Tag Archives: science fiction

Book Review: Slated by Teri Terry

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slatedIn a future world of England, teenage terrorists get to have a second chance by being

SLATED
where they don’t remember anything of their past life. Their memory is wiped clean, and they get a new name, family, and future.
Kyla is one of those people who got slated. She gets to experience the Levo, which can kill her if she gets too sad or angry, the taunts of terrorists, and the people who do understand her.
Oh, and did we mention that she is not like other slated victims, since she is left handed even though she was listed as right handed, and she has memories of her past life?
PS: the government also seems to be slating non terrorists people against their will.
I found this book to be very interesting. It has some of the old qualities books have, such as evil governments, the main character hardly knowing anything about themselves, and the key feature to not trust anyone. However, it also has some new elements that were a good mix to this book, such as there being a few allies that are from the opposite side and a huge case of identity.
This book also goes into the mind, and the question of if people can really change, even when their whole memory is erased.
I suggest that you try this book out!
-Megan V., 9th grade

Genre Introduction: Dystopia

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Dystopian stories have become pretty popular recently. There are, of course, the well-known Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies, but there are plenty of other messed-up futuristic worlds to explore. Dystopia worlds usually have the government trying to create a “perfect place,” that results in something far worse than today’s standards. Within different social/political structures, heroes face odds to change their world. There’s often some side romance as well. If you haven’t already started into this genre, here are some different types:

legend_coverLegend by Marie Lu focuses on class struggle.

Welcome to a world filled with plague. A plague, for some reason, only affects the poor people. When Day, the Republic’s most wanted criminal, finds his family has been infected, he’ll do whatever it takes to find a cure. After a break-in at the hospital, Day is the in the prime suspect for the murder of  a commanding officer, June’s brother.

June is the Republic’s prodigy, with perfect academic scores, but is constantly in trouble, for things like scaling a building when she wasn’t supposed to. June swears revenge on her brother’s killer, only to find that the Republic has been lying to everyone the entire time.

maze_runner_coverThe Maze Runner by James Dashner targets post-apocalyptic aftermath methods of recovery.

Thomas arrives in an elevator. Everything is dark, and the only thing he can remember is his name. His destination is the Glade, consisting of only teenage boys, surrounded by an impossible constantly changing maze. Every month a new boy arrives and everyone goes along with life, as they have done for the last couple years. But everything changes when, just one day after Thomas, a girl arrives with a mysterious message. The Glade is no longer a safe place. And if they want to escape, Thomas had better start running.

unwindUnwind by Neal Shusterman asks what it means to be alive.

There are too many teenagers in the future. The solution is not to kill them; instead, the rebellious generation simply lives in a “divided state” with every part of their body still alive, but not making up them anymore. Connor is turned in by his parents rebellious behavior. Risa is an orphan the state can no longer afford, since she has reached her musical potential. Lev is a sacrifice, knowing since birth he was going to be unwound for religious reasons. Fate brings these unlikely teenagers together and keeps them on the run because what will happen if they are caught might be even worse than death.

There are plenty other types of dystopias, not to mention the ones I’ve named have multiple meanings and interpretations. That’s the cool thing about dystopias– you can see, from an author’s perspective, how the world might change for the worst. It just makes me that much more grateful it’s only a story.

-Nicole G., 11th grade

Series Review: The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver

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delirium_seriesIt was bittersweet to read the last book in the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver! I love the series and did not want it to come to an end. Regardless, I swept through the last book in a day because I couldn’t put it down. Oliver has a way of writing that catches the mind and causes you to lose track of time. And in my opinion, all the best authors have the ability to do so.

Let me give you a quick synopsis of the first two books. In Delirium we meet Lena, a teenage girl living in a society where love is considered a disease and eighteen year olds are “cured” from the disease, matched with someone, and left to live their lives void of emotions. Just before her eighteenth birthday, Lena meets and falls in love with a mysterious boy named Alex. Despite her family’s disgust and her society’s warnings, Lena chooses to secretly meet Alex and develop a relationship with him. Tracing the revolution, revolts and raids by the “Invalids” (those who escaped society for freedom) begin in the first book while Lena and Alex are at a forbidden party. The first book ends with Lena escaping with Alex into the Wilds. But just as Alex throws Lena across the fence, guards swarm in and cover Lena’s sight of him.

In Pandemonium, Lena learns to survive in the Wilds. She is taken in almost dead by Raven and Tack and their entire family and struggles to cope with loss throughout the whole book. She becomes almost a daughter to the couple and joins in with family work. Lena also learns that the family supports the rebellion against the society and decides to join in the fight. Going undercover as a supporter of the DFA (Deliria Free America), Lena learns the group’s tactics and reports back to the Wilds. During one of the meetings, a group of Invalids known as Scavengers attack and take Lena and the leader Julian as captives. Forced into one prison cell, Lena learns about Julian’s past and falls in love with him. Julian, on the other hand, does not know love because he has not escaped like Lena has, and learns how to love Lena in return. The two make a break for freedom and succeed ending the book in a joyous reunion, or so it may seem. You’ll have to read to find out for yourself!

