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Randoms #2
Rebels
A science fiction superfan is heading back to space on a new mission to save Earth in this hilarious follow-up to the “exhilarating” (Booklist, starred review) Randoms.
It’s difficult to return to Earth and live a simple, unadventurous life after having seen the wonders of the universe—especially when you find yourself with Smelly, a self-important artificial intelligence living in your head, reminding you how much of a primitive meat bag you are. But with Smelly’s help, Zeke is on his way back to space on a new, super-secret mission. Zeke may earn Earth a second chance at intergalactic membership—and better yet, he’ll be reunited with Tamret, the alien girl of his dreams.
However, things never go as planned for Zeke. Conspiracy abounds as he’s once again blamed for destroying a spaceship, and sent deep into the dangerous Forbidden Zone to find the military tech tree that the enemy Phands are already using. Will his knowledge of pop culture and science fiction that saved him in Randoms help again?
It’s difficult to return to Earth and live a simple, unadventurous life after having seen the wonders of the universe—especially when you find yourself with Smelly, a self-important artificial intelligence living in your head, reminding you how much of a primitive meat bag you are. But with Smelly’s help, Zeke is on his way back to space on a new, super-secret mission. Zeke may earn Earth a second chance at intergalactic membership—and better yet, he’ll be reunited with Tamret, the alien girl of his dreams.
However, things never go as planned for Zeke. Conspiracy abounds as he’s once again blamed for destroying a spaceship, and sent deep into the dangerous Forbidden Zone to find the military tech tree that the enemy Phands are already using. Will his knowledge of pop culture and science fiction that saved him in Randoms help again?
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2016
20 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
David Liss
146 books1,259 followersI am the author of thirteen novels, most recently The Peculiarities, a historical fantasy out in September 2021. I've also written numerous novellas and short stories. My previous books include A Conspiracy of Paper which was named a New York Times Notable Book and won the 2001 Barry, MacAvity and Edgar awards for Best First novel. The Coffee Trader was also named a New York Times Notable Book and was selected by the New York Public Library as one of the year’s 25 Books to Remember. Several of these books are currently being developed for television or film. I have also worked on numerous comics projects, including Black Panther and Mystery Men for Marvel, The Spider and Green Hornet for Dynamite, and Angelica Tomorrow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
August 7, 2017
Rebels
By David Liss
If you enjoy sci-fi, crazy “hard to pronounce names”, and a corrupt government leader; then this book is for you. Rebels, a sequel to Randoms, is a book about a 12 year old boy named Zeke who is on his 2nd trip to The Confederation Of Planets, when he realizes that all is not as it seems. A corrupt government leader named Junup has started a rebellion against carnivorous and “primitive species”. Will Zeke be able to survive, or will he be jailed deep within the city?
I recommend this book to 7th – 10th graders because of the interesting but sometimes confusing politics, imaginative and hard to pronounce yet perfect names. It also provides rich vocabulary.
This book is better than its sequels because it has a more exciting plot, but the first book includes more abstract and imaginative names.
By David Liss
If you enjoy sci-fi, crazy “hard to pronounce names”, and a corrupt government leader; then this book is for you. Rebels, a sequel to Randoms, is a book about a 12 year old boy named Zeke who is on his 2nd trip to The Confederation Of Planets, when he realizes that all is not as it seems. A corrupt government leader named Junup has started a rebellion against carnivorous and “primitive species”. Will Zeke be able to survive, or will he be jailed deep within the city?
I recommend this book to 7th – 10th graders because of the interesting but sometimes confusing politics, imaginative and hard to pronounce yet perfect names. It also provides rich vocabulary.
This book is better than its sequels because it has a more exciting plot, but the first book includes more abstract and imaginative names.
January 4, 2023
Sadly my least favorite book of the series but still quite good good transition from 1st book to 3rd
April 2, 2017
Having returned to earth and a sense of normalcy, Zeke suddenly finds out that there is an alien intelligence that has taken up residence in his brain, who he names Smelly since his entire name is too long and complex. Zeke is finding earth rather boring and he misses his friends. He does make a friend at school, Alice, who is a UFO buff who recognizes Zeke and wants to find out if aliens are real. Once again, Zeke is sent into space on a dangerous mission and he is reunited with his friends. There is action, danger, and all sorts of fun sci-fi references in this second book in the series.
October 15, 2017
Zeke Reynolds is slowly adjusting back to being a normal middle schooler on Earth, well, now that the government has finally stopped interrogating him. Of course, his life will never be quite normal ever again. He still constantly thinks of the Confederation and friends he promised he'd help, especially Tamret. He's not allowed to talk to any of the other kids who went with him into space. And he and his mom know their house and phones are bugged. Unmarked black cars drive by regularly. Oh, and he seems to have picked up some alien AI that now lives in his head. He's dubbed it Smelly. Life at school is not super fun, but Zeke eventually makes one friend, Alice, who actually has recognized him from some conspiracy theory UFO websites. Alice is cool and doesn't push Zeke for more than he can tell her. And then Zeke finally gets the text he's been dreading, his mom sends him code that someone is coming for him. With Alice and Smelly's help Zeke goes on the run looking for a spaceship somewhere on Earth. Before going too far, though, he discovers that the alien spaceship hovering over the Earth isn't the Phands, it's some friends from the Confederation with an offer to give the Earth a second chance at entry if Zeke and friends will help them find the secret skill tree tech his dad uncovered. However, the trip to the Confederation doesn't go anything like planned and Zeke and gang find themselves stuck between a major rock and a hard place. It'll be a miracle if they just survive to get back to Earth, let alone save the Confederation from Junup and cronies.
Sorry that's a bit vague but I can't describe too much of the 2nd half of the book without revealing spoilers. For those reasons, my comments here aren't going to be too specific. This was a little harder read than the first book. To start with, nothing is going Zeke's way. He's framed with another spaceship explosion, there's an anti-primitives movement Junup's cronies have started, Junup has a LOT of control now (and we all know how much he hates Zeke), then Tamret shows up and can't even talk to Zeke, and somehow secrets are getting leaked from Zeke's group. It is really just not his week. There's also a lot less scifi nodding nerdiness incorporated (some, but not nearly as much as the first book) which I missed. I missed it quite a bit, actually. The focus is more on the politics than the tech and what the Confederation is like, also not as fun. I started to wonder why the author even bothered to take Charles, Mi Sun, and the others with Zeke since they hardly got any page time (half the time you forgot they were around), and then I realized at the end that they are needed for book 3. Yes, this is all pretty much working to set us up for what looks like a much more exciting adventure in book 3. So, yes, that also means this suffers a bit from middle-book-syndrome. Some fun, a lot of headaches, but we're set up for a rip-roaring adventure in the next book. The best part of this is the mystery of who the mole is in Zeke's group, which has a twist I did figure out but was quite crafty. And nope, I'm not telling.
Notes on content: Maybe two minor swear words. No sexual content. A few battles which result in injuries (mostly bumps) and fatalities (most aren't described).
Sorry that's a bit vague but I can't describe too much of the 2nd half of the book without revealing spoilers. For those reasons, my comments here aren't going to be too specific. This was a little harder read than the first book. To start with, nothing is going Zeke's way. He's framed with another spaceship explosion, there's an anti-primitives movement Junup's cronies have started, Junup has a LOT of control now (and we all know how much he hates Zeke), then Tamret shows up and can't even talk to Zeke, and somehow secrets are getting leaked from Zeke's group. It is really just not his week. There's also a lot less scifi nodding nerdiness incorporated (some, but not nearly as much as the first book) which I missed. I missed it quite a bit, actually. The focus is more on the politics than the tech and what the Confederation is like, also not as fun. I started to wonder why the author even bothered to take Charles, Mi Sun, and the others with Zeke since they hardly got any page time (half the time you forgot they were around), and then I realized at the end that they are needed for book 3. Yes, this is all pretty much working to set us up for what looks like a much more exciting adventure in book 3. So, yes, that also means this suffers a bit from middle-book-syndrome. Some fun, a lot of headaches, but we're set up for a rip-roaring adventure in the next book. The best part of this is the mystery of who the mole is in Zeke's group, which has a twist I did figure out but was quite crafty. And nope, I'm not telling.
