Tesla's Attic

I love Neal Shusterman as I'm sure you know if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time.  It only takes a couple of pages in this new series starter co-written with Eric Elfman to figure out why.  As with all Shusterman's books, it's clear from the beginning that this is not your average story.  It is his skill with character and plot which transforms what could be a ho-hum story into a clever and surprising tale of friendship, honesty, and long ago scientific rivalries.  Who else could this?

Nick has just moved to Colorado Springs with his father and younger brother Danny following the tragedy that destroyed his home and killed his mother.  The family is still reeling from this loss, and they've moved from Florida in part to escape and in part because the ancient house left to them by a relative is the only housing option they have.

When Nick decides to use the attic as her bedroom, he knows he'll need to have a garage sale to get rid of all the junk that's been hidden there for ages.  But once he gets rid of them, he realizes they are not just ordinary objects.  That may look like an innocent toaster, but when Nick tries to use it, it blows out all the lights in the room.  Did I mention it doesn't even plug into the wall?  And that's the tamest of the objects.

Soon after the stuff is gone, guys in suits show up to demand the items and immediately put Nick on edge.  He knows that stuff is more than it seems.  He also seems to know instinctively that the the white suit guys should not get there hands on any of it.

With a little research, he learns that he and friends are in the middle of an ages old battle between Tesla and Edison.  Not only are they endangered from Edison's modern day followers, but Nick has unwittingly set off a chain events that could destroy the entire planet!  

UnSouled

In book three of the Unwind dystology, Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, but for the first time since that fateful day in Akron, Ohio, they are not just running away from unwinding but running toward answers they hope will make in a difference in the battle against unwinding.  Even though he has taken on the role of revolutionary, he still sometimes longs for the days when he and Risa could be together every day.

Cam, the rewind, has turned against Proactive Citizenry.  He's just biding his time until he can escape and take down the people who made him.  If he can do this, he hopes Risa will take him seriously.

Risa is now hiding from everyone.  The Juvenile Authority and parts pirates have always been a threat, but everyone is against her since her forced public support of unwinding.  No one knows the truth, that she was blackmailed into that support to save the Whollies at the graveyard.  Even while she struggles for survival, she longs to see Connor again, but she fears he died in the graveyard.

Starkey is still at large with his gang of Storks that grows larger every day, and if there's one kid who shouldn't have worship and adoration, it's him.  The more power he gets, the more he craves, and his violent tendencies grow out of control.

As always, Neal Shusterman peppers this exhilarating and disturbing tale with real life news reports that only add to the reader's unease.  This is a fast paced thriller of a tale that takes the story even deeper.  With each revelation, the plot and the conspiracy thickens.  I can't wait for book four!

Ship Out of Luck

Antsy Bonano is back in a new book that takes him into international waters.  Old man Crawley wants to celebrate his 80th birthday in style and not alone, so he has invited (commanded) Antsy's family to join him in the best suite on a new and fabulous cruise ship.

Things will never go as planned for our hapless hero starting with a case of missing luggage, but that's the least of his worries.  Antsy quickly gets involved with beautiful stowaway, Tilde, and her plans to help some Mexican immigrants in a not so legal way.

Join the Antsy and company on another funny and thoughtful adventure from one of my favorite authors, Neal Shusterman!

UnWholly

One positive to come of this week of sickness is that I decided to read UnWholly to ease my misery.  I've been putting it off for since the book's release because I had so many other things I "needed" to read, but I decided to find release from my suffering in the pages of a much anticipated book.  And Neal Shusterman does not disappoint!  As much as I loved Unwind, I think UnWholly is even better.  It is the kind of story that weaves in and around until finally the connections are made, and the reader's mind is blown.  If you haven't read Unwind yet, please do, so you can also read this fabulous sequel.

Conner is trying to be a leader for the kids in the Graveyard, but he feels things slipping away.  To make matters worse, he still struggles with accepting the "gift" he discovered after the Happy Jack explosion:  Roland's arm.  The arm feels angry and out of control, like Roland but also like the kid Conner used to be.  No matter how much he loves Risa, this fear forces him to push her away.

Risa is still working as a medic and still a paraplegic.  Even though she is at peace with her decision to remain herself and not take the spine of an Unwind, there is a part of her that fears she is holding Conner back.

Starkey refuses to give up, even when the juvies come for him in the night and drag him from the house, he lets his parents feel his contempt.  The Akron AWOL is his hero, a larger than life superman who has no weaknesses, but when he comes face to face with Conner Starkey realizes his hero is not so stone-cold after all.

Lev is living with his brother under house arrest.  The boy who didn't clap receives no forgiveness from the rest of his family, but he struggles to find purpose in this new and unexpected life.

Nelson's life was destroyed when Conner Lassiter tranq'd him with his own gun and escaped, but now his a merciless and single-minded parts pirate.

And Cam.  No one is quite sure what Cam is yet, not even him, but his very existence will change things forever.

UnWholly is the best kind of science fiction that allows us to look at ourselves and our society through a different lens.  Neal Shusterman has created not just a heart-pounding thriller but real characters who take readers on a journey through contempt, frustration, anguish, disgust, love, despair, and finally hope.

Unstrung

This short Unwind story (about 500 words) is only available in a digital format from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Have you ever wondered what happened to Lev after he left Cy-Fi and before he arrived at the Graveyard?  This is your lucky day!  "Unstrung" follows Lev as he seeks sanctuary with the ChanceFolk who are immune from the laws regarding unwinds.  There he meets people with special gifts to heal and help each other.

He also discovers that the ChanceFolk have found ways practice medicine without resorting to human transplant.  Lev feels happy and accepted here until the day the outside world shows up to destroy everything.

"Unstrung" is the perfect thing to hold you over while you wait for the release of Unwholly!

Unwind

I don't know about you, but I am super excited about Neal Shusterman's forthcoming sequel to Unwind out this October!  In preparation, I decided to reread the original.  If you haven't read it yet, get busy, so you can read the sequel when it comes out. :)

The second American Civil War, known as the Heartland War, was fought over the right to life.  After a great loss of life, both sides decided to ban terminating pregnancies but to give parents the right have children unwound between the ages of thirteen and eighteen.  Parents of unwinds can be comforted that 99.44% of their children will live on as transplant material in a divided state.

When Connor discovered that his parents wanted to have him unwound, he knew he would have to run away.  From the beginning, things go wrong, and Connor's impulsiveness just makes things worse.

Lev is a tithe.  He was raised to believe that it is his duty to God and society to offer himself up for unwinding.  He is prepared to be unwound until a chance meeting with Connor and a split second decision change his course in ways he could never imagine.

Risa is a StaHo girl, raised by the state and trained as a classical pianist until one day a committee decides she isn't a good enough musician to be worth the effort or the cost of her continued life.  The committee decides society and she will be happier in a divided state.

The fates of these three teens will intersect and change all three of them and the country forever.