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Acquisition
Eli’s future is a life spent scavenging on the Rim. He sells trash to survive, while on the Topside, citizens live in hedonistic luxury. Eli dreams of obtaining citizenship by becoming a handler; bonded with a bio-organic life form called a meka.
On the Topside, handlers are celebrities, pitting their skills in televised meka battles. But new legislation will only allow those with citizenship to become handlers and Eli can’t raise the money to buy a meka before the law is passed.
A grifter named Kalex offers Eli a meka of his own, if he competes in an illegal fight to the death. Eli realises his meka can’t win, but Kalex has no intention of letting him or his meka escape alive. As Eli flees into the city, he knows Kalex is on his tail. And it’s only a matter of time before Kalex finds them...
On the Topside, handlers are celebrities, pitting their skills in televised meka battles. But new legislation will only allow those with citizenship to become handlers and Eli can’t raise the money to buy a meka before the law is passed.
A grifter named Kalex offers Eli a meka of his own, if he competes in an illegal fight to the death. Eli realises his meka can’t win, but Kalex has no intention of letting him or his meka escape alive. As Eli flees into the city, he knows Kalex is on his tail. And it’s only a matter of time before Kalex finds them...
- GenresFantasy
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2013
5 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Talitha Kalago
5 books8 followersBorn in 1985, Talitha Kalago lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. She loves reading, video games, documentaries, horror movies and vegetable patches. She lives with an alarming collection of previously abandoned or unwanted animals that include dogs, cats, birds and snakes. She loves aquascaping and dedicates too much time to her numerous aquariums and aquatic invertebrates.
There is a 23% chance she is watching a horror movie as you read this.
There is a 23% chance she is watching a horror movie as you read this.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 8, 2016
In a market flooded to the brim with sparkling vampires, evil fairies, plucky heroines and love triangles, Talitha Kalago's LIFESPHERE INC: ACQUISITION is a breath of fresh air. The plot is fast paced and engaging, the characters fleshed out and unique, the world building expansive and fully-realized. The language and length of the book are perfect for a young reader, or a not-so-young one like myself that is just looking for a quick, entertaining read. I also have to add that this is one of the most perfectly edited and well-formatted indie novels I've ever had the pleasure to read.
June 12, 2017
A fast, fun read for middle-grade readers that reminded me of a grittier, more nuanced Pokémon story. The narrative has great heart, and the relationship between Eli and Phyrre is charming and well-written. The psychic link between humans and their meka adds an interesting layer to the story.
February 13, 2017
For as long as he can remember, Eli's dream has been to have a meka and compete in tournaments. It's the one thing that might get him out of the poverty cycle of the Rim. Unfortunately dreams die easily on the Rim, and with new laws coming in banning any person without a citizenship card from getting a meka, it looks as though Eli's dream will be just another disappointment.
Then he hears of a way to get a meka. It's not legal, and it's dangerous, but Eli's willing to go after what he wants, no matter the cost.
Acquisition is set in a really interesting world. We only see a narrow slice of it in this first book, but there's plenty of room to grow. While Acquisition is a dystopian fantasy, it's more fun than gloom. Aimed at middle-grade readers, it is interesting enough to keep older readers turning pages. The meka and battle scenes are almost tangible, characters are riveting and the setting is unique.
Then he hears of a way to get a meka. It's not legal, and it's dangerous, but Eli's willing to go after what he wants, no matter the cost.
Acquisition is set in a really interesting world. We only see a narrow slice of it in this first book, but there's plenty of room to grow. While Acquisition is a dystopian fantasy, it's more fun than gloom. Aimed at middle-grade readers, it is interesting enough to keep older readers turning pages. The meka and battle scenes are almost tangible, characters are riveting and the setting is unique.
July 6, 2013
Summary: A short punchy read with captivating characters and dynamic fight scenes.
Eli's got it all figured out, he's going to buy himself a meka, train hard and then become rich. Too bad the government made just made them illegal for non-citizens such as himself. So begins the story of a kid who dreams big but doesn't yet know the price he will have to pay if he wants to achieve it.
There's a villain who swears revenge, a plucky girl in a wheelchair who is all sass and answers, and there's fight scenes. Lots of awesome fight scenes.
