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The Academy #1
The Academy, Book One
Every six months, 450 fifteen-year-olds are kidnapped from their homes across the world. These kidnappings happen in the span of a week, as reliable as clockwork. The victims don’t know each other, or their kidnappers. The fifteen-year-olds either end up with a ‘missing persons’ file gathering dust in a filing cabinet, or they are assumed dead. No one ever discovers what happens to them. The families move on, forever missing their lost loved one. Unknown to them, their child, grandchild, or sibling, has been taken to the Academy.
The Academy, as its members will boast, is the most secretive, powerful organization in the world. The workings of the organization are revealed on a need-to-know basis, and the organization has decided that no one, other than its most trusted members, need to know its true business. Outsiders don’t even know it exists. Occasionally, a hunter or hiker will stumble upon the Academy’s remote location. They are quickly taken care of.
When Asa Palmer, age fifteen, is out running in the woods behind his house, he is taken. Twelve hours later, after being tied and bound, and transported through an underground train station, he finds himself amidst a series of beautifully crafted structures that rest in between a circle of five secluded mountains. He has been chosen as a candidate for the Academy. Each six months, the Academy kidnaps more recruits than they can actually use. For Asa Palmer to live he must undergo body-altering mutations and compete with his cohorts in a series of dangerous and strategy ridden tasks to prove that he is worthy of the Academy’s time.
The Academy, as its members will boast, is the most secretive, powerful organization in the world. The workings of the organization are revealed on a need-to-know basis, and the organization has decided that no one, other than its most trusted members, need to know its true business. Outsiders don’t even know it exists. Occasionally, a hunter or hiker will stumble upon the Academy’s remote location. They are quickly taken care of.
When Asa Palmer, age fifteen, is out running in the woods behind his house, he is taken. Twelve hours later, after being tied and bound, and transported through an underground train station, he finds himself amidst a series of beautifully crafted structures that rest in between a circle of five secluded mountains. He has been chosen as a candidate for the Academy. Each six months, the Academy kidnaps more recruits than they can actually use. For Asa Palmer to live he must undergo body-altering mutations and compete with his cohorts in a series of dangerous and strategy ridden tasks to prove that he is worthy of the Academy’s time.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2013
88 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Chad Leito
12 books78 followersChad Leito (AKA William Dye) is a writer from Denton, Texas. He is the author of the Mungus Serial Series and is currently working on a second series, The Academy. He has also written stand alone novel, The Neighborhood.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
February 13, 2014
I borrowed this book from Amazon's lending library, and it's a good thing I did.
Not because it was horrible, but because had I simply downloaded the sample, I probably wouldn't have bought the whole thing. And had I bought it outright, I would have felt obliged to come to a quick decision (before the return window of opportunity expired) and I would have returned it.
Man, it had its problems. To put it succinctly, It was not professional enough.
The long answer is that it has both artistic problems - obvious questions aren't always answered, the writing could be tightened considerably, and there were sometimes better ways of accomplishing what he was trying to do - as well as a whole boatload of grammatical/syntactical errors.
There were enough of those last that I finally began taking note, mostly for curiosity's sake. Now, understand, I didn't start paying real attention until well into the story, and these errors were found when I wasn't reading with the intention of finding mistakes. In other words, there are undoubtedly many more than I highlighted.
Such as:
-"peaked" rather than "peeked"
-"frost bite" rather than "frostbite"
-"Little Debby" instead of "Little Debbie" (referring to the brand)
-"curve ... the crisis" rather than "curb the crisis"
-"Santa Clause" instead of "Santa Claus"
-"Satin" instead of "Satan"
-"4o" instead of "40" (that's the letter O, in case it's not clear)
-Several instances of "busses" instead of "buses"
-"Slight of hand" rather than "Sleight of hand"
-"Congradulations" instead of "congratulations"
-"The M's" rather than "the Ms" (I'd be willing to overlook this last since it looks like Ms., as in "Ms. Lastname," but it's still incorrect; it's not a possessive.)
-One of my favorites is the instance where he misspelled one of his characters' names.
In the interest of remaining spoiler-free for a change, I won't detail ways I thought the plot could be tightened or made more realistic, but they're there too. There were occasions that Leito spent (too) many words on tangents that proved non-essential, even for color or character building. There were other occasions that didn't get enough play. I thought a nice touch would have been to, instead of doing a big rushed reveal at the end, disperse the revelations as cut-scene clues throughout the book. (That's 100% personal preference; I'm not rating the book down for things like that.) And more than once, I thought Asa, our protagonist, behaved in ways or reacted or made statements that were unlikely. There were times that it occurred to me that just about anyone in Asa's position would have done/said/thought "X" and then was jarred when Asa didn't do/say/think "X".
I'll admit, this is a lot of complaining for a three-star book, and I don't even like myself very much right now. I'm hardly a perfect writer. (Please don't proof my review. I'm not trying to sell this, so I don't care if I use an extra comma or mix tenses or whatever.) So why am I making such a point of highlighting the negatives?
