Immagine dell'autore.

Jon S. Lewis

Autore di The Revenge of the Shadow King

16 opere 2,048 membri 45 recensioni

Sull'Autore

Comprende il nome: J.S. Lewis

Serie

Opere di Jon S. Lewis

The Revenge of the Shadow King (2006) — Autore — 773 copie
The Rise of the Black Wolf (2007) — Autore — 383 copie
The Fall of the Templar (2008) — Autore — 302 copie
The Brimstone Key (2010) 217 copie
The Relic Hunters (2011) 69 copie
The Paragon Prison (2012) 37 copie
Evolver: Apex Predator (2011) 2 copie
Free Realms Book 2 (2010) 2 copie
Free Realms Book 1 (2010) 2 copie

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Sesso
male

Utenti

Recensioni

Sixteen-year-old Colt McAlister is living the dream in San Diego, surfing by day and playing guitar with his friends by night, when his parents are killed in a freak car accident. The youngest of eight, several of his older brothers offer him a home, but recognizing the demands they face with their own young families, he chooses instead to join his Grandpa McAlister in Phoenix, AZ. The only person he knows at his new high school is Danielle Salazar, a childhood friend, but he quickly meets and becomes friends with Oz Romero--whom he's sure he's never met before but who seems oddly familiar.

This is a fast-paced and mostly tightly plotted novel, so it's not long before we know there's something fishy about the accident that killed Colt's parents--and about Trident, the company that his investigative journalist mother was investigating. We also learn that Colt's grandpa has a fascinating history of his own: A World War II veteran, he's believed to be the basis of the comic book superhero the Phantom Flyer, who played a key role in defeating the Nazis' alien reptilian allies...did I forget to mention that? Yes, it seems there are gateways between our world and others, and some pretty startling beings have come through them, including the reptilian Thule, who want to wipe us out and take Earth for themselves.

So when Colt overhears his grandpa and Sen. Bishop discussing the fact that his parents' accident wasn't exactly an accident, and he and his friends decide to investigate, it doesn't take long before they're in very hot water. Trident is controlled by the Thule, the reptilian invaders behind the Nazis, and is the major threat that the secret government agency, the Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural, a.k.a. CHAOS, exists to fight. Colt, Dani, and Oz quickly find out just how much of a beating they can take and keep on ticking, and how tough, smart, and resourceful they can be when their own and the world's survival depends on it.

I really did enjoy this book. It's a solid young adult science fiction novel, firmly in the camp of the "Heinlein juveniles" of cherished memory (and still available in your local library and bookstore, by the way.) It does have a couple of oddities and weaknesses, though. One is that, although the female characters are in fact presented as tough, smart, and resourceful, it certainly appears that there are no female CHAOS agents. This seems terribly unlikely, and maybe the next novel in the sequence will reveal that that appearance is not correct. The other problem is an annoying plot hole. We're told that the biochips that make it possible for Trident to control unwitting sleeper agents, and which cause their eyes to glow red when the chip is activated, were invented in the past few years by a minor character whom we do meet. Unfortunately, we're also told that the Thule and Nazis were using the same control technology during WWII. Can't have it both ways!

But those are minor issues, and this is a solid, enjoyable YA science fiction novel.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
LisCarey | 16 altre recensioni | Sep 19, 2018 |
This is the second volume in a fun little series about teenagers who are The Only Hope for Earth's resistance to alien invasion. No, that doesn't make much sense, but, really, it doesn't have to. Lewis gives us an engaging group of teenage friends, a secret government agency that's supposed to be the main line of defense but may be compromised, secret heroes and villains, and a fast pace with neat stuff happening on nearly every page.

The intended audience is young adult readers, but if you can let go and enjoy the ride, it's entertaining for older readers, too.

Colt McAllister is the youngest of a large family of boys, and in the previous volume, his parents were killed right around the time he got accepted to the same Virginia military high school all his brothers attended. He's now living with his grandfather, a World War II veteran, while waiting to go off to that academy--which is the school for the secret force which is fighting the aliens. While he's waiting, he's hooked up with a few friends who'll also be going off to the academy.

It's not a quiet, restful time, though. Colt is, for various reasons, a Major Threat to the aliens, and they're out to get him before he can be trained and groomed for his destined role. Colt and his friends spend the time avoiding assassination attempts, which is really tricky because the aliens are shapeshifters and have a dandy little multinational medical devices corporation at their disposal. Of course, the teens also have access to some cool stuff; Colt's grandfather, World War II vet, is really the Phantom Flyer, a World War II hero who is believed to be just a comic book superhero. Colt and his friends get to practice with old, out-of-date versions of the modern equipment they'll be using at the school, and it's a good thing: it helps them keep Colt alive.

When they get to school, things get even more dangerous, as they discover that they can't assume anyone is trustworthy, because they can't assume anyone is who he seems to be.

Call it a guilty pleasure, call it light entertainment, but it's a lot of fun.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley.
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
LisCarey | 6 altre recensioni | Sep 19, 2018 |

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Statistiche

Opere
16
Utenti
2,048
Popolarità
#12,565
Voto
3.8
Recensioni
45
ISBN
55
Lingue
1

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