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Insignia #1
Insignia
The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's Game.
The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones.
As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly, he's someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there's a price to pay. . . .
The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones.
As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly, he's someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there's a price to pay. . . .
446 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2012
544 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,820 reviews
April 3, 2018
2.5
It seems a little unfair to give this such a low rating when the only problem is that I'm obviously not the desired audience. But, because goodreads' rating system only allows for how much I personally enjoyed the book, I'm not prepared to go so far as to say "I liked it" and give it 3 stars, as that would be untrue.
In the end, I just don't care that much about gadgets and battles. This is one of those particular wish fulfillment books about that special day when a member of the government walks into a kid's home and announces that they've qualified to become a member of the Intrasolar Forces (or a spy, or a secret agent, or a superhero). But better than that, they'll be part of a virtual reality military - total heaven for video game lovers! They'll have a specialised processor embedded in their brain so they absorb information at an unbelievable pace and rapidly become one of the smartest human beings on the planet.
Plus there's some pretty girls and silly childish humour, too. So nothing wrong if the right reader picks up this book, nothing wrong at all. If your ultimate fantasy is being a kind of virtual James Bond with a whole bunch of cool tricks up your sleeves, then Insignia will be the perfect book for you. Kincaid has obviously done her research here and written a story with just the right amount of sci-fi complexity combined with a light-hearted writing style that makes it very easy to digest. For me, this strikes me as the kind of young adult book that really should stay in the teen section. I know a lot of adults love to read within the YA genre and I wouldn't quite call this "middle grade" but it reads a bit younger than the novels I tend to prefer.
This is a good debut with a convincingly male narrator, but sadly it just wasn't for me.
It seems a little unfair to give this such a low rating when the only problem is that I'm obviously not the desired audience. But, because goodreads' rating system only allows for how much I personally enjoyed the book, I'm not prepared to go so far as to say "I liked it" and give it 3 stars, as that would be untrue.
In the end, I just don't care that much about gadgets and battles. This is one of those particular wish fulfillment books about that special day when a member of the government walks into a kid's home and announces that they've qualified to become a member of the Intrasolar Forces (or a spy, or a secret agent, or a superhero). But better than that, they'll be part of a virtual reality military - total heaven for video game lovers! They'll have a specialised processor embedded in their brain so they absorb information at an unbelievable pace and rapidly become one of the smartest human beings on the planet.
Plus there's some pretty girls and silly childish humour, too. So nothing wrong if the right reader picks up this book, nothing wrong at all. If your ultimate fantasy is being a kind of virtual James Bond with a whole bunch of cool tricks up your sleeves, then Insignia will be the perfect book for you. Kincaid has obviously done her research here and written a story with just the right amount of sci-fi complexity combined with a light-hearted writing style that makes it very easy to digest. For me, this strikes me as the kind of young adult book that really should stay in the teen section. I know a lot of adults love to read within the YA genre and I wouldn't quite call this "middle grade" but it reads a bit younger than the novels I tend to prefer.
This is a good debut with a convincingly male narrator, but sadly it just wasn't for me.
March 28, 2012
I. am. in. love. with. this. book. Head-over-heels sort of love.
If you love Divergent by Veronica Roth (which should be everyone of you out there reading this), you will be completely blown away by this book. Pre-order it! Now!
:D
**STARRED REVIEW**
Actual, full review: Original will be posted on my blog on 6/14/2012. (Note: Due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost.)
Insignia is insane. It is beautifully simplistic and complicatedly evocative. Crushingly despairing and hilariously witty. Intelligently phrased and bluntly honest.
I am completely, head-over-heels in love with it.
This book was not what I expected at all--in fact, I didn't expect anything. And the power this books holds is incredible: it is so subtle that you will not feel the choking grip the story and its characters have you until some thing called reality shocks you out of your numbing shell. The story isn't even just completely frightening in its very realistic interpretation of our future, but that it's also so funny. I laughed out loud so many times that it wasn't even embarrassing anymore since everyone was used to it (though I did get a few weird looks still...).
Kincaid has delivered a tale that rocked books off of my favorites shelf like a hurricane. In other words? This book is dominating my love right now. And I can't even pinpoint what it is I loved about the book so much. Everything. It's just so not fair to pick one amazing aspect and laud it, you know? That would be like staring at the rainbow and calling one particle the best of them all. Inefficiently vague and insufficiently degrading.
I can't say much about this book: too much and I will spill out a heap of feelings no one cares for, and too little so I would be incapable of expressing my love fully. I never say this, but if you loved Divergent, you will love Insignia so hard it'll hurt like plunging into the most dazzling lake from a hundred-feet cliff.
Take my advice and snatch this book. It's the most amazing blend of humor and anguish, authenticity and dystopia, evasiveness and blunting that I have ever read. And you know I wouldn't ever lie to you about something like that.
August 6, 2012
Insignia is the type of book that would have blown me away if I had been any younger. While it is marketed as a Young Adult Novel, I'd probably recommend it for mature middle grade students or young high schoolers. I definitely don't see anything wrong in reading it as an older teen, like me, but it simply doesn't have the desired punch on a much older audience.
Tom lives in a futuristic world, not too far ahead from our very own, where World War III is fought solely in space without losing any lives. Yet, for Tom, war is the last thing on his mind as he struggles to make ends meet with his gambling father who constantly keeps moving him. However, when Tom's gaming prowess, which keeps him clothed, is discovered by the government, they recruit him to join the Pentagonal Spire where he is implanted with a neural chip that instantly makes him smarter than the average human being. At the Spire, Tom essentially trains to become a combatant soldier; yet, as he will soon learn, it isn't the game of battle he needs to learn quickest, it's the game of corporate politics, friendship, and corruption.
I have to admit, that while I don't exactly recommend this novel for people my age and older, I still really liked it. Kincaid obviously has done a lot of research on futuristic technology, corporate politics, and the military and his passion for the subject shows through his writing. I loved the futuristic world he managed to create as it was both realistic and interesting. Plus, some of the gadgets and creativity with the technology absolutely astounded me. Furthermore, for being such a long novel, it was extremely entertaining, well-paced, and contained the age-old themes of friendship and loyalty which was a nice change from romance. I always like seeing a group of people grow to become a group of friends and dispel their previous qualms with one another, and the bonds of friendship in Insignia were no different.
Yet, I was unable to truly fall in love with Insignia. For one, the novel contains some extraneous scenes which, while amusing, really do nothing for the plot and can be completely cut out or at least reduced. In addition, Tom, the MC, is much like a dystopian/futuristic Eugenides-lite. While he is intelligent, snarky, and clever, his antics become predictable after a point and fail to continue surprising the reader. Plus, the supposedly "deep" and "provocative" family relationships Kincaid tried to build didn't really come through for me and I felt as if the story would have been better if they were just skipped. Moreover, the miniscule amount of romance in this story was rather underdeveloped in my opinion. I suppose for a middle-grade novel it was good, but from an older perspective, I wanted more interaction. Yet, I have to admit it was unique and very interesting.
Honestly, don't let my review deter you. Insignia is a brilliant piece of science fiction with scintillating characters and an extremely interesting plot built around corporate and governmental politics. I really enjoyed reading about this world Kincaid had created and would whole-heartedly recommend this to younger readers. While I'd love to see older readers read this one too, I feel as if their interest and "wow" factor would wane after a couple hundred pages; but, don't take my word for it, check it out yourself!
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
Tom lives in a futuristic world, not too far ahead from our very own, where World War III is fought solely in space without losing any lives. Yet, for Tom, war is the last thing on his mind as he struggles to make ends meet with his gambling father who constantly keeps moving him. However, when Tom's gaming prowess, which keeps him clothed, is discovered by the government, they recruit him to join the Pentagonal Spire where he is implanted with a neural chip that instantly makes him smarter than the average human being. At the Spire, Tom essentially trains to become a combatant soldier; yet, as he will soon learn, it isn't the game of battle he needs to learn quickest, it's the game of corporate politics, friendship, and corruption.
I have to admit, that while I don't exactly recommend this novel for people my age and older, I still really liked it. Kincaid obviously has done a lot of research on futuristic technology, corporate politics, and the military and his passion for the subject shows through his writing. I loved the futuristic world he managed to create as it was both realistic and interesting. Plus, some of the gadgets and creativity with the technology absolutely astounded me. Furthermore, for being such a long novel, it was extremely entertaining, well-paced, and contained the age-old themes of friendship and loyalty which was a nice change from romance. I always like seeing a group of people grow to become a group of friends and dispel their previous qualms with one another, and the bonds of friendship in Insignia were no different.
Yet, I was unable to truly fall in love with Insignia. For one, the novel contains some extraneous scenes which, while amusing, really do nothing for the plot and can be completely cut out or at least reduced. In addition, Tom, the MC, is much like a dystopian/futuristic Eugenides-lite. While he is intelligent, snarky, and clever, his antics become predictable after a point and fail to continue surprising the reader. Plus, the supposedly "deep" and "provocative" family relationships Kincaid tried to build didn't really come through for me and I felt as if the story would have been better if they were just skipped. Moreover, the miniscule amount of romance in this story was rather underdeveloped in my opinion. I suppose for a middle-grade novel it was good, but from an older perspective, I wanted more interaction. Yet, I have to admit it was unique and very interesting.
Honestly, don't let my review deter you. Insignia is a brilliant piece of science fiction with scintillating characters and an extremely interesting plot built around corporate and governmental politics. I really enjoyed reading about this world Kincaid had created and would whole-heartedly recommend this to younger readers. While I'd love to see older readers read this one too, I feel as if their interest and "wow" factor would wane after a couple hundred pages; but, don't take my word for it, check it out yourself!
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
November 17, 2021
AQUÍ PUEDES VER LA VIDEO RESEÑA COMPLETA QUE HICE: [https://youtu.be/WYMCqKgLrSg]
Sin duda uno de los libros qué más me ha sorprendido este año.
Aunque lo más interesante del libro sucede a la mitad, dejando que lo que pasa después se sienta como mero relleno o como una trama ya sin importancia, lo cierto es que la narrativa entretenida de este libro no decae en ningún momento.
No le doy 5 estrellas sólo porque realmente la trama del protagonista, así como la del contexto histórico en que se encuentra ambientada la novela, para mi gusto, carece de una importancia o una relevancia real.
Ahora me explico: aunque están en una 3ra Guerra Mundial, esta se pelea en el espacio exterior, con naves no tripuladas y piloteadas por adolescentes que se encuentran seguros en la Tierra, donde no hay ningún peligro ni amenaza real para ellos. Y por parte del protagonista, las consecuencias que pueden haber para él, (si lo echan del ejército, si le quitan el neuroprocesador que lo convierte en combatiente, o si lo acusan de traición) realmente no causarían ninguna diferencia para el mundo del libro. El protagonista, aunque carismático y empatizas con él, sale sobrando. Cualquiera de sus otros compañeros podría ser el protagonista, y la trama seguiría siendo prácticamente la misma.
Pero repito, esta es la única razón por la que no alcanza las 5 estrellas, ya que fuera de eso, el libro es entretenido a más no poder, no hay relleno (excepto quizá lo que pasa después del clímax), tiene buenos personajes (todos los secundarios se destacan y tienen personalidades bien definidas),, situaciones entretenidas y la autora usa un realismo bastante impresionante a la hora de hacer todas las descripciones técnicas pertinentes al estar esta obra ambientada en un futuro cercano.
Otro punto en contra es que aunque ya compré la segunda parte, realmente por ahora, este libro no me dejó con ningún incentivo o duda o algo emocionante que me haga querer ir a leerla, así que ese libro se quedará guardado hasta 2022.
Dejo aquí el link a mi canal de YouTube, donde pronto estaré haciendo una reseña mucho más amplia y más detallada de este libro:
https://linktr.ee/JorgeBalderas
Sin duda uno de los libros qué más me ha sorprendido este año.
