The Transition

by R.J. Tomlin

Rume has never met his parents. Like all the other children in the community, he must wait until his eighteenth birthday before he does. For years he has seen countless people travel through the vault door and, with a white flash, be gone and never return, travelling over the Ridge to join the rest of the adult world. This is called The Transition. The day when you leave the community and your new life begins.
However, a few days before Rume is due to leave, he receives a message warning him of the truth of the world beyond the vault door. And thus, he is faced with a choice; continue to believe what he has been told, or discover the truth. But to do so he must break the one unbreakable rule; that when your time comes, you must complete The Transition.

Testimonials:

“A talented young author who shows a great deal of promise.” - J. Millard Simpson, American essayist

“R. J. Tomlin is an emerging author with loads of potential.” - Kasma Magazine

491 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2015

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting dystopian read from a young independent author.

This is a different read for me, my genre as a rule is romance so how did I come to read this? I'd just had lunch with my friend yesterday and we were walking back when we noticed a guy stood in the centre of Leeds on what was a very hot day wearing a board which said 'If you like reading please take a leaflet' so we did and I figured if the poor guy could stand out all day trying to get word out about his book the least I could do was give it a try, so I did, I downloaded the sample when I got home and noticed it was available on KU.
This is a dystopian book aimed mainly for the young adult but suitable for all, I won't give my usual summary since the blurb is good and gives you enough to make you want to continue on.
This was a surprising read, it kept me entertained from start to finish my main worry at one point, well several points if I'm being honest is that this would be left open with either a cliffhanger or a 'to be continued' this was not the case.
While this reminded me at times of several other books it's still very much it's own and it managed to surprise me several times and kept me guessing till the end. It's easy to lose yourself in this new world and I throughly enjoyed the journey, it's a clever read that's well written personally I would have liked a little more character development I didn't feel that I fully connected with any of them but I can appreciate it would be easy with a book like this for too many details to slow it down whereas it kept up a good pace as it was.
I do love a good dystopian read, it's just that mine generally come with a romance in there as well
Like I said this is not really my genre but I'm glad I picked up a leaflet and read this book and Ryan looks like a promising new author and I wish him well.

[Carolyn Injoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Transition by R.J. Tomlin, published by Amazon Digital Services is a fast book to read. I gave it four stars.

I received a complimentary promotional copy from Amazon. That did not change my opinion for this review.

"Rume has one week left until his eighteenth birthday - the day he will finally meet his parents. In his society, children are raised separately from adults in order to form their own beliefs, traits and identities."

Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Transition-R-J...

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘”It just goes to show, you never really know what a story’s about, until it’s finally over”’

While I have seen some of The Hunger Games and Divergent movies, I have never read the books and never really read any sci-fi/dystopian novels so this was a venture into a new genre for me. Do you know what? I really enjoyed it!

Children are taken from their parents and placed in the Nethertower under the premise that they will be free from outside influences and thus able to develop their own, unique potential. They are promised a return to their parents when they reach eighteen and life in a utopia once they have gone through the transition. As our hero Rume finds out though, his whole life has been a lie. What follows is a fast-moving, keep you on the edge of your seat journey. Tomlin perfectly ends his chapters on cliff-hangers leaving you having to read more.

The main character, Rume, is intelligent, likeable but burdened with guilt over broken promises as the book progresses. I found myself worrying about him and (without giving the plot away) really hoping he would make it in life.

There are plenty of twists and turns and I was left wondering who could be trusted and the reasons as to why the Nethertower existed and what had happened to the world.

Initially I did worry that The Transition would be a bit ‘samey’ and like the films I had seen of a similar genre, however, the ending and the reason for the Nethertower’s existence took me totally by surprise and I really liked the idea behind it. It got me thinking about justice, retribution and the notion of karma, and I love a book that makes me think beyond and around it.

Well paced, gripping and interesting, I would definitely recommend this novel and wish the author every success in the future.

Thank you R.J. Tomlin for the copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Fozia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember a few years ago the author was in Leeds town centre advertising this book by approaching strangers and giving out fliers. I remember thinking it was bold and I was intrigued so I bought the book. I wish I'd picked up the book sooner. It's everything that I've wanted in a dystopian book that I've not found since the genre became submerged. The only down point, it could have done with another round of editing as I picked up a few mistakes here and there. I'll definitely be looking up his other books though.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young adult novel about a group of kids about to "graduate" from a utopian training school. It's not much of a spoiler to say the transition to adulthood doesn't go as planned and main character Rume discovers the real dystopia outside. Reading this reminded me of Wool/Silo, and Logan's Run, to varying degrees. Can Rume save all his friends? Don't abandon this half finished like I nearly did!

The author used to pound the streets of Leeds, UK, wearing a sandwich board advertising his work about 10 years ago. I hope he did alright.

[Robert Welbourn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange old book. The story was compelling, and kept me gripped to the very end. The only problem is, for Tomlin and many other independent authors, that when you read a book that hasn't been professionally edited, you can tell. I certainly enjoyed this book, and I honestly think with a proper professional edit it could become wildly successful.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Transition is a debut novel from R.J. Tomlin. It's a dystopian-esque young adult novel that leaves you questioning everything until the very end. It's an intense journey, led by one young man named Rume.

Rume is one of the many teenagers living in the Nethertower, anxiously awaiting his turn to cross the Ridge and complete the Transition. What is the Transition? It's where a teen, once they have their eighteenth birthday, gets to finally leave the tower and meet their parents. Why don't they know their parents before they turn eighteen? Because they're taken and kept away from the potential harm that could destroy a young mind as it develops. Or so Rume and his friends believe.

When things in the tower start to become a little strange the closer Rume gets to his eighteenth birthday, the more he starts to question things. And when he discovers the truth behind the tower, the Ridge, and the Transition, he and his friends will do whatever it takes to escape. But leaving the tower isn't as easy as it seems...

I don't want to spoil too much, but I can say this: The Transition is one hell of a ride. Following Rume on his journey to the truth is so much fun, but will leave you breathless. You'll be on the edge of your seat, eagerly flipping through the pages to find out what happens next. And when you get to the end... oh boy! That ending left me with my jaw on the floor. I definitely didn't see that one coming.

Overall, I'd rate The Transition a 4.5 star read. What kept me from rating it five stars? There were some serious editing issues that sort of detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I'm a bit fussy and picky (aka a grammar nazi) when it comes to editing, but other than the flaws with the grammar/spelling/word usage(using the wrong word in spots), the book was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rume is a week away from his transition. This means he will go back to the life as he never knew it with his parents over the ridge. When the transition gets closer he gets a strange message from his father that things are not as they seem and he should escape. So Rume takes his friends and does. The world they find themselves in is brutal and they have to fight to survive. They must find out where they come from and where exactly they need to be going.

In an Oyster Shell - It was a great dystopian which doesn't tend to be my go-to genre.

The Pearls - The concept was very interesting. I like the idea of a utopian society. (think A brave new world) I think the world that this book starts out in reminds me of that. The execution of this idea was really well thought out and done.

There was a unique language that the characters used. Though it was English there were some new words that I learned. The characters were well done. There was a great variety of them.

I thought the ending was unique and unexpected. There were some concepts that the author challenges the reader with that will leave one contemplative.

The Sand - It wasn't my genre. I like more light-hearted books and this one was a far cry from that. So in the end this isn't a book I would read again and it comes down to personal preference. I thought the craft of the book was exceptionally well done.

3 Pearls This review was originally posted on Writing Pearls

[Lorraine Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my usual choice of book, but this young author was standing in Leeds City Centre in June of this year (2016) handing out flyers and I was impressed with his determination.

The book was immediately compelling, and I definitely felt myself being drawn into the plot, although for me it became a bit confusing towards the end; that is not to say that it wasn't good, it's just not the sort of thing I would read as a matter of course - a bit sci fi / fantasy is how I would describe it.

Would I read this author again? Definitely.

Good luck in the future Mr Tomlin. X

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just the kind of book I like to read. Dystopian future and keeps you guessing and interested right to the end.
Like many people I saw this advertised by the author in Leeds city centre. I downloaded it within a couple of days and kept it to read on holiday.
I really enjoyed it and felt that it took a different path from so many of the similar books out there. For fear of spoilers I won't go into too much detail on the plot but if you like a good story, check this out.

[SA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good beginning, fair ending, middle third needs polishing