Marissa Meyer
Book 2 of the Renegades Trilogy
In this volume, our protagonists expand their horizons by crossing over into the world of 'the other' (secretly of course). Nova: Nightmare - the Anarchist, continues her double life as Insomnia the Renegade. She is gathering intel, but also learning about the people. She is developing relationships and finding that her preconceptions about Renegades are not all correct. At the same time, she is solidifying her ideology about prodigies doing too much, and believing even more strongly that non-prodigies need to be taught/encouraged to embrace their own heroism.
Adrian: Sketch - the Renegade, continues his double life as The Sentinel, rogue prodigy. In this double life, he is learning how limiting the strict Renegade code of conduct is, but is also personally experiencing what happens when that code is ignored (via his encounters with Frostbites team). He is not seeing yet how the Renegade government structure could be oppressive and abusive. So his outside the box thinking is limited to himself and individual experiences. Maybe he will come around.
We also get introduced to Max: The Bandit. Max is a Renegade prodigy who is in quarantine because his power is to steal power from others. Max may be the smartest prodigy around (even at 10 years old) and is definitely the most powerful. Certainly going to be a major part of any resolution.
Very much an interstitial book, with Nova/Adrian getting closer, and yet entrenching into their secrets more strongly. As a reader, we just say "Tell each other already and this can all be worked out". But I guess we needed another book for that [this sentence should be read with the driest of sarcasm possible].
3 stars (out of 4)
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Renegades
Marissa Meyer
Book 1 of the Renegades Trilogy
First, my pet peeve. I got tricked, and it was my own fault. But then it happened again. I just assumed this was a one off. I even saw that Meyer was famous for a 4 part series called the Lunar Chronicles. Why would I assume this was a single book? Don't know, but I specifically thought how nice that a sci-fi/fantasy writer would break the mold and write a single book. I had no evidence pointing me that direction, but that is where I went. With about 50 pages left, I realized my mistake. There is no way this could wrap in 50 pages. At the end, at least there was an ad, "Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to Renegades, coming November 2018". Ah, relief. A 2-book series, and I can get the 2nd already at my library. [Spoiler Alert] False advertising. The same thing happened at the end of the 2nd book, with the "exciting conclusion" coming in Fall 2019. Now this story will rattle around in my head for the next 8 months.
As to the book, it is good. Classic dystopian, young-adult storyline with teen hero/heroine who are exploring who they are as people, and slowly falling in love. The world Meyer has created is one were people with special powers (called prodigies) have finally come out into the open. These people have been around for all of history, but were generally killed as witches, or hid their talents. Nova (our teen heroine) is part of a group called the Anarchists. Her uncle was a powerful leader of prodigies who fought for the right to be openly prodigious, and in the process destroyed government and civil order as part of the fight. Adrian (our teen hero) is part of the Renegades. These prodigies banded together to stop crime and restore order. His dads are two of the five supreme council members who have also fallen into governing since their crimefighting was successful.
The tension (in addition to the normal teen dating) here is about government, freedom and authoritarianism. The Renegades have power, and good intentions. The have strict codes of conduct to ensure Renegade prodigies are abusing power. But they do everything. The result is that normal people have become reliant and do not have a self-sufficient culture (a kid trips and falls in the street, don't help the kid up but call in a Renegade patrol and walk away). The Anarchists promote individual freedom for all. They fear power (even benevolent power) and are sure the Renegade authoritarian structure will lead to disaster. But they also crave and abuse power.
In this context, Nova and Adrian both walk (secretly) in both worlds. This first volume introduces the world, introduces our protagonists and their private dilemma's. I guess I can't say whether this is outstanding until the entire thing is done.
3 stars (out of 4)
Book 1 of the Renegades Trilogy
First, my pet peeve. I got tricked, and it was my own fault. But then it happened again. I just assumed this was a one off. I even saw that Meyer was famous for a 4 part series called the Lunar Chronicles. Why would I assume this was a single book? Don't know, but I specifically thought how nice that a sci-fi/fantasy writer would break the mold and write a single book. I had no evidence pointing me that direction, but that is where I went. With about 50 pages left, I realized my mistake. There is no way this could wrap in 50 pages. At the end, at least there was an ad, "Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to Renegades, coming November 2018". Ah, relief. A 2-book series, and I can get the 2nd already at my library. [Spoiler Alert] False advertising. The same thing happened at the end of the 2nd book, with the "exciting conclusion" coming in Fall 2019. Now this story will rattle around in my head for the next 8 months.
As to the book, it is good. Classic dystopian, young-adult storyline with teen hero/heroine who are exploring who they are as people, and slowly falling in love. The world Meyer has created is one were people with special powers (called prodigies) have finally come out into the open. These people have been around for all of history, but were generally killed as witches, or hid their talents. Nova (our teen heroine) is part of a group called the Anarchists. Her uncle was a powerful leader of prodigies who fought for the right to be openly prodigious, and in the process destroyed government and civil order as part of the fight. Adrian (our teen hero) is part of the Renegades. These prodigies banded together to stop crime and restore order. His dads are two of the five supreme council members who have also fallen into governing since their crimefighting was successful.
The tension (in addition to the normal teen dating) here is about government, freedom and authoritarianism. The Renegades have power, and good intentions. The have strict codes of conduct to ensure Renegade prodigies are abusing power. But they do everything. The result is that normal people have become reliant and do not have a self-sufficient culture (a kid trips and falls in the street, don't help the kid up but call in a Renegade patrol and walk away). The Anarchists promote individual freedom for all. They fear power (even benevolent power) and are sure the Renegade authoritarian structure will lead to disaster. But they also crave and abuse power.
In this context, Nova and Adrian both walk (secretly) in both worlds. This first volume introduces the world, introduces our protagonists and their private dilemma's. I guess I can't say whether this is outstanding until the entire thing is done.
3 stars (out of 4)
Monday, April 1, 2019
Gunslinger Girl
Lyndsay Ely
Set in post 2nd Civil War North America, Serendipity Jones is a 17 year old girl, living in a commune with her father and two brothers. Her mother was a renown sniper for the resistance during the war, but has since died as a disgraced drunk. Serendipity, seeking her freedom, runs away from the commune and into her future as a sharpshooter in her own right. She ends up in Cessation, the lawless Las Vegas of the west that is beyond the control of North American government. In many ways, this is the coming of age story of a young woman who is seeking to know her history and to be someone important. It is classic western, seeking out new opportunities and the raw battle between good and evil. But it isn't hard. Ely presents the human, 17 year old girl version, where Serendipity is alternately experiencing self-doubt and conquering obstacles beyond her means. The hard western ignores the entire self-doubt section. It is fascinating how this portrayal of emotion in a hero is so rare that it seems out of place, makes the book seem targeted to the 'teen audience'. Probably the only way to make character portrayal seem normal is to have lots more books written with emotion as an integral plot element. I liked this book and hope Serendipity Jones becomes a serial character I can follow.
4 stars (out of 4)
Set in post 2nd Civil War North America, Serendipity Jones is a 17 year old girl, living in a commune with her father and two brothers. Her mother was a renown sniper for the resistance during the war, but has since died as a disgraced drunk. Serendipity, seeking her freedom, runs away from the commune and into her future as a sharpshooter in her own right. She ends up in Cessation, the lawless Las Vegas of the west that is beyond the control of North American government. In many ways, this is the coming of age story of a young woman who is seeking to know her history and to be someone important. It is classic western, seeking out new opportunities and the raw battle between good and evil. But it isn't hard. Ely presents the human, 17 year old girl version, where Serendipity is alternately experiencing self-doubt and conquering obstacles beyond her means. The hard western ignores the entire self-doubt section. It is fascinating how this portrayal of emotion in a hero is so rare that it seems out of place, makes the book seem targeted to the 'teen audience'. Probably the only way to make character portrayal seem normal is to have lots more books written with emotion as an integral plot element. I liked this book and hope Serendipity Jones becomes a serial character I can follow.
4 stars (out of 4)
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