This month I had the pleasure of reading Vagrant by Gabe Thompson and Janet Post. I received a free Ebook copy of this book from @rrbooktours as part of the March Book Tour.
TW: Minor descriptions of injury/gore/dismemberment (though this makes perfect sense for the plot of the story and is not done in excess), minor innuendo, minor violence, and mentions of drug use.
SYNOPSIS:
Deep beneath the city streets of New Washington, Logan Hall hides from the Sniffers, Ears, cameras, and SS Agents of the Company. He is a Vagrant - a human free from the Sopore addiction that the Company uses to control the population. Life isn’t easy, and Logan Hall is a runner, someone who darts above the surface to gather supplies. On one such mission, things go wrong. Raj, Logan’s mentee, is captured by the Company, who plan to send him off-planet with the other ‘criminals’ to work on an exoplanet mining valuable minerals. Together with the help of an unlikely friend, Shayna Nagata - a privileged top-side dweller, Logan fights to save his friend and finds himself going on a much larger mission into the distant realms of another world.
RATING: 4 stars
REVIEW:
Vagrant starts with seventeen-year-old Logan Hall making his way toward the surface of the earth to fetch supplies. Raj, a ten-year-old boy and fellow Vagrant, is shadowing him—learning the ropes and how to avoid the Company. As a runner, Logan is confident in his actions. He knows which tunnels to take, and how to avoid the threats both below and above the surface. He quickly leads Raj into the Hospital to pick up a drop made by a topside ally, where he catches a glimpse of a beautiful girl he sees each run. Everything is going to plan; until it isn’t.
Raj accidentally reveals their location, leading to an impromptu meeting between Logan and the beautiful girl—who we learn is named Shayna, and who volunteers at the hospital. But there is something different about her. Shayna is allergic to corn, and thus, has never become addicted to Sopore. She can think clearly, unlike the majority of the others working for the Company, and as they talk Shayna starts to realize that ‘Mole People’ are not what she thought. Their conversation is cut short as sirens ring in the distance and Logan and Raj’s presence becomes known.
Raj is captured by the Company and Logan barely escapes with Shayna’s help, setting into motion a string of events that will change Logan’s life forever and take the reader for an adventure through an intricate and fascinating dystopian world. Following Logan and Shayna's perspectives, we meet a collection of intriguing characters like Eddie and Knock, and learn more about their world and the dangers that the Company poses not only to the Vagrant but also to the very essence of humanity.
Vagrant is a well-written novel. The pace moves smoothly, balancing the details with the action and including several tense scenes that are sure to keep readers engaged. There were moments where some of the information felt like it may have been redundant, but I recognize that this book is aimed at a younger audience, so the additional explanations are not a bad thing.
I really loved all the nods to classic sci-fi. While reading I felt like I caught glimpses of elements from things like the Matrix, Hunger Games, 1984, Pitch Black, Logan’s Run (which I wonder if the main character’s name is a nod to this work given that he is a runner? Perhaps not :) maybe it is a happy coincidence, but it was a neat thought), and countless others, but this was in no way boring or repetitive. Thompson and Post did a fantastic job of pulling elements from well-known classic novels, movies, and current real-world situations and blending them into something new and fresh.
I really liked Logan and Shayna’s characters, but I did struggle a bit with their relationship. Not because a romance between them could not be believable or wouldn’t be interesting to see, but because it happened so quickly and it felt a little forced. Given that Shayna was raised on the surface in a well-off family, taught to believe that the Mole People are mutant monsters that kill for chips and credit and will eat children who get lost underground, I found the calm nature of their initial meeting odd and Shayna’s seemingly instant attraction and trust of Logan implausible - which sort of threw me out of the story a bit. I wish I could have seen Shayna’s development; watched her come to terms with the fact that the world as she knew it was a lie while her relationship and trust with Logan built more organically over time. It would have made her chasing after Logan without thinking a little more believable, although this isn’t out of line with other YA novels.
Thompson and Post unquestionably work well together as a duo, since this book comes across as a cohesive whole and with a clear, solid, unified vision. They do a great job of pulling you into their story, immersing you in their world, and taking you on a journey. Overall, I thought the plot was interesting and I was left wondering what would happen next. I have a lot of questions, which is a great thing, and I want to know more!
CONCLUSION:
Thompson and Post do a wonderful job of painting a world that dances on the edge of reality. With known company names, subtle nods to classic sci-fi and real-world problems with genetic food modifications and additives, Vagrant perfectly hits the sci-fi mark. Overall, I thought that Thompson and Post did a great job constructing the foundations of their world, introducing interesting characters and setting the scene for the next book. I’m curious to see where they take the story, and whether or not the Vagrant will ever break free from the Company.
RECOMMENDED AUDIENCE:
This book would be an excellent fit for teens aged 13+ who already love sci-fi or are just getting into it. It would also be a fantastic fit for those who love fantasy, dystopian, and action-adventure stories! If you love detailed descriptions, imaginative worlds, found families, and nods to classic sci-fi – then Vagrant and the future books of the Vagrant Chronicles are for you. I would also recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read with interesting characters and a dynamic world.
DETAILS:
Author: Gabe Thompson and Janet Post
Publisher: Tell-Tale Publishing Group, LLC
Page count: 256 (paperback)
Publication date: First published December 16, 2016.
Available in paperback and ebook