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The SYLO Chronicles #3
Strike
#1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHale is back with the third book in the SYLO Chronicles. Once again, Tucker Pierce and friends must fight for their lives against the better-equipped SYLO. All bets are off in Strike—with twists so big readers will never see them coming—while the action and pulse-pounding suspense remain as high as ever. Fans will be sure to devour this incredibly satisfying conclusion.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2014
70 people are currently reading
1551 people want to read
About the author
D.J. MacHale
96 books2,342 followersD.J. MacHale is a writer, director, executive producer and creator of several popular television series and movies.
He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.
His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.
D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.
D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.
D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.
Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.
In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.
D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.
He was raised in Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. While in school, he had several jobs including collecting eggs at a poultry farm, engraving sports trophies and washing dishes in a steakhouse...in between playing football and running track. D.J. then attended New York University where he received a BFA in film production.
His filmmaking career began in New York where he worked as a freelance writer/director, making corporate videos and television commercials. He also taught photography and film production.
D.J. broke into the entertainment business by writing several ABC Afterschool Specials. After moving to Los Angeles, he made the fulltime switch from informational films, to entertainment. As co-creator of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, he produced all 91 episodes over 8 years. He wrote and directed many of the episodes including the CableAce nominated The Tale of Cutter's Treasure starring Charles S. Dutton. He was nominated for a Gemini award for directing The Tale of the Dangerous Soup starring Neve Campbell.
D.J. also wrote and directed the movie Tower of Terror for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney which starred Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. The Showtime series Chris Cross was co-created, written and produced by D.J. It received the CableAce award for Best Youth Series.
D.J. co-created and produced the Discovery Kids series Flight 29 Down for which he writes all the episodes and directs several. His work on Flight 29 Down has earned him both Writers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America award nominations.
Other notable writing credits include the classic ABC Afterschool Special titled Seasonal Differences; the pilot for the long-running PBS/CBS series Ghostwriter; and the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective for which he received a CableAce nomination for writing.
In print, D.J. has co-written the book The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors, based on his own teleplay and penned the poetic adaptation of the classic Norwegian folk tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
The book series: Pendragon - Journal of an Adventure through Time and Space marks D.J.'s first turn as a novelist. He plans for this series of Young Adult adventures to span a total of 10 books.
D.J. lives in Southern California with his wife Evangeline and daughter Keaton. They are avid backpackers, scuba divers and skiers. Rounding out the household are a Golden Retriever, Maggie; and a Kitten, Kaboodle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
October 19, 2014
Loved this book. I feel like a lot of authors tend to falter when it comes to wrapping up there series (looking at you Veronica Roth!) but Machale really came through. It was action packed and a great read. I finished this book with a smile on my face.
January 13, 2018
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this series overall. It took two and a half books to finally get to the big reveal as to what the heck was going on but it was a cool surprise! At one point, it was one of my theories that I had discarded a book ago so when it revealed, I was not expecting it. I love surprises, so.... good job, MacHale!
I didn’t overly love any of the MCs and had a love hate relationship with Kent, but I did like them all well enough to worry about them.
The action was insane throughout and kept my attention pretty much the entire series. And the twist at the end was completely unexpected. I thought it was a good ending to the series.
I didn’t overly love any of the MCs and had a love hate relationship with Kent, but I did like them all well enough to worry about them.
The action was insane throughout and kept my attention pretty much the entire series. And the twist at the end was completely unexpected. I thought it was a good ending to the series.
December 10, 2022
Strike by D. J. MacHale is the last entry to the Sylo Chronicles and I feel may be my favorite out of the trilogy. The book began where Storm left off bringing us back to an injured Tucker who managed to somehow survive a helicopter crash. He is taken by the Retros (United States Air Force) and given a miracle drug that completely healed him.
The story progresses with his time as a slave for the Retros, his discovery that the "Gate of Hell" was actually a bridge to the future, his escape and his group's heroic actions that stopped the Retros from completing their invasion but at the same time tosses them into the 50s where they find themselves trapped.
The ending itself, I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seemed to me that there was some foreshadowing with Tucker seeing Feight on a beach and then his comment that their work is not yet done. I would sort of like to see what happens with their new futures but not sure how that would work out to make the story as captivating as this was.
This book and it's series would be good for middle school and up. As an adult, I found myself for the most part enjoying it. I know what I've seen it's sort of hit or miss for people so I guess the enjoyment will be how it aligns with your taste as it would with anything.
Oh, and side note, I was waiting since the first book for Olivia to be revealed. That phone call on the alleyway was way too suspicious. Either way she turned out to be good in the end.
God, I'd love to have that future miracle medicine...
The story progresses with his time as a slave for the Retros, his discovery that the "Gate of Hell" was actually a bridge to the future, his escape and his group's heroic actions that stopped the Retros from completing their invasion but at the same time tosses them into the 50s where they find themselves trapped.
The ending itself, I'm not sure how I feel about it. It seemed to me that there was some foreshadowing with Tucker seeing Feight on a beach and then his comment that their work is not yet done. I would sort of like to see what happens with their new futures but not sure how that would work out to make the story as captivating as this was.
This book and it's series would be good for middle school and up. As an adult, I found myself for the most part enjoying it. I know what I've seen it's sort of hit or miss for people so I guess the enjoyment will be how it aligns with your taste as it would with anything.
Oh, and side note, I was waiting since the first book for Olivia to be revealed. That phone call on the alleyway was way too suspicious. Either way she turned out to be good in the end.
God, I'd love to have that future miracle medicine...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2017
Strike is the third book in the Sylo series. This book was a great final book of the trilogy. This author writes the book so that there is a lot of action. I would say 9 to 10 year olds would like this book and the series. Strike is full of action packed scenes and war scenes that I think would appeal especially to boys that age range. Strike is a science fiction book because there's elements that would not be possible in the real world, like water that can fix broken bones and planes appearing out of thin air. This book is set in different periods of time, some are in the present and some times are in the past.
This book is about Tucker and his friends trying to figure out an escape while trapped in a SYLO prison. In prison, they are forced to rebuild humanity (buildings and home) and when they are about to sneak out of the prison, an attack happens and, Tory, his longtime friend gets on a bus to escape but then the bus explodes, killing Tory. While the attack is going on, Tucker sneaks into a building which turns out to be a portal and that is where Olivia (character from previous book), who is thought to be dead, is found hiding. Olivia has now joined a club who wants to take down the Retros (the air force) . When Tucker goes through a portal he goes back 50 years in time and soon Kent, Olivia and Tucker start a company. Since they know what companies will do well in the future, they invest in them and make billions of dollars and their company name is SYLO!
I liked the characters because of how funny they were sometimes and how they worked together and escaped from certain situations. This group has had many problems like having a traitor in their group and losing members of their group. These problems have nearly killed them.
I liked Tucker the best because he was the leader of the group and he always tried to help and look out for his team. Tucker starts as a normal 14 year old boy and progressed to a kid who is able to live in a country where about only 10,000 people live and he is a kid who is able to lead the pack even in the face of danger. Olivia starts as a snobby teen who is always complaining and ends up as a girl who is not afraid to put a hole in someone's head and able to live in desolate world. I believe the main theme of the book is how the characters grow up from kids to adults in a matter of years. Having to fend for themselves and make all of their own decisions made them responsible and grow up faster.
My favorite part is when Tucker steps into the portal and finds Olivia, it was such a shock to the readers because we thought Olivia had been killed off and she was gone for good. Readers were in a state of surprise when this happened and because of how much of a plot twist this was , I love it! This author's writing was intriguing and interesting because of the writing he used and the writing made me want to read more. I really enjoyed this book and this series and would definitely be looking forward to reading the author's other series, Pendragon.
This book is about Tucker and his friends trying to figure out an escape while trapped in a SYLO prison. In prison, they are forced to rebuild humanity (buildings and home) and when they are about to sneak out of the prison, an attack happens and, Tory, his longtime friend gets on a bus to escape but then the bus explodes, killing Tory. While the attack is going on, Tucker sneaks into a building which turns out to be a portal and that is where Olivia (character from previous book), who is thought to be dead, is found hiding. Olivia has now joined a club who wants to take down the Retros (the air force) . When Tucker goes through a portal he goes back 50 years in time and soon Kent, Olivia and Tucker start a company. Since they know what companies will do well in the future, they invest in them and make billions of dollars and their company name is SYLO!
I liked the characters because of how funny they were sometimes and how they worked together and escaped from certain situations. This group has had many problems like having a traitor in their group and losing members of their group. These problems have nearly killed them.
I liked Tucker the best because he was the leader of the group and he always tried to help and look out for his team. Tucker starts as a normal 14 year old boy and progressed to a kid who is able to live in a country where about only 10,000 people live and he is a kid who is able to lead the pack even in the face of danger. Olivia starts as a snobby teen who is always complaining and ends up as a girl who is not afraid to put a hole in someone's head and able to live in desolate world. I believe the main theme of the book is how the characters grow up from kids to adults in a matter of years. Having to fend for themselves and make all of their own decisions made them responsible and grow up faster.
My favorite part is when Tucker steps into the portal and finds Olivia, it was such a shock to the readers because we thought Olivia had been killed off and she was gone for good. Readers were in a state of surprise when this happened and because of how much of a plot twist this was , I love it! This author's writing was intriguing and interesting because of the writing he used and the writing made me want to read more. I really enjoyed this book and this series and would definitely be looking forward to reading the author's other series, Pendragon.
April 24, 2015
There have been only a few times in my life when I have felt true sadness over having finished a series. They Sylo series is one of them. I will miss Tucker, Tori, Olivia and Kent. I will miss this unbelievably amazing plot. The series was great with Sylo, but was better in Storm and finished out even stronger in Strike. Amazing!
May 11, 2015
Good thing I don't have to wait a year for it to come out.
September 13, 2015
Lots of things were further explained in this book and I loved it. The truth is both sides are always to blame isn't it, always a shade of grey, never black and white. I really appreciated the entire series. The first couple books were like ok/good then the final with the final ending was simply amazing! Very creative. Of course I did read the other series (Pendragon) written by this author and enjoyed it as well.
January 23, 2017
I bought the first book of the SYLO Chronicles at the National Book Festival in 2013. I had read D.J. MacHale's 10-part Pendragon series in high school, and I was curious to see what he was cooking up next. Although not the best wordsmith, MacHale knows how to tell a gripping story (he was originally a TV writer).
My signed copy of 'SYLO' sat on my bookshelf for three years. I never know what prompts me to read THIS book or THAT book at any given time. It usually just feels right. I am always thoughtful about the season when I pick my next book. Some novels are summer reads, while others fit better with winter. I can't explain it.
The first in the trilogy, 'SYLO', was entertaining. I rated it 3 stars. I then purchased the second in the trilogy, 'Storm', used at a very cheap price. This was my favorite of the three (4 stars). The story reads from start to finish, with no introductions at the beginning which are required in a introductory novel and no wrap-ups at the end of the final book (which I got from the DC Public Library).
Overall, I am glad to have read these Chronicles. They were action packed and funny, and I genuinely cared about what happened to the characters. What more can you ask for?
My signed copy of 'SYLO' sat on my bookshelf for three years. I never know what prompts me to read THIS book or THAT book at any given time. It usually just feels right. I am always thoughtful about the season when I pick my next book. Some novels are summer reads, while others fit better with winter. I can't explain it.
The first in the trilogy, 'SYLO', was entertaining. I rated it 3 stars. I then purchased the second in the trilogy, 'Storm', used at a very cheap price. This was my favorite of the three (4 stars). The story reads from start to finish, with no introductions at the beginning which are required in a introductory novel and no wrap-ups at the end of the final book (which I got from the DC Public Library).
Overall, I am glad to have read these Chronicles. They were action packed and funny, and I genuinely cared about what happened to the characters. What more can you ask for?
July 13, 2017
I loved the sylo chronicles ever since I started reading them. The ending to them was amazing. I was sad that it had to end, but I will most likely reread it.
July 4, 2023
Their are great books - and then there is the SYLO Series. Congrats, DJ MacHale - a picky reader now has another favorite author.
January 22, 2016
What if you were in the middle of a war between timelines and you're the last hope on saving what’s going on in the current life and in the future. The book with that story is “Strike” by D.J. MacHale. Why I read the book is after reading the first two, so much has been discovered and so much has been done. There were still so many questions that haven’t been answered and that’s what got me begging to read this book.
A brief summary would be that people came parachuting out of military helicopters to invade Tucker Pierce’s hometown on Pemberwick Island, Maine. They call themselves SYLO and they are a secret branch of the U.S. Navy. Captain Granger tells everyone on the island that it’s been hit with a lethal virus and must be quarantined. Tucker believes that there’s more to SYLO and he gets help and tries to figure out the clues. The setting of this book would be Los Angeles because that’s where the main war started. The plot of this book is that Tucker faces so many things on his way to finding out on what or who is behind The Retros. The conflict of this book is character v.s. society, because they are going into war with branches of the U.S. government.
My response about the ending would be that I didn’t really see the end come in the way that it did. There was a giant twist at the end that really got me emotional and it also got me to understand all the things that Tucker went through. My favorite part of this book would have to be when they found out that Olivia wasn't the girl that they remembered. Another part was when Kent went back to save Olivia even though he was putting his life at risk.
My personal opinion on this book was that this book is a book that I never read before. This is my #1 favorite book of all time now, it solved all the questions in my head the further I went on. There is no book that is going to top of this book from my #1 spot. I have a connection between this book and Michael Vey. What these books have in common is the characters. The characters are the type of people that never give up and are determined to do what's right. People who should read this book would be people who love action, wars, timelines, and teamwork.
A brief summary would be that people came parachuting out of military helicopters to invade Tucker Pierce’s hometown on Pemberwick Island, Maine. They call themselves SYLO and they are a secret branch of the U.S. Navy. Captain Granger tells everyone on the island that it’s been hit with a lethal virus and must be quarantined. Tucker believes that there’s more to SYLO and he gets help and tries to figure out the clues. The setting of this book would be Los Angeles because that’s where the main war started. The plot of this book is that Tucker faces so many things on his way to finding out on what or who is behind The Retros. The conflict of this book is character v.s. society, because they are going into war with branches of the U.S. government.
My response about the ending would be that I didn’t really see the end come in the way that it did. There was a giant twist at the end that really got me emotional and it also got me to understand all the things that Tucker went through. My favorite part of this book would have to be when they found out that Olivia wasn't the girl that they remembered. Another part was when Kent went back to save Olivia even though he was putting his life at risk.
My personal opinion on this book was that this book is a book that I never read before. This is my #1 favorite book of all time now, it solved all the questions in my head the further I went on. There is no book that is going to top of this book from my #1 spot. I have a connection between this book and Michael Vey. What these books have in common is the characters. The characters are the type of people that never give up and are determined to do what's right. People who should read this book would be people who love action, wars, timelines, and teamwork.
February 2, 2015
I can't type entire reviews on my phone, I'll go insane. It's coming, I promise. The two star rating may go down to one when I have a chance to think it through.
For now.. let's just all take a moment of silence for Shaw, who performed his duties without hesitation, even though the author himself forgot about him. You will be missed. In your three second cameo you annoyed me less than any other character in the book. Your noble sacrifice of your life without saying a single word was a breath of fresh air amid Tucker's attempts at inspirational monologues. You are an example to us all.
Okay, borrowed a computer, but I can't type on it very well so this will be short. In the interests of that, for now I'm keeping it to a list of 3 each:
Cons:
1) The writing. Ugh. Ellipses, repeated annoying catchphrases (for the record, I had to think, etc.).
2) Tucker's sudden omniscience. Okay, maybe he could know some of it if he's writing this years later, but certainly not all. It's the little things that got to me- his knowledge of where missiles hit even though he couldn't possibly have seen, things like that.
3) The ending. It was awful. It doesn't make sense, which I won't rant about right now (it's coming, don't worry). Also... the pairing up. Ick.
Pros:
1) It ended.
2) The explanation was actually a little bit cool, if obvious from pretty early on in the book.
3) The ending was sickeningly happy in some ways but in others (if you forget about the fact that you don't care about the characters because they're so badly written) actually really tragic. Were it to have been a good book, and had it made sense, it could actually have been quite good.
More to come.
December 4, 2014
last in the sylo chronicles. Was good but slow at times. Didn't love the main character who narrated the story also. He reminded me a bit of the main character/narrator from monument 14. Book ending was interesting. The four - main guy Tucker, Tori, Kent and Olivia helped SYLO and the sounders destroy the rebels who were trying to move from their future time in history back to present time because the earth is basically destroyed in the future by everything we do today. The kids seal the dome with a nuclear blast that mimics the one from 1951 that originally opened the whole in the time spectrum. The kids are caught in an emergency pod in the blast and end up back in 1951, having to start over then. They use what they know to form a company with the four of them, invest correctly to research a new fuel that doesn't rely on fossil fuels. They change the course of history in this life. They cross pathes with the version of themselves born in the 2000 and convince them to join the company and help to continue to secure a better future. Tori and Tucker, Kent and Olivia do not but all remain a close knit group.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2021
This books quickly changed from a sci-fi dystopian apocalypse to an unbelievable alternate dimension invasion that was rushed and under developed. A 300 year project that was built up for two and a half books but three kids manage to stop in a matter of a week or two? It’s dumb as hell. I read it and couldn’t believe that’s the plot the author decided to develop, and the solution too was ass. It was explained time and time again that the future can’t be changed by the past and yet the kids idea to save the future is to change the past. I purely believe half the crap the kids did was for shock factor. I also don’t understand the unwarranted nobility of all the character. They all love eachother for some reason, to the point they’ll die for them. There FIFTEEN, there is no reason they’re professing they’re life love two days into a war they didn’t need to be involved in and honestly had no business winning. The plot was just a mess and I don’t like how in the last two hundred pages everything was just dumped on us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2015
This third, and final, book in the series was a roller-coaster ride. I loved the amount and the intensity of the action in this book. I found myself not wanting to put this book down at all and would quickly pick it back up when I had to. The ending… even after sleeping on it for a day, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It was definitely the right ending, but I can’t help but feeling a mixture of sadness and satisfaction for it. The last page of the book made me smile though. It was a very nice touch. I’m sad that this is the end of our adventures with Tucker and the gang.
January 21, 2024
This was not my favorite in the trilogy (Storm was my.fave). It was a bit too "out there" for my liking. It did wrap things up though. And, it was my son's favorite so I would say it reaches its target audience. The entire trilogy is entertaining and worth the time!
March 16, 2018
Great conclusion to the Sylo Chronicles
July 31, 2021
This was a really, really good ending to the trilogy. It answered all the questions and left me satisfied. Definitely worth reading.
September 24, 2021
This was a great book! It was a great series!
I had mixed feelings about the ending though, but it ended well.
I had mixed feelings about the ending though, but it ended well.
March 14, 2017
I regretted not getting all 3 books from the library after I finished STORM, and desperately looked for an ebook on Overdrive because I couldn't even wait until morning! Eventually I managed to be patient and got STRIKE from the library the next day. I poured through it quickly. Just like the last two books, it's so action packed, although the actual climax did drag on for a while.
The ending--mixed feelings because of course I wanted Tucker reunited with his family and for the 3 of them to be a part of the rebuilding process, as it was pretty crazy that they survived the whole thing. Amazing because I didn't predict it AT ALL, and it was still a happy ending. There were definitely some things in the series I was able to figure out before they were officially revealed, but I couldn't have guessed that ending. My theory was that once the Bridge closed, everyone who had been vaporized by the lasers (including Quinn) would come back because of some weird physics loophole. I like to think that did happen, but Tucker and his friends didn't get to see.
The writing--of course there are problems with it. It can be repetitive. However I'm a fan of Machale's works so it wasn't a surprise. I do think very few writers are capable of building up action like that. It's hard to believe that the series started at a high school football game, but it worked. A few people have complained about Tucker's ramblings, but I kind of enjoyed them. I do think a 14 year old IS capable of thinking that way when he's been through enough, although it is unlikely. I never liked Olivia as a character, even when we found out the truth about her. I kind of liked Kent even though he was awful and stereotypical.
With regards to the explanation: I like ambiguous questions of right and wrong, which is exactly what this had to offer. I sympathized with the retros. I wasn't mad at all of them because I knew most of them were being brainwashed. The Sounders decision to live in a shitty world based on principle proved Machale believes in the goodness of humanity. The Sounders were courageous. I like to think of myself as a good person, but if I was in the position, I would go along with invading the past, because although it was wrong, I am selfish and would want to escape that ugly world. I wonder if we truly are capable as human beings to recognize genocide and then have the courage to organize and stop it in the way the Sounders did. With what's happening in Syria and other places in the world, it makes me think not. I think the human race is much more complacent and maybe this books gives them too much credit, but then again I am quite cynical.
Let's not forget to note how the world was so awful in the future because of the way we were treating the planet. The SYLO series is a cautionary tale. I don't doubt that our planet could one day turn into something like the future in STRIKE if we continue on the path we are. It's another book that reminds me of the disheartening lack of inaction to inhibit the consequences of climate change, and in many ways makes me feel personally guilty for not doing more to reduce my own personal carbon footprint.
I'm sure there's more I can say about these books, but I'll stop here. Great job to DJ Machale for creating a book series that kept me hooked and left me with something to think about. I tore through these.
The ending--mixed feelings because of course I wanted Tucker reunited with his family and for the 3 of them to be a part of the rebuilding process, as it was pretty crazy that they survived the whole thing. Amazing because I didn't predict it AT ALL, and it was still a happy ending. There were definitely some things in the series I was able to figure out before they were officially revealed, but I couldn't have guessed that ending. My theory was that once the Bridge closed, everyone who had been vaporized by the lasers (including Quinn) would come back because of some weird physics loophole. I like to think that did happen, but Tucker and his friends didn't get to see.
The writing--of course there are problems with it. It can be repetitive. However I'm a fan of Machale's works so it wasn't a surprise. I do think very few writers are capable of building up action like that. It's hard to believe that the series started at a high school football game, but it worked. A few people have complained about Tucker's ramblings, but I kind of enjoyed them. I do think a 14 year old IS capable of thinking that way when he's been through enough, although it is unlikely. I never liked Olivia as a character, even when we found out the truth about her. I kind of liked Kent even though he was awful and stereotypical.
With regards to the explanation: I like ambiguous questions of right and wrong, which is exactly what this had to offer. I sympathized with the retros. I wasn't mad at all of them because I knew most of them were being brainwashed. The Sounders decision to live in a shitty world based on principle proved Machale believes in the goodness of humanity. The Sounders were courageous. I like to think of myself as a good person, but if I was in the position, I would go along with invading the past, because although it was wrong, I am selfish and would want to escape that ugly world. I wonder if we truly are capable as human beings to recognize genocide and then have the courage to organize and stop it in the way the Sounders did. With what's happening in Syria and other places in the world, it makes me think not. I think the human race is much more complacent and maybe this books gives them too much credit, but then again I am quite cynical.
Let's not forget to note how the world was so awful in the future because of the way we were treating the planet. The SYLO series is a cautionary tale. I don't doubt that our planet could one day turn into something like the future in STRIKE if we continue on the path we are. It's another book that reminds me of the disheartening lack of inaction to inhibit the consequences of climate change, and in many ways makes me feel personally guilty for not doing more to reduce my own personal carbon footprint.
I'm sure there's more I can say about these books, but I'll stop here. Great job to DJ Machale for creating a book series that kept me hooked and left me with something to think about. I tore through these.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2023
I...I can’t. I didn’t want to DNF yet ANOTHER book this year, but I can’t keep going. It was going so well, but then halfway through the book, the big reveal on what was behind all the killing and weird sci fi stuff was "people from a future where climate change ruined the planet and nuclear powers everything and gives everyone cancer invaded the present to take the resources after present people were too stupid to believe in climate change”. Oh, and overpopulation is a problem too apparently, even though there’s literally NO WAY that the world’s population would QUADRUPLE from todays after the polar caps melt, the air becomes poison, nutritious food is scarce, and everyone and their brother is getting cancer. The "dumb jock" character kept proposing the solution was "aliens" and the book portrayed that option as if that was a super dumb idea, but honestly, I really wish it was aliens. This was a pretty decent series until the twist ruined it all and I just can’t finish it. Thank goodness I didn’t spend money on any of these books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2021
Strike (The SYLO Chronicles #3) Is a spectacular ending to what i would call one of the best book trilogies i’ve ever read, i felt a huge emotional attachment to all the main characters and the ending was quite satisfying as everything is wrapped up, everyone is happy. Kent and Olivia got married (to separate people but are still great friends) Tucker and Tori got married and had a daughter, the four of them together formed this alternate reality they were sent to’s version of SYLO and saved the future. The plot twists and turns throughout the entire series kept me hooked, i felt like a kid on christmas day reading these books, and if there is any book trilogy i’d want to be turned into a movie trilogy it’s this one, please somebody make it happen i need to see it. But in conclusion this trilogy will go on and stay the best ever in my opinion. I hope everyone else enjoyed these books as much as did, goodbye!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2019
Unbelievable! Unfortunately, I can't really say anything...because...spoilers...really, really big spoilers! So frustrating! I don't dare say a word about the plot. Please start with book one, and please keep going through ALL of book three. D.J. MacHale is a fabulous storyteller. I wasn't really wowed by the writing itself, but this was not meant to be beautiful prose, it was meant to be crisp, effective storytelling, which it was, 100% of the time. I'm not surprised that MacHale is a TV/movie producer. Every time I thought the story was going to go one way, he flipped it and it went in another direction. It was actually convincing, too. No crazy situations where the characters suddenly do things that don't make sense. Each and every move was something you could buy into. Start with SYLO, book 1. Do it!
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November 25, 2019I fell in love with his series in the first place,I have always loved those kind of books where at first you can say,¨There's no way this could actually happen in real life.¨ Those kinds of books are what keep me reading and extending reading goals so far no one would even believe in that someone could do.I am very sad that there were only three books in the series,but I believe I could say it was one heck of a ride.Last but not least I really want to thank the author for this book DJ.MacHale,your books are what keep me going,I just last year finished many of JAmes Patterson's books,but I just got really bored reading them over again.So I really want to thank you for creating amazing stories for everyone to read, and I hope you keep the success going.
July 17, 2021
What started out as an extremely intricate plot with dramatic intrigue and complex characters quickly dissolved into a predictable storyline with flat characters and absolutely no intrigue by the time it came to reading the final book of the trilogy, Strike.
Whereas Storm (the second book of the trilogy) had at least some character development, Strike lacked any character development whatsoever. The main characters had became shallow individuals that lack motivation as well as any intelligent thoughts.
The plot quickly dissolved into what can only be described as a bad Michael Bay movie, where all the reader can see while trudging through the torturous pages of Strike are explosions. Overall, it was disappointing ending to a series that had great potential.
Whereas Storm (the second book of the trilogy) had at least some character development, Strike lacked any character development whatsoever. The main characters had became shallow individuals that lack motivation as well as any intelligent thoughts.
The plot quickly dissolved into what can only be described as a bad Michael Bay movie, where all the reader can see while trudging through the torturous pages of Strike are explosions. Overall, it was disappointing ending to a series that had great potential.
July 11, 2018
I lost a little part of myself when I finished the Pendragon series and realized there would be no more stories in Bobby's world. I found myself again in reading the SYLO Chronicles. D.J. MacHale is a brilliant storyteller, who has this knack for weaving reality into absolute absurdity. The story made SENSE. The ending came together, for all it had completely gone against the grain of anything outside the realm of science fiction.
It felt like something that could happen. I cared about the characters. I loved the ending, bittersweet was it was.
You don't find that as consistently often with another author, as you might with D.J. MacHale.
It felt like something that could happen. I cared about the characters. I loved the ending, bittersweet was it was.
You don't find that as consistently often with another author, as you might with D.J. MacHale.
October 27, 2023
i liked the conclusion of the book and i think it was very fitting for the series, but i think this particular book was all over the place. there’s all sorts of big revelations, and the things that were mysteries in the first two books are answered here, and they’re really confusing. at some point the book starts following other people, which it hadnt at all in the first two. even though there were parts of this book that were a bit tricky to comprehend, the series itself was a great read! i loved the characters through and through, and the ending i would never have guessed after the first two books
June 24, 2017
I did not think about the future, and that did not occur to me at all. That was cool, and it makes sense with events before. The author did an amazing job hiding that. I also liked the change in Captain Granger. It was good to see him being nice. There were also funny ironies that you don't realize until the end. However, the timeline stuff was super confusing and hard to interpret. I did not understand at all how come the butterfly effect didn't happen, or really anything about timelines in general. The author did not give any information about how the 21st century played out afterwards.
May 27, 2019
Strike was another great book in the Sylo series. I like how this book was different from the other books. Once again Tucker and his friends have to fight their way and survive in the Sylo. What makes this different is that they actually join in the war with and are better equipped. There were many twists in this book and so many things that made your heart race. The ending was especially the best, when they got trapped in the past and had to live their lives totally differently. I love this book and recommend it for anyone.
July 13, 2023
The full storyline was AMAZING! I'm so glad I read through all of it (the first two books were an absolute bore... but the third book, * Chef's kiss*)
Some things I've learned about novels, though. If you don't see their body in the book, they probably aren't dead... but that doesn't always happen either (always with the exceptions). Secondly, the story isn't done done until the last word... guess how I know that?! THIS BOOK.
It came full circle in the oddest circular way possible. I LOVE IT!
Some things I've learned about novels, though. If you don't see their body in the book, they probably aren't dead... but that doesn't always happen either (always with the exceptions). Secondly, the story isn't done done until the last word... guess how I know that?! THIS BOOK.
It came full circle in the oddest circular way possible. I LOVE IT!
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