Because, wow, this book has some serious potential. Potential to be so, so good! The story, for all that it's a fairly obvious grafting of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, is creative and riveting and fantastic. I said I would have likely returned the book without giving it a real chance, and even in hindsight, I can't be apologetic about it.
I mean, I'm not a writing professional in any capacity and just those problems I found were enough to appall. Some of them were probably typos, yes, which are forgivable when sparse. Goodness knows, we all go too fast sometimes. But some, I suspect, were examples of the author not knowing the right word or idiom and not even knowing enough to check his work.
Now, had the author paid for a (better?) real-deal editor, and a copy editor, and a proofreader, and bribed some people with writing chops of their own to be beta readers, I wouldn't be leaving a three-star review, I'd be leaving a five-star one. And I'd be writing the author a note full of gushing and squeals about how much I loved his story. And I'd be badgering everyone I know to read it too. I loved it enough that I was event tempted to send him a come-to-Jesus letter to let him know that he's doing himself a grave disservice by putting out a product before it's polished. Because as hateful as I probably sound, I wouldn't have used this many words to complain if I didn't actually want this to be better. I'd have just rolled my eyes and moved on. As it is, I actually debated offering my own humble services as a beta reader; I would have been honored to contribute to such an exciting story.
So take this all as you will. It isn't polished. It has a lot of elementary and obvious mistakes. The finished product feels amateurish. I truly don't know if I'm going to read the sequel when it comes out, because it (a) will probably drive me nuts with all the mistakes, and (b) does the author no favors to reward mediocrity.
Yet despite all that, it's a helluva ride. If Leito were to clean this up, he could charge a lot more than $3 for it, and NYT, watch out!
Not because it was horrible, but because had I simply downloaded the sample, I probably wouldn't have bought the whole thing. And had I bought it outright, I would have felt obliged to come to a quick decision (before the return window of opportunity expired) and I would have returned it.
Man, it had its problems. To put it succinctly, It was not professional enough.
The long answer is that it has both artistic problems - obvious questions aren't always answered, the writing could be tightened considerably, and there were sometimes better ways of accomplishing what he was trying to do - as well as a whole boatload of grammatical/syntactical errors.
There were enough of those last that I finally began taking note, mostly for curiosity's sake. Now, understand, I didn't start paying real attention until well into the story, and these errors were found when I wasn't reading with the intention of finding mistakes. In other words, there are undoubtedly many more than I highlighted.
Such as:
-"peaked" rather than "peeked"
-"frost bite" rather than "frostbite"
-"Little Debby" instead of "Little Debbie" (referring to the brand)
-"curve ... the crisis" rather than "curb the crisis"
-"Santa Clause" instead of "Santa Claus"
-"Satin" instead of "Satan"
-"4o" instead of "40" (that's the letter O, in case it's not clear)
-Several instances of "busses" instead of "buses"
-"Slight of hand" rather than "Sleight of hand"
-"Congradulations" instead of "congratulations"
-"The M's" rather than "the Ms" (I'd be willing to overlook this last since it looks like Ms., as in "Ms. Lastname," but it's still incorrect; it's not a possessive.)
-One of my favorites is the instance where he misspelled one of his characters' names.
In the interest of remaining spoiler-free for a change, I won't detail ways I thought the plot could be tightened or made more realistic, but they're there too. There were occasions that Leito spent (too) many words on tangents that proved non-essential, even for color or character building. There were other occasions that didn't get enough play. I thought a nice touch would have been to, instead of doing a big rushed reveal at the end, disperse the revelations as cut-scene clues throughout the book. (That's 100% personal preference; I'm not rating the book down for things like that.) And more than once, I thought Asa, our protagonist, behaved in ways or reacted or made statements that were unlikely. There were times that it occurred to me that just about anyone in Asa's position would have done/said/thought "X" and then was jarred when Asa didn't do/say/think "X".
I'll admit, this is a lot of complaining for a three-star book, and I don't even like myself very much right now. I'm hardly a perfect writer. (Please don't proof my review. I'm not trying to sell this, so I don't care if I use an extra comma or mix tenses or whatever.) So why am I making such a point of highlighting the negatives?
Because, wow, this book has some serious potential. Potential to be so, so good! The story, for all that it's a fairly obvious grafting of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, is creative and riveting and fantastic. I said I would have likely returned the book without giving it a real chance, and even in hindsight, I can't be apologetic about it.
I mean, I'm not a writing professional in any capacity and just those problems I found were enough to appall. Some of them were probably typos, yes, which are forgivable when sparse. Goodness knows, we all go too fast sometimes. But some, I suspect, were examples of the author not knowing the right word or idiom and not even knowing enough to check his work.
Now, had the author paid for a (better?) real-deal editor, and a copy editor, and a proofreader, and bribed some people with writing chops of their own to be beta readers, I wouldn't be leaving a three-star review, I'd be leaving a five-star one. And I'd be writing the author a note full of gushing and squeals about how much I loved his story. And I'd be badgering everyone I know to read it too. I loved it enough that I was event tempted to send him a come-to-Jesus letter to let him know that he's doing himself a grave disservice by putting out a product before it's polished. Because as hateful as I probably sound, I wouldn't have used this many words to complain if I didn't actually want this to be better. I'd have just rolled my eyes and moved on. As it is, I actually debated offering my own humble services as a beta reader; I would have been honored to contribute to such an exciting story.
So take this all as you will. It isn't polished. It has a lot of elementary and obvious mistakes. The finished product feels amateurish. I truly don't know if I'm going to read the sequel when it comes out, because it (a) will probably drive me nuts with all the mistakes, and (b) does the author no favors to reward mediocrity.
Yet despite all that, it's a helluva ride. If Leito were to clean this up, he could charge a lot more than $3 for it, and NYT, watch out!
August 24, 2013
Do yourself a favor and buy this book! It is absolutely amazing! Best book I have read in a REALLY long time.
I don't even know where to begin. It starts off sounding like it's going to be an apocalyptic type of novel. But, then it turns into something so strange and magical. I don't want to give a lot away, but let's just say that it involves angels, demons, sentient animals, people transforming into animals and maybe vice versa.
There are a LOT of unknowns at this point, as this is only the first book in the series. The book says at the end that the next installment will be released on April 19th. I will be first in line to get it!!!
This book left me always on the edge of my seat, wanting more. The end was extremely suspenseful, and I am actually feeling bit of anxiety that I will have to wait a few weeks for the next one.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone. Normally, I would say to anyone who likes suspense, or anyone who likes fantasy, etc.. But with this book, I really mean ANYONE!
OH! I almost forgot to tell you... The author gives all of his proceeds to a non-profit called Doctors Without Borders. They provide medical supplies to people in need. So, by purchasing this book, everyone wins! You get an amazing book to read, and people in need get the medical supplies they need to get better. Win-Win!
I don't even know where to begin. It starts off sounding like it's going to be an apocalyptic type of novel. But, then it turns into something so strange and magical. I don't want to give a lot away, but let's just say that it involves angels, demons, sentient animals, people transforming into animals and maybe vice versa.
There are a LOT of unknowns at this point, as this is only the first book in the series. The book says at the end that the next installment will be released on April 19th. I will be first in line to get it!!!
This book left me always on the edge of my seat, wanting more. The end was extremely suspenseful, and I am actually feeling bit of anxiety that I will have to wait a few weeks for the next one.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone. Normally, I would say to anyone who likes suspense, or anyone who likes fantasy, etc.. But with this book, I really mean ANYONE!
OH! I almost forgot to tell you... The author gives all of his proceeds to a non-profit called Doctors Without Borders. They provide medical supplies to people in need. So, by purchasing this book, everyone wins! You get an amazing book to read, and people in need get the medical supplies they need to get better. Win-Win!
June 30, 2013
Saw this free on Prime so I thought I would give it a try. I will be generous and say that the story is inspired by Harry Potter and Hunger Games, it may not be fair to say any time kids live in a dorm it is stealing from Potter. Some interesting ideas and a few fun and well written scenes, but punctuated with extreme violence that seemed out of place. It is possible the author was trying to create a juxtaposition between the tone and the content, but I suspect that he just missed what he was actually trying for. I will check out the sequel, because I am interested in the characters. I also hope that this very depressing world will somehow be redeemed at the end of the series.
December 27, 2013
Sorry, I wanted to like this but when the janitor raccoons and lunch lady polar bears showed up, I was out.
Bad editing, bizarre story lines, and weird narration (I don't need to be told things 800 times!) won over some relatively intriguing world building.
I cared more about the lunch lady polar bear (hope you are ok, Cindy!) than any of the main characters.
Bad editing, bizarre story lines, and weird narration (I don't need to be told things 800 times!) won over some relatively intriguing world building.
I cared more about the lunch lady polar bear (hope you are ok, Cindy!) than any of the main characters.
August 15, 2013
Meet Asa. He's a 15 year old boy who's world is crumbling around the edges. The book begins as Wolf flu, a virulent virus, is beginning to devour the human race. Asa is immune, but the loss of his mother is a cruel blow. Life has much more instore for our protagonist, however. He is kidnapped and sent to 'The Academy' for what can only be described as the most exacting, gruelling, torturous and extreme of training regimes.
The Academy is a secret organisation with a secret agenda, but it is quickly apparent that there is plenty of money stored between its walls. Genetic manipulation allows Asa to grow wings in his first week and that is only the beginning of where his DNA and a few injections might take him.
This had me gripped from the word go. Think of a gigantic, futurist game zone where the inhabitants are the players and where life and death are a common everyday occurrence. It's gritty, it's thrilling and you won't be able to put it down for a single second.
Loved it. Want more!
The Academy is a secret organisation with a secret agenda, but it is quickly apparent that there is plenty of money stored between its walls. Genetic manipulation allows Asa to grow wings in his first week and that is only the beginning of where his DNA and a few injections might take him.