Aunque lo más interesante del libro sucede a la mitad, dejando que lo que pasa después se sienta como mero relleno o como una trama ya sin importancia, lo cierto es que la narrativa entretenida de este libro no decae en ningún momento.
No le doy 5 estrellas sólo porque realmente la trama del protagonista, así como la del contexto histórico en que se encuentra ambientada la novela, para mi gusto, carece de una importancia o una relevancia real.
Ahora me explico: aunque están en una 3ra Guerra Mundial, esta se pelea en el espacio exterior, con naves no tripuladas y piloteadas por adolescentes que se encuentran seguros en la Tierra, donde no hay ningún peligro ni amenaza real para ellos. Y por parte del protagonista, las consecuencias que pueden haber para él, (si lo echan del ejército, si le quitan el neuroprocesador que lo convierte en combatiente, o si lo acusan de traición) realmente no causarían ninguna diferencia para el mundo del libro. El protagonista, aunque carismático y empatizas con él, sale sobrando. Cualquiera de sus otros compañeros podría ser el protagonista, y la trama seguiría siendo prácticamente la misma.
Pero repito, esta es la única razón por la que no alcanza las 5 estrellas, ya que fuera de eso, el libro es entretenido a más no poder, no hay relleno (excepto quizá lo que pasa después del clímax), tiene buenos personajes (todos los secundarios se destacan y tienen personalidades bien definidas),, situaciones entretenidas y la autora usa un realismo bastante impresionante a la hora de hacer todas las descripciones técnicas pertinentes al estar esta obra ambientada en un futuro cercano.
Otro punto en contra es que aunque ya compré la segunda parte, realmente por ahora, este libro no me dejó con ningún incentivo o duda o algo emocionante que me haga querer ir a leerla, así que ese libro se quedará guardado hasta 2022.
Dejo aquí el link a mi canal de YouTube, donde pronto estaré haciendo una reseña mucho más amplia y más detallada de este libro:
https://linktr.ee/JorgeBalderas
November 16, 2012
Original review posted over at Kirkus
Taken at face value, S.J. Kincaid's Insignia is a competent, albeit derivative, science fiction novel about underdog teenager Tom Raines, who is given the chance to prove himself by joining a military program to become part of an elite team of teen virtual combatants during World War III.
World War III is a bloodless war: spacecrafts are remotely controlled by virtual warriors in a fight between Corporations who have aligned themselves with either the Indo-Americans or the Russo-Chinese (we know this via very clumsy info-dumps disguised as school lessons). There are obvious parallels with Harry Potter (Kirkus’ official review dubbed it – rather appropriately – “Hogwarts-at-the-Pentagon due to the way the teens are organised in different ‘houses’ inside the training facility”), Ender’s Game, and the more recent Ready Player One.
Unfortunately for me, I can never take things at face value. I always have to question and dig for deeper explanation and meaning. Even though, superficially speaking, Insignia could be taken as a fun read, I found that once I peeled back its many layers, I was less than thrilled about it.
Take, for example, the protagonist. Tom starts off the novel as a veritable underdog. His problems are as many as they are genuine: his father is unemployed and has a serious gambling problem, and his mother is absent. He is homeless, uneducated, and physically speaking, he is sensitive about his short stature and facial acne. Despite these setbacks, Tom happens to be a daredevil and a genius gamer, which puts him on the radar of U.S. Intrasolar Forces. Once Tom accepts the invitation to join their ranks and is given a neural processor upgrade (meaning: he now has a computer on his brain) all of his problems magically disappear! He has a home and friends, his brain is updated with all the information he instantly needs, he has a growth spurt and his acne problem goes away.
That poses a problem in terms of his character arc because now Tom 2.0 is nothing but an extremely special snowflake with his genius virtual abilities. Once most of his internal conflict is magically solved, the only things left are the external ones which all come from his eviiiiil enemies (another student, a professor, his stepfather, evil corporations, etc.) and this is really, really boring.
This is the biggest problem with Insignia: this is a novel about a serious subject like world war and yet its plot focuses on petty little things. The fact that for most of the novel students spend their days engaging in games and playing around removes any sense of actual danger from the story. It also doesn’t help that it is nary impossible to take the Evil Corporations That Run The World or the U.S. Intrasolar Forces seriously, especially when their intelligence work is so obviously flawed. Just about any 14-year-old can hack into their systems, Tom often engages in game-play with his country’s biggest enemy, Medusa (whom he has a crush on), and nobody finds out until it is too late. It is obvious that the fact that everybody seems to be connected to the same computer systems means nothing in this world.
Tom has had a computer implanted in his head by people who can effectively control his every movement and this is meant to be one of the main themes of this series but the potential of this storyline is squandered in multiple ways. Imagine the possibilities of brain manipulation leading to an unreliable narrative! Such a shame that Tom has his brain manipulated but this is done so overtly here that it effectively removed any tension whatsoever from that particular arc.
Finally, there is the extremely frustrating gender essentialism throughout the book. Anything that is cowardly or bad is “girly” or “pansy.” A boy makes fun of a girl’s hands by calling them man-hands. When she finally finds a voice to get back at him, it is by calling his own hands “girly.” There are things that “men” do and things that “women” do.
Not to mention the fact that the greatest warrior in the world is a girl, but whose Achilles' heel turns out to be the fact that she is ugly and scarred. The “hero” uses that fact to humiliate her publicly and win their fight. This does say a lot about the “hero,” how vicious he is, and just how far he is willing to go to win - actually, this is an awesome turn of events and paints a complicated moral picture. What’s not so awesome about this, however, is that this plan to bring her down via humiliation of her appearance actually works.
One can definitely see these as “realistic” portrayals of teenage guys. But playing the realistic card in a book where there is a virtual World War III and teens have brain implants is a bit disingenuous. It always frustrates me when in a creatively imagined world, gender roles are still played in such a traditional manner as though it is impossible to even imagine a different world.
Well, I can.
And that’s why, in Book Smugglerish, Insignia gets an underwhelmed 4 out of 10.
Taken at face value, S.J. Kincaid's Insignia is a competent, albeit derivative, science fiction novel about underdog teenager Tom Raines, who is given the chance to prove himself by joining a military program to become part of an elite team of teen virtual combatants during World War III.
World War III is a bloodless war: spacecrafts are remotely controlled by virtual warriors in a fight between Corporations who have aligned themselves with either the Indo-Americans or the Russo-Chinese (we know this via very clumsy info-dumps disguised as school lessons). There are obvious parallels with Harry Potter (Kirkus’ official review dubbed it – rather appropriately – “Hogwarts-at-the-Pentagon due to the way the teens are organised in different ‘houses’ inside the training facility”), Ender’s Game, and the more recent Ready Player One.
Unfortunately for me, I can never take things at face value. I always have to question and dig for deeper explanation and meaning. Even though, superficially speaking, Insignia could be taken as a fun read, I found that once I peeled back its many layers, I was less than thrilled about it.
Take, for example, the protagonist. Tom starts off the novel as a veritable underdog. His problems are as many as they are genuine: his father is unemployed and has a serious gambling problem, and his mother is absent. He is homeless, uneducated, and physically speaking, he is sensitive about his short stature and facial acne. Despite these setbacks, Tom happens to be a daredevil and a genius gamer, which puts him on the radar of U.S. Intrasolar Forces. Once Tom accepts the invitation to join their ranks and is given a neural processor upgrade (meaning: he now has a computer on his brain) all of his problems magically disappear! He has a home and friends, his brain is updated with all the information he instantly needs, he has a growth spurt and his acne problem goes away.
That poses a problem in terms of his character arc because now Tom 2.0 is nothing but an extremely special snowflake with his genius virtual abilities. Once most of his internal conflict is magically solved, the only things left are the external ones which all come from his eviiiiil enemies (another student, a professor, his stepfather, evil corporations, etc.) and this is really, really boring.
This is the biggest problem with Insignia: this is a novel about a serious subject like world war and yet its plot focuses on petty little things. The fact that for most of the novel students spend their days engaging in games and playing around removes any sense of actual danger from the story. It also doesn’t help that it is nary impossible to take the Evil Corporations That Run The World or the U.S. Intrasolar Forces seriously, especially when their intelligence work is so obviously flawed. Just about any 14-year-old can hack into their systems, Tom often engages in game-play with his country’s biggest enemy, Medusa (whom he has a crush on), and nobody finds out until it is too late. It is obvious that the fact that everybody seems to be connected to the same computer systems means nothing in this world.
Tom has had a computer implanted in his head by people who can effectively control his every movement and this is meant to be one of the main themes of this series but the potential of this storyline is squandered in multiple ways. Imagine the possibilities of brain manipulation leading to an unreliable narrative! Such a shame that Tom has his brain manipulated but this is done so overtly here that it effectively removed any tension whatsoever from that particular arc.
Finally, there is the extremely frustrating gender essentialism throughout the book. Anything that is cowardly or bad is “girly” or “pansy.” A boy makes fun of a girl’s hands by calling them man-hands. When she finally finds a voice to get back at him, it is by calling his own hands “girly.” There are things that “men” do and things that “women” do.
Not to mention the fact that the greatest warrior in the world is a girl, but whose Achilles' heel turns out to be the fact that she is ugly and scarred. The “hero” uses that fact to humiliate her publicly and win their fight. This does say a lot about the “hero,” how vicious he is, and just how far he is willing to go to win - actually, this is an awesome turn of events and paints a complicated moral picture. What’s not so awesome about this, however, is that this plan to bring her down via humiliation of her appearance actually works.
One can definitely see these as “realistic” portrayals of teenage guys. But playing the realistic card in a book where there is a virtual World War III and teens have brain implants is a bit disingenuous. It always frustrates me when in a creatively imagined world, gender roles are still played in such a traditional manner as though it is impossible to even imagine a different world.
Well, I can.
And that’s why, in Book Smugglerish, Insignia gets an underwhelmed 4 out of 10.
June 21, 2012
Okay so here's the deal. I went into reading this book knowing very little about it. After a small nudge from Molly O'Neill and a fun conversation with S.J. Kincaid at BEA 2012, it quickly made its way to the top of my to-be-read list.
This book is well written, with a plot that sucks you in, and characters that are easy to love. I've already told my mom (who is a middle school librarian) that she will need countless copies of Insignia for her library. The boys are going to eat this one up. But who else will want to read this? That answer is relatively simple.
Everyone.
If you love sci-fi or dystopian- this one is for you. If you have a teenage boy, know a teenage boy, are a teenage boy, used to be a teenage boy, or think like a teenage boy- this one is for you. If you're into video games, virtual reality, and some awesome action scenes- this one is for you. If you love well written YA books that make you smile, giggle, and even bite your nails with nervousness- this one is for you.
If all you want out of a book is swoon, this one may not be what you're looking for. Tom is 14. (Actually, most of the main characters are around that age!) He is hilarious, and so real, but swoony he is not. He has all the potential in the world to produce buckets of swoon one day, but that's not where his story is at right now.
With that said, if you're only looking for swoon I'm going to beg you to put that aside for a minute and pick up this book, I don't think you'll be disappointed. As a person who is a self-proclaimed sci-fi hater and swoony-boy lover, I am beyond thrilled that I took a chance on this one. You won't regret it either.
This book is well written, with a plot that sucks you in, and characters that are easy to love. I've already told my mom (who is a middle school librarian) that she will need countless copies of Insignia for her library. The boys are going to eat this one up. But who else will want to read this? That answer is relatively simple.
Everyone.
If you love sci-fi or dystopian- this one is for you. If you have a teenage boy, know a teenage boy, are a teenage boy, used to be a teenage boy, or think like a teenage boy- this one is for you. If you're into video games, virtual reality, and some awesome action scenes- this one is for you. If you love well written YA books that make you smile, giggle, and even bite your nails with nervousness- this one is for you.
If all you want out of a book is swoon, this one may not be what you're looking for. Tom is 14. (Actually, most of the main characters are around that age!) He is hilarious, and so real, but swoony he is not. He has all the potential in the world to produce buckets of swoon one day, but that's not where his story is at right now.
With that said, if you're only looking for swoon I'm going to beg you to put that aside for a minute and pick up this book, I don't think you'll be disappointed. As a person who is a self-proclaimed sci-fi hater and swoony-boy lover, I am beyond thrilled that I took a chance on this one. You won't regret it either.
May 14, 2012
Tom's never really had the chance to make friends, to live a life of routine or attend a proper school. He and his father are constantly on the move, town after town, feeding his father's gambling addiction. Waiting for that 'big break' that will set them up for good. The break that never comes. But then Tom's incredible gaming talent is noticed by the military, who manage to track him down and offer a once in a life time opportunity. The chance to train at the exclusive Pentagonal Spire to become a future combatant, a soldier in World War Three. A war like none before it, fought by teenagers through virtual-simulation, with real-life effects. Kincaid has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into crafting this world and making it feel 100% completely believable given our current scientific and political status. While it all could be information overload for the reader, she manages to lay it all out for us to easily follow along and become just as swept up in this fascinating way of life as Tom does.
The technology is seriously so freaking COOL. It's been years since I've played a video game, but Insignia? It made me want to find the nearest port, grab a virtual-sword and jump into the fray. VR simulations allow students to plug into a port (through a handy chip implanted in their brains) and literally find themselves in a 3D gaming landscape, all as part of their training for the simulations that actually play a part in the future of our world. Fly a spaceship to Mars? Battle in the Trojan War? Find yourself in a woman's body (er.. avatar) when you're actually a guy in reality? (OH MY GOD I JUST REMEMBERED A SCENE. Pause review while I giggle. Giggle some more. And a little more. Okay, we're good to continue). Psh. Easy as plug-and-play. With such a creative tool in providing a varied landscape, Kincaid never fails to make her action scenes exciting, fresh and exhilarating. And the technology is not just limited to gaming-simulations - the ways in which Kincaid has adapted it into their everyday lives will tickle your awesome-o-meter.
Tom is a brilliant main character. He's not perfect. He's far from being a genius, but he's smart in a different kind of way. Thanks to years spent having to fend for both himself and his father, hustling the unwary out of their money, he's developed a talent in observing. He picks up on things that others don't. Tom knows how to play the game and loves every minute on it, thriving on the action and desire for victory, to be seen, to be known, to be important for once in his life. He can be a sneaky little bastard at times and I love him all the more for it. He has his moments of sweetness, moments of zero-tact and sometimes there's a downright devilish glee in his eyes (Tom + Vik = bad, BUT OH SO GOOD), but his heart is truly in the right place. From the loner kid who considered himself a loser, to a boy who shone in a beautifully rebellious light, Tom has definitely made it onto my Favourite Character List.
Insignia is nothing like Harry Potter in plot, but what it does share is that essence of friendship, wit and sense of growing up. Behind the awesome technology and corrupt politics, this book has spirit, thanks to its outstanding characters. Tom, Vik, Wyatt and Yuri are all so different, a band of misfits who slowly come together to form fiction's newest Awesome Foursome. I LOVE THESE GUYS (and girl) so much. I kid you not, they had me CRYING tears of laughter at times. And the best part was, some of those weren't even intentional on the characters part, they were just total screw up moments that blossomed into some of my most memorable scenes of the book. Tom and Vik are like Harry and Ron 2.0 with a healthy dosage of Weasley twin mischief. If they don't have you cheering, "Doctors of Doom!" by the end of the book, then you have no sense of humour. I am beyond excited to continue reading this series to watch as all their friendships strengthen, alive with insults and banter, arguments, respect and secrets.
There wasn't one thing alone that I made me love this book, it was a multitude of AWESOME, all blended together to form one of my new favourite reads. The action and imagination, war and cleverness, comedy and personality; it will appeal to boys and girls, reluctant readers and those with too many books on their to-be-read pile. It has something to suck everyone in. If you're tired of the same old stories, if you want something new and innovative, a book that POPS out amongst others in it's genre, a book that will make you think as much as it has you snorting laughter, or sitting wide-eyed and attentive, then INSIGNIA is for YOU! And you! And yes, YOU YOU YOU! Go! Order it! Now!
The technology is seriously so freaking COOL. It's been years since I've played a video game, but Insignia? It made me want to find the nearest port, grab a virtual-sword and jump into the fray. VR simulations allow students to plug into a port (through a handy chip implanted in their brains) and literally find themselves in a 3D gaming landscape, all as part of their training for the simulations that actually play a part in the future of our world. Fly a spaceship to Mars? Battle in the Trojan War? Find yourself in a woman's body (er.. avatar) when you're actually a guy in reality? (OH MY GOD I JUST REMEMBERED A SCENE. Pause review while I giggle. Giggle some more. And a little more. Okay, we're good to continue). Psh. Easy as plug-and-play. With such a creative tool in providing a varied landscape, Kincaid never fails to make her action scenes exciting, fresh and exhilarating. And the technology is not just limited to gaming-simulations - the ways in which Kincaid has adapted it into their everyday lives will tickle your awesome-o-meter.
Tom is a brilliant main character. He's not perfect. He's far from being a genius, but he's smart in a different kind of way. Thanks to years spent having to fend for both himself and his father, hustling the unwary out of their money, he's developed a talent in observing. He picks up on things that others don't. Tom knows how to play the game and loves every minute on it, thriving on the action and desire for victory, to be seen, to be known, to be important for once in his life. He can be a sneaky little bastard at times and I love him all the more for it. He has his moments of sweetness, moments of zero-tact and sometimes there's a downright devilish glee in his eyes (Tom + Vik = bad, BUT OH SO GOOD), but his heart is truly in the right place. From the loner kid who considered himself a loser, to a boy who shone in a beautifully rebellious light, Tom has definitely made it onto my Favourite Character List.
Insignia is nothing like Harry Potter in plot, but what it does share is that essence of friendship, wit and sense of growing up. Behind the awesome technology and corrupt politics, this book has spirit, thanks to its outstanding characters. Tom, Vik, Wyatt and Yuri are all so different, a band of misfits who slowly come together to form fiction's newest Awesome Foursome. I LOVE THESE GUYS (and girl) so much. I kid you not, they had me CRYING tears of laughter at times. And the best part was, some of those weren't even intentional on the characters part, they were just total screw up moments that blossomed into some of my most memorable scenes of the book. Tom and Vik are like Harry and Ron 2.0 with a healthy dosage of Weasley twin mischief. If they don't have you cheering, "Doctors of Doom!" by the end of the book, then you have no sense of humour. I am beyond excited to continue reading this series to watch as all their friendships strengthen, alive with insults and banter, arguments, respect and secrets.
There wasn't one thing alone that I made me love this book, it was a multitude of AWESOME, all blended together to form one of my new favourite reads. The action and imagination, war and cleverness, comedy and personality; it will appeal to boys and girls, reluctant readers and those with too many books on their to-be-read pile. It has something to suck everyone in. If you're tired of the same old stories, if you want something new and innovative, a book that POPS out amongst others in it's genre, a book that will make you think as much as it has you snorting laughter, or sitting wide-eyed and attentive, then INSIGNIA is for YOU! And you! And yes, YOU YOU YOU! Go! Order it! Now!
August 21, 2016
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
August 21, 2021
Fuck. This should be a movie.
More to come. Congrats to book 100 for 2021.
EDIT: Woow. Okay. I had read books 1 & 2 of her android/robot with humanity story. I really liked her writing and how different it was from a lot of other teen reads out there. (Also, robots with humanity are a guilty pleasure of mine.) So when I came across this at a local book sale, I thought I'd jump into this series because of all the strong reviews it had gotten.
I like how this reminds me of what I wanted Ready Player One to be. I wanted the main character to have faults, failures, and without pop culture quips 24/7. I also didn't really care for Enders Game since I found that book to be a little off when it came to the humanization of the characters.
I feel like this one was a fair blend of technology/sci-fi but also gaming and mystery. I loved Medusa. Medusa is a really interesting character. From the little screen time that she had gotten and the interesting final act she had, I really hope her character picks up in the other two books.
I like the strange villain/antagonistic doctor/professor and I do hope we see him again in books two and three, too. I don't think we're quite done with his thoughts about what he discovered about Tom and his plans for the future. I still don't quite trust the company / government they're all working for. Something feels not quite right, so it will be interesting to see if Tom also comes to that conclusion as well.
I'd recommend this book or starting this series is if you're looking for a teen read that has a good blend of action/suspense/technology/sci-fi. I purchased book two on my kindle and I can't wait to dive into it sometime soon!
More to come. Congrats to book 100 for 2021.
EDIT: Woow. Okay. I had read books 1 & 2 of her android/robot with humanity story. I really liked her writing and how different it was from a lot of other teen reads out there. (Also, robots with humanity are a guilty pleasure of mine.) So when I came across this at a local book sale, I thought I'd jump into this series because of all the strong reviews it had gotten.
I like how this reminds me of what I wanted Ready Player One to be. I wanted the main character to have faults, failures, and without pop culture quips 24/7. I also didn't really care for Enders Game since I found that book to be a little off when it came to the humanization of the characters.
I feel like this one was a fair blend of technology/sci-fi but also gaming and mystery. I loved Medusa. Medusa is a really interesting character. From the little screen time that she had gotten and the interesting final act she had, I really hope her character picks up in the other two books.
I like the strange villain/antagonistic doctor/professor and I do hope we see him again in books two and three, too. I don't think we're quite done with his thoughts about what he discovered about Tom and his plans for the future. I still don't quite trust the company / government they're all working for. Something feels not quite right, so it will be interesting to see if Tom also comes to that conclusion as well.
I'd recommend this book or starting this series is if you're looking for a teen read that has a good blend of action/suspense/technology/sci-fi. I purchased book two on my kindle and I can't wait to dive into it sometime soon!
December 9, 2011
I can't finish this book, sorry about the author, who has brilliant ideas, but the story is simple and the characters are completely normal, with nothing new to show. The story is tooooo slowly.
November 7, 2024
I honestly didnt expect anything in this book but HONESTLY???!????!? one of THE BOOKS OF ALL TIME. Id had me quite on the edge of the seat waiting, wailing for what's to come next, certainly one of my best reads of all time. The plot, the characters not being filler (had that on so many books already) and the conflicts and insights too!
July 30, 2012
For a book I actually ended up liking, I can't believe how many times I bashed my head against my desk while reading Insignia. I'm sorry, but the premise here is borderline nonsensical and just self-contradictory, and even worse is the way it's just shoved down my throat via these lectures and speeches by these military 'experts' and top brass. I'm usually good too if the book at least follows some sort of internal logic, but the first half of this one just pissed me off so bad. If it wasn't for the really well done implanted computer aspect, I don't think I could've finished this.
Even as I'm writing this review, I can't believe how all over the place the backstory is. In the future, apparently these twelve major corporations hold all the power and countries are more of a formality. And the corporations support each other on Earth to protect their profits thanks to their monopolies on food and water, but in the scramble for resources in outer space, they've split right down the middle, six on one side and six on the other, in sort of a World War 3 in space deal. Sounds cool, right?
Maybe, if Kincaid had stopped there, but she just had to shoot herself in the foot by going in depth and making the whole thing sound really implausible - it all reads like an explanation for kindergarteners, especially the way I just felt like I was being lectured by idiots. I mean, the twelve corporations have all the power, they protect their profits by looking out for each other, but the whole conflict's because one of them got a grant for some mineral rights from China and another got a grant to the same mineral rights from the US. Huh?? What happened to protecting profits and countries being puppets to these money grubbing corporations? And then there's all this talk of escalation, how human lives aren't worth shit because the corporations can just neutron bomb anyone they don't like and take all their infrastructure intact, and at this point I'm more confused than ever why the two sides don't just duke it out on Earth. What happened to escalation? Why waste resources on a space stalemate when you can go for the jugular - on Earth?
So, I'm hoping beyond hope that maybe it's all a complicated scheme or whatever by the corporations, maybe a way to distract the general populace bread and circuses style. Or maybe something like the big reveal in Ender's Game. But nope, yeah, it really is actually a real shooting war going on in outer space while the combatants on Earth are happily gaming away, removed from any danger. The entire thing just feels like war games and video games without anything being at stake, why pretend otherwise? I just wish the premise was better thought out.
Which is a shame, because I really like reading about Tom dealing with having a computer implanted in his head. There's this really good subplot with Tom being manipulated by his mother's boyfriend, getting personality changing software slipped into his brain, and that part of the story's actually a pretty good look at the implications of humans being wired. Tom's character, being the kid who's really done nothing but wants to be somebody important, really fits into that plot. There are some good virtual reality scenes to go along with it plus some pretty good questions about the morality of the whole thing too.
I really want to like Insignia more, but too much of this book's just wasted on bad world building leading to a climax that I just didn't care for. If this had been just about Tom and the implanted computer, maybe training in case of war breaking out, I'd have no problems with this book. But the premise just kills it.
Even as I'm writing this review, I can't believe how all over the place the backstory is. In the future, apparently these twelve major corporations hold all the power and countries are more of a formality. And the corporations support each other on Earth to protect their profits thanks to their monopolies on food and water, but in the scramble for resources in outer space, they've split right down the middle, six on one side and six on the other, in sort of a World War 3 in space deal. Sounds cool, right?
Maybe, if Kincaid had stopped there, but she just had to shoot herself in the foot by going in depth and making the whole thing sound really implausible - it all reads like an explanation for kindergarteners, especially the way I just felt like I was being lectured by idiots. I mean, the twelve corporations have all the power, they protect their profits by looking out for each other, but the whole conflict's because one of them got a grant for some mineral rights from China and another got a grant to the same mineral rights from the US. Huh?? What happened to protecting profits and countries being puppets to these money grubbing corporations? And then there's all this talk of escalation, how human lives aren't worth shit because the corporations can just neutron bomb anyone they don't like and take all their infrastructure intact, and at this point I'm more confused than ever why the two sides don't just duke it out on Earth. What happened to escalation? Why waste resources on a space stalemate when you can go for the jugular - on Earth?
So, I'm hoping beyond hope that maybe it's all a complicated scheme or whatever by the corporations, maybe a way to distract the general populace bread and circuses style. Or maybe something like the big reveal in Ender's Game. But nope, yeah, it really is actually a real shooting war going on in outer space while the combatants on Earth are happily gaming away, removed from any danger. The entire thing just feels like war games and video games without anything being at stake, why pretend otherwise? I just wish the premise was better thought out.
Which is a shame, because I really like reading about Tom dealing with having a computer implanted in his head. There's this really good subplot with Tom being manipulated by his mother's boyfriend, getting personality changing software slipped into his brain, and that part of the story's actually a pretty good look at the implications of humans being wired. Tom's character, being the kid who's really done nothing but wants to be somebody important, really fits into that plot. There are some good virtual reality scenes to go along with it plus some pretty good questions about the morality of the whole thing too.
I really want to like Insignia more, but too much of this book's just wasted on bad world building leading to a climax that I just didn't care for. If this had been just about Tom and the implanted computer, maybe training in case of war breaking out, I'd have no problems with this book. But the premise just kills it.
May 14, 2016
Reseña en el blog: La cueva de Danny.
4.5
¡Me encantó! Creo que Insignia es un buen inicio de trilogía, nos adentra de lleno a este mundo creado por la autora de una manera fácil y entretenida de leer, con un estilo de escritura ágil de seguir, con personajes bien construidos y definidos que le dan ese toque especial a la historia y que le dan toques de romance, de humor y misterio por saber más sobre algunos personajes misteriosos, con una historia original y que te atrapa y te deja con ganas de más, de saber como acabará esta guerra por la que esta pasando el mundo.
"Mientras los seres humanos sean capaces de sentir envidia, odio y temor, siempre habrá guerra."
4.5
¡Me encantó! Creo que Insignia es un buen inicio de trilogía, nos adentra de lleno a este mundo creado por la autora de una manera fácil y entretenida de leer, con un estilo de escritura ágil de seguir, con personajes bien construidos y definidos que le dan ese toque especial a la historia y que le dan toques de romance, de humor y misterio por saber más sobre algunos personajes misteriosos, con una historia original y que te atrapa y te deja con ganas de más, de saber como acabará esta guerra por la que esta pasando el mundo.
June 1, 2015
I am cursed...I really am. I have fallen trough a vortex of warped novels and am currently stuck in Limbo of unoriginality.
I will admit to something. Lately I choose novels with very good ratings and little to no research thinking that's more than enough for me. At least it should have been. I am coming face to face with the realisation of how flawed that system of selection is. It simply doesn't work. A sky high rating doesn't guarantee good book.
Insignia wasn't bad, but it was unoriginal. The concepts were borrowed from Ender's Game mostly, and then Harry Potter of all things. It was weird.
It wanted to deliver a sobering reality of thrusting a child in an adults world but it failed. It was supposed to portray this feeling of taking on the burdens of life but just wound up boring me to tears.
WorldWarIII wasn't all that impressive. A bunch of machinery traipsing around the solar system, operated by a bunch of gamer kids, scoring points for big conglomerates down here on Earth. The whole thing was about as interesting as a boardroom meeting. Unlike Ender's Game where you had at least a potential of a threat and a violent history of loss of life, Insignia seems pointless. A bunch of kids that got brainwashed to do a lot of work for basically nothing.
I fail to see why should I connect to Tom as a character? He doesn't do anything worth mentioning, except go to school and have a job playing games. In Ender's Game I could feel the responsibility on the shoulders of the kids. I could feel the devastation of understanding that you are responsible for somebody's life, and that being unprepared and not giving your absolute best would mean admitting to yourself that you caused the deaths of so many. In Insignia the war presents no threat, the battles present no gratification or true meaning.
Here's where Harry Potter comes into play. After Tom gets to the Spire he forms a bond with his friends that tried to portray mischief and understanding of each others faults. Like Harry, Ron and Hermione used to have. Only Harry never changed. He simply grew. He was still a brilliant guy that respected true friendship and wouldn't hurt anyone for the sake of making himself look good. At the beginning of Insignia, I felt for Tom. Gambling father, always out of luck and without a roof over his head. Unlike Harry, Tom changed. A lot. And not all of it was good. After accepting everything the military had to offer Tom stopped being who he was. His past faded away. He grew, he became physically stronger, taller, more intelligent, prettier. Where Harry would teach you a lesson in riches, Tom stands for cruelty of winning by any means necessary.
The thing is – you can get impressed by someone else's work. But if you angle yourself to emulate the end result you wind up stifling your own creativity. Insignia was not an original work, it was a shadow of many other pieces. Because of that it will always be unfulfilling and rough around the edges. Unlike Ender's Game, this game had no end to work for. Had absolutely nothing to accomplish, leaving you with even more time to draw parallels between it and other novels. I wouldn't recommend it. I found it boring.
I will admit to something. Lately I choose novels with very good ratings and little to no research thinking that's more than enough for me. At least it should have been. I am coming face to face with the realisation of how flawed that system of selection is. It simply doesn't work. A sky high rating doesn't guarantee good book.
Insignia wasn't bad, but it was unoriginal. The concepts were borrowed from Ender's Game mostly, and then Harry Potter of all things. It was weird.
It wanted to deliver a sobering reality of thrusting a child in an adults world but it failed. It was supposed to portray this feeling of taking on the burdens of life but just wound up boring me to tears.
WorldWarIII wasn't all that impressive. A bunch of machinery traipsing around the solar system, operated by a bunch of gamer kids, scoring points for big conglomerates down here on Earth. The whole thing was about as interesting as a boardroom meeting. Unlike Ender's Game where you had at least a potential of a threat and a violent history of loss of life, Insignia seems pointless. A bunch of kids that got brainwashed to do a lot of work for basically nothing.
I fail to see why should I connect to Tom as a character? He doesn't do anything worth mentioning, except go to school and have a job playing games. In Ender's Game I could feel the responsibility on the shoulders of the kids. I could feel the devastation of understanding that you are responsible for somebody's life, and that being unprepared and not giving your absolute best would mean admitting to yourself that you caused the deaths of so many. In Insignia the war presents no threat, the battles present no gratification or true meaning.
Here's where Harry Potter comes into play. After Tom gets to the Spire he forms a bond with his friends that tried to portray mischief and understanding of each others faults. Like Harry, Ron and Hermione used to have. Only Harry never changed. He simply grew. He was still a brilliant guy that respected true friendship and wouldn't hurt anyone for the sake of making himself look good. At the beginning of Insignia, I felt for Tom. Gambling father, always out of luck and without a roof over his head. Unlike Harry, Tom changed. A lot. And not all of it was good. After accepting everything the military had to offer Tom stopped being who he was. His past faded away. He grew, he became physically stronger, taller, more intelligent, prettier. Where Harry would teach you a lesson in riches, Tom stands for cruelty of winning by any means necessary.
The thing is – you can get impressed by someone else's work. But if you angle yourself to emulate the end result you wind up stifling your own creativity. Insignia was not an original work, it was a shadow of many other pieces. Because of that it will always be unfulfilling and rough around the edges. Unlike Ender's Game, this game had no end to work for. Had absolutely nothing to accomplish, leaving you with even more time to draw parallels between it and other novels. I wouldn't recommend it. I found it boring.
June 21, 2012
A boy, outer space, and video games – you’d think that this isn’t really something that I’d like, especially since I read the infamous Ender's Game earlier this year and was very “meh” about it. But Insignia, oh man, I LOVED this book. Let me tell you why.
It’s action packed.
Lots of BANG, WHOOSH, PHEW – I don’t know how else to describe the action that happens in this book. From the scenes where they’re training to the war and epic battles – everything is fast paced.
Tom is SUCH a boy.
He likes the pretty girl at school, he’s self-conscious, and goofs off with his friends. Reading boy characters is always nice in this girl dominated world of YA, but Tom was especially refreshing. He is so incredibly likable and has that je ne sais quoi.
The world building.
HOLY WOW. Okay, outer space can be anything the author wants it to be but the Spire, the wars, the reason behind the wars - S.J. Kincaid went into detail about these things instead of just doing the bare minimum and it was amazing.
And the end BROKE MY HEART. Ow ow ow – Anna from Anna Reads and I were emailing back and forth after we finished and we couldn’t stop talking about how heartbroken we were! Also, it’s SUPER funny, which can be kind of a hard balance to find in a science fiction book.
This is a MUST READ, even if you don’t think it’s something that you’ll like.
It’s action packed.
Lots of BANG, WHOOSH, PHEW – I don’t know how else to describe the action that happens in this book. From the scenes where they’re training to the war and epic battles – everything is fast paced.
Tom is SUCH a boy.
He likes the pretty girl at school, he’s self-conscious, and goofs off with his friends. Reading boy characters is always nice in this girl dominated world of YA, but Tom was especially refreshing. He is so incredibly likable and has that je ne sais quoi.
The world building.
HOLY WOW. Okay, outer space can be anything the author wants it to be but the Spire, the wars, the reason behind the wars - S.J. Kincaid went into detail about these things instead of just doing the bare minimum and it was amazing.
And the end BROKE MY HEART. Ow ow ow – Anna from Anna Reads and I were emailing back and forth after we finished and we couldn’t stop talking about how heartbroken we were! Also, it’s SUPER funny, which can be kind of a hard balance to find in a science fiction book.
This is a MUST READ, even if you don’t think it’s something that you’ll like.
March 8, 2016
Un libro muy entretenido, personajes entrañables, destaca mucho temas de amistad y lealtad, me gusta cómo está ambientado y cómo funciona el lugar donde se desarrolla, lo de la realidad virtual y todo. Sobre todo me gustó que la guerra que se desata entre estudiantes sea utilizando programación: virus vs firewall. Me sacó muchas sonrisas y a veces carcajadas.
Para ser el inicio de una trilogía no parece para nada introductorio y como es un libro de aprendizaje vas conociendo todo a la par que los personajes, lo que parece muy natural.
Me intriga lo suficiente para continuar con la serie. Lo recomiendo para los que gustan de videojuegos, realidad virtual, estrategia y guerra.
actualización:
Al inicio le di 5 estrellas pero lo pensé mejor y le bajé a 4, recordé que hubo partes al principio en las que sentía que los personajes no corrían verdadero peligro.
Para ser el inicio de una trilogía no parece para nada introductorio y como es un libro de aprendizaje vas conociendo todo a la par que los personajes, lo que parece muy natural.
Me intriga lo suficiente para continuar con la serie. Lo recomiendo para los que gustan de videojuegos, realidad virtual, estrategia y guerra.
actualización:
Al inicio le di 5 estrellas pero lo pensé mejor y le bajé a 4, recordé que hubo partes al principio en las que sentía que los personajes no corrían verdadero peligro.
February 6, 2014
“Do you want to be somebody important?”
Spoilers…duh.
Never judge a book by its cover. A hard lesson I kinda learned several times now. If I just look at this book’s cover I would be blown away, because it is gorgeous and full of promises. It promises me excitement, a sense of danger and a fast paced adventure; sadly it doesn’t keep any of them.
First of all let me tell you I never read Ender’s Game, so I can’t make comparisons here like many other reviewers do. Second, I may make comparisons to other books, be warned.
Writing. The writing style itself is actually pretty good. It is well written and easy to follow and at least it kept me going. I am however bothered by the way some characters talk. Or to be more specific, let’s look at humor and nicknames. The humor was nice at some parts and there were lines I found genuinely funny, however it was very inconsistent. “Man Hands” and “Doctors of Doom”? Seriously? Is that how teenagers talk? Is that how teenagers will talk in a futuristic world because boy, I fear for the future now. I can’t even describe how annoyed I was whenever Tom and Vic started to call each other “Doctor”. First, hello there is only one true Doctor and he is off with the TARDIS. Second, it was just pretty lame and happened way too often. The same goes for “Man Hands” (later replaced by “Evil Wench”). Would someone actually find that insulting? I don’t know, I would shrug it off because it is silly and uncreative, but I’m not fourteen anymore so who knows? The thing is, we are to believe that these teenagers live in the future (also it is never made clear how far in the future) but the way they talk often reminded me of some late 80’s/early 90’s after school special. I guess the author was going for witty here, but it came off as more annoying. Speaking of, what was with the weird pop culture references? Don’t get me wrong, I like a good pop culture joke here and now, but I honestly like it better when dystopian/science fiction books leave that out, simply because it is weird when kids from God knows how many years in the future constantly reference stuff that is contemporary for us today. Of course some things are timeless, but for me it was too much.
Story. This actually a bit tricky. Thinking about it I have no idea how to describe this. In the beginning it was alright. We meet Tom, we get to know a little bit about his life and follow him to the Spire. So far, so good. But then it actually gets weird. The pacing slows down and his ‘adventures’ feel very episodic to me. It wasn’t like reading a book but more scripts for episodes of a television show. Stuff happens, but everything is solved pretty quickly. Now I read a lot of book series and I know that the first book often deals with world building, character introduction and setting up the main conflict for what’s to come (basically a whole lot of exposition) and this book did it as well, but it felt so half-baked. There was some build up, but not enough to really feel the world and get lost in it. There were characters and I’ll come to them later. And then there was conflict. Now this is where the book kinda lost me. There is a very rough set up, that some of the companies in this world are corrupt and that there is more to the War than meets the eye and that not everyone is what he seems, but it is so superficial, that I didn’t really care. Every conflict that really focused on the characters however, that could have been interesting seemed to be solved within a few chapters.
Here a few examples:
1) Blackburn is on to Wyatt, what will happen to her? Nothing. He first rewards her, then gets angry (even if she didn’t deserve it) then again nothing.
2) Tom is brainwashed. First, I think this could’ve been more interesting in a second or third book and then more as a slow burn kind of storyline. Second, it was an interesting set up, especially for an emotional character arc but it just didn’t deliver. His friends saved him almost immediately. He didn’t do anything too bad (anything he could regret and has to live with). And the worst, no real emotional impact. Sure he got angry, but that’s about it. It could have been such a strong arc for his character, some deep emotional stuff, a life-changing experience with lasting consequences, but nope. He was angry and pranked the ‘bad guys’.
3) Tom’s torture. It was bad what happened to him, but again I had a hard time to care because at this point I felt mostly indifferent to his character (more on that later). The point is, I knew that it would all come down to him proxy for Elliot. It was so obvious that it killed all the suspense and again it was resolved so quickly and without real impact.
4) Evil Nigel. So Nigel was the leak. Did anyone care? I sure didn’t. Then he revealed his bad guy plan to Tom, why? Why do bad guys do that? It makes zero sense. Again there was no sense of danger or urgency, Tom had the virus and it was clear from the minute Nigel was done talking that Tom would use it on him. (Honorable mention: The fight with Medusa. Was anyone surprised Tom won? I thought either he would win by playing some trick on her or she lets him win)
What I’m trying to say here is, that there was never a real sense of danger or major conflict, no urgency or whatsoever. I read books with a slow pacing before, take The Maze Runner for example, but even there you always had a sense of urgency, a deadline and conflict.
Characters. It is not that I disliked most of them. Except for Heather. I hated Heather. It is more that I didn’t really care for most of them, not even Tom. The characters just stayed very shallow and one dimensional the whole time. There was no real development, nothing that made me emotional attached. Character with potential like Beamer (who disappeared half way through the book), Wyatt, Yuri or Blackburn stayed very colorless and it is a shame. Even Tom the protagonist was not very good developed. Sure he had a personality and he was flawed, still he didn’t feel very ‘round’ to me or even a bit relatable. I couldn’t connect with him, mostly because as many facts as I got about him, I didn’t really know what he was feeling. He was angry a lot of the time and he was scared of being a ‘loser’ (which implies heavy self doubts and a low self-esteem) but the way it was written I never felt anything for him or with him. I even think that maybe a first person narrative would’ve worked better in the book, since it would’ve allowed at least Tom to be a more fleshed out character.
Relationships. The only relationship I actually cared for was between Tom and Neil. That was actually well done and I wished we would’ve gotten more Neal. I also liked that Tom was loyal to his friends and protected them. The rest again felt superficial. The friendships weren’t developed well, there weren’t deep moments that showed the connections between the group, only exception here maybe Tom and Wyatt. What I actually enjoyed was the lack of a romantic subplot. There was some stuff, but it was never ‘in your face’ and more in the background than anything else. Wyatt and Yuri were okay and if their characters would have been more developed it could have been actually cute. Even though, for a short time I was almost positive Wyatt would get together with Tom or even Vic. Tom and Heather were horrible together, mostly because Heather was the worst character in the book. She was irritating beyond words and to me she didn’t really serve any purpose except for being the pretty girl that flirts with the main character. Tom and Medusa worked on some level, but the stunt he pulled in the end (even if he had reasons) was a no go and she would be better off without him. Medusa was actually a very interesting character or more she could have been.
I had more thoughts while reading that book and I should’ve made post its or something because I can’t remember it all, but fact is, this book is not as good as it could have been. It seems like a collection of ideas scrambled together into one book (which I don’t get since it is a trilogy), with an off pacing, no deep impact or emotional moments. A certain spark is just missing.
Conclusion: It is not an awful book, despite huge flaws and really annoying moments, it is just up against a lot of other genre books that are better.
Recommendation: I’d probably say no. If you like the genre you’ll find better books.
Spoilers…duh.
Never judge a book by its cover. A hard lesson I kinda learned several times now. If I just look at this book’s cover I would be blown away, because it is gorgeous and full of promises. It promises me excitement, a sense of danger and a fast paced adventure; sadly it doesn’t keep any of them.
First of all let me tell you I never read Ender’s Game, so I can’t make comparisons here like many other reviewers do. Second, I may make comparisons to other books, be warned.
Writing. The writing style itself is actually pretty good. It is well written and easy to follow and at least it kept me going. I am however bothered by the way some characters talk. Or to be more specific, let’s look at humor and nicknames. The humor was nice at some parts and there were lines I found genuinely funny, however it was very inconsistent. “Man Hands” and “Doctors of Doom”? Seriously? Is that how teenagers talk? Is that how teenagers will talk in a futuristic world because boy, I fear for the future now. I can’t even describe how annoyed I was whenever Tom and Vic started to call each other “Doctor”. First, hello there is only one true Doctor and he is off with the TARDIS. Second, it was just pretty lame and happened way too often. The same goes for “Man Hands” (later replaced by “Evil Wench”). Would someone actually find that insulting? I don’t know, I would shrug it off because it is silly and uncreative, but I’m not fourteen anymore so who knows? The thing is, we are to believe that these teenagers live in the future (also it is never made clear how far in the future) but the way they talk often reminded me of some late 80’s/early 90’s after school special. I guess the author was going for witty here, but it came off as more annoying. Speaking of, what was with the weird pop culture references? Don’t get me wrong, I like a good pop culture joke here and now, but I honestly like it better when dystopian/science fiction books leave that out, simply because it is weird when kids from God knows how many years in the future constantly reference stuff that is contemporary for us today. Of course some things are timeless, but for me it was too much.
Story. This actually a bit tricky. Thinking about it I have no idea how to describe this. In the beginning it was alright. We meet Tom, we get to know a little bit about his life and follow him to the Spire. So far, so good. But then it actually gets weird. The pacing slows down and his ‘adventures’ feel very episodic to me. It wasn’t like reading a book but more scripts for episodes of a television show. Stuff happens, but everything is solved pretty quickly. Now I read a lot of book series and I know that the first book often deals with world building, character introduction and setting up the main conflict for what’s to come (basically a whole lot of exposition) and this book did it as well, but it felt so half-baked. There was some build up, but not enough to really feel the world and get lost in it. There were characters and I’ll come to them later. And then there was conflict. Now this is where the book kinda lost me. There is a very rough set up, that some of the companies in this world are corrupt and that there is more to the War than meets the eye and that not everyone is what he seems, but it is so superficial, that I didn’t really care. Every conflict that really focused on the characters however, that could have been interesting seemed to be solved within a few chapters.
Here a few examples:
1) Blackburn is on to Wyatt, what will happen to her? Nothing. He first rewards her, then gets angry (even if she didn’t deserve it) then again nothing.
2) Tom is brainwashed. First, I think this could’ve been more interesting in a second or third book and then more as a slow burn kind of storyline. Second, it was an interesting set up, especially for an emotional character arc but it just didn’t deliver. His friends saved him almost immediately. He didn’t do anything too bad (anything he could regret and has to live with). And the worst, no real emotional impact. Sure he got angry, but that’s about it. It could have been such a strong arc for his character, some deep emotional stuff, a life-changing experience with lasting consequences, but nope. He was angry and pranked the ‘bad guys’.
3) Tom’s torture. It was bad what happened to him, but again I had a hard time to care because at this point I felt mostly indifferent to his character (more on that later). The point is, I knew that it would all come down to him proxy for Elliot. It was so obvious that it killed all the suspense and again it was resolved so quickly and without real impact.
4) Evil Nigel. So Nigel was the leak. Did anyone care? I sure didn’t. Then he revealed his bad guy plan to Tom, why? Why do bad guys do that? It makes zero sense. Again there was no sense of danger or urgency, Tom had the virus and it was clear from the minute Nigel was done talking that Tom would use it on him. (Honorable mention: The fight with Medusa. Was anyone surprised Tom won? I thought either he would win by playing some trick on her or she lets him win)
What I’m trying to say here is, that there was never a real sense of danger or major conflict, no urgency or whatsoever. I read books with a slow pacing before, take The Maze Runner for example, but even there you always had a sense of urgency, a deadline and conflict.
Characters. It is not that I disliked most of them. Except for Heather. I hated Heather. It is more that I didn’t really care for most of them, not even Tom. The characters just stayed very shallow and one dimensional the whole time. There was no real development, nothing that made me emotional attached. Character with potential like Beamer (who disappeared half way through the book), Wyatt, Yuri or Blackburn stayed very colorless and it is a shame. Even Tom the protagonist was not very good developed. Sure he had a personality and he was flawed, still he didn’t feel very ‘round’ to me or even a bit relatable. I couldn’t connect with him, mostly because as many facts as I got about him, I didn’t really know what he was feeling. He was angry a lot of the time and he was scared of being a ‘loser’ (which implies heavy self doubts and a low self-esteem) but the way it was written I never felt anything for him or with him. I even think that maybe a first person narrative would’ve worked better in the book, since it would’ve allowed at least Tom to be a more fleshed out character.
Relationships. The only relationship I actually cared for was between Tom and Neil. That was actually well done and I wished we would’ve gotten more Neal. I also liked that Tom was loyal to his friends and protected them. The rest again felt superficial. The friendships weren’t developed well, there weren’t deep moments that showed the connections between the group, only exception here maybe Tom and Wyatt. What I actually enjoyed was the lack of a romantic subplot. There was some stuff, but it was never ‘in your face’ and more in the background than anything else. Wyatt and Yuri were okay and if their characters would have been more developed it could have been actually cute. Even though, for a short time I was almost positive Wyatt would get together with Tom or even Vic. Tom and Heather were horrible together, mostly because Heather was the worst character in the book. She was irritating beyond words and to me she didn’t really serve any purpose except for being the pretty girl that flirts with the main character. Tom and Medusa worked on some level, but the stunt he pulled in the end (even if he had reasons) was a no go and she would be better off without him. Medusa was actually a very interesting character or more she could have been.
I had more thoughts while reading that book and I should’ve made post its or something because I can’t remember it all, but fact is, this book is not as good as it could have been. It seems like a collection of ideas scrambled together into one book (which I don’t get since it is a trilogy), with an off pacing, no deep impact or emotional moments. A certain spark is just missing.
Conclusion: It is not an awful book, despite huge flaws and really annoying moments, it is just up against a lot of other genre books that are better.
Recommendation: I’d probably say no. If you like the genre you’ll find better books.
April 23, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
RTC!
RTC!
August 7, 2014
Don't be fooled by the mediocre cover, Insignia is by far one of the best books I've read this year. In fact, it may be the best debut of 2012. I LOVED IT! I loved it so much that I had to pace myself while reading it because I knew that when it was over it would really be over and then I would have to wait God knows how long for the sequel. The only downfall of this book is that it was so good that you can't help but devour it in mere hours.
It has it all really; engaging characters, a great world, great pace, etc. And it's funny! So yeah, add awesome dialogue onto that list. Who doesn't love awesome teenage dialogue?
Tom's world is set in a future where teenagers go to school online, where going to a concrete school is a virtue, and technology has evolved beyond our wildest dreams. Also we are fighting World War III, oh and we are so losing. Wars are not fought on Earth though, to avoid human casualty war is fought on Space, with ships, machines, and virtual pilots. The virtual pilots are tighly kept secrets, secret identities, secret IP numbers, etc. And they are teenagers. All of them. Because teenage brains are still developing so neural processors can be installed in them and they can grow together. This book is like every science fiction teenage geek's wet dreams- including yours truly. Hell if I don't receive my letter by owl when I'm 12 I will be more than happy to volunteer and become a military weapon- I'ts like a perfect back up plan!
This book managed to have a sort of dystopian feel without being like every other dystopian in the market. Sure it focuses on a war, on the military, and on the one teenage boy who might just turn the war in our favor, but it manages to do it through an original scope, very focused on the science and technological part. It was FUN getting to discover how this new world worked, it's technology, and even more fun was how we get to meet all the characters.
Tom (mainlove of my life character), Vik (Best friend numero uno), Beamer (Best Friend numero dos), Wyatt (A Hermione, except without the magic and add extra large man hands), Elliot (the boy super star), Yuri (Android O.o -not really), hell even Neal (Tom's good for nothing father). They all have their parts to play in this perfectly tuned dance. They each add something to the mix, and their friendship is one of my favorite parts of this whole story. Because it's all about relationships, and this book manages to nail them right in the head. It's so awesomely on the point, YOU HAVE TO READ IT.
The whole book is just perfectly balanced and more than that you can believe it. The way it all is explained you can believe this could happen in a not so distant future to us, with the right technology. (I loved it). So It's believable. It doesn't focus on anything romantic, but instead it tackles issues of belonging, friendship, secrets, and awesome nick names. I like boy humor, I say give me more of it! More YA needs to cater to the boy audience, because every other book I pick up seems to be whispering come to me to the girl demographic.
As a whole this is a really great read. This is one of those books you wish you had temporary amnesia and could read it and experience it for the first time all over again. Did I mention I loved it?
It has it all really; engaging characters, a great world, great pace, etc. And it's funny! So yeah, add awesome dialogue onto that list. Who doesn't love awesome teenage dialogue?
Tom's world is set in a future where teenagers go to school online, where going to a concrete school is a virtue, and technology has evolved beyond our wildest dreams. Also we are fighting World War III, oh and we are so losing. Wars are not fought on Earth though, to avoid human casualty war is fought on Space, with ships, machines, and virtual pilots. The virtual pilots are tighly kept secrets, secret identities, secret IP numbers, etc. And they are teenagers. All of them. Because teenage brains are still developing so neural processors can be installed in them and they can grow together. This book is like every science fiction teenage geek's wet dreams- including yours truly. Hell if I don't receive my letter by owl when I'm 12 I will be more than happy to volunteer and become a military weapon- I'ts like a perfect back up plan!
This book managed to have a sort of dystopian feel without being like every other dystopian in the market. Sure it focuses on a war, on the military, and on the one teenage boy who might just turn the war in our favor, but it manages to do it through an original scope, very focused on the science and technological part. It was FUN getting to discover how this new world worked, it's technology, and even more fun was how we get to meet all the characters.
Tom (main
The whole book is just perfectly balanced and more than that you can believe it. The way it all is explained you can believe this could happen in a not so distant future to us, with the right technology. (I loved it). So It's believable. It doesn't focus on anything romantic, but instead it tackles issues of belonging, friendship, secrets, and awesome nick names. I like boy humor, I say give me more of it! More YA needs to cater to the boy audience, because every other book I pick up seems to be whispering come to me to the girl demographic.
As a whole this is a really great read. This is one of those books you wish you had temporary amnesia and could read it and experience it for the first time all over again. Did I mention I loved it?
November 1, 2017
4.75* (VR boarding school)
The story and characters are fun and amazing once the story gets past all the academy stuff and info-dumping in the beginning. There are some cool parts in the beginning of the book also, but after the around the 200 page mark the story gets way better because there are lot of personal motivations for many different characters trying to get what they want and causing many interesting problems. There is a lot of hacking and technology involved all throughout the story and it is a more major part of the story than are the VR games. I love the main character Tom. All the side characters are very distinct and interesting also.
The main character Tom is really interesting and headstrong. He does what he wants and gets what he wants by force and it's amazing. (edit: I just wanted to add that with further consideration Tom is my favorite character of all time. He does what he wants no matter what. Fuck with him and he will get his revenge. He does what he believes is the right thing to do always.)
The story and characters are fun and amazing once the story gets past all the academy stuff and info-dumping in the beginning. There are some cool parts in the beginning of the book also, but after the around the 200 page mark the story gets way better because there are lot of personal motivations for many different characters trying to get what they want and causing many interesting problems. There is a lot of hacking and technology involved all throughout the story and it is a more major part of the story than are the VR games. I love the main character Tom. All the side characters are very distinct and interesting also.
The main character Tom is really interesting and headstrong. He does what he wants and gets what he wants by force and it's amazing. (edit: I just wanted to add that with further consideration Tom is my favorite character of all time. He does what he wants no matter what. Fuck with him and he will get his revenge. He does what he believes is the right thing to do always.)
likely-getting-back-to
July 28, 2012Whaddayaknow. Yet ANOTHER guys' POV on my list. So don't say I didn't give them a try.
January 15, 2020
3,75 tho
Overall, it was a really fun read.
Overall, it was a really fun read.
July 26, 2013
ok this is the first DNF of the year. First, let's talk about how I get this book. I read around and saw many good reviews, ok cool, maybe some good sci-fi after all. I guess it doesn't hurt to try something new. I'm a big sci-fi fan anyway. I like Starships, space battles, nanomachines, young soldiers. This book has all of them, what can go wrong?
Turns out, it CAN and DOES go wrong.
Insignia struck me as a mix between Ender's Game and Harry Potter, with Tom = Harry, Vik = Ron and, surprise surprise, Wyatt = Hermione.
The premise is about the World War 3 where battles are fought in space for resources and they have big companies standing behind as sponsors. This parts sound a little bit like The Hunger Games, which, IMO, is not a good thing.
Anyway
While the basic premise isn't bad, there are many many moments I can't suspend my disbelief. Let me compare it to Harry Potter, because I can't shake that from my mind. You know the conflict between Harry and Draco since the first book has pretty good background. In Insignia, the conflict between Tom and Karl is soooooooo trite. It feels like the author just wants to create a mean kid in school with his gang.
The dreaded info dump, OH MY GAWD. Sometimes I want to claw my eyes out when the characters give a long info dump speech which totally doesn't make any sense and isn't appropriate in the current situation.
Now,let's be fair here, so far I haven't seen many authors who can write decent space combat scene, so this isn't a sin. BUT, when the protagonist admires how Medusa managed to win battles after battle, I expect her to be someone who can pull some magnificent moves.
Too bad, if you want something to blow your mind away, look somewhere else. All I get is, she moves the troops here, trick the enemy there, blah blah blah, and Tom comments on how good she is, that, my friend, is TELLING. SHOW me how good she is instead.
About the character: I don't care for any of them, period. Some are mildly interesting, but nothing more than cardboard characters cut out from other books. First time I saw Karl I immediately know he will fulfill Draco's role in this book, but the setup is bad, just bad. I don't feel any real tension between the boys. I don't even know why they hate each other that much.
How to make me care for your characters: ok, put them into real danger, show me their goals, how they overcome obstacles. In this books, we have more than 150 pages which has nothings interesting going on other than kids playing pranks on each other in school. In Ender's Game, they fight for human's future. In Harry Potter, they overcome real danger to stop the evil overlord. In The Hunger Games, they killed each other. What will happen to the guys in Insignia? Nothing, nay, zero, nada. I don't have a sense of danger linger in the air. Most of the time, the kids just try to upload the virus into each others computers and ruin their days. That's about it. And a girl can hack into the government security system without leaving a trace? I wonder if they are hiring monkeys to run the thing.
The author managed to throw in some twists but I don't find them very good, or worse, predictable. Note to all aspiring authors out there: when you set up a twist, make sure to give it enough time for build up, like a clue here, a hint there and finally a revealing moment. Don't simply throw in one in the middle of the story, it doesn't make sense. For example when . Every plot point come and go at light speed.
Long story short: this book should be good, because it has all the concepts I like, but the execution is terrible. The story is juvenile, trite events and dialogues, cringe-worthy combat tactics.
So how to improve this book:
First, CUT it down by 100 pages. There are some events I don't think it has anything to do with the main story line.
Second, give me some character's background and motivation, don't forget to make me care for them, what's their stake? What happen to them if they fail, give me that.
Third: learn how to make twists, not every twist is good, and don't try to insert plot twist for the sake of plot twist.
Forth: give me a real and CLEAR goal, don't meander around with random events. For example: in Harry Potter Goal: to kill Voldy, Hunger Games: to win the game, Ender's Games: kill the bugger, Percy Jackson: destroy Kronos, etc. Set a solid goal and plot based on it. What happen if the MC fail, death? World destruction? Give me that.