Requiem features Lena and Julian (with some surprise guests) in the Wilds working to break the wall into the society. This book switches between the perspectives of Lena and Hannah (Lena’s newly cured friend from Portland.) I liked how the reader was able to see what was happening in both the Wilds and society. It was especially exciting right before the final rebellion because the suspense on the Wilds side far surpassed the unknowing calm of the cureds. I don’t want to give away too much but Lena struggles between making choices based on the memories of her past and her feelings in the present. I love the ending of the book and how Lena proves that she is a trustworthy friend even in the most desperate situations. The main themes of this book are friendship, love, sacrifice, and survival.

Overall I loved this trilogy! I wish Oliver had written more books in the series but I also understand how the ending makes sense. After reading Delirium, I truly did not believe the other books could be any better, but each time they exceeded my expectations. I recommend these books for any Hunger Games, Divergent, or Matched fans out there!

-Kelsey H., 11th grade

Book Review: The Hangman’s Revolution by Eoin Colfer

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hangmans_revolutionAccording to a whole lot of books and movies, changing the past can result in a completely different future.

Eoin Colfer’s book The Hangman’s Revolution takes this to a new level, as Colonel Box uses the FBI’s time machines to rewrite history. Bringing modern weapons, he quickly establishes the Boxite Empire in Victorian London, which would soon span the globe. In the changed future, Cadet Savano escapes an attempted assassination by the Boxites, and travels back to Victorian London. She slowly regains fragmented memories of her real life as FBI Agent Savano. There, she teams with her old friend Riley the magician and Otto Malarkey the gang leader. They set out to put an end to Box’s fascist empire before they bomb capitols around the world.

To me, this story is a great continuation to the first book of the WARP series, The Reluctant Assassin. The time travel aspect of the story is written and planned very well. Many future events are explained when the storyline jumps to the past. It makes the story fun to read, as if clicking puzzle pieces together. The story flows so smoothly, we know Colfer mapped this story thoroughly before writing.

The general writing style he employs adds to the story. Everything is described in detail, with subtle sarcasm here and there. It’s serious and intense during action, with funny dialogue to break tension. During lulls, it’s witty and quirky. He carefully shapes the empire, shaping each aspect whether majestic or funny. A picture is painted in the reader’s mind.

The characterization is extremely in-depth. The back story of each character is incorporated into the storyline, often explained in reminisces. I think the most interesting was Otto Malarkey’s story. At first he seemed a one-dimensioned crime boss, but even he turned out to be a colorful protagonist. As a third person omniscient story, the writing often shows the thoughts of each person in a realistic manner. Finally, like icing on a cake, the accents written into the dialogue perfect the characterization and mood.
Considering everything, you should be looking for a copy right now. It’s everything you could hope for in a thriller: action, comedy, storyline, and funny accents. Obviously you should finish the first book first. The ending both satisfies the reader’s craving and hints for a third book. Read on!

-Phillip X., 9th grade

Book Review: Four by Veronica Roth

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fourI have been following the Divergent series for a long time and I was so excited to finally get a copy of Four.  I’m sure many of you have heard, read, or watched the Divergent series.  It follows the adventure of the heroine, Tris Prior, whose life is intertwined with the mysterious Four.  The fourth book of the series goes through the Divergent experience through Four or Tobias Eaton’s, eyes.  I highly recommend if you have not finished reading the series to do so before reading Four.

In the novel Four by Veronica Roth, we find out what really happened between Marcus Eaton and Tobias Eaton.  We see what caused Tobias to choose Dauntless as his faction and new home.  Veronica shows us Four’s true feelings about Tris Prior. We also find out about the old rivalry between Four and Eric.  The book bounces from major events in Four’s life. We see his childhood, his life as an initiate at Dauntless, and his personal undercover mission to see what the Erudite want with the Dauntless.  Many of these events are already known or assumed by the readers of Divergent but it is awesome to know what actually happens.  But the most interesting part that I didn’t think about and almost forgot about was when Tobias meet his mother again for the first time.  It was interesting to see his reaction to actually having a mom who has just been hiding in the Factionless.

I think this book was a really fun and it was quick read.  I finished it in 5 days.  It is not my favorite Divergent book because it was just revisiting major events and you basicay knew what is happening and what will happen but it was a great novel to get lost in.  To revisit the world Veronica Roth created but in Tobias’ perspective was interesting.  If you liked the Divergent series and haven’t read Four yet you should definitely read it.

-Erika T., 8th grade

Book Review: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

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“‘We came into this world so that we could meet. We didn’t realize it ourselves, but that was the purpose of us coming here. We faced all kinds of complications—things that didn’t make sense, things that defied explanation. Weird things, gory things, sad things. And sometimes even beautiful things. We were asked to make a vow, and we did.We were forced to go through hard times, and we made it. We were able to accomplish the goal that we came here to accomplish.”

1q84Haruki Murakami’s novel 1Q84 has it all: dystopian setting, love story, surrealistic fairy tale, crime, cult, murder. Surely the novel, with its more than 1100 pages, has the space to cover such a panoply of things, but what allows this tome to stand out is its ability to create a seamless yet engrossing narrative. Indeed, despite the novel’s length, I was able to read it in just under three weeks.

Set in Tokyo in 1984, the gist of 1Q84 is dominated by two independent plot lines following two different protagonists. The first surrounds the character Aomame, a thirty-year-old personal trainer who, outside of her regular work, conspires with an old dowager to assassinate men guilty of domestic abuse. The other surrounds Tengo, a thirty-year-old math teacher who works as a writer in his spare time.

While at first the jumping between the two different plots is tremendously confusing, as the novel progresses the reader begins to see hints of how the two plotlines and their characters are related. The general thrust of the novel is the publication of a work called Air Chrysalis. Written by quiet seventeen-year-old Fuka-Eri and reworked by Tengo, the book at first glance appears to be nothing but an enjoyable and unique fairy tale, but ultimately it holds secrets about a mysterious religious organization, Sagikake, of which Fuka-Eri’s father is the leader. Aaomame too becomes involved with Sagikake after the dowager gains information that the leader of the organization engages in the abuse of young girls, in accordance with the cult’s practices.

Yet Sagikake is not the only link between the two protagonists. Perhaps the more compelling aspect of the novel is the fact that Tengo and Aomame are deeply in love with each other, although they have not seen each other since the fourth grade. Ultimately 1Q84 is the story of two lost lovers, a tale told many times before, but the weird, wild journey of their attempt to find each other makes 1Q84 such a compelling read.

-Sebastian R., 12th grade

Book Review: Revived, by Cat Patrick

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revivedImagine knowing that you would be able to die over and over, and still be brought back to life within minutes. What kind of risks would you take if you were able to achieve the impossible and cheat death?

Cat Patrick’s sci-fi novel Revived describes the life of Daisy Appleby, a fifteen-year-old who is part of a top-secret government experiment. As a child, she died in an unfortunate bus accident. But thanks to a newly developed drug name Revived, Daisy was able to be brought back to life. Since the first accident, Daisy has died a total of five times. As a result, Daisy lives a very careless life, as she knows that she will always be able to beat death. However, something changes when she befriends the optimistic, charismatic, Audrey, and her caring brother, Matt. Daisy starts to question her morals and slightly skewed approach to life. Is it truly right to take life for granted, while others only have one chance to make the best of it?

I must admit that the characters were very relatable, especially Daisy, because she struggles with the same everyday life dilemmas we have today. After each death, Daisy is forced to move to a different state and take on a new identity, in order to avoid suspicion. She struggles to fit in and find her place in the world, which is pretty difficult if she is constantly transferring schools. Nevertheless, I felt that Daisy was selfish and immature at times when complaining about how she can’t have a “normal life,” even though she is able to die more than once. I believe that she wouldn’t have to face this problem if she was simply more careful and aware of her surroundings.

While I did think Revived was predictable at times and left too much information unexplained and vague, I did enjoy it because it was different than most young adult books today. The setting wasn’t a dystopian, future society, and the romance wasn’t overdone, so it didn’t take over and ruin the main plot line. I would rate this book a 7 out of 10 and recommend it to those who like reading simple, science fiction novels. In my opinion, Revived was a good book, but not good enough to rate it as one of those “must read” novels. Most importantly, though, it conveys the message that we should make the most of and always appreciate the gift of life.

-Kaylie W., 10th grade

Book vs. Movie: The Maze Runner

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maze_runner_bookvmovieFrom the very beginning, I could tell the movie was changing things.

The Box where Thomas arrives has a random caged animal never explained in the movie with Thomas. Then Thomas runs off for no apparent reason, and tries to escape the very first night.

Chuck has a smaller role, I felt. His storyline is still there, but Alby decided to give Thomas the tour in the movie version. Chuck basically solved the end puzzle in the book, although to his credit, Chuck in the movie saved the device thing from falling. Minho is also introduced early on as a key character. Gally is still a jerk to Thomas, but it feels more forced without the background of the griever sting memories. Which brings me to my next point.

The background of the glade was also a bit off from the book. Gladers had fewer deliveries, less knowledge of grievers (no one alive to tell the tale), and no cliff for the griever hole. The book basically left Gladers with puzzles that required the final push with Thomas and Teresa to put the pieces together. The movie, however, decided to flesh out the puzzles (maze spelling words and special place the grievers go) to encompass more action scenes with the maze.

One of the most action packed scenes in the book, besides the ending, was when Thomas spent the night in the maze. There was still a chase sequence in the movie, but cleverly tricking the grievers off a cliff with the combined teamwork of Minho was replaced with crushing with a wall (there are a lot of close wall squeezes in the movie). It started with this whole griever tracking device to a long hallway that screams the perfect place for an attack.

The part that always stuck with me from the book was Teresa’s ability to communicate telepathically in her coma and give Thomas some info. The movie introduced her later in the plot and took out the telepathy, coma, and info. She’s still a pretty tough girl. A really great scene was when she was on the top of a tree-house building throwing things at the Gladers. Chuck said something along the lines of “Girls are awesome.”

The movie focused mainly on the maze. Griever attacks were more intense, without taking everyone down one by one idea from the book. I guess WCKD didn’t care about their variables anymore. Best part of the movie was definitely the maze scenes, although my favorite moment was when they found this green exit sign above a door. It was just perfect comedic timing.

The action scenes were intense and fast paced. It felt more dramatic than the book, but it worked. Despite all this– not a bad adaptation, and can easily lead to the sequels. Wish there was more Glader slang than colloquial, though. So if you want more action, check out the movie. If you want to understand what’s going on with this strange world, I suggest reading the book first.

-Nicole G., 11th grade

Book Review: Echoes of Us, by Kat Zhang

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Note: This is the last book in the Hybrid Chronicles, and may contain minor spoilers from the previous books What’s Left of Me and Once We Were.

echoes_of_usEva and Addie are twin souls in the same body. Eva was supposed to fade away when they were five, but she didn’t. Until recently, Eva hasn’t been able to move, talking only to Addie. But with a little help from some new hybrid friends, Eva was able to take control of the body she shared with Addie. Only to be captured, escape, join an underground resistance, and become even further fugitives in the eyes of the law, that doesn’t trust hybrids in the slightest.

On the other hand, Eva can sometimes be too trusting. When offered a job to go undercover in a hybrid institution by a reporter, Eva jumps at the opportunity in order save the boy Addie loves, even if it means leaving the boy Eva herself loves. Yeah, just because they share the same heart, doesn’t mean they share the same feelings, especially when it comes to love.

Only problems arise when Eva and Addie make their decision. Promises aren’t always kept, people can’t always be trusted, and situations aren’t always what they appear. This is the chance of a lifetime to make some real changes for the hybrid community, but if they aren’t careful, Eva and Addie could be destroyed permanently.

I really liked this series. It’s hard to wrap your mind around the two souls/one body thing at first, but I think that’s kind of the point. It is dystopian-esque more within people than in society, that tries to change people who won’t be “normal.”

I kind of wish Addie narrated part of the trilogy, but it was more of Eva’s story. As most endings, there are some losses in order to obtain a gain for the greater good. The ending was pretty perfect to me. If you enjoyed the first two books, definitely find out how it ends. If you haven’t started this series, I would recommend it to science fiction fans who also enjoy save the world themes with a splash of romance.

-Nicole G., 11th grade

Book Review: The Giver, by Lois Lowry

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giver_coverAuthor Lois Lowry does an amazing job in the unique, science-fiction novel The Giver. The highly-anticipated movie adaptation just released on August 15. Have you seen it?

In the novel, we are introduced to a boy named Jonas, who lives in a utopian society that has eradicated conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, and inequality. In the annual Ceremony, where every twelve-year-old gets a life assignment prearranged by the Elders, Jonas is selected to inherit the position of “Receiver of Memory.”

When Jonas spends more & more time with the Giver, he learns the power of wisdom. Even though the people in his community have been shielded from life’s many problems, Jonas realizes that they do not know about the things that give life meaning such as sunshine, color, music, and love.

Becoming wiser everyday, Jonas doesn’t want to bear all the memories, both joyful and painful, by himself. He wants to share the many freedoms with his community, even if it means disrupting the safe, current life of innocence and order. Together the Giver and Jonas formulate a plan that will have instant, severe outcome on the entire community, especially on Jonas himself.

Jonas, portrayed by Brenton Thwaites in the movie, is naïve in the story and I like how he matures during the course of the story. One main reason I liked this book is that it is unlike other dystopian novels I have read. The Giver is one of the books that I have read over and over again because it is so well written. This is truly Lois Lowry’s masterpiece and in my opinion she totally deserves the John Newbery Award for it. The ending of The Giver was not the best, but I have not read all the books in the Giver Quartet. It might make more sense in the latter books. I am especially excited to see the movie because I loved the book. It’s been hard waiting for the movie to be released, but I am going to see it for sure.

-Anmol K., 7th grade