Shawn Keenan

In a dystopian future, where corporations have run rampant, Kip has a dead-end corporate job. It may not be the best job around, but it is a lot better than living back home on the farm, always in danger of foreclosure and being repossessed by the corporations that own the mortgage. Corporations have supplanted democratic governments, and set their own rules. Sound scary? I certainly thought so. It also seemed sadly ironic to read this as Occupy Wall Street was going on.

Kip happens to be in the right (or wrong) place at the right time, and after having an evening as a bodyguard, ends up being sent to foreclose a farm. He cannot bring himself to do it despite his ambitions, and escaping to the north, he ends up in prison. Of course, he escapes. Of course he has help. Of course there is a woman. Although the plot was predictable - and in the tradition of 1984 or a Brave New World - this is a good book.

The writing was a little choppy in parts, and sometimes the descriptions went on too long.

Good book, thought-provoking, and engaging.

This book was received as part of the Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

I won the original manuscript from member librarything giveaways, but since then Shawn Keenan has heavily updated the novel to have more character development, changes to the ending and plot arc, and to give it a more modern voice.

And let me say that it has been an honor to watch this novel grow to a 5 star novel over time.

The Intern's Tale (originally known as The Errant Intern) is a dystopian YA of sorts, with a twist. Kip is an intern at a company in a world controlled by corporate domination. His world changes when he realizes that his goals may not be in sync with his morals. I won't give away anything else, as the developments are fun to watch unfold.

We are introduced to a varied and fascinating cast of characters, from the main protagonists Kip and Abbey (a terrific kick-butt female character that takes care of herself and rescues Kip more than he rescues her to my delight), to Alabaster (one of my favorite characters of all time who is best described as an amalgam of Dumbledore and Dr. Walter Bishop, a character from the TV show Fringe). There are a lot of other great characters including Jeweleigh, who probably is the most vastly changed character in the book other than Kip. She's not at brainless as one would suspect!

The plot arc is fantastic, scenes beautifully described, and what can I say? I desperately want to own a mechomare. The ending is the perfect ending for this novel, and one that is greatly satisfying and left a big smile on my face.

Shawn Keenan is a terrific writer, and I am excited to see what he has up his sleeve next. This book is a must read, and I hope everyone takes a look at it! It's well worth your time.… (altro)

I won this book from Librarything in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I thought this book was well written, fast paced, with characters that were interesting and complex. In particular, I loved the story of the protagonist Jayke, who slowly discovers his past by meeting a cast of interesting mentors and characters (and old mentors who now reveal more of what they know!). Not to mention that this all involves a fascinating back story that I will not reveal, but that I thought was creative and well thought out.

I also want to mention that I also get wary when religion is mixed in with the plot, because this can so easily be done either inappropriately or with a preachy tone without furthering the story. This is completely not the case in this book. The mention of religion only enhances the story, never preaches, but is integral to the plot. I thought this was very well done.

As a side note, and this is more of a personal preference more than anything-- I love strong female characters. I loved Dr. H, his mentor, and his smart best girl friend, and even was slightly interested in Amber, who at least evolved throughout the story. The character of Ashley I never really got into, because while beautiful and really nice, she is dating a loser (and the fact she never gets a sense of how much of a loser this guy is, is really beyond me) and sort of drifts through the story as Jayke's love interest without any other real personality traits. From the way the story is set up, I'm hoping that she evolves throughout the (trilogy?) and becomes worthy of being Jayke's love interest (i.e. strong and independent versus a girl that has to be rescued every book).

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it deserves the high ratings it has received. I am looking forward to the next book!… (altro)

Kip is hanging onto the very bottom run of the corporate ladder by his little finger. While he is barely on the financial radar, he has big hopes, but fate has a cruel plan in mind for our little Kip. He will have to make a choice, a choice that will drag him along one of two very different paths.

This is a post-apocalyptic science fiction fantasy novel that reminds me very much of George Orwell. And as different as Kips world is from our own, I also saw many similarities in how the corporations use and manipulate people’s view of the world.

I really enjoyed reading this book; it was fun, engaging, romantic, suspenseful and thought provoking.… (altro)