[review] Insignia by S.J. Kincaid (2012)

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book, book review, dystopian, military, sci-fi, war, world war 3, young adult

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid (2012)
by S.J. Kincaid
Hardcover Edition
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (Harper Collins Imprint)
Buy a copy via Amazon.
Synopsis from Goodreads.

More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.

Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible–a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War III. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted–friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters–but what will it cost him?

My Thoughts:
A disappointing, middle-grade version of Ready Player One (which was one of my favorite books of the year,) is the best summary of my reactions to S. J. Kincaid’s Insignia. The problems I found in Insignia reminded me of the ones I found in Wesley King’s The Vindico; both books had an compelling plot, creative ideas, but he execution failed to bring those ideas to life and grazed over heavy-handed issues in exchange for superficial cliches.

My Suspension of Disbelief is Straining, These People Need Anger Management!:
First of all, all these 14-15 year olds are supposed to be the cream of the crop with exceptional intelligence and abilities (Figure Skating Champion, Scholarship winners, etc.) With the aid of a neural processor in their brains they have become even smarter than usual. Actually, their intelligence is optional since they just “download” knowledge instead of learning. Whatever they don’t know their computer brains will look it up for them. They are also given perfect complexions and grow six inches in a week. Yet, despite their intelligence, their priorities only lie in teasing each other with stuff like “girly hands” and “man-hands.” Not sure what the intelligence changed in them. The knowledge certainly hasn’t made them any more empathetic, as they spend most of their time plotting to ruin each other’s lives (and are encouraged to do so!.)

[review] Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick (2012)

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book, book review, historical, non-fiction, novel, war, young adult

Never Fall Down (2012)
by Patricia McCormick
Hardcover Edition
Publication Date: May 8th, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Imprint of HarperCollins)
Buy a copy via Amazon.
Synopsis from Goodreads.

When soldiers arrive at his hometown in Cambodia, Arn is just a kid, dancing to rock ‘n’ roll, hustling for spare change, and selling ice cream with his brother. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children, weak from hunger, malaria, or sheer exhaustion, dying before his eyes. He sees prisoners marched to a nearby mango grove, never to return. And he learns to be invisible to the sadistic Khmer Rouge, who can give or take away life on a whim.

Based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, this is an achingly raw and powerful novel about a child of war who becomes a man of peace, from National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick

My Thoughts:
I’m surprised Never Fall Down hasn’t received much attention despite being a National Book Award finalist. I suspect it’s because of it’s categorization as a young-adult historical/non-fiction that just doesn’t sound as appealing against the host of dystopians cropping up lately. But Never Fall Down is a dystopian of its own, complete with information suppression, ruthless tyranny, moral ambiguities, twisted ideals, and a young hero’s desperate fight to survive another day. Despite being a mere two hundred pages Never Fall Down is easily much more frightening than any dystopian you’ll ever read because these horrifying events are real. Never Fall Down will terrify you, but its grit will pick you back up and leave you with a tear-stained cheek.

[Waiting On Wednesday #7] Trojan Horse: A Novel by Mark Russinovich (2012)

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book, recommendation, technology, war, world issues

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Trojan Horse (2012)
by Mark Russinovich
Publication Date: September 4th 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
preorder a copy via MacMillan.
preorder a copy via Amazon.
Goodreads.

It’s two years post-Zero Day, and former government analyst Jeff Aiken is reaping the rewards for crippling al-Qaida’s attack on the computer infrastructure of the Western world. His cyber-security company is flourishing, and his relationship with Daryl Haugen intensifies when she becomes a part of his team.

But the West is under the East’s greatest threat yet. The Stuxnet virus that successfully subverted Iran’s nuclear defense program for years is being rapidly identified and defeated, and Stuxnet’s creators are stressed to develop a successor. As Jeff and Daryl struggle to stay together, they’re summoned to disarm the attack of a revolutionary, invisible trojan that alters data without leaving a trace. As the trojan penetrates Western intelligence, the terrifying truth about Iran is revealed, and Jeff and Daryl find themselves running a desperate race against time to reverse it – while the fate of both East and West hangs in the balance.

Like Zero Day, Trojan Horse is a thrilling suspense story, a sober warning from one of the world’s leading experts on cyber-security, Microsoft’s Technology Fellow, Mark Russinovich. Trojan Horse demystifies the dangerously realistic threat of a cyber-terrorism attack on the Western world, while chronicling the lengths through which one man and will go to stop it.
-synopsis from Goodreads.

My Thoughts:
Trojan Horse is the sequel to Marks first novel, Zero Day (I can’t believe the entire library system in Hawaii doesn’t even have a copy.) Fighting with technology? Totally my thing!

Do you have a book that is making you count down to its release date? Leave a comment, I would love to know.