Notes on content: Maybe two minor swear words. No sexual content. A few battles which result in injuries (mostly bumps) and fatalities (most aren't described).
February 23, 2017
Liss, David, Rebels. Pgs. 391. Simon and Schuster, 2016. $17.99. Language: G, Mature Content: PG, Violence: PG
After he and his friends were labeled criminals for stealing Phandic Cruisers to expose the Phands’ true plans for the universe, Zeke Reynolds finds himself back on Earth. But, he’s not alone. Inside his head is an Alien Intelligence organism suit he calls Smelly, who will remind readers of Tony Stark’s suit. When an alien from the Confederation Council enlists his and his friends’ help to save the universe again, Zeke and his friends find themselves not only up against stopping the evil Phand alien race, but also dealing with a power-hungry politician. Will the group save the people who shunned them as well as Earth? Will they ever be accepted by the alien confederation?
This science fiction adventure is action-packed, fast-paced, and full of humor. The characters are even more well-developed, Smelly is snarky and adds a lot of depth to the book, and the dynamics between them is masterfully crafted. The plot is well developed, complex, and intriguing. Fans who enjoy space adventures like Star Wars, Clete Barrett Smith’s Aliens on Vacation, and Thacher Hurde’s Bongo Fishing will be easily drawn into Zeke’s world. You will, however, need to read the first one, Randoms, first.
EL. MS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
After he and his friends were labeled criminals for stealing Phandic Cruisers to expose the Phands’ true plans for the universe, Zeke Reynolds finds himself back on Earth. But, he’s not alone. Inside his head is an Alien Intelligence organism suit he calls Smelly, who will remind readers of Tony Stark’s suit. When an alien from the Confederation Council enlists his and his friends’ help to save the universe again, Zeke and his friends find themselves not only up against stopping the evil Phand alien race, but also dealing with a power-hungry politician. Will the group save the people who shunned them as well as Earth? Will they ever be accepted by the alien confederation?
This science fiction adventure is action-packed, fast-paced, and full of humor. The characters are even more well-developed, Smelly is snarky and adds a lot of depth to the book, and the dynamics between them is masterfully crafted. The plot is well developed, complex, and intriguing. Fans who enjoy space adventures like Star Wars, Clete Barrett Smith’s Aliens on Vacation, and Thacher Hurde’s Bongo Fishing will be easily drawn into Zeke’s world. You will, however, need to read the first one, Randoms, first.
EL. MS. ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
March 1, 2017
humor, action, a snarky sarcastic AI that has been implanted in our hero's consciousness. This series continues to be exactly the alien filled, action-packed, fun ride I want it to be.
September 5, 2017
I have actually caught up on a series before the final book is out!
This is a rollicking young adult sci-fi series by one of my favorite authors, David Liss. Background: the main character, Zeke, is a young boy who has been chosen to join three other Earth kids to test whether the planet is mature enough to join an intergalactic confederation. The other three Earth youngsters all have elite skills. Zeke is a "random," chosen as an average control. But it turns out the person manipulating the selection of the randoms has actually picked them because they come from risk-taking planets with a spirit of some recklessness, to help the confederation in its battle with another alien alliance, the aggressive Phands.
At the beginning of this book, Zeke thinks he has failed in his first mission and is back to living his life as a not very high status middle school boy. But then his mother lets him know that the bad guys -- possibly Phand agents -- are looking for him, and he goes on the run with the help of a new friend, Alice, and her godfather. They break into the infamous Area 51 to find the spaceship that has been kept there, and thus a new space adventure begins.
Oh, and one other thing -- Zeke now has an alien intelligence housed in his brain, whom he has nicknamed Smelly.
What will happen when Zeke is reunited with his friends, including lizard boy Steve and cat girl Tamret? You'll have to read this to find out, but suffice to say that there is double dealing, hoarded secrets, adventures and a search for a Hidden Fortress in the bargain. The book ends in what is obviously the midstream of a plot that is meant to be encompassed by books two and three of the series, so I have to wait for the third book to come out in about two weeks to find out how this story ends.
Don't be put off by the YA or sci-fi labels. This is just flat out fun to read.
This is a rollicking young adult sci-fi series by one of my favorite authors, David Liss. Background: the main character, Zeke, is a young boy who has been chosen to join three other Earth kids to test whether the planet is mature enough to join an intergalactic confederation. The other three Earth youngsters all have elite skills. Zeke is a "random," chosen as an average control. But it turns out the person manipulating the selection of the randoms has actually picked them because they come from risk-taking planets with a spirit of some recklessness, to help the confederation in its battle with another alien alliance, the aggressive Phands.
At the beginning of this book, Zeke thinks he has failed in his first mission and is back to living his life as a not very high status middle school boy. But then his mother lets him know that the bad guys -- possibly Phand agents -- are looking for him, and he goes on the run with the help of a new friend, Alice, and her godfather. They break into the infamous Area 51 to find the spaceship that has been kept there, and thus a new space adventure begins.
Oh, and one other thing -- Zeke now has an alien intelligence housed in his brain, whom he has nicknamed Smelly.
What will happen when Zeke is reunited with his friends, including lizard boy Steve and cat girl Tamret? You'll have to read this to find out, but suffice to say that there is double dealing, hoarded secrets, adventures and a search for a Hidden Fortress in the bargain. The book ends in what is obviously the midstream of a plot that is meant to be encompassed by books two and three of the series, so I have to wait for the third book to come out in about two weeks to find out how this story ends.
Don't be put off by the YA or sci-fi labels. This is just flat out fun to read.
November 28, 2025
Since Zeke was dropped off back at Earth at the end of Randoms, he's felt the need to go back to the alien Confederation. It's enough that he promised to save his neko girlfriend, Tamret, but there's also the fact that now that Earth can't join the Confederacy, it's vulnerable to being taken over by the nasty Phands. Who would not only be horrible rulers, but who also have a special desire to kill Zeke. At least there's a girl at his new school who's friendly, even though he's still a magnet for bullies. Plus he seems to have an ancient alien AI, who he calls Smelly, imbedded in him. Smelly is quite disdainful of "meat bags" like Zeke, but its self-preservation desire makes it help Zeke with getting back into space.
Which, of course, he does, and reunites with his old friends. It turns out that an autocratic ruler, who already dislikes Zeke and the other kids, has taken over the Confederacy, so their first task is to save their own skins and somehow get the Confederacy back on track. But it's complicated.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and will read the final book in the series soon. But I don't feel I can give it more than three stars because of the too-neat way a lot of major problems/loose ends are tied up. Major things happen and then, it's like oh, they didn't really happen that way and here's what really happened. Maybe the author planned it that way from the start, but it seemed sloppy to me. I mean...one of those things would be a big coincidence, but possibly believable, but there are two major ones, each of which changes the story in multiple ways right near the end of the book.
Which, of course, he does, and reunites with his old friends. It turns out that an autocratic ruler, who already dislikes Zeke and the other kids, has taken over the Confederacy, so their first task is to save their own skins and somehow get the Confederacy back on track. But it's complicated.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and will read the final book in the series soon. But I don't feel I can give it more than three stars because of the too-neat way a lot of major problems/loose ends are tied up. Major things happen and then, it's like oh, they didn't really happen that way and here's what really happened. Maybe the author planned it that way from the start, but it seemed sloppy to me. I mean...one of those things would be a big coincidence, but possibly believable, but there are two major ones, each of which changes the story in multiple ways right near the end of the book.
December 21, 2019
Review by James, age 10, 12/21/19
This is book 2 in a series. In book 1, Zeke is randomly chosen as one of the five people to go to the Confederation Space Station and prove that the world is eligible to join the Confederation and get super advanced tech. The other four are chosen for smarts and other special features. Zeke is chosen as the random.
In this book, he goes back to the space station, however his ship had a mutiny and ended up blowing up. Zeke and his friends (except for one who failed to get to the shuttle in time) take the shuttle and go to Confederation Central. Then they are met by an evil politician who believes their society should not be allowed to join even if they prove themselves because the humans are carnivores, so when they arrive at the station they are immediately taken prisoner. The reason they went to the space station in the first place is because a good politician, the director or head of the Council, believes the humans are pretty much their only chance for surviving the Phands, the other space super power. But the director was in the ship that blew up. So the evil politician ended up being the highest authority, which means all promises of safety from the previous director are voided because she was blown up. Or so we think!
I won't tell you any more or I will end up spoiling the entire book.
I loved this book. I look forward to the other book and would recommend it to any other science fiction fan or space movie geek or video game player.
This is book 2 in a series. In book 1, Zeke is randomly chosen as one of the five people to go to the Confederation Space Station and prove that the world is eligible to join the Confederation and get super advanced tech. The other four are chosen for smarts and other special features. Zeke is chosen as the random.
In this book, he goes back to the space station, however his ship had a mutiny and ended up blowing up. Zeke and his friends (except for one who failed to get to the shuttle in time) take the shuttle and go to Confederation Central. Then they are met by an evil politician who believes their society should not be allowed to join even if they prove themselves because the humans are carnivores, so when they arrive at the station they are immediately taken prisoner. The reason they went to the space station in the first place is because a good politician, the director or head of the Council, believes the humans are pretty much their only chance for surviving the Phands, the other space super power. But the director was in the ship that blew up. So the evil politician ended up being the highest authority, which means all promises of safety from the previous director are voided because she was blown up. Or so we think!
I won't tell you any more or I will end up spoiling the entire book.
I loved this book. I look forward to the other book and would recommend it to any other science fiction fan or space movie geek or video game player.
June 16, 2020
There's two things about this book that just... I couldn't, I just couldn't. First was an OVERABUNDANCE OF DRAMA. SO MUCH DRAMA. DRAMA FOR DAYS! The other was that it suffered from an excess of jerk adults who seemed to be selfish and cruel just for the heck of it. Between those two, I found my desire to read this somewhere between non-existent and miniscule. The odd thing is that when I look at it from a distance, there's some really good ideas in this book and a bunch of really likeable characters, but those two things just... let me put it this way, this book is just a bit less than 400 pages, but it's 400 pages YA double-spaced, so my standard reading speed, that's basically 4 hours to read. I started it in February. My workplace shut down in mid-March and it's now mid-June, so for about 4 months, during which I literally had nothing better to do, I couldn't bring myself to pick this up and finish it because I just didn't want any more of the drama. I mean, the author even KNOWS he's put in too much drama, there's a character who's constantly making jokes about how this stuff only happens to the protagonist, and it IS funny in those instances, but the rest of the time, my eyes are rolling so hard that I'm making myself nauseous. I feel bad about coming down on this so hard because if you don't mind a WHOLE lot of drama, this isn't a bad or boring story, and there's plenty of humor (particularly of the referential sort), but it just didn't quite work for me. Ah well...
May 18, 2022
Another fun outing for Zeke and most of his friends from the first volume in the series. Adults can enjoy this series, although aimed at young adults/middle school audiences. There are times when some "willing suspension of disbelief" is necessary; especially when an adult male in the U.S. military continues to keep deferring to Zeke (about 14?) as the leader of their rag-tag group.
But those that enjoy space adventures/aliens, etc. will find these a cute read. I would have loved them when I was in school, too. Although there are bad guys, etc., I would not call this series "dystopian," so those looking forward to more optimism in your SF will be happier.
Liss usually writes for adults, so that may explain part of the crossover. I will warn adult readers that you may have to deal with "teenage angst" at times. On the positive side, the many references to popular science fiction media of the 20th/21st centuries will either tickle you or irritate you, depending on whether you are interested or not.
But those that enjoy space adventures/aliens, etc. will find these a cute read. I would have loved them when I was in school, too. Although there are bad guys, etc., I would not call this series "dystopian," so those looking forward to more optimism in your SF will be happier.
Liss usually writes for adults, so that may explain part of the crossover. I will warn adult readers that you may have to deal with "teenage angst" at times. On the positive side, the many references to popular science fiction media of the 20th/21st centuries will either tickle you or irritate you, depending on whether you are interested or not.
November 10, 2017
So much potential, but... just didn't live up to the first one. Not bad, but hard to like after the first book did so much, and this one left me feeling like nothing really happened. For the record, the plot did progress, it just didn't feel as important. And if there were things I didn't love about the relationships in the first one, they were worse in this book. I'm hoping it's just another second-in-the-series thing, and the third one will be better, but I'm nervous after this.
August 4, 2018
A very enjoyable read. Zeke is muddling through life back on Earth, but longs to get back to space and to Tamret. Circumstances force him into finding a way back quicker than he expected with the help of new & old friends on Earth and Smelly an AI (sort of) that has been implanted in Zeke. He soon finds himself back in the Confederation with friends and foes alike, as well as in all sorts of trouble. Lots of fun and a good amount of geeky sci-fi references.
July 18, 2019
Overall I was disappointed with the way the book turned out, compared the the previous book. What got really annoying was how the author was lazy about tying up the loose ends of the story by having the A.I make the main character experience a different turn of events than what actually happened. This meant that at the end of the book a lot of things that I thought (however strange) were true were not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2023
was pretty disappointed with how the series went from cool alien adventures and friend making to frustratingly tiptoeing around space goat Hitler, the exclusion of some of the most memorable characters like Nayana and the biggest win for Zeke (the director) felt sloppy. Pretty big let down from the first one
November 13, 2017
Fun, fun, fun! The writing is tight and funny. My only criticism is the poor proofreading. This is from a big name publisher and there were multiple glaring errors that even spell check would have marked. This book/author should be shown some love, care, and corrections before going to print.
January 23, 2020
a group of kids and other kid aliens try to take down a corruption in the universe government so the other really bad alien race doesn’t take out Earth and all the other peaceful places in the universe. And it isn’t over yet, I can’t wait to read book 3.
May 11, 2017
Not as good as the first one and also not as well edited. Still definitely want to read the next one though!
May 23, 2017
Just like the first one, but with new characters and an interesting twist with Tamret.
June 4, 2017
This was a good second book in a trilogy. I liked the first one better, but that's to be expected. Looking forward to the third!!
August 4, 2017
Mostly a set-up for book three.
August 31, 2017
Fun sequel, amusing romp through space, aliens, and scifi references.
November 25, 2017
Not nearly as good as the 1st one
January 10, 2018
3.5
I’m not even a sci-fi fan, and I really enjoyed this sequel. It’s the sarcastic voice of Zeke, and his mate Steve that keep me reading.
I’m not even a sci-fi fan, and I really enjoyed this sequel. It’s the sarcastic voice of Zeke, and his mate Steve that keep me reading.
March 3, 2018
Another super fun space romp for nerds of all ages. It's a quick read and a real blast.
April 19, 2023
Loved this! Excited to read book 3.
February 28, 2025
Usually, the first book is better than the others, but David Liss wasn't holding back on this book. I have to say, my inner nerd was yelling for joy while I was reading this book!
September 10, 2025
another great book on the series. looking forward to the final book in the trilogy. 👽👾
October 13, 2016
Probably my most eagerly anticipated release of the season, I really enjoyed this exciting continuation of the story I fell in love with last year. My only slight qualm is that there's an actual end to the first book, whereas we're left totally ready and keen for the final episode to fill us up here. I do believe that the conclusion of the trilogy will be explosively brilliant!
March 6, 2017
Zeke has saved the Universe, but is now marooned in middle school on Earth. He longs to return to the Confederation and try to convince those in power that Earth is worthy to belong. He also made a promise to Tamret that he would rescue her from the cruel caste system on her planet. With the help of his new friend Alice, he breaks into Area 51 hoping to find a space ship that he can pilot back to Confederation Central. Everything seems to be working out well until he finds himself in the midst of multiple political conspiracies.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews