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Age of End #1
The Rat Collector
One shocking encounter will turn childhood friends into eternal enemies.Vince's immortality is no blessing. Unlike his childhood companion from long ago, he refuses to feed on humans to prolong his life. When people from his village start disappearing, he suspects an immortal killer at work…
Saul eagerly takes what he needs to survive his eternal life. But when he comes face-to-face with his adolescent friend and has to answer for his crimes, his intricately woven scheme may meet an untimely end…
As the high price of their existence hangs between them, a powerful new enemy may require them to put aside their differences. Can Vince and Saul join forces or will their decades old feud end in blood and death?
The Rat Collector is the first book in the Age of End series of dystopian sci-fi novels. If you like twisted moral dilemmas, intricate world building, and captivating characters, then you’ll love Chris Yee’s compelling adventure.
Buy The Rat Collector to discover the price of eternal life today!
Saul eagerly takes what he needs to survive his eternal life. But when he comes face-to-face with his adolescent friend and has to answer for his crimes, his intricately woven scheme may meet an untimely end…
As the high price of their existence hangs between them, a powerful new enemy may require them to put aside their differences. Can Vince and Saul join forces or will their decades old feud end in blood and death?
The Rat Collector is the first book in the Age of End series of dystopian sci-fi novels. If you like twisted moral dilemmas, intricate world building, and captivating characters, then you’ll love Chris Yee’s compelling adventure.
Buy The Rat Collector to discover the price of eternal life today!
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2016
89 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 17, 2020
2.5 Stars for The Ray collector (audiobook) by Chris Yee read by Aaron Sinn. This is kind of an odd story. Some characters don’t know what guns are but they have buttercream frosting for a birthday cake? I’m confused. I thought I switched books. I think it’s a post apocalyptic vampire story but I’m not sure. I really don’t have sense of what the world is like. Frustrating.
August 26, 2019
Did not finish.
I got two-thirds of the way through and gave up. I was listening to the audiobook so the narrator, Aaron Sinn, may have had something to do with it. He reads every sentence as if it was of the greatest moment, even if it was a prosaic description. This gets old quickly.
Aside from that, too many of the characters act in unbelievable ways.
But the main problem was that I felt no investment in the protagonist. At no point did we discover Vince's plan to stop Saul. Given how long he'd been at it, perhaps there was no plan. My interest seemed to just fade away.
I got two-thirds of the way through and gave up. I was listening to the audiobook so the narrator, Aaron Sinn, may have had something to do with it. He reads every sentence as if it was of the greatest moment, even if it was a prosaic description. This gets old quickly.
Aside from that, too many of the characters act in unbelievable ways.
But the main problem was that I felt no investment in the protagonist. At no point did we discover Vince's plan to stop Saul. Given how long he'd been at it, perhaps there was no plan. My interest seemed to just fade away.
June 15, 2020
Sometimes I just want to read a simple YA book and this worked great for me. Quality-wise, this is not a great book, but it's only 250 pages and a quick, easy read.
I liked the plot. The story opens with our main character, Vince, pursuing an unknown man through the snowy wilderness. Vince and the man share a past and both wield extraordinary power. After he is injured, he is found by a local and he begins to share his story and his mission.
The story was set up well and it was easy to follow. I was hooked at some points! The ending of the book was a little disappointing after the leadup, but this is the first book in a trilogy so it's probably supposed to leave you wanting more. I can't say I was interested enough to want to read the other books, but this was a decent story.
I liked the plot. The story opens with our main character, Vince, pursuing an unknown man through the snowy wilderness. Vince and the man share a past and both wield extraordinary power. After he is injured, he is found by a local and he begins to share his story and his mission.
The story was set up well and it was easy to follow. I was hooked at some points! The ending of the book was a little disappointing after the leadup, but this is the first book in a trilogy so it's probably supposed to leave you wanting more. I can't say I was interested enough to want to read the other books, but this was a decent story.
June 6, 2023
1.5* rounded down
This gets the extra half star for the obviously planned plot and world. I feel the author had a distinct mental image of his world and the events that would send his characters through it. He had an exciting adventure in mind.
Unfortunately, the writing style and characterization are juvenile. Lots of simple sentences in here in the format of "Noun did Action." If that weren't clunky enough, it was abrupt, with poor transitions from one setting/scene/movement to the next, causing constant whiplash. There was little to no research put into this either, with characters who seemed to be in a medieval type setting using words and having events of modern era times, such as a surprise birthday party with presents and cake.
On top of that, the unrealistic characterization made this book difficult to get into. None of the characters here acted or reacted in the ways real humans would in the given situations. They were all a bit stupid too, even the two-hundred years old characters.
Lastly, I have one note that's about the narrator, not the book. Through parts of the narration there was a rushing sound like a fan or an air conditioner, and during another part there was a brief but distinct second voice in the background that may have been a baby's cry or a woman. Regardless, I've never heard background noise during an audiobook before, and while not overly distracting, it did take me out of the book for a few moments from time to time. Of course, this was the solo error of the narrator and not no one else.
All in all, The Rat Collector was a fun idea wrapped up in an unfortunate package. Still, I hope the author continues writing because the joy he finds in it comes through in his pages.
This gets the extra half star for the obviously planned plot and world. I feel the author had a distinct mental image of his world and the events that would send his characters through it. He had an exciting adventure in mind.
Unfortunately, the writing style and characterization are juvenile. Lots of simple sentences in here in the format of "Noun did Action." If that weren't clunky enough, it was abrupt, with poor transitions from one setting/scene/movement to the next, causing constant whiplash. There was little to no research put into this either, with characters who seemed to be in a medieval type setting using words and having events of modern era times, such as a surprise birthday party with presents and cake.
On top of that, the unrealistic characterization made this book difficult to get into. None of the characters here acted or reacted in the ways real humans would in the given situations. They were all a bit stupid too, even the two-hundred years old characters.
Lastly, I have one note that's about the narrator, not the book. Through parts of the narration there was a rushing sound like a fan or an air conditioner, and during another part there was a brief but distinct second voice in the background that may have been a baby's cry or a woman. Regardless, I've never heard background noise during an audiobook before, and while not overly distracting, it did take me out of the book for a few moments from time to time. Of course, this was the solo error of the narrator and not no one else.
All in all, The Rat Collector was a fun idea wrapped up in an unfortunate package. Still, I hope the author continues writing because the joy he finds in it comes through in his pages.
January 20, 2021
Audiobook
May 1, 2021
There were a lot of inconsistencies that were difficult to overlook and many of the characters were not well built which left a lot of questions, and required me to fill in the blacks. This is not a stand alone book, the end leaves you hanging. Overall a great idea for the story though.
May 20, 2021
Okay, so I had just read that anti-anti-vax book, so maybe I was seeing all kinds of things that weren't really in there, but...it seems like it was like weirdly anti-vax. I'm pretty sure I'm reading too much into this...almost positive by the time I got to the end...but the whole plot about people getting injected that helps them suck the life force from other people while constantly being watched seemed a little too close for me.
Also, I get really frustrated with books that just end. Cliffhangers work okay on TV shows, but books really need to have a full arc.
Side note: I liked the audio book reader. Also, adorably, you can very faintly hear kids playing in the background in a handful of sections.
Also, I get really frustrated with books that just end. Cliffhangers work okay on TV shows, but books really need to have a full arc.
Side note: I liked the audio book reader. Also, adorably, you can very faintly hear kids playing in the background in a handful of sections.
February 25, 2021
I give a lot of credit to anyone who can sit down and write a book, it's not easy.... having said that, in my opinion, Chris Yee has a long way to go to before he will be considered a quality writer. Reading this book reminded me of reading a story created by a 5 th grade student, it was extremely simple minded. The plot and the characters were never fully developed, I felt as Mr. Yee was just making it up as he went along. I feel bad, i want to rate this book higher just because he managed to create a trilogy and that's an accomplishment in itself, but I just can't justify more than 1 star. Keep writing Mr. Yee, you will only get better with time.
December 15, 2022
Different, dramatic, enticing
The book & story, in & of itself, is intriguing. It seems almost apocalyptic. A who done it type of scenario. Places don't know about the world as a whole. Testing of unknown origin happening in the very outskirts of civilization. Friendship tested over so many years. Twists & turns that make you lose focus on the story for a bit, then brings back what you're looking for in the end.
The book & story, in & of itself, is intriguing. It seems almost apocalyptic. A who done it type of scenario. Places don't know about the world as a whole. Testing of unknown origin happening in the very outskirts of civilization. Friendship tested over so many years. Twists & turns that make you lose focus on the story for a bit, then brings back what you're looking for in the end.
February 13, 2021
Although I liked the storyline and will read the next instalment, the writing style is a bit lacking. The story doesn’t always flow and there are parts that don’t make sense if you have been paying attention. I’m the type who needs to follow through but otherwise I’d likely not continue with this series.
April 23, 2021
The story was pretty interesting. I learned that it was a part one of an apparent series that I’d probably continue if the dialogue wasn’t so bad. It was almost like the author had never had an authentic conversation with an actual human before, and therefore based all the character dialogue on interactions he’d seen between heroes and villains in Saturday morning cartoons. Not great.
January 25, 2021
This was a weird one, we don't get full truths of what is going on or what are the characters. But for a while you start to ask questions - is this a vampire story? Is this dystopian? Is this a game? curious what the next books in the series bring!
May 6, 2021
I didn't like this book.. The only thing that I really enjoyed is the narrator's voice which was fantastic... The plot twist at the end was quite good.. But overall, the book was way too extended and boring for me..
June 25, 2022
To live forever is a gift given to two teen boys. Their paths change when they discover how to maintain immortality. This is an interesting take on the fountain of youth. The one thing that caused me to give 4 stars instead of five - the story has no end, you must read the next book.
January 30, 2019
The Fat Collector
Started out a little slow, but kept building. Grand a hold and kept me wanting more. Can not wait for the next one.!!
Started out a little slow, but kept building. Grand a hold and kept me wanting more. Can not wait for the next one.!!
December 18, 2019
Interesting start to a story. A bit slow going with pretty basic writing. The narrator for the audio book is a little too excited about everything. I will probably read the rest of the series.
May 10, 2020
I'm glad it was short and free - but if I hadn't been doing chores while listening I wouldn't have stuck with it.
February 18, 2021
It was a fun short story, definitelly want to read the next book "Kings and Crowns".
March 11, 2021
A must read for anyone thinking living forever is a good thing!
March 25, 2021
An experiment involving “rat fields” to make them live longer. Good premise, flat story tho
April 26, 2021
Pretty good sci-fi. It was kinda confusing but the storyline was interesting.
May 12, 2021
Not my favorite, for one a 17 year old sounded like a 12 year old, who threw a tantrum because his story book went missing.
June 14, 2021
The beginning was super boring but it got more interesting as it got closer to the end. It was definitely weird but I will probably read the next one.
March 14, 2022
Decidedly mediocre. Reads like young adult fiction.
March 28, 2022
Interesting read.
June 12, 2022
In a fit of whimsy, I hereby announce I will give everyone five stars, but the reviews may not reflect it.
I wanted to like this, I really did, as the story sounded interesting. However, the characters were stale, the story underdeveloped and somewhat all over the place, but it has potential. It was a first-time author, an experience I fully understand, so now that he has some experience under his belt, a rewrite might save the day.
I wanted to like this, I really did, as the story sounded interesting. However, the characters were stale, the story underdeveloped and somewhat all over the place, but it has potential. It was a first-time author, an experience I fully understand, so now that he has some experience under his belt, a rewrite might save the day.
September 12, 2016
Good Story
I enjoyed reading about the characters developed in this story. I would have preferred more development surrounding the characters and I was left wanting more. For my taste the ending could have been explained better and developed the ending much better. I was disappointed after spending my time reading to be left with so many questions.
I enjoyed reading about the characters developed in this story. I would have preferred more development surrounding the characters and I was left wanting more. For my taste the ending could have been explained better and developed the ending much better. I was disappointed after spending my time reading to be left with so many questions.
June 1, 2017
Great read
Loved the character Vince. Can't wait to read the next instalment. Also curious to what 'powers' Ella has. Thanks for all you do!
Loved the character Vince. Can't wait to read the next instalment. Also curious to what 'powers' Ella has. Thanks for all you do!
January 5, 2017
It was alright, but I feel it could have been a little more introspective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews