense of what could have been. While it ended well in some ways, I felt I just had too many unresolved questions to be really satisfied with this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read.

‘The Jewel:The Lone City 1’ – Amy Ewing

From the start, we are under no illusions that Violet Lasting’s life is not meant to be easy. She is an Augury, separated from her family and auctioned off to the highest bidder to act as a surrogate for a wealthy family.

Many dream of living in The Jewel. While its inhabitants don’t suffer many privations, their lives are far from easy. Beneath its glittering surface, The Jewel is a harsh and unpleasant place to exist.

In many ways this is like so many other YA dystopian novels. We have a female protagonist who is a lot stronger than she thinks; rumours of scandal at the highest level; some gruesome deaths; a clearly defined social structure and, inevitably, the romance.

However, it is not a mere copy of these novels. There is something about Violet that makes you hope she’ll triumph. While she is naive in giving in to her feelings for Ash, we are made to understand her motivation for continuing something so dangerous. The character of Lucien – like Cinna in The Hunger Games – is intriguing, not least because he really does seem to offer hope for the future. The biggest plus for this novel though was the completely unexpected element to the ending, which has me desperate to know what comes next.

While this didn’t make it onto the Carnegie Long-list for 2016, I am certain that those amongst its target audience who pick it up will find a place for it in their hearts.

‘The Love That Split the World’ – Emily Henry

The cover for this book is beautiful, and made me really keen to read it. The reference to time travel made me think this would be a Young Adult romance/finding yourself book with a bit of a difference.

When we first meet Natalie Cleary we learn she is preparing to leave for college. Everything is changing and she is trying to work out who she is. So far, so normal. We also learn that since she was little she has been receiving regular visits from a mysterious Native American woman known to her as Grandmother, who tells her stories to try and help her make sense of the world. When Grandmother tells her she has three months to save him, and she must find Alice, I really wasn’t sure what was coming.

For almost the first half of the book I was struggling to really engage with it. Though well-written there was a sense of something missing that I just couldn’t put my finger on. Some reviews I’ve read criticise the way Natalie and Beau’s relationship is set up, but it wasn’t that. It all just felt very slow.

However, as the story continues it picks up intensity. As Natalie meets with Alice and starts to learn more about what is happening to her, I cared more. Considering all the various possibilities, and seeing Natalie’s uncertainty as she tries to work out what matters to her, felt very real.

There was definitely a sense for me that this book is better than I first thought. I just wonder whether I’m alone in finding the slow-burn approach a little off-putting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy received in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Lunar Chronicles’ – Marissa Meyer

For anyone who hasn’t yet heard of this series, it is a real treat. The link to fairytales might seem like an unappealing idea for modern teenagers, but the contemporary twist transports this series to a great place.

In the first of the series – ‘Cinder’ – we are introduced to the cyborg Cinder. A gifted mechanic, she relies on her interest to earn money for her wicked stepmother. When Prince Kai brings a broken robot to her, Cinder learns more than she is meant to know. This is a complex world where there’s a lot to explain, and some elements are more easy to take on than others. There’s a rather inevitable love element to the novel, but I felt the conflict that Cinder experiences between duty and desire was perfect for taking this out of the zone of the ordinary teen romance.

When I started reading the second in the series – ‘Scarlet’ – I was a little confused by the introduction of a completely new character. Scarlet is determined to find out what has happened to her grandmother, but she is forced to rely on the help of Wolf – not the most obvious contender for the role. Her story becomes intertwined with that of Cinder, and this was an absorbing read. In this novel we learn more of the character of the Lunar Queen Levana, who is determined to do whatever it takes to get Prince Kai to agree to a marriage.

Moving into the third of the series – ‘Cress’ – we are hit with a stunning revelation about Cinder’s heritage. Cinder is now a fugitive, alongside the amusing Captain Thorne, and she has to try to save the world from Queen Levana’s plans now that Kai is Emperor. They have to rely on Cress, a girl who has been forced to live alone since early childhood using her hacking skills to do whatever Queen Levana asks her to. There was a lot going on in this one, and it didn’t always make a lot of sense.

I was uncertain whether to jump straight into ‘Winter’ or leave it awhile as I’d not really enjoyed the third in the series all that much. I’m so glad I didn’t leave it, as this made a fitting end to the series. With Cinder fighting to take her rightful place as Queen, introducing the character of Winter, Levana’s beautiful step-daughter, was a brave one. Much as I have loved the character of Cinder, I was really drawn to this new character and her relationship with Jacin. I even found myself feeling some sympathy for Levana by the end of the novel!

While the sheer size of these novels might be off-putting to less keen readers, I think the story is full of action and has a great cast of characters. I do wonder how long it will be until this is turned into a movie franchise!

Metawars series – Jeff Norton

I first stumbled across this series in October 2015 and was immediately gripped by the concept.

Book 1.0 – Fight for the Future

Jonah Delacroix has always thought he knew right from wrong. He always believed in the Milennials and their fight to control the Metasphere and save it from the Guardians. Then he assumes his dead father’s avatar and becomes caught up in a deadly battle. He also comes to see that things are not always black and white. Sci-fi that also combines gaming/technology so it’s easy to see the appeal for boys, but this was so well-written and Sam is such great character that I can see it being of interest to girls too.

Book 2.0 – The Dead are Rising

Jonah has succeeded in setting up the Changsphere, a world to rival the Metasphere.The avatars of the Uploaded (those who committed suicide) have been transferred but they are gaining in strength, and are hungry for life. No-one is safe.

Book 3.0 – Battle of the Immortal

Where to start! So many characters introduced, but it all hangs together well. Yes, it’s more of the same but that is not a criticism. When it’s this well-written, it’s exactly what’s needed.

Book 4.0 – The Freedom Frontier

As is always the case with a series that you’ve enjoyed, approaching the end is an odd experience. Desperate to find out how things resolve, yet not wanting it all to finally finish, I was almost reluctant to start this one.

However, after a slow start to summarise the key points of the action – which makes sense if you’ve waited a while since the previous one – we were dropped straight into what I can only describe as a white-knuckle ride. Tense throughout, and certainly not shying away from placing the characters in difficult situations, this was a fitting end to the series.

Now I just have to wait for my son to catch up so we can discuss the final moments!

Front Lines – Michael Grant

Due for publication January 28th 2016, this is the first in a new series by Michael Grant and it imagines an alternative past, where women were allowed to fight in the war.

I received a digital copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for review.

While I’d enjoyed the other Michael Grant books I’d read, I was uncertain how this would work. The first thing I have to say is that I felt this brought together a great cast of characters – Rainy, Rio and Frangie – who all have their strengths, but are shaped by their experiences preparing for war. The idea that women could fight allowed Grant to also explore key themes/ideas about war and gender.

The initial part of the book that deals with the girls’ backgrounds and reasons for enlisting was necessary, but it really comes into its own when the new recruits are sent to fight. The account of the experience is unflinching, yet never gratuitous.

Captivating.

‘Mind Games’ – Teri Terry

‘Mind Games’ is set in a futuristic world, where people willingly plug into Realtime – a virtual world that allows them to learn and travel without their bodies having to go anywhere.

I loved the ‘Slated’ trilogy, so was curious to see what would happen in this story.
Luna refuses to join in the technologically-dependant lifestyle favoured by her peers. We assume that her misgivings are linked to something to be revealed later…they are.

I felt this to be a little slow initially. As soon as Luna is selected for the testing process, and we see the world unravelling, it became a book I can only describe as mesmerising.

Luna was a great character and this was an intriguing idea. I am not ashamed to admit I loved Gecko, and the revelation of what is actually taking place made me feel cold!

‘Need’ – Joelle Charbonneau

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WANT AND A NEED. WHAT DO YOU NEED?
One by one, the teens in Nottawa, Wisconsin join the newest, hottest networking site and answer one question: What do you need? A new iPhone? Backstage tickets to a concert? In exchange for a seemingly minor task, the NEED site will fulfill your request. Everyone is doing it. So why shouldn’t you?

Kaylee Dunham knows what she needs –a kidney for her sick brother. She doesn’t believe a social networking site can help, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

Or could it?

After making her request, Kaylee starts to realize the price that will have to be paid for her need to be met. The demands the site makes on users in exchange for their desires are escalating and so is the body count. Will Kaylee be able to unravel the mystery of who created the NEED network—and pull the plug before it destroys them all?

As soon as I read this description I really wanted to read this book. I was lucky enough to receive a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, prior to publication in November.

The first thing I will say is that this is a great concept – and it doesn’t surprise me that the novel is already being optioned for a movie. Initially, the demands placed on the students are fairly trivial, but things quickly take a far more sinister turn. The consequences of what people are being asked to do are far-reaching, but if nobody knows who’s done it, does it matter?

This certainly encourages readers to question their own sense of morals. Unfortunately, I felt the ending of the book became less secure and with so many characters involved in telling us their stories I became less interested as it went on. This is a shame as I really wanted to love this novel.

Slated trilogy – Teri Terry

Slated set up the premise for the trilogy clearly.

Kayla has had her memory wiped, and yet she finds herself able to recall details from her past that she shouldn’t be able to remember. Her new family are none the wiser that Kayla is different. We see her struggle to find out who she is/was, and, inevitably, who she can trust as her past catches up with her present. Intriguing ending that leads us nicely onto…

Fractured.

The middle book is often the one that gives the back-story or pads out the idea until the final part. This was NOT one of those books. In Fractured we follow Kayla as she learns more about who she was and why she underwent the Slating procedure. Complex and pacy. Loved it, and could not wait to see what happened in…

Shattered.

Wow! If you’ve come this far, you’re invested in the characters and want to see how thing turn out for them. While this happens, there are also new characters that pique your interest. A strong end to the series.

While I loved the series, and cannot wait to read ‘Mind Games’ by the same author, I wish the marketing had not been so heavily female-biased. This is a series that I could see many enjoying, but I think some will overlook it because of the overly-‘girly’ covers.