This had me gripped from the word go. Think of a gigantic, futurist game zone where the inhabitants are the players and where life and death are a common everyday occurrence. It's gritty, it's thrilling and you won't be able to put it down for a single second.
Loved it. Want more!
November 9, 2013
A fantastic read and proceeds go to charity, what more could you ask for?!
Love how descriptive the author is, I really felt like I was in the book. I could not only vividly see the surroundings but I felt the chill in the air, could feel Asa’s fear, trepidation, determination. From the beginning I felt pulled in, compelled to read further, to know what was going to happen next.
Be prepared to immerse yourself into this fantastic world that is being built around you as you read. Be prepared for sadness, courage and impossible situations that oddly, make sense.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the fact that the proceeds are donated to Doctors Without Borders? How could you not buy it? I definitely feel I got my money’s worth for this book, and I feel great knowing my money is going to help others. Thank you Mr. Leito, it’s people like you that restore my faith in humanity. And thank you for the awesome universe you created in this book.
Love how descriptive the author is, I really felt like I was in the book. I could not only vividly see the surroundings but I felt the chill in the air, could feel Asa’s fear, trepidation, determination. From the beginning I felt pulled in, compelled to read further, to know what was going to happen next.
Be prepared to immerse yourself into this fantastic world that is being built around you as you read. Be prepared for sadness, courage and impossible situations that oddly, make sense.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the fact that the proceeds are donated to Doctors Without Borders? How could you not buy it? I definitely feel I got my money’s worth for this book, and I feel great knowing my money is going to help others. Thank you Mr. Leito, it’s people like you that restore my faith in humanity. And thank you for the awesome universe you created in this book.
February 19, 2014
I have to commend the author's creative capacity with The Academy. This book has a really dynamic plot and I was really enthralled from the get go on the things I felt like I was encountering for the first time-ever. Asa is a unique teenager, and following Asa as a character was fun. There's so much mystique behind this secret organization. I'm left with so many questions about what's going on.
The author, Chad Leito, did a great job of creating that wonder. Is The Academy good or bad? What are they up to? Many clues are throughout, so you can make up your own presumptions. But I'm really interested in reading the next installment. Tons of climactic events throughout, many second guesses. It felt like the ride of a lifetime. The Academy also seamlessly infused themes from other genres like coming-of-age drama, sci-fi fantasy... The descriptors were solid and visually stimulating as well. All around phenomenal body of work with this one.
The author, Chad Leito, did a great job of creating that wonder. Is The Academy good or bad? What are they up to? Many clues are throughout, so you can make up your own presumptions. But I'm really interested in reading the next installment. Tons of climactic events throughout, many second guesses. It felt like the ride of a lifetime. The Academy also seamlessly infused themes from other genres like coming-of-age drama, sci-fi fantasy... The descriptors were solid and visually stimulating as well. All around phenomenal body of work with this one.
February 11, 2021
I’m a huge fan of dystopia and fantasy, and I think The Academy (book 1) does this well. The characters are believable with flaws and imperfections and the dialogue is smooth and feels natural.
There are nods to the YA fantasy greats – Hunger Games and Harry Potter, but I genuinely feel they are just nods. The premise and ideas feel original and fresh (Not like the awful Mortal Instruments series). The violence was visceral and yes, it did jar a little in places, but violence does naturally show and feel uneasy and out of place. If violence felt normal, it wouldn’t be right. Does that make sense? I hope so…
Anyway, this is a great novella with a storyline the reader feels invested in. Definitely think it’s worth a read.
There are nods to the YA fantasy greats – Hunger Games and Harry Potter, but I genuinely feel they are just nods. The premise and ideas feel original and fresh (Not like the awful Mortal Instruments series). The violence was visceral and yes, it did jar a little in places, but violence does naturally show and feel uneasy and out of place. If violence felt normal, it wouldn’t be right. Does that make sense? I hope so…
Anyway, this is a great novella with a storyline the reader feels invested in. Definitely think it’s worth a read.
October 16, 2013
good story idea but bad writing and seems like English is the guys second language or something. it's dragged not drug, congratulations doesn't have a d in it, you can't turn on your heals to name a few. Needs to give the reader a little more credit as well don't need the description of a character every time they're mentioned, eventually we know them just by the name.
October 2, 2015
I loved these books. So far i would say absolutely read these books. They are extremely intense tho with lots of things that hook you into the book. I love intense books, that hook you in and make you want to keep reading and that is exactly what these ones did for me. These are very good books and i highly recommend them.
April 14, 2021
I first read this book when I was around 8, which was a pretty good age to read it. Back then, I didn’t even see the countless grammatical errors or typos, only the awesome concept and story. I love the concept and have been waiting for a fourth instalment since I finished the series a long, long time ago. The bonus of reading this as a kid, is now—even as I despise poor grammar, continuity errors, and misspelt words, which the whole series is riddled with—the nostalgia attached to the story covers it all up. Sure, the way a certain character died (an important plot point) was completely forgotten and changed, and much of it made very little sense while being over-described, but I love the concept and really did enjoy them the first time I read them. That enjoyment has lessened over time, however, as it seems the fourth book is never going to come out, and I really want to know how it ends. Aside from that, I’m not sure if I would recommend this to many people, simply because if grammar and continuity doesn’t put you off, you’re probably a kid, and way too young for the amount of violence. I’m still very glad that I read it though.
April 7, 2018
Interesting book just give it a chance.
Rating 3.5 stars. I think of this book as having two halves. First half was very boring; it was a chore to get through this book. Around halfway through the book, it picks up steam. This book reminds me of The Bone Season. Asa Palmer gets “kidnapped” and arrives at the Academy. When he arrives at the Academy, he finds that he is not exactly welcome there and is not sure why that is. My recommendation is stick through the book; it really does become more interesting.
Rating 3.5 stars. I think of this book as having two halves. First half was very boring; it was a chore to get through this book. Around halfway through the book, it picks up steam. This book reminds me of The Bone Season. Asa Palmer gets “kidnapped” and arrives at the Academy. When he arrives at the Academy, he finds that he is not exactly welcome there and is not sure why that is. My recommendation is stick through the book; it really does become more interesting.
August 15, 2020
Okay, this book has a lot of problems. There are grammar issues everywhere and there are times when the author says something that seems different from what was said previously. However, this book is still great.
It starts off a little slow and you're just reading because you have so many questions, but then it starts to pick up. The Academy is a secretive place and the people running it have no problem casting morals aside to get what they want. Asa and his friends are having to dodge death and unfairness at every turn. If you can look past the errors, this boon will keep you riveted until the end.
It starts off a little slow and you're just reading because you have so many questions, but then it starts to pick up. The Academy is a secretive place and the people running it have no problem casting morals aside to get what they want. Asa and his friends are having to dodge death and unfairness at every turn. If you can look past the errors, this boon will keep you riveted until the end.
January 23, 2022
This book is surprisingly boring, has amateurish plotting and character development, and is exhausting to read. Along with being preposterous. Without spoilers, the big "man behind the curtain" moment is incomprehensibly stupid, I can't imagine any readers saying "yeah, the way that character behave totally makes sense" given what we else the author has told us about them.
September 29, 2017
Very descriptive
It was a very good book, but borders on the too descriptive for its own good. While I am not sure what I expected when I started this journey, it wasn't it, and it proved to be disturbing on a certain level and intriguing. Will be continuing the series
It was a very good book, but borders on the too descriptive for its own good. While I am not sure what I expected when I started this journey, it wasn't it, and it proved to be disturbing on a certain level and intriguing. Will be continuing the series
December 18, 2017
had a hard time finishing this book a little slow moving for me.
August 29, 2021
Great read
Very well written. I have to buy the next book in the series! I recommend these books and this author.
Very well written. I have to buy the next book in the series! I recommend these books and this author.
March 3, 2017
Wow this book is really worth reading. It's only on kindle as far as I know so you might as well sample it but I warn you that once you start reading you won't be able to stop. Might have gotten into trouble a couple of times because of that. Yes there are some typos and things but does that really matter? It didn't change the story of the book for me.
February 28, 2017
Gargoyles. Need I say more? I liked it, but there were moments, especially towards the end, where this book was too dark for me. I haven't picked up the sequel yet. Very Ender's Game meets The Testing type storyline and writing.
June 18, 2014
first sentences
Asa’s Dad’s Friend’s Dog
Asa was listening to the radio before he was pulled over by the cop and it all began. An unusual amount of crows sat in the trees surrounding White Bridge Road, watching Asa’s car cruise by. The steering wheel of the old Volvo vibrated beneath his hands, the suspension unable to keep up with the rocky terrain beneath the tires. He leaned forward and squinted into the summer night; the weak, yellow beams of the rusty car didn’t penetrate far into the country road. Every once in a while he saw a pair of eyes staring out at him from the thick woods that surrounded as he passed on the unmarked stretch of land. Asa was fourteen years old and did not have a driver’s license. The Volvo had been his mother’s. It still smells like her, Asa thought . The cracked red leather on the seats, the chipped mahogany dash and the matless floorboards all reminded him of her. Through the speakers in the car that she had bought, a late-night radio program was playing. It bothered him to hear about the pandemic going on, but he found that he was not able to reach up and turn it off. The voice was vibrant, cheerful and seemed almost mocking when juxtaposed with such serious subject matter. “You’re listening to Dritt PM, the only place to get news, weather and more live in the early hours of the morning beneath the Dritt Texas sky. I’m Chuck Morgan, your host, and joining me today will be biologist Dr. Jaime Harrett from the Dritt Institute of Technology. Dr. Harrett, how are you doing this evening?” “Wonderful.” Asa glanced in his rearviews and saw nothing. Dritt PM had been a nightly news station his whole life. It was completely absurd and unnecessary. The town of 10,000 didn’t need a live radio station that played from midnight to six in the morning, but it had one; just like it didn’t need a theme park , a zoo or the biggest man-made reservoir in the world, but they were there too. When you live in a town with Robert King’s son, you have access to a lot of things that you don’t need. Asa had heard that Cobb King suffered from insomnia, so he bought a whole radio station just so that he could listen to it if he went for a nighttime drive.
Leito, Chad (2013-03-11). The Academy: Book 1 (Kindle Locations 5-28). . Kindle Edition.
Asa’s Dad’s Friend’s Dog
Asa was listening to the radio before he was pulled over by the cop and it all began. An unusual amount of crows sat in the trees surrounding White Bridge Road, watching Asa’s car cruise by. The steering wheel of the old Volvo vibrated beneath his hands, the suspension unable to keep up with the rocky terrain beneath the tires. He leaned forward and squinted into the summer night; the weak, yellow beams of the rusty car didn’t penetrate far into the country road. Every once in a while he saw a pair of eyes staring out at him from the thick woods that surrounded as he passed on the unmarked stretch of land. Asa was fourteen years old and did not have a driver’s license. The Volvo had been his mother’s. It still smells like her, Asa thought . The cracked red leather on the seats, the chipped mahogany dash and the matless floorboards all reminded him of her. Through the speakers in the car that she had bought, a late-night radio program was playing. It bothered him to hear about the pandemic going on, but he found that he was not able to reach up and turn it off. The voice was vibrant, cheerful and seemed almost mocking when juxtaposed with such serious subject matter. “You’re listening to Dritt PM, the only place to get news, weather and more live in the early hours of the morning beneath the Dritt Texas sky. I’m Chuck Morgan, your host, and joining me today will be biologist Dr. Jaime Harrett from the Dritt Institute of Technology. Dr. Harrett, how are you doing this evening?” “Wonderful.” Asa glanced in his rearviews and saw nothing. Dritt PM had been a nightly news station his whole life. It was completely absurd and unnecessary. The town of 10,000 didn’t need a live radio station that played from midnight to six in the morning, but it had one; just like it didn’t need a theme park , a zoo or the biggest man-made reservoir in the world, but they were there too. When you live in a town with Robert King’s son, you have access to a lot of things that you don’t need. Asa had heard that Cobb King suffered from insomnia, so he bought a whole radio station just so that he could listen to it if he went for a nighttime drive.
Leito, Chad (2013-03-11). The Academy: Book 1 (Kindle Locations 5-28). . Kindle Edition.
November 1, 2015
Exciting science fiction/fantasy featuring teens who are kidnapped and brought to a secret location in the mountains. They are forced to learn, fight, do one hazardous task per semester and get mutation shots. They must earn 1000 points by the end of the fourth semester or they won't graduate. You don't want to fail this school. Why are they being subjected to all this? It is so the most powerful organization in the world will have enough agents for the assignments given by the owners of a powerful company. The teens are told that the graduates go on to do humanitarian work but Asa, the main character, and his friends see hints that things aren't as they seem. The first day they are given the first mutation shot so they can grow wings. Then, they are told not to speak or communicate in any way by look or action or words or they will be killed. This school teaches some complex subjects that would stump most college students. They must participate in "winggame" a flying sport where each team tries to fly through hoops while trying to prevent the other team from scoring. Each game is worth 20 points and each class is worth 10 points so it will be hard to graduate. Each semester is 6 months long and one big task worth 100 points and a smaller task worth 50 points are given this first semester. They have 8 regular games and earn 50 points for the two semifinals and 100 for winning the championship. This makes for brutal games and weeds out the weak.
The only thing I have a problem with is the author needs to buy a dictionary and a book of English grammar rules. He spells words wrong so that the word is a real word but has the wrong meaning. Usually you can puzzle out what he is really trying to say because he uses a word that sounds like the one he wants but it has another meaning altogether.
The only thing I have a problem with is the author needs to buy a dictionary and a book of English grammar rules. He spells words wrong so that the word is a real word but has the wrong meaning. Usually you can puzzle out what he is really trying to say because he uses a word that sounds like the one he wants but it has another meaning altogether.
August 14, 2014
I bought this book after reading the sample on Amazon. It sucked me in- I read the entire sample & then immediately went and bought it. Which is something I rarely do. But it kind of went down hill from there:
--People have already mentioned the spelling errors & misused words. Honestly, I probably could have ignored them (altho "Satin" for "Satan" made me laugh). But there were times when sentences didn't make any sense & I had to reread it several times trying to figure out what the author might have meant. Also USING THE WRONG NAME!!! Sometimes at crucial points, like right before somebody was killed. Those kind of mistakes really pulled me out of the story and made it difficult to read.
--The ending was a bit better I guess, but there was this giant exposition dump. You're told everything in one long narration.
--There's a lot of bizarre elements in this book. An Arctic jungle, mutated raccoon janitors.. but two things really bugged me. They had computers that worked by rearranging the treads on their armbands & displaying information by stitching it on the fabric? Um why?? Also, the characters were mutated & grew wings. Ok. But evidently after the wings burst out of their back, they could be retracted completely back into the skin? The character were told not to leave them in too long so that the skin wouldn't regrow over the exit wounds... What??
There were some good ideas: the devastating Wolf Flu wiping out a large part of the world's population, the super powerful man with the vaccine... a brutal academy made up of kidnapped students being trained for some mysterious purpose... Those were the things that pulled me in but the story just had a lot problems. :(
--People have already mentioned the spelling errors & misused words. Honestly, I probably could have ignored them (altho "Satin" for "Satan" made me laugh). But there were times when sentences didn't make any sense & I had to reread it several times trying to figure out what the author might have meant. Also USING THE WRONG NAME!!! Sometimes at crucial points, like right before somebody was killed. Those kind of mistakes really pulled me out of the story and made it difficult to read.
--The ending was a bit better I guess, but there was this giant exposition dump. You're told everything in one long narration.
--There's a lot of bizarre elements in this book. An Arctic jungle, mutated raccoon janitors.. but two things really bugged me. They had computers that worked by rearranging the treads on their armbands & displaying information by stitching it on the fabric? Um why?? Also, the characters were mutated & grew wings. Ok. But evidently after the wings burst out of their back, they could be retracted completely back into the skin? The character were told not to leave them in too long so that the skin wouldn't regrow over the exit wounds... What??
There were some good ideas: the devastating Wolf Flu wiping out a large part of the world's population, the super powerful man with the vaccine... a brutal academy made up of kidnapped students being trained for some mysterious purpose... Those were the things that pulled me in but the story just had a lot problems. :(
June 19, 2014
well Ill start out with the fact that I've only gotten through about a third of the book. The spelling and grammatical errors are obvious. it doesn't feel like a finished book. "site" is not the same word as "sight". I can forgive poor plot devices, and (to a point) bad writing, but who the hell edited this? The misspelled words and errors in grammar are simply unforgivable in a published work (that I paid for).
in any case I thought the story would get interesting enough to get past it. It mostly makes me angry. The most promising and intelligent teenagers in the country are kidnapped and killed for arbitrary reasons. Oh you screamed when the person next to you was shot in the head for simply saying "God bless you" I guess you will have to die too for sneezing. (seriously) I will not be satisfied with this book unless every individual associated with this organization and the "academy" itself is buried underground. I doubt that will happen. I may amend my review when and if I finish this book, however, the spelling and grammatical errors are enough to stay away. There are SO many other books in this vein that are better reads. "The Name of the Wind" or "The Way of Kings" to name a few. Christ, I even enjoyed the "Prince of Thorns" book thoroughly, despite the fact that the main character is (to put it lightly) a douchebag. I can get past these things if the story is written well. It doesn't rouse me from my imagination or thoughts when I encounter a spelling error. re-reading the line to make sure I'm not misunderstanding a line of dialog.
in any case I thought the story would get interesting enough to get past it. It mostly makes me angry. The most promising and intelligent teenagers in the country are kidnapped and killed for arbitrary reasons. Oh you screamed when the person next to you was shot in the head for simply saying "God bless you" I guess you will have to die too for sneezing. (seriously) I will not be satisfied with this book unless every individual associated with this organization and the "academy" itself is buried underground. I doubt that will happen. I may amend my review when and if I finish this book, however, the spelling and grammatical errors are enough to stay away. There are SO many other books in this vein that are better reads. "The Name of the Wind" or "The Way of Kings" to name a few. Christ, I even enjoyed the "Prince of Thorns" book thoroughly, despite the fact that the main character is (to put it lightly) a douchebag. I can get past these things if the story is written well. It doesn't rouse me from my imagination or thoughts when I encounter a spelling error. re-reading the line to make sure I'm not misunderstanding a line of dialog.
January 16, 2014
Yes, as many of the other reviews alluded, there are quite a few grammar errors. The book could have definitely benefited from another external proof-read. I am surprised, more haven't commented on the obvious Harry Potter influence of the book. Granted, it is undoubtedly a more graphic and adult themed story, but the similarities in plot and character relationships are unquestionable. I'd say it is more akin to Harry Potter, if told by Clive Barker, after he just read Carol Berg's TRANSFORMATION.
All of that considered, This book does so many things well. It has a story that continues to build and engross the reader. I, a person who prides himself on figuring out every supposed plot twist an author can come up with, was still guessing, up until the last 5%.
Hey, if you can overlook the, only mildly annoying, editing issue, you will find a gem of a tale. One, I will Assuredly continue to follow.
All of that considered, This book does so many things well. It has a story that continues to build and engross the reader. I, a person who prides himself on figuring out every supposed plot twist an author can come up with, was still guessing, up until the last 5%.
Hey, if you can overlook the, only mildly annoying, editing issue, you will find a gem of a tale. One, I will Assuredly continue to follow.
July 12, 2016
Ever since Harry Potter, there is a certain type of young adult book that is difficult to read without wanting to compare it to JK Rowling’s successful series. The Academy is one of those books. It has a lot of the same elements: a school where young students are isolated and learn to tap into powers they didn’t know they had, supernatural creatures, a seemingly unbeatable villain, a likable and clueless main character, and a story world so richly imagined that it is easy to picture every aspect of the story. But that is where the similarities end. And while I can’t help compare this book to Harry Potter, the Academy is very much its own story—and a very good one at that. It’s much darker and I enjoyed the fact that the “powers” the characters have (or will get) are the result of genetic manipulation instead of magic. Also this book is very well written. I can’t wait to read the next one!
June 29, 2014
I liked the concept but there are a few things for me that made this only a two star instead of three. First was the fairly terrible editing job that missed words such as 'you're' instead of 'your' and 'hear' instead of 'here' and was generally distracting from the plot.
Secondly, most actions or scenes seemed staccato. Whether is the result of the writing or there were not enough connections I'm not sure, but it made the book less enjoyable.
The last thing that really bothered me was how calmly Asa accepted the kidnap and everything that subsequently happened. I found that completely unbelievable and a little alarming.
The abundance of different characters and types of people at The Academy is interesting though. I might look at getting the second book after finishing some other books on my reading list.
Secondly, most actions or scenes seemed staccato. Whether is the result of the writing or there were not enough connections I'm not sure, but it made the book less enjoyable.
The last thing that really bothered me was how calmly Asa accepted the kidnap and everything that subsequently happened. I found that completely unbelievable and a little alarming.
The abundance of different characters and types of people at The Academy is interesting though. I might look at getting the second book after finishing some other books on my reading list.
February 26, 2015
After reading the book description I thought it sounded like it would be a good book. I didn't realize it was another 'Harry Potter' attempt. I don't have a problem with 'same theme' books, because a different author can have the same theme but a different 'plot'; however, this book was simply terrible. When I really dislike a book I make myself finish just to give the author the benefit of the doubt. So, yes, I did read this book alllllll the way to the end. As others have mentioned ANOTHER terribly edited eBook. Fifteen year olds are kidnapped and taken to "The Academy" a super secret organization, only you have a better chance of dying than learning any thing. You talk during the first week ... you die. You work out in the gym ... instructors kill you ... and so on. Really can't recommend this book at all.
July 27, 2015
Academy 1 started good. Our protagonist is Asa Palmer, we follow his thoughts and actions in this book. 450 teenagers is taken every 6 months by the academy, a secret organization. We follow Asa in his first semester where classes, various tests, challenges and people that want to kill him will be a big challenge. It is kill or be killed, survival is everything.
I gave this book only two stars because I got more and more fed up by Asa's inner thoughts. He went through events repeatedly throughout the book in so many ways. It filled up the book with so much pointless repetitive reading, it broke up the flow of the book, and he's whiny and indecisive all the way through. The plot has great promise though, just wish our protagonist was a bit more fun to follow.
At this point, I don't know if I will try book two.
I gave this book only two stars because I got more and more fed up by Asa's inner thoughts. He went through events repeatedly throughout the book in so many ways. It filled up the book with so much pointless repetitive reading, it broke up the flow of the book, and he's whiny and indecisive all the way through. The plot has great promise though, just wish our protagonist was a bit more fun to follow.
At this point, I don't know if I will try book two.
November 2, 2014
This book (in my opinion) is like the anti-Harry Potter story.
The Academy is not a school to learn from friendly, benevolent teachers.
There is no warm fire in the common room.
You go there by being kidnapped, then tied to rocks & thrown in the ocean.
If you speak during the first week of school, you are shot dead (splat!)
And you are given drugs that alter your DNA, giving you wings that sprout from your back.
Okay, that's cool, but it was very painful for our hero.
And there is a lot of violence.
This book is incredibly creative, but personally, it's not my kind of book.
It was just a little too violent for me.
I think that this book is better suited to a male audience.
If I were a teen boy, I'm pretty sure I would love it.
The Academy is not a school to learn from friendly, benevolent teachers.
There is no warm fire in the common room.
You go there by being kidnapped, then tied to rocks & thrown in the ocean.
If you speak during the first week of school, you are shot dead (splat!)
And you are given drugs that alter your DNA, giving you wings that sprout from your back.
Okay, that's cool, but it was very painful for our hero.
And there is a lot of violence.
This book is incredibly creative, but personally, it's not my kind of book.
It was just a little too violent for me.
I think that this book is better suited to a male audience.
If I were a teen boy, I'm pretty sure I would love it.
April 16, 2014
The Academy is a dark underworld sci-fi mystery that really had me intrigued. If you like these types of stories, then this book will really deliver for you. Chad Leito really has a gift for imaginative, dark story telling. He really does an amazing job of using imagery to really set the feel of the story. I could vividly see many of the characters, as well as the storylines & settings, in my mind as I read! If you are looking for a good read that will make you think and feel… and have a strong stomach for evil & debauchery, then this book should be at the top of your list! I highly recommend it to everyone!!!! It would make a great feature film!!!
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