As a movie addict who lived for the one-two punch of an action hero gone rogue, I thought books and fights wouldn't mix. I was wrong. Talitha takes you into the scene. You are drawn into the scenes via the characters. When Phyrre screams in agony, so did I. When Eli scrambles to save her, I did too. I was right there with them.
In movies, I only watched the sequences take place. In lifesphere, I lived them.
The pace of the novel is breakneck with a danger lurking around every corner for our hero and uncertainty in every dump. Each character is well-defined and given agency so they add to the plot. The language is crisp and clean with the occasional literary flourish which reminds you that you are in good hands.
Overall. I loved this book. It's the kind of novel I would have thoroughly enjoyed as a child growing up and it would have made me dream of training my own meka and taking the world by storm.
The good news is that the novel is currently free. If you haven't already added this to your must-read list, I would highly recommend you do.
Five stars from me!
Eli's got it all figured out, he's going to buy himself a meka, train hard and then become rich. Too bad the government made just made them illegal for non-citizens such as himself. So begins the story of a kid who dreams big but doesn't yet know the price he will have to pay if he wants to achieve it.
There's a villain who swears revenge, a plucky girl in a wheelchair who is all sass and answers, and there's fight scenes. Lots of awesome fight scenes.
As a movie addict who lived for the one-two punch of an action hero gone rogue, I thought books and fights wouldn't mix. I was wrong. Talitha takes you into the scene. You are drawn into the scenes via the characters. When Phyrre screams in agony, so did I. When Eli scrambles to save her, I did too. I was right there with them.
In movies, I only watched the sequences take place. In lifesphere, I lived them.
The pace of the novel is breakneck with a danger lurking around every corner for our hero and uncertainty in every dump. Each character is well-defined and given agency so they add to the plot. The language is crisp and clean with the occasional literary flourish which reminds you that you are in good hands.
Overall. I loved this book. It's the kind of novel I would have thoroughly enjoyed as a child growing up and it would have made me dream of training my own meka and taking the world by storm.
The good news is that the novel is currently free. If you haven't already added this to your must-read list, I would highly recommend you do.
Five stars from me!
May 28, 2013
Eli trawls the junkyard for ‘treasure’ to sell just so he can have instant noodles for dinner, but he dreams of a better life Topside. The only way for someone from the Rim to get there is by having a meka – a bio engineered life form – that one can compete in spectacular battles with. A law is about to be passed forbidding anyone from the Rim gaining possession of a meka. Eli will do anything to achieve his dream, and takes drastic measures that put his life in danger to obtain a meka.
Lifesphere Inc: Acquisition is the first in a series set in a dystopian future where citizenship is comfort – or perhaps that’s how it seems to those who live in the junkyards on the Rim. The world is well fleshed out, with multiple levels to society, most of which aren’t what they initially seem.
The bio-engineered life forms, the meka, are a cool idea enabling plenty of exciting fights without forcing
teenagers to beating each other up. At first it seemed a little Pokemon-eque, but the connection a handler has to their meka is a deep psychic bond which, if your meka dies, leaves you a hollowed out shell of a person. I’m also impressed that battles aren’t the only thing one can do with mekas.
There’s a wit and charm to the characters (Eli and Squall in particular) which makes you care for them, when betrayals occur you can almost feel the knife in your own back. Kalago certainly doesn’t go easy on Eli either.
This is a great YA novel with a lot of appeal which I recommend to fans of Japanese animation, readers who enjoy dystopian futures and those looking for a good YA adventure. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
Lifesphere Inc: Acquisition is the first in a series set in a dystopian future where citizenship is comfort – or perhaps that’s how it seems to those who live in the junkyards on the Rim. The world is well fleshed out, with multiple levels to society, most of which aren’t what they initially seem.
The bio-engineered life forms, the meka, are a cool idea enabling plenty of exciting fights without forcing
teenagers to beating each other up. At first it seemed a little Pokemon-eque, but the connection a handler has to their meka is a deep psychic bond which, if your meka dies, leaves you a hollowed out shell of a person. I’m also impressed that battles aren’t the only thing one can do with mekas.
There’s a wit and charm to the characters (Eli and Squall in particular) which makes you care for them, when betrayals occur you can almost feel the knife in your own back. Kalago certainly doesn’t go easy on Eli either.
This is a great YA novel with a lot of appeal which I recommend to fans of Japanese animation, readers who enjoy dystopian futures and those looking for a good YA adventure. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
May 25, 2024
Why do I keep doing this to myself. Every time I read this book i go into deep depression cause the rest of the series haven't been released.
December 30, 2016
Acquisition is a story about Eli, a boy from the slums who has a dream. All he wants to do is escape the slums and get himself a Meka, but for Eli there is no easy path to success.
The Bad Stuff: I didn't really find anything worth a mention, but for the sake of making a comment, YA isn't really my thing.
The Good Stuff: Talitha Kalago does a great job of building a believable world for this YA Novel. Her characters have there own distinct personalities and her prose is well written and enjoyable. If I had to describe this book, I would say it is akin to a futuristic Pokémon, set in a harsh, gritty world where the rich are rich, and the poor are cast out and forgotten.
I liked this book as an adult, if I had read it 20 years ago, I would have loved it. I'm giving it 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
The Bad Stuff: I didn't really find anything worth a mention, but for the sake of making a comment, YA isn't really my thing.
The Good Stuff: Talitha Kalago does a great job of building a believable world for this YA Novel. Her characters have there own distinct personalities and her prose is well written and enjoyable. If I had to describe this book, I would say it is akin to a futuristic Pokémon, set in a harsh, gritty world where the rich are rich, and the poor are cast out and forgotten.
I liked this book as an adult, if I had read it 20 years ago, I would have loved it. I'm giving it 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
November 17, 2013
Oh Aquillis, let's just get married already.
This book was just all kinds of fun. Firstly, there's the fantastic characters: Eli is an idiot with all the heart in the world and Squall makes me want to fistpump, like, constantly. And then, of course, is my man Aquillis who is having waaay too much swanning around with his unicorn(bull-unicorn? I don't even know) and being all rich and superior. Yes. A world of yes.
And that's not even touching the plot which is constant and surprising and has opened up a whole bunch of fascinating doors for the sequels. Bring them on, I say.
But mostly, bring on more Aquillis. Personally, I'm hoping that Squall punches him at some point in the future. Because it would be glorious and I would laugh.
This book was just all kinds of fun. Firstly, there's the fantastic characters: Eli is an idiot with all the heart in the world and Squall makes me want to fistpump, like, constantly. And then, of course, is my man Aquillis who is having waaay too much swanning around with his unicorn(bull-unicorn? I don't even know) and being all rich and superior. Yes. A world of yes.
And that's not even touching the plot which is constant and surprising and has opened up a whole bunch of fascinating doors for the sequels. Bring them on, I say.
But mostly, bring on more Aquillis. Personally, I'm hoping that Squall punches him at some point in the future. Because it would be glorious and I would laugh.
February 21, 2014
"I absolutely love the concept for this story. I really enjoy the idea of having a creature that is different because it has your DNA. I like that humans and meka are linked in a psychic way. It made me want to know how these creatures were created; it made me want to know their backstory...
So, there’s a lot that I liked in this novel, but I found myself disliking how easy some things were resolved. Eli needed to get an orange level citizenship. No problem. They got a backer, and it was resolved. I wanted there to be more conflict there! A lot of the main conflicts seemed to get tied up neatly with convenient solutions." http://www.germmagazine.com/review-li...
So, there’s a lot that I liked in this novel, but I found myself disliking how easy some things were resolved. Eli needed to get an orange level citizenship. No problem. They got a backer, and it was resolved. I wanted there to be more conflict there! A lot of the main conflicts seemed to get tied up neatly with convenient solutions." http://www.germmagazine.com/review-li...
September 29, 2013
3.5 Decent read, I especially liked the way it started out.
Ready Player One meets Pokemon; I would have enjoyed this more with less of the latter. I just wasn't terribly into the fighting aspects of this story, although appreciated the world the author created.
Ready Player One meets Pokemon; I would have enjoyed this more with less of the latter. I just wasn't terribly into the fighting aspects of this story, although appreciated the world the author created.
September 21, 2014
A quick read, predictable at the end but enough suspense to want you to finish. I enjoyed the dystopian world created here with a new take on gladiator type of activity. I'm glad I picked it up.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews