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Shift
In fifteen year-old Adrian Havoc's world, Homestate rules every aspect of identity cards need to be carried at all times, evolution is a forbidden topic of discussion, and religious education is enforced in daily "rapture" doses. If life weren't hard enough, now come the threats that the end of the world--SHIFT--is quickly approaching. But Adrian refuses to accept things as they are. He sets out for the toxic Deadlands on a trip that may very well alter the course of the universe.
In this powerful, thought-provoking and by turns humorous novel, Charlotte Agell uncovers the painful consequences of war and uncertain governments in an imagined—yet disturbingly realistic—world.
In this powerful, thought-provoking and by turns humorous novel, Charlotte Agell uncovers the painful consequences of war and uncertain governments in an imagined—yet disturbingly realistic—world.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2008
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96 people want to read
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Charlotte Agell
25 books27 followersFor more information, please visit author website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 11, 2018
Charlotte Agell's book "Shift", a dystopian story, demonstrates the possible outcome of a world where people have to pray to only one God or otherwise the "Shift" will force them to believe in the one and only God. The main idea or theme alludes that forcing isn't controlling people. As a kid, I remember that my parents forced me to eat food that I didn't want to eat, so I did the exact opposite, yet when my parents convinced me the effects of eating that food were, I ate what they wanted me to eat. Anyone who wants to imagine living in a dystopian world of only believing in one God or just want to read a book should read this.
December 23, 2011
SHIFT had such crazy potential if you're reading the blurb but getting into it, it just felt rushed. Scenes changed in a jolted, jerky sort of way and information was thrown at you without much explanation. Like how the US got to be in this Homestate situation to begin with. Apparently nuclear bombs dropped and took out all of Massachusetts. From what I could tell, Adrian was living in either Connecticut or Rhode Island. Based on driving distance and the directions they were talking about traveling and through which states, those are the only two options that made sense. What didn't make sense was how the entire region wasn't affected by nuclear fallout.
By the time I got to the end of the book I just felt like all of the information was dumped on me and then ran like water on Teflon. It could have been so much better if the pace was slowed down, situations were dwelling on a little more and things weren't so forced. Odd and awkward inserts of curse words throughout the story made it a little weird to read. Every time I came across it it just felt misplaced and it was jarring to read as a result. The psychic sister was nothing more than a tool that helped advance the plot more easily and the penguin was just an excuse to get them to travel. Once it was set free, it stopped serving its purpose and to me it ultimately felt like a sorry excuse to once again further the plot.
Adrian is a bit of a non-conformist with a mother that apparently doesn't care much about him because he disappears for days at a time without her so much as worrying. His whole character just felt like it was trying too hard so I never really connected with him. Shriek, as I said above, was just a plot-serving tool that made sure the pieces were set up for Adrian to nicely resolve the conflict. It felt way too easy and because it was so rushed I was left unsatisfied at the end.
There were some neat concepts and I think the world was broaching on something that could have been awesome but I just felt not enough time was spent in really digging into not only the story but the characters. They were caricatures in their own story instead of actual people. I couldn't believe a lot of it because of the distance I felt. SHIFT felt like a paint-by-numbers story created to ride on the dystopian wave. It had potential, but it's execution was weak and lacking. I can be left wanting in a book but there has to be some satisfaction there. Here there really isn't much. The writing was decent but in a simple kind of way. There wasn't much going on between the lines and I felt that was another area where it could have enriched the story more.
By the time I got to the end of the book I just felt like all of the information was dumped on me and then ran like water on Teflon. It could have been so much better if the pace was slowed down, situations were dwelling on a little more and things weren't so forced. Odd and awkward inserts of curse words throughout the story made it a little weird to read. Every time I came across it it just felt misplaced and it was jarring to read as a result. The psychic sister was nothing more than a tool that helped advance the plot more easily and the penguin was just an excuse to get them to travel. Once it was set free, it stopped serving its purpose and to me it ultimately felt like a sorry excuse to once again further the plot.
Adrian is a bit of a non-conformist with a mother that apparently doesn't care much about him because he disappears for days at a time without her so much as worrying. His whole character just felt like it was trying too hard so I never really connected with him. Shriek, as I said above, was just a plot-serving tool that made sure the pieces were set up for Adrian to nicely resolve the conflict. It felt way too easy and because it was so rushed I was left unsatisfied at the end.
There were some neat concepts and I think the world was broaching on something that could have been awesome but I just felt not enough time was spent in really digging into not only the story but the characters. They were caricatures in their own story instead of actual people. I couldn't believe a lot of it because of the distance I felt. SHIFT felt like a paint-by-numbers story created to ride on the dystopian wave. It had potential, but it's execution was weak and lacking. I can be left wanting in a book but there has to be some satisfaction there. Here there really isn't much. The writing was decent but in a simple kind of way. There wasn't much going on between the lines and I felt that was another area where it could have enriched the story more.
March 6, 2009
My 5th grader recently read this young adult novel and demanded I read it as well. It was great. A mix between reading The Road and The Giver, but written for young teens. Set in the near future, Massachusettes has been nuked, and the country is called "The United Christian States", where the topic of evolution is forbidden and "The Raptures" are shown daily. Pretty heavy stuff, but written in a light, age appropriate way, that has you zooming through the pages.
April 12, 2024
This is a short book. I took way too long to finish it. Life problems got in the way.
That said, I remember having some issues getting into the story at the beginning. The setting was interesting, but the pacing was slow. I also had trouble remembering how old the characters were. For half the book, I was reading Lenora as at least early 20s and our MC as 14 or 15, maybe 16. Then they kept holding hands and eventually kissed, and I was very confused.
The first half was slow, as I said. There was a dry atmosphere to set the scene, and then a lot of traveling. When we finally got to the destination and started meeting people and getting involved with the problem at hand, my interest grew.
Actually, the stuff going on the behind the scenes was super interesting and I feel like it got glossed over in comparison to the journey it took to get there.
Some things were left unexplained. What is up with Shreik--why does she have supernatural abilities? What happened to Gabriel then?
This is an interesting dystopia, reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale. It is something of a warning, especially for Christians, about, hm, groupthink? The message is more advocating freedom of religion, and not abolishment of Christianity. And perhaps to think critically about what authorities tell you.
That said, I remember having some issues getting into the story at the beginning. The setting was interesting, but the pacing was slow. I also had trouble remembering how old the characters were. For half the book, I was reading Lenora as at least early 20s and our MC as 14 or 15, maybe 16. Then they kept holding hands and eventually kissed, and I was very confused.
The first half was slow, as I said. There was a dry atmosphere to set the scene, and then a lot of traveling. When we finally got to the destination and started meeting people and getting involved with the problem at hand, my interest grew.
Actually, the stuff going on the behind the scenes was super interesting and I feel like it got glossed over in comparison to the journey it took to get there.
Some things were left unexplained. What is up with Shreik--why does she have supernatural abilities? What happened to Gabriel then?
This is an interesting dystopia, reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale. It is something of a warning, especially for Christians, about, hm, groupthink? The message is more advocating freedom of religion, and not abolishment of Christianity. And perhaps to think critically about what authorities tell you.
October 17, 2022
Good ole post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a realistic seeming antagonistic theocratic government. This was good. *really* good. poetic writing, with tons of one-liner sentences that really pack a punch. Characters were believable. Deus-ex-machina in this story were acceptable considering the themes. This story did a good job of moving objectives for the main characters. Some stories who try this are not nearly as successful as Ms. Agell. Bravo, and the classic ending of riding off into the sunset into the great unknown with optimism leaves me satisfied, but the story open to a sequel if the author so chooses. Really nice work.
May 15, 2025
Quick read with some good themes but found it to be poorly written and incomplete in its story telling. Not worth a revisit.
September 21, 2017
Agell, Charlotte. 2008. Shift.
"Mom and I have been having the same argument for so many weeks now that we've got it down cold. We can run the long version or the short version, depending on what's up, but it never really changes. It would be funny, if it wasn't boring me to death.
"Adrian, you have to sign up for Vacation Bible School." She usually has her arms crossed, as if that makes what she's saying more serious.
"No."
"It's a graduation requirement now. You know that."
Silence. I can say a lot by not talking.
"If you don't do it soon, it's going to be too late" (5)
Set in a futuristic America, Homestate, where a DISASTER has ushered in a theocratic regime, Adrian and his sister, Shriek (Melody), are soon forced to decide between going with the status quo or making a run for it--through the dangerous Deadlands--and heading North to freedom and the unknown.
From the author's site:
Shift is coming . . . will it be the end of the world? Fifteen year old Adrian lives in a time and place where church has rejoined state. Christianity is required by law. His father is missing in action and his mother must be very careful. She is a scientist who works for the highly suspicious regime. In his quest to untangle all the threads of his life, Adrian heads north across a nuclear wasteland, with his psychic little sister Shriek, an assistant zookeeper named Lenora, and a rescued penguin. Ultimately, he must face down the clumsy but awful forces of evil, deep inside a mountain in what once was Maine. Will he save the world? Will he save himself? Will the earth itself crumble and crack? Stay alert...Shift is nearly here!
Shift had all the makings of a book that I would love, love, love. It's dystopia. It's "end of the world" type drama. On the surface, the premise sounds genuinely interesting. For me, however, it was just an okay read. This is one of those books that exploits "Christianity" and makes it look so unmistakably evil that even though the version of Christianity represented is way way off the deep end (a completely false faith), there isn't anything to counterbalance the insanity. It just uses the narrative to deliver its own new-age-type message.
S
p
o
i
l
e
r
This "Christian" government is manipulating the populace--enforcing belief and faith--through showing false miracles, signs, wonders, etc. They use science and technology to "fake" the signs of apocalypse and the second coming of Christ. They use "Jesus" as a mouthpiece for their government, but the message and messenger are of their own making.
In some ways, Shift reminds me of C.S. Lewis' novel THE LAST BATTLE. In fact, one of the main characters in Lewis' novel is an ape named Shift. A fact I find just a little interesting. In The Last Battle, an ape and a donkey team up--the ape is the mastermind behind the act--to impersonate the lion Aslan. The people fall for this despite the signs not quite lining up. This "Aslan" is different than everything written about him. The message "Aslan" is spreading is contradictory to everything that is known about him. Yet a donkey-in-a-lion-suit fools the masses. When the truth comes to light, the people use this to assume that there was no Aslan to begin with. That the whole idea of Aslan was a sham, a fraud. In the same way in Shift, there are people, the government, the regime, that manipulate the text of the Bible and who use devious means to bring this 'to life' to make a 'show' of the Bible's teachings. But just because the people thumping the Bible in this case are wicked, doesn't make the Bible less true. In Lewis' novel, while the masses get fed up with religion and faith and spirituality, there are handful of believers that do get it. In this novel, Shift, there are no positive representations of Christians. Christians just equal evil in this novel and that is really sad.
"Mom and I have been having the same argument for so many weeks now that we've got it down cold. We can run the long version or the short version, depending on what's up, but it never really changes. It would be funny, if it wasn't boring me to death.
"Adrian, you have to sign up for Vacation Bible School." She usually has her arms crossed, as if that makes what she's saying more serious.
"No."
"It's a graduation requirement now. You know that."
Silence. I can say a lot by not talking.
"If you don't do it soon, it's going to be too late" (5)
Set in a futuristic America, Homestate, where a DISASTER has ushered in a theocratic regime, Adrian and his sister, Shriek (Melody), are soon forced to decide between going with the status quo or making a run for it--through the dangerous Deadlands--and heading North to freedom and the unknown.
From the author's site:
Shift is coming . . . will it be the end of the world? Fifteen year old Adrian lives in a time and place where church has rejoined state. Christianity is required by law. His father is missing in action and his mother must be very careful. She is a scientist who works for the highly suspicious regime. In his quest to untangle all the threads of his life, Adrian heads north across a nuclear wasteland, with his psychic little sister Shriek, an assistant zookeeper named Lenora, and a rescued penguin. Ultimately, he must face down the clumsy but awful forces of evil, deep inside a mountain in what once was Maine. Will he save the world? Will he save himself? Will the earth itself crumble and crack? Stay alert...Shift is nearly here!
Shift had all the makings of a book that I would love, love, love. It's dystopia. It's "end of the world" type drama. On the surface, the premise sounds genuinely interesting. For me, however, it was just an okay read. This is one of those books that exploits "Christianity" and makes it look so unmistakably evil that even though the version of Christianity represented is way way off the deep end (a completely false faith), there isn't anything to counterbalance the insanity. It just uses the narrative to deliver its own new-age-type message.
S
p
o
i
l
e
r
This "Christian" government is manipulating the populace--enforcing belief and faith--through showing false miracles, signs, wonders, etc. They use science and technology to "fake" the signs of apocalypse and the second coming of Christ. They use "Jesus" as a mouthpiece for their government, but the message and messenger are of their own making.
In some ways, Shift reminds me of C.S. Lewis' novel THE LAST BATTLE. In fact, one of the main characters in Lewis' novel is an ape named Shift. A fact I find just a little interesting. In The Last Battle, an ape and a donkey team up--the ape is the mastermind behind the act--to impersonate the lion Aslan. The people fall for this despite the signs not quite lining up. This "Aslan" is different than everything written about him. The message "Aslan" is spreading is contradictory to everything that is known about him. Yet a donkey-in-a-lion-suit fools the masses. When the truth comes to light, the people use this to assume that there was no Aslan to begin with. That the whole idea of Aslan was a sham, a fraud. In the same way in Shift, there are people, the government, the regime, that manipulate the text of the Bible and who use devious means to bring this 'to life' to make a 'show' of the Bible's teachings. But just because the people thumping the Bible in this case are wicked, doesn't make the Bible less true. In Lewis' novel, while the masses get fed up with religion and faith and spirituality, there are handful of believers that do get it. In this novel, Shift, there are no positive representations of Christians. Christians just equal evil in this novel and that is really sad.
October 3, 2016
This dystopian novel is geared to readers age 12 and up. It is a world of rigged elections, terrorist attacks that have destroyed the east coast, and a phony Rapture that is about to occur. It is a scary world and could very easily happen.
January 12, 2009
Adrian Havoc used to think he had the best of both worlds, but that was before his father never came back from the moon and his mother started stressing over work. His parents are people of science and math, employed, strangely, but the religious government called Homestate. Homestate controls everything in Adrian’s home of Atro City, from simple things like admission to the zoo to mandatory religious education under the state religion. Now that Shift is approaching, the end of the world or so the government says, everything is about to change, and Adrian knows he can’t be a part of it anymore. So he leaves, traveling north to search for a place of peace, but instead, he’ll find the truth.
Shift is a peek into a hypothetical future world, and a scary one at that. Though terrifying to me, a government with absolute power over even personal matters such as religion, as in this novel, is not too farfetched, and Agell refines this to make it disturbingly real. As in most novels with dystopias, the plot is fast moving, suspenseful, and very original. The characters, on the other hand, were sometimes uninteresting and one-dimensional, although I enjoyed some of the quirkier characters such as Shriek and the penguin Mr. Baby Guy. Everything about this dysfunctional future is plausible; Agell even has it down to a science. The only issue with this is that most readers will not be able to understand the short or incomplete scientific explanations for various phenomena and may be confused, as I was at times. Nevertheless, Shift makes a profound statement about the relationship between religion, government, and the individual that will get the reader thinking.
Readers who enjoy futuristic or utopian novels, particularly Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn, and The Giver by Lois Lowry, will enjoy this thought provoking novel. I hope there will be a sequel or companion novel to Shift so I can get the rest of the incredible story I’m sure is there.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
Shift is a peek into a hypothetical future world, and a scary one at that. Though terrifying to me, a government with absolute power over even personal matters such as religion, as in this novel, is not too farfetched, and Agell refines this to make it disturbingly real. As in most novels with dystopias, the plot is fast moving, suspenseful, and very original. The characters, on the other hand, were sometimes uninteresting and one-dimensional, although I enjoyed some of the quirkier characters such as Shriek and the penguin Mr. Baby Guy. Everything about this dysfunctional future is plausible; Agell even has it down to a science. The only issue with this is that most readers will not be able to understand the short or incomplete scientific explanations for various phenomena and may be confused, as I was at times. Nevertheless, Shift makes a profound statement about the relationship between religion, government, and the individual that will get the reader thinking.
Readers who enjoy futuristic or utopian novels, particularly Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn, and The Giver by Lois Lowry, will enjoy this thought provoking novel. I hope there will be a sequel or companion novel to Shift so I can get the rest of the incredible story I’m sure is there.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
October 4, 2011
Adrian Havoc lives in a world where the government has complete control over its people, and religion is the basis for how things work. If you are not part of the “right” religion, you are moved out of the main city. Every day is one day closer to the Shift; the apocalypse. Adrian is fairly lucky in this world, his mom is a scientist (she does go against everything the government believes though) and he has a quirky sister who can see the future. Adrian’s father though, he has been missing ever since the bombs went off. What happens next in Adrian’s life surprises even him; he decides to stop sitting idly by and take control over his destiny.
I found this book in with our children’s fiction, but I quickly learned that maybe it has been miscataloged. Not only is the main character fifteen, which sometimes can be looked over in a tween book, but Adrian like to use bad language. More than once I was hit with a cuss word that I would not imagine many parents of 8-12 year olds wanting them to be reading. That put aside, I really enjoyed Adrian’s story. It was a dystopian novel, which I love, but it also had a different twist that I had not read before. I do not currently see that this book has been made into a series, but Agell definitely leaves that door open.
I do not think that this book is appropriate for a classroom or library book club setting. This is only based on the foul language that is used. Other than that, I really think that tween boys will like this book.
Characters: Adrian, Shriek, Lenora.
Subjects: Brothers and sisters, Dystopian, Religion, Science fiction.
References: Book information and award information retrieved from www.bwibooks.com. Accessed on October 3, 2011.
Shift. (2008, August 1). Retrieved October 3, 2011, from Kirus Reviews.
Charlotte Agell, Author & Illustrator. Retrieved October 3, 2011, from http://www.charlotteagell.com/.
I found this book in with our children’s fiction, but I quickly learned that maybe it has been miscataloged. Not only is the main character fifteen, which sometimes can be looked over in a tween book, but Adrian like to use bad language. More than once I was hit with a cuss word that I would not imagine many parents of 8-12 year olds wanting them to be reading. That put aside, I really enjoyed Adrian’s story. It was a dystopian novel, which I love, but it also had a different twist that I had not read before. I do not currently see that this book has been made into a series, but Agell definitely leaves that door open.
I do not think that this book is appropriate for a classroom or library book club setting. This is only based on the foul language that is used. Other than that, I really think that tween boys will like this book.
Characters: Adrian, Shriek, Lenora.
Subjects: Brothers and sisters, Dystopian, Religion, Science fiction.
References: Book information and award information retrieved from www.bwibooks.com. Accessed on October 3, 2011.
Shift. (2008, August 1). Retrieved October 3, 2011, from Kirus Reviews.
Charlotte Agell, Author & Illustrator. Retrieved October 3, 2011, from http://www.charlotteagell.com/.
September 29, 2008
In a frighteningly possible future, Homestate rules the land. Evolution is not allowed to be discussed let alone taught in schools, watching religious programming is required, and the End of the World is approaching according to many. This all happened after terrorists bombed Boston with nuclear weapons, creating a swath of dead land across the Eastern United States. To the north of the Deadlands which still swirl with radioactive dust lies a land of horrible devastation and crazy people. At 15-years-old, Adrian has seen his friends disappear for not believing, his mother change from a scientists into a shell, and his little sister grow into her strange psychic abilities. Now he finds himself on an adventure across the Deadlands with a girl he barely knows, his little sister and a penguin. And all they have to look forward to on the other side is a frightening unknown.
Agell has created a world that is all too possible. I applaud her for not shirking away from what religious zealots could create in this world, though at times her tone can be too strident about the dangers. The book is gripping and impossible to put down. It vibrantly mixes humor and horror together. One worry I have is that it does belittle the dangers of nuclear weapons, rather than showing the devastation to the extent it should be. There were also some mixed messages about what food was safe to eat. But the heart of the story and the journey were a treat.
This book is a mixture of action, adventure and disaster and is well worth the time to read thanks to its writing. While I have quibbled about some of the points in the book, it is a strong novel with a strong voice. Appropriate for ages 10-13.
Agell has created a world that is all too possible. I applaud her for not shirking away from what religious zealots could create in this world, though at times her tone can be too strident about the dangers. The book is gripping and impossible to put down. It vibrantly mixes humor and horror together. One worry I have is that it does belittle the dangers of nuclear weapons, rather than showing the devastation to the extent it should be. There were also some mixed messages about what food was safe to eat. But the heart of the story and the journey were a treat.
This book is a mixture of action, adventure and disaster and is well worth the time to read thanks to its writing. While I have quibbled about some of the points in the book, it is a strong novel with a strong voice. Appropriate for ages 10-13.
January 21, 2013
Boston has been nuked; the north is a radiation wasteland; the government is a religious cult called HomeState. This is the world of Shift and Adrian Havoc. In the not to distant future the world has fallen apart and been put back together by religion. The government preaches daily through "Raptures" and is predicting "Shift" or the end of the world. Adrian lives with his mother, who is a scientist for the government, and his little sister Shriek, aka Melody, who is somewhat psychic. His father has not been seen in a long time; the last they knew he was on the moon. His mother has to go on a secret mission and disappears. Shriek is obsessed with the zoo and the last penguin. Soon Adrian finds himself of a mission, a mission to rescue the penguin and take it north. Adrian, Shriek, the penguin and a young zookeeper kidnap the penguin and head into the Deadlands. They travel through the radiation wasteland before reaching Maine. There they have to confront the end of the world and their own secret mission.
There is a lot going on in this little book. I enjoy these types of post-apocalyptic dystopians. The more plausible the story the more intriguing it is. While I am not sure a religious group would nuke a city just to come into power, I did find this society eerie and pretty realistic. It has aspects of Nazi Germany with its persecution of other religious groups. The characters are all well developed; you really understand who Adrian and Shriek and Lenora are and what they want to accomplish. Where I think this book falls apart a little is the ending and the secret mission into the mountain. I found this part a little ridiculous, but it did make for an exciting end to the book.
There is a lot going on in this little book. I enjoy these types of post-apocalyptic dystopians. The more plausible the story the more intriguing it is. While I am not sure a religious group would nuke a city just to come into power, I did find this society eerie and pretty realistic. It has aspects of Nazi Germany with its persecution of other religious groups. The characters are all well developed; you really understand who Adrian and Shriek and Lenora are and what they want to accomplish. Where I think this book falls apart a little is the ending and the secret mission into the mountain. I found this part a little ridiculous, but it did make for an exciting end to the book.
October 26, 2008
This book is insanely hard to summarize! I’m going to do my best and hopefully you will get the jist of it.
Adrian Havoc lives in a world much like our own. Actually it is our world, or could possibly be our world sometime in the future. Somewhere, somehow something went wrong and now half of the country is toxic due to the fallout. The government controls every aspect of society. You do what they say, when they say, no matter what. You believe in God, period, under no circumstance do you question religion. The northern part of The United Christian States is full of unbelievers and crazies from the blast. And if that isn’t bad enough the end of the world is coming soon, the Shift will be here any day.
Okay so seriously this book kinda scared the shit out of me, but in a good way. Perhaps not so much the book itself, but what the book implies. Because if anything, it is totally possible if not probable that this could happen. It’s definitely one of those thought provoking novels. I think I would have like to seen more detail in the overall storyline. In terms of reality, how likely is it that a teenage boy could break into a government establishment and not be detected and detained. Not very likely. I think that’s really my only complaint about the novel, the climax was mediocre , I think it could have been much more, but even so, the actual climax was interesting. In terms of religion I didn’t think this book was at all anti-religion, but simply expresses disdain of anti-establishment. Overall, a very interesting read.
Adrian Havoc lives in a world much like our own. Actually it is our world, or could possibly be our world sometime in the future. Somewhere, somehow something went wrong and now half of the country is toxic due to the fallout. The government controls every aspect of society. You do what they say, when they say, no matter what. You believe in God, period, under no circumstance do you question religion. The northern part of The United Christian States is full of unbelievers and crazies from the blast. And if that isn’t bad enough the end of the world is coming soon, the Shift will be here any day.
Okay so seriously this book kinda scared the shit out of me, but in a good way. Perhaps not so much the book itself, but what the book implies. Because if anything, it is totally possible if not probable that this could happen. It’s definitely one of those thought provoking novels. I think I would have like to seen more detail in the overall storyline. In terms of reality, how likely is it that a teenage boy could break into a government establishment and not be detected and detained. Not very likely. I think that’s really my only complaint about the novel, the climax was mediocre , I think it could have been much more, but even so, the actual climax was interesting. In terms of religion I didn’t think this book was at all anti-religion, but simply expresses disdain of anti-establishment. Overall, a very interesting read.
February 12, 2009
Adrian Havoc is tired of toeing the line. He is sick of following the rules, sick of being indoctrinated with Rapture propaganda, sick of not knowing what happened to his father who went to the moon and stopped writing to him. When his mother, a prominent scientist, goes off on a mysterious government mission, Adrian is tired of sitting around. One thing leads to another, and he finds himself on a mission to rescue an aged penguin, along with a very attractive zookeeper and his somewhat psychic little sister.
But what they find in the North is far more dangerous and shocking than any of them were expecting. Before he knows what's happening, Adrian finds himself involved in a dangerous mission that might be the key to saving his family and the world--or destroying it.
What a strange little book. I'm not sure what it was attempting to do, but I certainly don't think it accomplished it. Was this a post-apocalyptic novel about a world ravage by nuclear accident? A dystopian novel about a society ruled by a strict Christian government? An buddy novel about three kids and a penguin traveling across and nuclear wasteland to find a better life? An action-adventure story full of disguises and heart-pounding moments? It was all those things in part, but none of them really successfully. It seemed to changed tones every thirty pages or so.
But what they find in the North is far more dangerous and shocking than any of them were expecting. Before he knows what's happening, Adrian finds himself involved in a dangerous mission that might be the key to saving his family and the world--or destroying it.
What a strange little book. I'm not sure what it was attempting to do, but I certainly don't think it accomplished it. Was this a post-apocalyptic novel about a world ravage by nuclear accident? A dystopian novel about a society ruled by a strict Christian government? An buddy novel about three kids and a penguin traveling across and nuclear wasteland to find a better life? An action-adventure story full of disguises and heart-pounding moments? It was all those things in part, but none of them really successfully. It seemed to changed tones every thirty pages or so.
April 10, 2015
Once I started reading Shift by Charlotte Agell, I didn’t know what to expect, maybe.. some guy who meets a girl and goes on some kind of adventure? Oh wait, it is. Shift is about a 15-year-old boy, Adrian, who has a fight with his mom and runs off with an older girl, Lenora, and his 9-year-old sister, Shriek, to save a penguin named Mr. Baby Guy, from a zoo where he would be killed anyways.
One of the funniest characters is probably Ed, a little parrot with a big mouth. He unfortunately has a short part in the book. At one point, Ed says “Screw you.” to Shriek and Uncle Jack says “Excuse my welcoming committee, he’s got a lot of bad habits. He’d talk to the president that way, Heaven forbid.”
Adrian, Lenora, and Shriek go through a place called the Deadlands, which is filled with crazy people and radiation, but for some reason they drive right through with no problems at all. Also, Adrian had a friend in the beginning, Daniel, who he was going to visit, then he discovered he and his family were gone. There was no other mention of Daniel in the book after that. He just disappeared.
Overall I like the book, although it can be confusing at times, like at the beginning, I couldn’t picture the city or the Deadlands that well in my mind. If you’re looking for an adventurous teen love story with a little bit of mystery, this is the book for you!
One of the funniest characters is probably Ed, a little parrot with a big mouth. He unfortunately has a short part in the book. At one point, Ed says “Screw you.” to Shriek and Uncle Jack says “Excuse my welcoming committee, he’s got a lot of bad habits. He’d talk to the president that way, Heaven forbid.”
Adrian, Lenora, and Shriek go through a place called the Deadlands, which is filled with crazy people and radiation, but for some reason they drive right through with no problems at all. Also, Adrian had a friend in the beginning, Daniel, who he was going to visit, then he discovered he and his family were gone. There was no other mention of Daniel in the book after that. He just disappeared.
Overall I like the book, although it can be confusing at times, like at the beginning, I couldn’t picture the city or the Deadlands that well in my mind. If you’re looking for an adventurous teen love story with a little bit of mystery, this is the book for you!
June 6, 2013
Adrian Havoc lives sometime in the future where it is no longer the United States of America. It's more like the Christian United States. At the beginning of this book, Adrian is fighting his mother against going to state-mandated Vacation Bible School. Because of course Adrian is the kind of guy who questions everything he's been taught.
Adrian's sister, Shriek, knows things that other people don't know. She's become attached to a penguin at the zoo. When she's sent to a camp with real horses, she asks her brother to take care of the penguin, Mr. Baby Guy. Which he does, and in the process meets Lenora, a girl trying to sneak the penguin out in order to save its life. He follows the pretty girl up into the Deadlands – north where nothing is supposed to grow and no one lives due to the radiation – picks up his sister from what turned out to be a fake horse camp, and manages to find his father in the process, who he thought to be somewhere on the moon all this time.
The idea of this is good. No separation between church and state. I didn't care much for its execution though. Couldn't wait to be done with it. Glad it was so short.
Adrian's sister, Shriek, knows things that other people don't know. She's become attached to a penguin at the zoo. When she's sent to a camp with real horses, she asks her brother to take care of the penguin, Mr. Baby Guy. Which he does, and in the process meets Lenora, a girl trying to sneak the penguin out in order to save its life. He follows the pretty girl up into the Deadlands – north where nothing is supposed to grow and no one lives due to the radiation – picks up his sister from what turned out to be a fake horse camp, and manages to find his father in the process, who he thought to be somewhere on the moon all this time.
The idea of this is good. No separation between church and state. I didn't care much for its execution though. Couldn't wait to be done with it. Glad it was so short.
May 10, 2010
This is another dystopian novel. I'm pretty sure it's set in the fairly close future. People are living in the aftermath of nuclear (I'm guessing) war. It's been long enough ago that things are more or less okay but recently enough that you still can't eat much of what grows.
So Adrian and his sister Shriek (really named Melody, but everyone calls her Shriek) live with their scientist mother. Everyone's gotten religious after the war, and Christianity is mandatory. (The Jews are currently living elsewhere and aren't allowed to do much of anything and I'm not sure what happened to those who practice other faiths, but I'm guessing a similar or worse fate.)
Their mom suddenly has to go away for a while and so Adrian decides that he's heading north to their old cabin. "North" is scary, because all the radiation headed that way, and it's also generally known that crazy people and zombies ALSO live that way.
Really interesting and scary. Also, it's insanely plausible. It's set up pretty nicely for a sequel and I hope there will be one.
So Adrian and his sister Shriek (really named Melody, but everyone calls her Shriek) live with their scientist mother. Everyone's gotten religious after the war, and Christianity is mandatory. (The Jews are currently living elsewhere and aren't allowed to do much of anything and I'm not sure what happened to those who practice other faiths, but I'm guessing a similar or worse fate.)
Their mom suddenly has to go away for a while and so Adrian decides that he's heading north to their old cabin. "North" is scary, because all the radiation headed that way, and it's also generally known that crazy people and zombies ALSO live that way.
Really interesting and scary. Also, it's insanely plausible. It's set up pretty nicely for a sequel and I hope there will be one.
June 18, 2013
Although slow in some parts, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and I liked the characters. It is written in first-person and is very fast paced without really dwelling on anything. For example, our main character keeps thinking about kissing the other main character but when he finally does it, he doesn't even think about and there's no explanation. It just says "I kissed her goodnight because it seemed like the right thing to do" and then he just goes to bed like as if nothing happened. The moment isn't revisited. There were also some parts that didn't make sense to me until later but meh. That's okay.
Overall though, I really liked the book. It kept me reading and held my attention which a lot of books don't.
Moreover, I thought it was cool that I found this book. I went to the local bookstore to just find a one-shot book I could enjoy in a day. I'm staying at a cabin in Maine, and this writer happens to live in Maine and the story is set in Maine. So it made the experience of it really cool. I even have a signed copy :]
Overall though, I really liked the book. It kept me reading and held my attention which a lot of books don't.
Moreover, I thought it was cool that I found this book. I went to the local bookstore to just find a one-shot book I could enjoy in a day. I'm staying at a cabin in Maine, and this writer happens to live in Maine and the story is set in Maine. So it made the experience of it really cool. I even have a signed copy :]
November 20, 2012
I really loved this book. This story line was so many things wrapped up into one. First let me say that if you don't like weird, unusual, conspiracy/religion type things then your not going to like this book. I love those types of things. I have been into conspiracy theories forever and when I found this book at my local dollar tree store I just couldn't pass it up. I finished this book in just a couple days. It really kept me intrigued throughout the entire book. Although the author did make some mistakes with the writing and there were some noticeable spelling errors (not judging, I'm horrible at grammar and spelling myself but just stating for those who are good at it and would notice things like that) they weren't so harsh that it took away from what they were trying to say or the point they were trying to make. Great great book and I would read it again and have already recommended it to a couple friends.
August 3, 2009
Adrian is fifteen, his sister is always singing, his mom works too much for the government, and his dad is on the moon, maybe (they haven't heard from him in 5 years). The world has changed since his dad has been gone. Homestate rules everything that a person does and you don't dare leave your house without your id card. But something is about to happen according to the message Adrian discovers on their phone and his mom has disappeared. SHIFT is about to occur. Is it the end of the world? Or is the government manipulating the citizens?
This was a very interesting book set in the future. I was totally caught up in the quickly moving plot. There is some language in it which makes it one I would not read out loud. However, I would recommend it to students at the secondary level. Great read!!
This was a very interesting book set in the future. I was totally caught up in the quickly moving plot. There is some language in it which makes it one I would not read out loud. However, I would recommend it to students at the secondary level. Great read!!
October 20, 2010
Adrian is a fifteen year old living in a very changed time. His father disappeared years ago and his mother is off working on some top-secret project. The government and religion have mixed and life in our country is rapidly changing. Adrian and his sister decide to join an expedition to save some penguins and the adventure proves to be more than they expected. This is a gripping and captivation story. It is well written with characters that are formed quickly and fantastic descriptions of the setting. I would classify this as sci-fi, but it also has a futuristic fantasy feel to it. It may give food for thought to all those that spend a lot of time gaming and living in virtual worlds. The story did feel a bit rushed at the end, but did really pull the reader in.
January 13, 2013
You know, I really like this book. It's fairly typically dystopian in that there's been an event, man-made or otherwise, that has changed the way people live (in fear) and the way the government behaves on behalf of the people, gravitating away from a democracy and toward an aggressive, oppressive dictatorship. In this regard, there is not much to distinguish Shift from Hunger Games or Legend. However, Shift finds a way to separate itself from the others in that it introduces a religious/philosophical element that is at the heart of the erosion of societal norms.
In short, Shift manages to invite a conversation about religion, bigotry, and fear of "others" in a way that doesn't feel preachy or contrived.
Not easy to do with such a potentially polarizing topic.
In short, Shift manages to invite a conversation about religion, bigotry, and fear of "others" in a way that doesn't feel preachy or contrived.
Not easy to do with such a potentially polarizing topic.
February 14, 2013
This was a very easy read, I finished it in about four hours. I thought it had some good ideas for a book that were very thought provoking but the book itself was just kind of messy. It seems like it's set in a future time period because people are living in the aftermath of a nuclear war where mostly everyone is religious either by choice or by government force. This in itself is an interesting concept as it really is all too possible but there's a lot of parts that lacked. The scenes changed in really unexplained ways, there was a lot of information that wasn't really discussed enough to make a lot of sense, and the book changed tone way too much for it to be that enjoyable. Really good potential for a book but I just wish it was better written.
April 14, 2016
I set this book down once. To eat dinner. It was that good!
Charlotte Agell takes us on an adventure with fifteen year-old Adrian Havoc.
Set in the future United States, renamed Homestate, Agell deftly combines the worst that governments can offer: discrimination, forced religious observance, rejection of scientific principles, constant audio and visual surveillance, nuclear destruction, and governance by fear.
To complicate matters, Adrian's mother works for Homestate, his father is dead, the nanny is spying on him and his little sister is clairvoyant.
It is up to Adrian to thwart the government's plot to further subdue the people.
You have to read this book!
Charlotte Agell takes us on an adventure with fifteen year-old Adrian Havoc.
Set in the future United States, renamed Homestate, Agell deftly combines the worst that governments can offer: discrimination, forced religious observance, rejection of scientific principles, constant audio and visual surveillance, nuclear destruction, and governance by fear.
To complicate matters, Adrian's mother works for Homestate, his father is dead, the nanny is spying on him and his little sister is clairvoyant.
It is up to Adrian to thwart the government's plot to further subdue the people.
You have to read this book!
October 6, 2008
I'd put this in the post-apocalyptic fiction category - funny and smart Adrian knows there is something more to the strange Homestate rules than religious fervor. His scientist mother is missing, and his Dad seems weirdly calm about. When Leonara, a bold questioning teen, enters the picture, Adrian ends up being part of her plan to disrupt the order of their enforced society, and discover the secret inside 'the mountain'. The story moves at a good clip and Agell draws excellent characterizations.
January 29, 2009
Shift has a very interesting, very real premise. The United States has been taken over by conservative Christians and completely transformed into a God-fearing country, or at least a country where you're supposed to be God-fearing and you'll be dealt with severely if you don't keep up that appearance. I like the premise. However, there was never enough real danger to keep me interested. The characters get lucky and manage to outwit the government, the super-computer, and radiation poisoning, all with little or no losses of their own. It didn't right true with me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2013
I enjoyed the story for this young adult book. The end of the world as we know it, or is there some plot by the Homestate a.k.a. government to manipulate us. What I did not enjoy was the use of profanity. I did not expect such language to be appropiate in a book directed at the young. My children said that I would be shocked if I worked at a high school.
The plot was good. This was a easy read if you are looking for light. A book that draws you in as you read and makes you want to know what happens next.
The plot was good. This was a easy read if you are looking for light. A book that draws you in as you read and makes you want to know what happens next.
September 22, 2009
A wonderfully well-written book. The first-person perspective is pulled off very well. Adrian's voice and thoughts are great to read, Agell gets into the head of a 15-year-old boy perfectly.
My main two problems with the story were that the plot didn't flow very easily, and the characters other than Adrian were just...blah. The parents and their situations, as well as the little sister, were all ones I've read many times before.
to be finished later
My main two problems with the story were that the plot didn't flow very easily, and the characters other than Adrian were just...blah. The parents and their situations, as well as the little sister, were all ones I've read many times before.
to be finished later
October 14, 2012
I think this is a very clever book having a 15 yr old question all the stuff going down. I think its rather the opposite of what is going on in real life with having the rapture Christians in charge but it is an interesting way to portray and question a government going overboard. My children are still too immature for this book but I can imagine myself enjoying this as a teenager. Its exciting to place oneself in the protagonist's shoes in this story.
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