*sigh*, I feel like my IQ just get lowered after reading this book.
Turns out, it CAN and DOES go wrong.
Insignia struck me as a mix between Ender's Game and Harry Potter, with Tom = Harry, Vik = Ron and, surprise surprise, Wyatt = Hermione.
The premise is about the World War 3 where battles are fought in space for resources and they have big companies standing behind as sponsors. This parts sound a little bit like The Hunger Games, which, IMO, is not a good thing.
Anyway
While the basic premise isn't bad, there are many many moments I can't suspend my disbelief. Let me compare it to Harry Potter, because I can't shake that from my mind. You know the conflict between Harry and Draco since the first book has pretty good background. In Insignia, the conflict between Tom and Karl is soooooooo trite. It feels like the author just wants to create a mean kid in school with his gang.
The dreaded info dump, OH MY GAWD. Sometimes I want to claw my eyes out when the characters give a long info dump speech which totally doesn't make any sense and isn't appropriate in the current situation.
Now,let's be fair here, so far I haven't seen many authors who can write decent space combat scene, so this isn't a sin. BUT, when the protagonist admires how Medusa managed to win battles after battle, I expect her to be someone who can pull some magnificent moves.
Too bad, if you want something to blow your mind away, look somewhere else. All I get is, she moves the troops here, trick the enemy there, blah blah blah, and Tom comments on how good she is, that, my friend, is TELLING. SHOW me how good she is instead.
About the character: I don't care for any of them, period. Some are mildly interesting, but nothing more than cardboard characters cut out from other books. First time I saw Karl I immediately know he will fulfill Draco's role in this book, but the setup is bad, just bad. I don't feel any real tension between the boys. I don't even know why they hate each other that much.
How to make me care for your characters: ok, put them into real danger, show me their goals, how they overcome obstacles. In this books, we have more than 150 pages which has nothings interesting going on other than kids playing pranks on each other in school. In Ender's Game, they fight for human's future. In Harry Potter, they overcome real danger to stop the evil overlord. In The Hunger Games, they killed each other. What will happen to the guys in Insignia? Nothing, nay, zero, nada. I don't have a sense of danger linger in the air. Most of the time, the kids just try to upload the virus into each others computers and ruin their days. That's about it. And a girl can hack into the government security system without leaving a trace? I wonder if they are hiring monkeys to run the thing.
The author managed to throw in some twists but I don't find them very good, or worse, predictable. Note to all aspiring authors out there: when you set up a twist, make sure to give it enough time for build up, like a clue here, a hint there and finally a revealing moment. Don't simply throw in one in the middle of the story, it doesn't make sense. For example when . Every plot point come and go at light speed.
Long story short: this book should be good, because it has all the concepts I like, but the execution is terrible. The story is juvenile, trite events and dialogues, cringe-worthy combat tactics.
So how to improve this book:
First, CUT it down by 100 pages. There are some events I don't think it has anything to do with the main story line.
Second, give me some character's background and motivation, don't forget to make me care for them, what's their stake? What happen to them if they fail, give me that.
Third: learn how to make twists, not every twist is good, and don't try to insert plot twist for the sake of plot twist.
Forth: give me a real and CLEAR goal, don't meander around with random events. For example: in Harry Potter Goal: to kill Voldy, Hunger Games: to win the game, Ender's Games: kill the bugger, Percy Jackson: destroy Kronos, etc. Set a solid goal and plot based on it. What happen if the MC fail, death? World destruction? Give me that.
*sigh*, I feel like my IQ just get lowered after reading this book.
August 6, 2016
Insignia is one of the most science fiction(y) novels I have ever read. It's a high concept story, action packed, and full of intergalactic fighting with robots, sending fellow classmates viruses (because they have computers installed in their brains, of course), and spending time in playing virtual reality video games that feel incredibly real...
I was so impressed with how detailed, imaginative, and intricate Insignia was. Not just the world-building (which, depending on what mood I'm in, can be hugely important to me), but also each individual character. S.J. Kincaid could've played it safe. Some YA authors (although it is not limited to YA) feel that because they are writing for children and teenagers, they do not have to be as detailed and technical, do as much research, or use much science (at least, make it sound like 'real' science), because children won't care or be interested in it anyway - something I feel very strongly against and believe underestimates young people. I do not feel Insignia does this at all but rather flatters its audience. Sometimes the concepts, information, and jargon could be a lot to take in at once, but the result was that it ended up being an extremely rewarding experience.
I was also very surprised that Insignia was as character-driven as it was plot-driven. I found myself equally as interested in what was going to happen to certain characters (in particular Tom, our protagonist, and Wyatt, a highly talented fellow student with a knack for advanced programming) as I was finding out what was really going on with World War III and the Spire. It is full of incredibly talented, intelligent, witty, and dedicated teenagers. There were some pop culture references that made me feel like I was reading about real teenagers that were just in an unusual situation, and little moments that made me smile, that really captured what it feels like to having fun banter with some close friends.
Although Insignia is part of a trilogy, I feel that it's important to mention that the ending will not leave you frustrated. It can easily be read as a standalone novel and does not end on a cliffhanger, which goes to show that a book does not need an open ending to draw readers back. It is going to make a fantastic movie - the rights have already been optioned - and I have absolutely no idea where the second and third books will take us.
Insignia takes 'boarding school story' to another level; a highlight of its genre. The highly technical World War III set in space, and the remarkable band of young teenagers put at the forefront of the battle, will blow your socks off!
Thank you Hot Key Books for providing this book for review!
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
I was so impressed with how detailed, imaginative, and intricate Insignia was. Not just the world-building (which, depending on what mood I'm in, can be hugely important to me), but also each individual character. S.J. Kincaid could've played it safe. Some YA authors (although it is not limited to YA) feel that because they are writing for children and teenagers, they do not have to be as detailed and technical, do as much research, or use much science (at least, make it sound like 'real' science), because children won't care or be interested in it anyway - something I feel very strongly against and believe underestimates young people. I do not feel Insignia does this at all but rather flatters its audience. Sometimes the concepts, information, and jargon could be a lot to take in at once, but the result was that it ended up being an extremely rewarding experience.
I was also very surprised that Insignia was as character-driven as it was plot-driven. I found myself equally as interested in what was going to happen to certain characters (in particular Tom, our protagonist, and Wyatt, a highly talented fellow student with a knack for advanced programming) as I was finding out what was really going on with World War III and the Spire. It is full of incredibly talented, intelligent, witty, and dedicated teenagers. There were some pop culture references that made me feel like I was reading about real teenagers that were just in an unusual situation, and little moments that made me smile, that really captured what it feels like to having fun banter with some close friends.
Although Insignia is part of a trilogy, I feel that it's important to mention that the ending will not leave you frustrated. It can easily be read as a standalone novel and does not end on a cliffhanger, which goes to show that a book does not need an open ending to draw readers back. It is going to make a fantastic movie - the rights have already been optioned - and I have absolutely no idea where the second and third books will take us.
Insignia takes 'boarding school story' to another level; a highlight of its genre. The highly technical World War III set in space, and the remarkable band of young teenagers put at the forefront of the battle, will blow your socks off!
Thank you Hot Key Books for providing this book for review!
I also reviewed this book over on Pretty Books.
April 5, 2012
I was going to wait to review S.J. Kincaid’s Insignia because, hey, July is still months away, but I figured there’s no harm in gushing over its brilliance a little in advance. Before I received my copy, I thought it sounded interesting and I liked that it gave me somewhat of an Ender’s Game vibe. Although I was a little worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, I made it my first read of the year and the pressure was on! You guys... I loved this book!
There are so many sci-fi reads where the government and world building just doesn’t ring true to me, but the one here? Spot on: full of corporate greed, bribery, and corruption. It wasn’t difficult at all to make parallels to our economic situation today.
Secondly, Insignia includes so much technology and it was effing COOL. I was on board as soon Tom as first played in the VR parlor, but it only got better from there: plugging in to download data (homework!), the meal bars, programming and, of course, the simulations; the list really goes on and on with all of the awesome and I was always eager to find out what S.J. Kincaid would introduce next.
And then there’s the cast of characters. They were diverse and had different backgrounds which I LOVED. It’s a true testament to S.J. Kincaid’s writing that I feel that her characters are my friends. I feel like such a cheeseball saying that, but the level of comfort that I felt with them at the Pentagonal Spire is not something I often encounter in my reads. I love characters, sure, and I grow attached to them, but what I encountered here can only be compared to what I felt with the trio in Harry Potter: inside jokes, familiarity, and a sense of belonging. There were so many moments where I burst out laughing due to their antics (this book is FUNNY!) and even more moments where I began to dread the end of the book. Missing them was immediate, but I’m glad there’s still more to come.
While, yes, this is the first book in a series, another thing to admire about Insignia is that S.J. Kincaid offered a clear beginning, middle, and end to the book. I am dying to make my return to the Pentagonal Spire with these characters, but that’s because of my love for her story and characters, and not because she left me suffering with an evil cliffhanger. There’s still much to explore, but I’m glad that S.J. Kincaid was able to have a full story arc take place.
Come July I will be pushing this book into as many hands as I possibly can. It’s such a refreshing, humorous, and thrilling read that I really hope it blows up into something huge... I have a good feeling that it will!
Original review (+ pre-order giveaway): http://www.poetrytoprose.com/?p=1095
There are so many sci-fi reads where the government and world building just doesn’t ring true to me, but the one here? Spot on: full of corporate greed, bribery, and corruption. It wasn’t difficult at all to make parallels to our economic situation today.
Secondly, Insignia includes so much technology and it was effing COOL. I was on board as soon Tom as first played in the VR parlor, but it only got better from there: plugging in to download data (homework!), the meal bars, programming and, of course, the simulations; the list really goes on and on with all of the awesome and I was always eager to find out what S.J. Kincaid would introduce next.
And then there’s the cast of characters. They were diverse and had different backgrounds which I LOVED. It’s a true testament to S.J. Kincaid’s writing that I feel that her characters are my friends. I feel like such a cheeseball saying that, but the level of comfort that I felt with them at the Pentagonal Spire is not something I often encounter in my reads. I love characters, sure, and I grow attached to them, but what I encountered here can only be compared to what I felt with the trio in Harry Potter: inside jokes, familiarity, and a sense of belonging. There were so many moments where I burst out laughing due to their antics (this book is FUNNY!) and even more moments where I began to dread the end of the book. Missing them was immediate, but I’m glad there’s still more to come.
While, yes, this is the first book in a series, another thing to admire about Insignia is that S.J. Kincaid offered a clear beginning, middle, and end to the book. I am dying to make my return to the Pentagonal Spire with these characters, but that’s because of my love for her story and characters, and not because she left me suffering with an evil cliffhanger. There’s still much to explore, but I’m glad that S.J. Kincaid was able to have a full story arc take place.
Come July I will be pushing this book into as many hands as I possibly can. It’s such a refreshing, humorous, and thrilling read that I really hope it blows up into something huge... I have a good feeling that it will!
Original review (+ pre-order giveaway): http://www.poetrytoprose.com/?p=1095
July 15, 2012
Insignia by S.J. Kincaid is outside my comfort zone. Way outside my comfort zone. There’s something about sci-fi that puts me off. At least that was what I thought before. I picked up Insignia because it was there and people were raving about it. I thought ‘Well, I’ll give it a chance’. Next thing I knew I was 150 pages into it and in love. I can’t tell you just how much I loved this book!
Insignia has that undeniable quality that makes a spectacular book. I’m never good at pinpointing what exactly that is, I guess it’s just a combination of things. In this case it was a group of characters so likable that you wanted to be best friends with them and a world that was mind blowing unique. The world that Tom lives in is very different from ours, but it’s also shockingly similar. There’s tons of crazy technology and wars in space. There’s creepy controlling super corporations. They control all the Earth’s resources, therefore they control the government. It took me just a little while to get used to the lingo and fully understand the situation the world was in. Once I did I was in awe of the creativity.
Tom, Vik, and Wyatt were some of the best written characters I’ve read in a long, long time. Tom was completely likable. He was honest and realistic. He came from a not so great background and that made him sympathetic. He was the type of character that you can’t help but love and root for. The bond between all the characters felt very….Harry Potter-ish to me. They stood up for each other. Their banter was fabulous and I laughed out loud so many times. I was actually reading one scene while on my exercise bike that made me laugh so hard I had to stop. It makes me laugh just think about it again.
There’s really too many elements that made me love Insignia. I can’t possibly name them all. The school was awesome! The programing wars with other students were hilarious. The futuristic dystopian world was like no other. You’re just going to have to trust me when I say that this is a incredible book.
If you’re like me, and think that Insignia isn’t your thing, I urge you to give it a chance. It’s definitely one of my favorites of the year. It has something for everyone. Great friendships, an amazing world, and it’s unputdownable. READ IT!
Insignia has that undeniable quality that makes a spectacular book. I’m never good at pinpointing what exactly that is, I guess it’s just a combination of things. In this case it was a group of characters so likable that you wanted to be best friends with them and a world that was mind blowing unique. The world that Tom lives in is very different from ours, but it’s also shockingly similar. There’s tons of crazy technology and wars in space. There’s creepy controlling super corporations. They control all the Earth’s resources, therefore they control the government. It took me just a little while to get used to the lingo and fully understand the situation the world was in. Once I did I was in awe of the creativity.
Tom, Vik, and Wyatt were some of the best written characters I’ve read in a long, long time. Tom was completely likable. He was honest and realistic. He came from a not so great background and that made him sympathetic. He was the type of character that you can’t help but love and root for. The bond between all the characters felt very….Harry Potter-ish to me. They stood up for each other. Their banter was fabulous and I laughed out loud so many times. I was actually reading one scene while on my exercise bike that made me laugh so hard I had to stop. It makes me laugh just think about it again.
There’s really too many elements that made me love Insignia. I can’t possibly name them all. The school was awesome! The programing wars with other students were hilarious. The futuristic dystopian world was like no other. You’re just going to have to trust me when I say that this is a incredible book.
If you’re like me, and think that Insignia isn’t your thing, I urge you to give it a chance. It’s definitely one of my favorites of the year. It has something for everyone. Great friendships, an amazing world, and it’s unputdownable. READ IT!
February 19, 2015
Okay, the thought that came to me about 70 times while reading the book was:
This is a cross between Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (though I haven't finished that book, I've read enough to compare it to this one)
It was pretty epic, I must admit. There is no hesitancy when saying that. The plot is fantastic, constantly leaving me on edge waiting for more, the characters were all so different and, well, funny (the Android and Man Hands are good examples), dialogue and the jokes - that were actually supposed to be jokes - were hilarious and witty (and other times just weird). It has the whole military-using-children/outer-space-epic-battles that is in Ender's Game, and the whole playing-virtual-reality-games/obsessing-over-a-girl thing. Well technically it's an obsessing-over-the-enemy thing then the girl one, but still. And there are still a lot of things that make this book different, as all books need. I really loved it.
The characters:
I would describe everyone, but they are something you have to experience for yourself to really understand how genius they are, so I will only do small descriptions.
-Thomas (Tom/Doctor/Mordred) Raines: Sarcastic, Impulsive, Lone Wolf, Funny, and a tad crazy. (love him)
-Wyatt (Man Hands/Evil Wench) last name forgotten from disuse: Genius, Anti-social, Blunt and Loyal.
-Vikhram (Vik/Doctor/Spicy Indian) Last name forgotten from disuse: Stupid, Loyal, Immature and a by the book soldier.
-(Russian guy whose name I forgot because his nickname, the Android, was too funny): Scrambled, Dedicated, and so gosh darn cute (in a clumsy puppy or laughing baby kind of way).
I loved the Applied Sims, and the crazy people, and how not everything is explained too early, or how not everything ends in this book. To be honest, even with all the bloody hints toward the semi bad guy, I didn't figure out who it was until it was told to me, which is a pro to this book.
Please read it, you won't regret it.
This is a cross between Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (though I haven't finished that book, I've read enough to compare it to this one)
It was pretty epic, I must admit. There is no hesitancy when saying that. The plot is fantastic, constantly leaving me on edge waiting for more, the characters were all so different and, well, funny (the Android and Man Hands are good examples), dialogue and the jokes - that were actually supposed to be jokes - were hilarious and witty (and other times just weird). It has the whole military-using-children/outer-space-epic-battles that is in Ender's Game, and the whole playing-virtual-reality-games/obsessing-over-a-girl thing. Well technically it's an obsessing-over-the-enemy thing then the girl one, but still. And there are still a lot of things that make this book different, as all books need. I really loved it.
The characters:
I would describe everyone, but they are something you have to experience for yourself to really understand how genius they are, so I will only do small descriptions.
-Thomas (Tom/Doctor/Mordred) Raines: Sarcastic, Impulsive, Lone Wolf, Funny, and a tad crazy. (love him)
-Wyatt (Man Hands/Evil Wench) last name forgotten from disuse: Genius, Anti-social, Blunt and Loyal.
-Vikhram (Vik/Doctor/Spicy Indian) Last name forgotten from disuse: Stupid, Loyal, Immature and a by the book soldier.
-(Russian guy whose name I forgot because his nickname, the Android, was too funny): Scrambled, Dedicated, and so gosh darn cute (in a clumsy puppy or laughing baby kind of way).
I loved the Applied Sims, and the crazy people, and how not everything is explained too early, or how not everything ends in this book. To be honest, even with all the bloody hints toward the semi bad guy, I didn't figure out who it was until it was told to me, which is a pro to this book.
Please read it, you won't regret it.
March 9, 2017
That computer in your head is a weapon, but it is a double-edged sword.
- page 103
"War evolves over time. It's better to say, 'No one kills in this war yet.'"
- page 105
"People are expendable. Period. The only difference between the nineteen fifties and today is that there are billions more of us expendable human beings."
- page 106
"All the technology in the world can't change the fundamentals of human nature. There will always be war as long as human beings are capable of envy, hatred, and fear."
- page 118
I love this book. It was highly recommended to me by one of my fifth-grade students. In fact, she repeatedly told me that I "had" to read this book. So, of course, I read it. And I am so glad I did.
In this world, war is fought in space and there are no casualties. The war is fought by teenagers with computers implanted in their brains. They interface directly with the ships to control them. But, the war is not between countries, exactly. Oh, there are alliances between countries, but the companies are really controlling (and profiting from) the war. Tom Raines goes from a nobody with a drunk, gambler for a father, to a highly prized asset of the government. And, for the first time, he belongs somewhere, he has friends.
I'm sure you can guess that having a computer implanted in your brain isn't all sunshine and rainbows. And Tom complicates it by being impulsive and maybe a bit crazy. But he is a teenage boy, so...
The story is exciting, with enough twists that you aren't exactly sure who Tom should trust, but you root for him anyway.
This is a Sunshine State Award nominated book in the 6-8 grade category.
- page 103
"War evolves over time. It's better to say, 'No one kills in this war yet.'"
- page 105
"People are expendable. Period. The only difference between the nineteen fifties and today is that there are billions more of us expendable human beings."
- page 106
"All the technology in the world can't change the fundamentals of human nature. There will always be war as long as human beings are capable of envy, hatred, and fear."
- page 118
I love this book. It was highly recommended to me by one of my fifth-grade students. In fact, she repeatedly told me that I "had" to read this book. So, of course, I read it. And I am so glad I did.
In this world, war is fought in space and there are no casualties. The war is fought by teenagers with computers implanted in their brains. They interface directly with the ships to control them. But, the war is not between countries, exactly. Oh, there are alliances between countries, but the companies are really controlling (and profiting from) the war. Tom Raines goes from a nobody with a drunk, gambler for a father, to a highly prized asset of the government. And, for the first time, he belongs somewhere, he has friends.
I'm sure you can guess that having a computer implanted in your brain isn't all sunshine and rainbows. And Tom complicates it by being impulsive and maybe a bit crazy. But he is a teenage boy, so...
The story is exciting, with enough twists that you aren't exactly sure who Tom should trust, but you root for him anyway.
This is a Sunshine State Award nominated book in the 6-8 grade category.
April 3, 2012
I picked this up with pretty low expectations, a product of dystopia fatigue. Woah boy was I proven wrong. Mark my words, this one should hit big. Hopefully Harry Potter or Hunger Games big. I blew through over 400 pages in a single afternoon, forgoing dinner in order to find out what happened next.
Insignia is everything that the dystopian genre was made for. Kincaid cribbed right from the headlines: countries run by dirty corporate money, wars fought with public funds for private wealth, and a world nearing ecological collapse, where food and even water itself is copyright protected.
The plot dragged me at a breakneck pace towards the triumphant finish: a high-stakes battle fought by teenagers piloting spaceships with computers implanted in their brains. The rest is just as enthralling: high-stakes hackers, diabolical corporate fatcats, and grizzled war veterans vie for the exploitative control of the young soldiers billed as the charismatic face of a war fought for corporate profit. While the battlefields are in space, the war is over Democracy and free will -- both for sale to the highest, and most ruthless, bidder.
The Occupy Wall Street generation will find plenty here to mesh neatly with their political ennui, bleak economic futures, and lives ruled by technology. Plus, with a full cast of vibrant secondary characters, teens are sure to find someone to relate to.
Highly, highly recommended.
Insignia is everything that the dystopian genre was made for. Kincaid cribbed right from the headlines: countries run by dirty corporate money, wars fought with public funds for private wealth, and a world nearing ecological collapse, where food and even water itself is copyright protected.
The plot dragged me at a breakneck pace towards the triumphant finish: a high-stakes battle fought by teenagers piloting spaceships with computers implanted in their brains. The rest is just as enthralling: high-stakes hackers, diabolical corporate fatcats, and grizzled war veterans vie for the exploitative control of the young soldiers billed as the charismatic face of a war fought for corporate profit. While the battlefields are in space, the war is over Democracy and free will -- both for sale to the highest, and most ruthless, bidder.
The Occupy Wall Street generation will find plenty here to mesh neatly with their political ennui, bleak economic futures, and lives ruled by technology. Plus, with a full cast of vibrant secondary characters, teens are sure to find someone to relate to.
Highly, highly recommended.
February 8, 2017
When I first read the synopsis I got confused...
I honestly didn't understand what it was talking about.
But it was at the library so I decided that it was worth a try!
Apparently, this book is about a 14 year old boy named Tom who has a special talent of...
playing video games!
When a government agency discovers his talent, they decide to take him in to help fight in the war.
You might be wondering, How does playing video games help fight in a war?
Well, this book takes place in the future and they found out that having a war on Earth is dangerous for the people so the wars are fought in space.
But then there's the fact that people die in wars! So they also made it so the wars are video game controlled instead of actual people fighting.
Make sense? (I hope it made sense)
Anyway, The was an AMAZING book and i'm so glad that I picked it up!
I absolutely LOVED the technology!
And believe me there was A LOT of technology!
Anyway, before I start rambling...
You should really read this book!
I honestly didn't understand what it was talking about.
But it was at the library so I decided that it was worth a try!
Apparently, this book is about a 14 year old boy named Tom who has a special talent of...
playing video games!
When a government agency discovers his talent, they decide to take him in to help fight in the war.
You might be wondering, How does playing video games help fight in a war?
Well, this book takes place in the future and they found out that having a war on Earth is dangerous for the people so the wars are fought in space.
But then there's the fact that people die in wars! So they also made it so the wars are video game controlled instead of actual people fighting.
Make sense? (I hope it made sense)
Anyway, The was an AMAZING book and i'm so glad that I picked it up!
I absolutely LOVED the technology!
And believe me there was A LOT of technology!
Anyway, before I start rambling...
You should really read this book!
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