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The Renewables
Clay and Jennie Evans, an aged couple celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary on a trip to Florida, stumble into a mythical reality and are reborn as teenagers overnight. Their immediate joy soon turns to confusion as they are forced to deal with an unbelieving world. Help eventually comes along from members of a secret society, ultimately leading them into the adventure of their lives within a remote African village. Dodging death while preserving Kenyan native life, the couple returns months later to their Alabama home where they uncover the science behind their newfound youth, potentially leading all humanity to longer healthier life.
314 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2013
1 person is currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Van Soye
9 books11 followers A retiree from an engineering, sales and marketing career, Chuck now relaxes in the culture-rich, laid-back resort city of Key West, FL, where as an officer of the Key West Writers Guild, he actively fellowships with several dozen other published writers on a week-to-week basis.
Ghost of Africa’s heroic protagonist, Bret Lee, also comes alive in two of Chuck’s other fictional thrillers, American for Sale, (2016) and Spy Mates, (2013). His followers also enjoy his fiction in the humorous urban fantasy, Young Again…and Again…and Again, (2014). These retirement-era books, all offered on Amazon, culminate years of professional work immersed in nonfiction as a McGraw-Hill editor and writer, the founding editor of DuPont’s monthly “Journal of Teflon,” a freelance writer for an ad agency, the nonfiction book Pondering Life’s Imponderables, and the editor of five Amazon books by other authors.
Ghost of Africa’s heroic protagonist, Bret Lee, also comes alive in two of Chuck’s other fictional thrillers, American for Sale, (2016) and Spy Mates, (2013). His followers also enjoy his fiction in the humorous urban fantasy, Young Again…and Again…and Again, (2014). These retirement-era books, all offered on Amazon, culminate years of professional work immersed in nonfiction as a McGraw-Hill editor and writer, the founding editor of DuPont’s monthly “Journal of Teflon,” a freelance writer for an ad agency, the nonfiction book Pondering Life’s Imponderables, and the editor of five Amazon books by other authors.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 8, 2014
Well, I liked the concept in which a couple married 54 years visit Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth and, for reasons you’ll have to read to find out, are “renewed”. They wake up one morning approximately 60 years younger. It was fun reading their reaction to their new bodies. After that point, the story weakened dramatically.
After only the slightest incredulity, family and friends too easily curbed their skepticism. At one point, the legal system was involved and was also fairly easily convinced that these folks simply became young again. Everyone accepted this astonishing fact and moved on. No major news stories about them, no insurance questions, and no meddling by the CDC or the Federal Government. It was too much for me to accept.
The dialogue was also a little weak for my liking. Among a few other things, I found it annoying that so many of the conversations ended with a “bye”. I think that is generally inferred and seemed to particularly irate me.
It's a quick read. So, if you like a little fantasy and wonder what it would be like to become young again, this is an "OK" read.
After only the slightest incredulity, family and friends too easily curbed their skepticism. At one point, the legal system was involved and was also fairly easily convinced that these folks simply became young again. Everyone accepted this astonishing fact and moved on. No major news stories about them, no insurance questions, and no meddling by the CDC or the Federal Government. It was too much for me to accept.
The dialogue was also a little weak for my liking. Among a few other things, I found it annoying that so many of the conversations ended with a “bye”. I think that is generally inferred and seemed to particularly irate me.
It's a quick read. So, if you like a little fantasy and wonder what it would be like to become young again, this is an "OK" read.
March 24, 2014
If you are looking for a fun and entertaining read, The Renewables by Chuck Van Soye may just be the right read for you. It is a book that has well-developed characters, interesting plot and a setting hitherto unexplored which is refreshingly delightful. Kenya as the setting is truly magnificent and the details are quite authentic which makes the story truly believable.
The Renewables by Chuck Van Soye is not just an ordinary story that follows Clay and Jennie Evans, an aged couple celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary. It is a well-conceived story fabulously fashioned to narrate an elderly couple who are propelled back into their youth after visiting the Fountain of Youth. You can just imagine their surprise as they are transported back into their carefree young lives. Full of humor, comedy, drama and relevant issues confronting society, The Renewables is a truly delightful read.
The Renewables by Chuck Van Soye is not just an ordinary story that follows Clay and Jennie Evans, an aged couple celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary. It is a well-conceived story fabulously fashioned to narrate an elderly couple who are propelled back into their youth after visiting the Fountain of Youth. You can just imagine their surprise as they are transported back into their carefree young lives. Full of humor, comedy, drama and relevant issues confronting society, The Renewables is a truly delightful read.
March 18, 2014
A different take on time travel!
