Pencil

by Ian Cahill

Finn’s life was trending up until the arrival of his "Pencil Pack,” marking him for mandatory service as a writer in the enigmatic HAND program. Reluctant and afraid, he finds an unexpected ally in Mia, a fierce and defiant fellow writer who refuses to accept her fate. As they delve deeper, they uncover unsettling truths about the program, its ties to Mia’s past, and the disappearance of Finn’s mother. With every word Finn writes and every step he takes with Mia, he must fulfill his civic duty or risk everything to expose a system that controls lives, one pencil at a time. Can two young rebels uncover the truth before their own pencils run out?

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2026

About the author

Ian Cahill currently lives in the Midwest, where he makes his home near Kansas City with his beautiful wife and three children. He writes self-proclaimed "slice of life" fiction as well as exploring a variety of genres from sci-fi to romance. You can find him enjoying the simple pleasures of life: reading, writing, baseball and libations.

Reviews

[jay]

2.0 || adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Loveable characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The book is less a moving novel and more of the written version of an RPG. Every single moment is written in excruciating detail: his morning routine, his lunch, his dinner plans. While it was at first understandable to see in the beginning to establish the kind of person Finn was, it gets tiring to a point when everything is narrated when it provides nothing of note to the scene nor to the expansion of the characters. The prose is accessible in the fact that it is simple and straightforward at best. At the worst of times, around the middle of the book with the bulk of the plot coming to a head, the lack of flow really stands out and it becomes increasingly hard to find any cohesion; the dialogue is no better, too sprawling and too long are each of the character's space in each conversation that it's less of an actual conversation and more of that info-dump again.

I did stick it out, expecting that the characterization of Finn to turn around and critique his slimy behavior and commit to being a satire. It did not, however, and it was actual, genuine earnestness that Finn was the way that he was: a Gary-Sue with all the answers in the world falling coincidentally with every step. It doesn't help that instead of any grounded chemistry, the characters' supposed attraction to one another (or of Finn and anything with legs and a chest, which is always always weirdly noted, in She Breasted Boobily fashion even) felt forced and at times, downright creepy.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof. This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book.
Nevertheless, the action scenes were entertaining enough, and was funny at times. Perhaps a different audience would enjoy this more than I did.

[Jae]

I am utterly unimpressed by this book. This is a story about a corporate rat Finn, pretty lonely and stereotypical suddenly receiving a pack of pencils to become a writer. In this world 1% of the population is chosen at random to forcefully volunteer to become a writer - once this letter comes through they simply disappear after they become a writer. No one really knows what happens or why it happens and we follow Finn finding out the details we too are asking to know. Great concept, I was impressed by its Orwellian potential - but alas it was a pretty big disappointment.

There’s no need to gloss over how bad it is in detail especially for an ARC, so I shall keep it brief and in point form (mostly).

- uninteresting, and poor writing style - although I suppose this make it pretty accessible for beginners. It just wasn’t descriptive or had any sense of flow in it, making it hard for the reader to form imagery and find cohesion across paragraphs
- Poor dialogue, often unnecessary and does not incite tension nor emotion. Almost like a bad debut.
- Character work is shabby at best. Finn is a typical mc who gets things (EVERYTHING) handed down to him in a golden plate. He does not actually work for anything, he just suddenly get the girl and become to focus of this story for no apparent reason.
- Finn is an absolute creep, so is Wendy.
- Finn is fucking arrogant, and I hate arrogant mcs
- We learn absolutely nothing substantial about the whys and whats of this apparently interesting premise so yeah it was disappointing to the say the least
- Characters with zero depth (backstory doesn’t equate depth)

[Anjali Anil]

I wrapped up the ARC of Pencil a couple of days back and I have to say, the premise was what instantly pulled me in to this book.

A world where receiving a pack of pencils can completely change your future? I was really curious from the very first page (I wanted to know what exactly is the HAND program and why does everyone seem to accept it?).

The story follows Finn, whose life takes an unexpected turn when he is selected for mandatory service as a writer. We also have Mia, a fiercely determined girl who refuses to blindly follow the rules, and together they start uncovering secrets that go far deeper than they imagined (she is one of my favourite character ).

What kept me reading was the mystery. I constantly wanted answers about the program, Finn’s mother and the truth behind everything happening in this world. To be honest the. concept itself felt fresh and different, which is something I always appreciate.

The writing is straightforward and very easy to get through, making it an accessible read. I also enjoyed watching all the pieces slowly come together as Finn and Mia pushed back against a system that seemed much larger than themselves and I was really rooting for them.

And can we actually talk about that ending? Because that cliffhanger definitely left me wanting answers. Now I need the next book to find out what happens next.

So if you are someone who enjoy dystopian stories, hidden conspiracies and books that make you wonder what is really happening beneath the surface, Pencil is definitely the one to keep an eye on.

Happy Reading!

[B. Williams]

Actual rating: 3.5 / 5

Pencil is a dystopian exploration of the HAND program in which the recipient of three pencils finds themselves dedicated to doing writing prompts based on an unknown timeline. It is a dystopian novel which lends itself well to the time when Divergent was huge because of the government influence on the general public. The demands that come with dystopian novels to explore the depth of human nature to show how it can be twisted were started in this novel. Knowing it’s the first book of a few gives Cahill plenty of time to flesh out the rest of the program and their adversaries.

I did want to see more writing (the program not actual book writing) in this book itself as I kept looking for those hints of what’s next but the part near the ending showed me exactly why we can’t have everything in one novel, because there is so much more to explore. Which is why I’ll launch into book two with the same curiosity that I started one with because this one didn’t quite slake my thirst.

The main character has a development arc which I think will be expanded going forward and I hope to see his flaws as a character pushed in the right direction. He has found something/someone to fight for and I am hoping that will open him up a bit more.

Overall the concept is interesting in its approach and truly unique.

[Ryan Thompson]

Very interesting concept! Using pencils as the baseline of the story creates a mythical thrilling adventure that left one wanting to read more and more to figure as much out about the pencils and HAND! Wow. Highly recommend this great book. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

[KR]

To my surprise I liked this book (‘generally don’t read sci-fi or YA), and am looking forward to Book 2. Very creative concept with the “pencil”. Good book for discussion.
Several typos were slightly distracting, but I corrected with a pencil. ;-)