Chuck Van Soye keeps taking on new writing challenges, perhaps influenced by his background of serving as a chemical engineer, a participant in the sales and marketing aspect of business, and as an editor and writer for McGraw-Hill. He has written countless articles on various subjects from fact to fiction, from intrigue to expose of government and prison reform, from armchair musings on life, and now he adds science fiction fantasy to that repertoire. His writing style is straightforward, no pretense, easily readable and accessible, and able to blend intrigue with warm humor.
Van Soye takes a different slant on the concept of time travel and it is a refreshing one. An elderly couple, Clay and Jennie Evans, decide to spend their 54th wedding anniversary in Florida - the oldest city in the US, St. Augustine to be exact, where their sight seeing includes visiting the Fountain of Youth where Ponce De Leon landed in 1513. Taking a tumble into the waters of the fountain results in a transformation for Clay: he awakens the next morning in the body he had as a teenager. Shocked and delighted the couple soon arrange for a similar transformation to happen with Jennie and it is this leap back in time appearance that confuses their family and their own perception of how people's reaction to teenagers differs from that to seniors and results in the investigation of a sect of Renewables that seduces and transports them to Kenya and as their story continues they are caught up in DNA facts and questions, toy with PDL water (`the humanization of monoclonal antibodies and a new generation of targeted treatments for cancer and immunologic diseases'), or as Van Soye relates it, `they're playing with samples of their own DNA, and snipping key fragments embodying the Renewables sequence from them, and then sticking those fragments on ordinary DNA from other donors'. In other words, the experience Clay and Jennie have had is an introduction to a science to enable humanity to enjoy longer lives.
The story gets a bit dodgy at times, but the overriding feeling of it is an escapade by seniors that rivals the current trend in youngsters' obsession with like stories from comic books and games. Just relax with it and go along for the fun ride. Grady Harp, March 14
Chuck Van Soye keeps taking on new writing challenges, perhaps influenced by his background of serving as a chemical engineer, a participant in the sales and marketing aspect of business, and as an editor and writer for McGraw-Hill. He has written countless articles on various subjects from fact to fiction, from intrigue to expose of government and prison reform, from armchair musings on life, and now he adds science fiction fantasy to that repertoire. His writing style is straightforward, no pretense, easily readable and accessible, and able to blend intrigue with warm humor.
Van Soye takes a different slant on the concept of time travel and it is a refreshing one. An elderly couple, Clay and Jennie Evans, decide to spend their 54th wedding anniversary in Florida - the oldest city in the US, St. Augustine to be exact, where their sight seeing includes visiting the Fountain of Youth where Ponce De Leon landed in 1513. Taking a tumble into the waters of the fountain results in a transformation for Clay: he awakens the next morning in the body he had as a teenager. Shocked and delighted the couple soon arrange for a similar transformation to happen with Jennie and it is this leap back in time appearance that confuses their family and their own perception of how people's reaction to teenagers differs from that to seniors and results in the investigation of a sect of Renewables that seduces and transports them to Kenya and as their story continues they are caught up in DNA facts and questions, toy with PDL water (`the humanization of monoclonal antibodies and a new generation of targeted treatments for cancer and immunologic diseases'), or as Van Soye relates it, `they're playing with samples of their own DNA, and snipping key fragments embodying the Renewables sequence from them, and then sticking those fragments on ordinary DNA from other donors'. In other words, the experience Clay and Jennie have had is an introduction to a science to enable humanity to enjoy longer lives.
The story gets a bit dodgy at times, but the overriding feeling of it is an escapade by seniors that rivals the current trend in youngsters' obsession with like stories from comic books and games. Just relax with it and go along for the fun ride. Grady Harp, March 14
February 1, 2015
The Renewables by Chuck Van Soye is a Contemporary Fantasy novel. I received an electronic copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This novel centers on an elderly couple named Clay and Jennie Evans. The story begins with them celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary with a trip to Florida. At the ages of 81 and 78, they are definitely not as spry as they once were. The couple decides to visit the legendary 'Fountain of Youth' where Clay stumbles and falls into the fountain. When he awakes the next day he has been reborn into the body of a teenager. Needless to say, this freaks out both himself and his wife. However, she is still in her 78 year old body, so they devise a plan to immerse her in the fountain as well. After an unnecessarily complicated plan and it's successful execution, Jennie is also reborn into her youthful body. This story then follows the couple as they go on a philanthropic visit to install a well in a remote African village and as they set out to determine how their accidental discovery might be used to help all of mankind.
POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT - STOP READING NOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SPOILERS!
While I thoroughly enjoyed this story, there were a few places where it stretched the bounds of believability to the breaking point. When Clay must prove to the legal system that he really is an 81 year old man in the body of a 19 year old they seem to accept the DNA and other evidence almost too readily. And, the fact that this miracle never made it into the media is completely unbelievable. We live in a time where even the most mundane things make the news, the regeneration of a person's youth would definitely become a media circus. Also, when they meet their grown children, they too seem to accept the change in their parents too easily. To believe that their teenage grandson did not immediately start texting his friends, or post a video on YouTube or Instagram is simply unbelievable. I have teenage sons and there is no way they would be able to resist posting something so incredible and unbelievable. I understand that the author did not want to dwell on these issues for the sake of moving the story along, however, if they had become media curiosities and escaped into Africa to try to get away from the media frenzy it would have added more credibility to the story. The other issue I had with this book was the addition of the Jihadists. Even after finishing the book I am unsure as to why they were included in the plot at all. If it was because of the theft they undertake, this could have just as easily been done by someone from another village. The inclusion of terrorists into this story was unnecessary in my opinion.
RATING Despite the issues listed above, I enjoyed this story and thought that it was interesting and definitely different from other books of the same topic. People have been seeking the Fountain of Life for hundreds of years and the fascination with being able to restore one's youth will never die. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For more information about Chuck Van Soye visit http://www.keywestwritersguild.org/ch...
To read more of my reviews visit http://amiesbookreviews.WordPress.com
POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT - STOP READING NOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SPOILERS!
While I thoroughly enjoyed this story, there were a few places where it stretched the bounds of believability to the breaking point. When Clay must prove to the legal system that he really is an 81 year old man in the body of a 19 year old they seem to accept the DNA and other evidence almost too readily. And, the fact that this miracle never made it into the media is completely unbelievable. We live in a time where even the most mundane things make the news, the regeneration of a person's youth would definitely become a media circus. Also, when they meet their grown children, they too seem to accept the change in their parents too easily. To believe that their teenage grandson did not immediately start texting his friends, or post a video on YouTube or Instagram is simply unbelievable. I have teenage sons and there is no way they would be able to resist posting something so incredible and unbelievable. I understand that the author did not want to dwell on these issues for the sake of moving the story along, however, if they had become media curiosities and escaped into Africa to try to get away from the media frenzy it would have added more credibility to the story. The other issue I had with this book was the addition of the Jihadists. Even after finishing the book I am unsure as to why they were included in the plot at all. If it was because of the theft they undertake, this could have just as easily been done by someone from another village. The inclusion of terrorists into this story was unnecessary in my opinion.
RATING Despite the issues listed above, I enjoyed this story and thought that it was interesting and definitely different from other books of the same topic. People have been seeking the Fountain of Life for hundreds of years and the fascination with being able to restore one's youth will never die. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: For more information about Chuck Van Soye visit http://www.keywestwritersguild.org/ch...
To read more of my reviews visit http://amiesbookreviews.WordPress.com
July 29, 2016
As a man in his late 50s, the premise of this book was far too interesting to pass up, not to mention being someone who is very health-conscious and is always looking for ways to shave a few years off his life. I also knew that the science fiction aspect of the story would appeal to my guilty pleasure of fantasy books, so this was a perfect combination! Van Soye's writing was impeccable as well, making such a fantastic and unbelievable premise almost seem possible. I particularly liked his rich description of such diverse landscapes, especially how well he seemed to understand African culture. As a passionate world traveler (although not to Africa), it was wonderful to go along on this adventure with two truly spectacular characters.
I enjoyed how Van Soye continued to challenge both of them with increasingly bizarre and improbably obstacles, but their love and their inherent spirit in things working out for the best got them through them all. It was a bit too....feel good at times, but overall, it was a delightful read. I will definitely look for other books by Van Soye, if they are anything close to the suspense, intrigue, and masterful prose of The Renewables.
I enjoyed how Van Soye continued to challenge both of them with increasingly bizarre and improbably obstacles, but their love and their inherent spirit in things working out for the best got them through them all. It was a bit too....feel good at times, but overall, it was a delightful read. I will definitely look for other books by Van Soye, if they are anything close to the suspense, intrigue, and masterful prose of The Renewables.
August 4, 2016
This was definitely a strange book that went back and forth between pure fantasy and poignant realistic interactions that left me happy and entertained throughout the majority of the book. I think the unique twist on a time-travel sci-fi type of story made it appealing, as it was genuinly quite a unique storyline. I enjoyed how the story read like a romance, but in other moments, it was just as tech-heavy and exposition-loving as pure science fiction literature. It was a book that didn't quite know what it was, but that was actually okay. The character development was superb and the unpredictable plot kept things interesting. I was able to forgive even the brief moments of weak prose because they were buoyed up by a clear passion for crafting a love story, combined with a dash of fantasy and philosophy. I loved it, and will certainly be recommending it to my friends who are always looking for a new take on the sci-fi, fantasy, or romance genres. Good Stuff!
April 8, 2015
I received a copy of The Renewables by Chuck Van Soye for free from a goodreads giveaway.
The idea of this story is quiet interesting. The issue with the book is I feel like I'm watching my neighbors tv. The author writes in a technical style and only tells the reader what is going on, not really showing us, not drawing me deeply into the story like the five star books can.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews