War World

by Rod C. Spence

One planet - 6 teenagers - a million light years of terror.
School field trips shouldn't be this dangerous.


Jeremy Austin never asked to save a planet--it's bad enough being a "B"average student as the son of a world-famous geneticist for crying out loud! He didn't ask to be attacked by Gnome assassins, didn't choose to become food for a prehistoric monster, would never have thought consorting with wizards a wise concept, and he definitely would never, ever sign up to do sword combat against the bloodthirsty Gnome King.


Note to say NO to portals and wormholes.


His father's expedition to a planet 2.4 million light years from Earth has gone missing. Jeremy and five high school friends embark on a rescue mission. Surrounded by an army of mercenaries, they travel through a high-tech portal and discover a nightmare planet on the other side--a violent world of alien races and man-eating monsters--a world in despair; anxiously awaiting the arrival of a savior who will defeat the evil Shadow Lord.


For Jeremy, the search for his father becomes lost in a struggle for survival... and escape from those who would put the mantel of planet savior on his shoulders.


A doomed expedition. Surrounded by aliens. Running out of time.
Note to This young adult, sci fi, fantasy contains a lot of action and adventure (think Jurassic Park meets Lord of the Rings), high school teens with issues (murder, bullying and juvenile pranks gone awry), genetic engineering (the world must have a new super soldier) and survival skills put to the test (monsters, aliens and mercenaries... oh my). So if you like a fast pace, some comic banter and a mysterious, deadly world to explore, this book series is for you!


Includes preview of Book 2 of War Paladin.


Q A with the Author
Q - How would you describe the War World series?
A - Survival - in the vein of Crichton's Jurassic Park. Life on planet Genesis was supposed to be controlled, safe. It's anything but... The planet's humanoid races are violent killers. War World sends a group of high school students on a field trip to hell. There is lots of action, adventure, fantasy settings, and magic. There are even nefarious government agents and an army of mercenaries who think they can go through a portal and tame the dangers of the alien planet. Right.


Q - Where did the idea for War World come from?
A - My first big novel to read as a teenager was The Sword of Shannara- that led to reading The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings novels while recuperating from having four wisdom teeth removed one Christmas. So fantasy became a favorite of mine. Additionally, I've always been a fan of Michael Crichton's novels and his technothriller Westworld, Jurassic Park, Sphere- the idea of technology running amok.


War World grew out of a 'what if.'
- What if modern weapons interacted with Middle Earth?
- What would normal teenage American high school students do if suddenly thrust into a world dominated by Gnomes, Trolls, Elves, Dwarves, knights and wizards?
- What if this world was a lot like the television series, Lost? Hidden bunkers, new and old technology and a mysterious expedition gone missing.
About I'm passionate about technothrillers, fantasy and science fiction. I love young adult stories that combine mysteries with the excitement of action, danger and adventure. I write about normal, ordinary people being faced with the impossible and having to overcome and survive. I write about characters who find their own special gift inside... and learn how to use that gift to help others. Most of all, I love books that draw the reader into a new world and I hope the War World series accomplishes that for you.


The War World
- Science Fiction Fantasy
- Action Adventure Thriller
- Coming Of Age Science Fiction
- Young Adult Science Fiction
- Young Adult Fantasy
- Mysteries Thrillers
- Magic Fantasy
- Survival Stories Technothriller
- Technological Science Fiction

ebook

First published June 22, 2017

About the author

ROD C. SPENCE is the author of the Jeremy Austin series and has spent decades as a creative cog in that great machine called television. From the highs of 3 Emmy nominations as an editor on CBS's Survivor to a different kind of high on MTV's Jersey Shore, he's honed his storytelling skills on real people in unreal situations and has been blessed to work with some incredible people along the way. From True Crime to Adventure Competition to Social Experimentation, post production editing in reality television is all about telling stories.

And then there's the film obsession thing.

Spence chose to spend several decades writing screenplays and developing scripted projects in the motion picture business that many survivors have compared to getting steamrolled in a bed of broken glass… on a good day. For the record, the genre's Spence chose were fun to work in: High Noon, a remake of the 1952 classic (action), DIG (youth sports drama), Section Eight (comedy), Carny Princess (romantic/musical/thriller), Carville (period drama/romance), The Man Next Door (thriller), Truth Or Die (action), Fiend (supernatural thriller), Triple Threat (martial arts/action), and Maynard (family).

Spence has spent the past decade in the creation of the Jeremy Austin series—a young adult, action and adventure series that combines future technology within a traditional fantasy setting. The evolution of Jeremy Austin and the War World, Jeremy Austin and the Paladin, and Jeremy Austin and Miervaldis was birthed from his love of science fiction thrillers by Michael Crichton and the fantasy novels of Tolkien and Terry Brooks. The story and characters expanded over time and what was once a single novel has grown to become a multi-book series. Drawing upon his years writing screenplays, Spence crafted a host of characters he believes readers will love to spend time with and in a world as complex as it is mysterious. Jeremy Austin’s characters may not be as crazy as those on the Jersey Shore but whether there is a Survivor amongst the high school students by series end… only time will tell.

Reviews

[C.E. Clayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

“War World” is one of those books that’s hard to define. It starts off as a science fiction, with secretive science/tech facilities run by the world’s top men and women finding cures to cancer and studying deep space. Then it switches modes and the science begins to evaporate real fast and turns into pure fantasy. THAT’S WHEN THINGS GET WEIRD. I know, you kind of expect weird just reading the synopsis—gnome assassins, wizards, and wormholes, oh my! But these top scientists need their high school children to come and rescue them when their expedition to a galaxy far, far away goes awry? Hmm… But honestly, that’s kind of fun so I’ll ship it. While Spence does a good job of blending science fiction with Terry Brooks levels of fantasy, that’s not the same for his main characters…

First let me talk about the good stuff. Spence is great with pacing. There was always something happening which propelled this story along. His writing and descriptions for the alien planets and the strange things the characters encounter is smooth even in the ARC version I have. I wouldn’t call this book science fiction as little of the science is explained, so most of the time the reader is just told to “go with it”. I mean their ride to a far off world is glossed over as just being a portal. A portal that can teleport people pretty instantaneously across all the galaxies without much explanation. It’s cool, so yes, I will just “go with it”, because, as I said, the author does a good job of writing those scenarios. But that, coupled with the alien races that turn into classic fantasy creatures the longer the reader stays on this new planet makes this science-fantasy, but mostly fantasy. Which I liked! But I feel this is important to know going into the book, because if you’re expecting more on the science side, it’s not going to be there. It’s still fun, but treat this more of a fantasy on a far off planet, and you’ll be good to go.

Now, bear with me here, because I have to take a moment (or several) to talk about the cast of characters we’re introduced to in “War World”. Good lord! There are a lot of people in this book, all of which you get a POV from at some point.

Obviously we spend the most time with the main-main character, Jeremy. Who is a stereotypical jock / black sheep of his family as he’s the only one who’s not brilliant. But we also get the POV of all the other teenagers that go with Jeremy. There are 5 of those kids. Plus, we get introduced to several of the TerraGen scientists, their security heads, some government type people, even an alien here and there, AND YOU GET TO BE IN ALL THEIR HEADS! It got very hard to keep some of these dudes apart (also, they are mainly guys, so there’s that). This becomes especially problematic for the government people, the security detail, and the TerraGen scientists. We get little flashes of them at random points all throughout the novel that you only ever get a brief sense of them, and a lot of their motives are duplicitous so that makes it doubly hard to keep track of who’s on who’s side, who is pretending to be good, and who is actually trying to help these kids out. You also get so little of each of them that I was never able to develop any sort of feelings for them—good or otherwise. They just felt “there”, their purpose flimsy, and their personalities tended to blend with one another. Often I wondered why we had so many of those characters instead of just one we got to know well who embodied the things we needed to know or feel towards these organizations.

And then there are the teenagers, all of whom feel kind of trope-y in that stereotypical high school way. Like the jocks (outside of Jeremy) are classic bullies, the nerds are unfit outcasts… that kind of thing. Most of them fall into the same trap as the adults, where so many of them are poorly fleshed out that I wondered why we needed their POV to begin with. Unfortunately, this is especially true for the two girls. This was actually my biggest issue. To avoid spoilers, I won’t use character names, but let’s just say one girl has her period specifically so they can say “oh no, the aliens can smell my menstrual cycle and are tracking us!” Plus her sudden cramps make her lag behind so the boys have to risk themselves to save her. Never mind that one of the guys with her is an out of shape nerd. Does he get a cramp or anything? Nope. Definitely not. Something similar happens with the other girl. She’s running after her two male “friends”, one is a jock, one is a skinny nerd, and she can’t keep up with them to save her life, literally (also, the nerd has no problem matching the jock step for step). As she struggles to run, she ruminates that her father had always wanted a son, so she wishes she had been born a guy so she could, essentially, be more athletic. That’s on top of her being a painfully stereotypical girl who only cares about fashion and is generally portrayed as an air headed damsel. Yeah… I have so, so many issues with this that it still makes me mad!

The book tends to be kind of sexist in that regard. There are several places where the metaphors used are things like (and I’m paraphrasing): “He held on like a petite woman at a Black Friday shoe sale” and “his coach said he had the arm to be quarter back, if his aim wasn’t as bad as a dyslexic 7-year-old-girl.” I'm going to let you marinate on that last one for a moment... Now, if those metaphors had been on their own, ok, I can say the author was trying to be cheeky in a way he thought meat heads would be, but that coupled with how he writes his female characters… It doesn’t feel like a coincidence to me. Granted, I did have an advanced reader copy of the book so all of this may have been corrected by the time the book was released, but I can only go off what was in the copy I read.

Honestly, if it weren’t for the characters, I’d rate this book higher. While I may not enjoy how the teenagers are written, others may have no problem with it, as is the nature of opinions in book reviews. Still, as a woman who plays a lot of sports, is also a video game nerd, smart, and also cares about clothes and make-up, I couldn’t enjoy these characters, regardless of how much they did (or don’t, as the case may be) resemble real people. Spence has a wonderful imagination when it comes to envisioning the planet the characters find themselves on, and I really liked the comic book-like illustrations at the start of each chapter, but characters are key for me.

If you’re a fan of science-fantasy, like the Shannara Chronicles, and identify as a young man (there’s no swearing, but sometimes the violence can be graphic), then you’ll probably like “War World” more than I did. For me, this is just an ok read when I distance myself from my personal annoyance. So I’m giving it a 2.5 stars despite the awesome looking cover. Thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book for me to review!

[Please Pass the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

War World by Rod C. Spence is a science fiction fantasy novel that follows Jeremy Austin and five other teenagers on a mission to save their parents, who have vanished during an expedition. There's a lot of players involved in this adventure – and each have their own point of view shared - with the six teens being accompanied by mercenaries, scientists and government agents through a TerraGen Universal portal...TerraGen being the company who got them into this whole mess. The wormhole delivers the group to a planet millions of light years away, where a search for their loved ones also becomes a survival mission for themselves as the a forced to confront a whole host of dangers, including the Shadow Lord, and a thirty day deadline before they are sealed in forever.

Rod C. Spence weaves a wildly descriptive tale in War World. The tension rides through every scene and with little down time, it's definitely a fast-paced adventure. I loved the fact that Jeremy is just an everyday, barely-average teenager despite being the son of a renowned and revered scientist. The world building throughout is vivid and genuinely comes to life...which says a lot considering the number of aliens, creatures, wizards and even gnomes introduced. This is a book that I really enjoyed and will definitely be passed on to my own teenage daughter. It's rare we find common ground but War World is a series that is likely to find a wide-ranging and adoring audience. Enthusiastically recommended!

Review written for Readers' Favorite.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Red-hot light shot out of the sword and struck the Gnome between the eyes.’

Author Rod C. Spence began his creative life in television – and has had Emmy nomination and awards as an editor, reality television, and writing screenplays and motion picture scripts for an impressive array of titles, Now he turns his pen to writing science fiction novels – WAR WORLD being his debut.

Retaining his infatuation with the visual, this book is peppered with some fine graphics. In his Introduction he opens the door to his new worlds –‘ The Rise of Terragen - The demise of tech stocks at mid-century was the result of two factors: intense competition within the industry as more and more startups popped up all over the globe coupled with the flood of cheaper products from the east. Years of expensive research and development gave birth to stillborn products that were quickly pirated. Stories of overnight billionaires from tech startups became a thing of myth. But like the unstoppable force of water through rock, investors weren’t dissuaded. Another technology was found that promised even greater rewards. The biotech race was on.
Smart Phones, data pads, entertainment portals the size of your palm…these technological pursuits gave way to medical mining: the pursuit of the next multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical treatment. Scientists in labs created heart regeneration cell builders and genetically created killer cells to eliminate cancerous tumors. But their pursuits weren’t just limited to medicine. Hair regeneration stem cell treatments were discovered. DNA editing surgeries eliminated mutations. Analysts predicted the lifespan of a human being would surpass the century mark. One insider boasted, “Want to live to a hundred and twenty? No problem! And by the time you reach your seventieth year, the last frontier of the brain will have been discovered and then we’ll talk to you about financing the cost of your immortality!” Yes. The word immortality was being used as the carrot to entice more and more money into the biotech world. From birth, a human being could finance their eternal life—who wouldn’t give up fifty percent of their income for life for the chance to live forever? Investors salivated at the possibilities. Some critics called it the rise of the modern slave system. They pressed Congress to limit the scope of the biotech companies’ future power. But money found its way into the naysayer’s pockets as well and eventually their voices went silent. Other biotech companies sought a different kind of immortality: the power to download a person’s consciousness…much like you would download a complex computer program, or the latest movie. Brain sequencing was considered the holy grail of bio technology and companies were snapping up college graduates—literally physically snapping them up in India and China in some cases—to give themselves the competitive edge. The one silent player in the biotech race was the government. If you could create a new heart in a lab you could also create a stronger, faster human. The pursuit of the super soldier created a windfall of money for those biotech companies whose bribes secured the lucrative contracts. And politicians callously turned a blind eye toward those companies. New players were added to the government’s list of contractors every year. One such company in the Midwest secured billions of dollars in research after they showcased the world’s first quantum computer. TerraGen Universal went from an obscure pharmaceutical startup to one of the world’s biggest players in the biotech field overnight. TerraGen’s arrival created intense competition and technological espionage replaced terrorism as the lead story in every news broadcast. Security was every corporation’s fear. Navy SEALS and Special Forces veterans were hired as watchdogs. But the thievery continued. One of the new tech mafia companies was a little known startup in south Texas. MetaUniversal Genetics hired the best hackers and corporate raiders and they quietly filed patents on stolen technology in countries other than the United States. Possession was nine-tenths of the law. Who needed the U.S. market when buyers in Europe and Russia were willing to pay? “Secrecy was an obsession,” one CEO recounted. “Here we are trying to push the envelope, discover the next holy grail of science, and all the while we’re being attacked by other biotech firms and the United States government.” Biotech companies were bending every rule and the elected Senators and Representatives passed laws in a vain attempt to control the ethics of new science. Money always finds a way. Like cornered animals, the biotech firms looked for other areas on the globe to flex their research muscles. Countries that would turn a blind eye. The common thought amongst the biotech corporations was singular: “What you can’t see won’t hurt you.” Oh… but it always does.’

Stage set, curtain up, story begins – ‘One planet - 6 teenagers - a million light years of terror. School field trips shouldn't be this dangerous. Jeremy Austin never asked to save a planet--it's bad enough being a "B" average student as the son of a world-famous geneticist for crying out loud! He didn't ask to be attacked by Gnome assassins, didn't choose to become food for a prehistoric monster, would never have thought consorting with wizards a wise concept, and he definitely would never, ever sign up to do sword combat against the bloodthirsty Gnome King. Note to self: say NO to portals and wormholes. His father's expedition to a planet 2.4 million light years from Earth has gone missing. Jeremy and five high school friends embark on a rescue mission. Surrounded by an army of mercenaries, they travel through a high-tech portal and discover a nightmare planet on the other side--a violent world of alien races and man-eating monsters--a world in despair; anxiously awaiting the arrival of a savior who will defeat the evil Shadow Lord. For Jeremy, the search for his father becomes lost in a struggle for survival... and escape from those who would put the mantel of planet savior on his shoulders. A doomed expedition. Surrounded by aliens. Running out of time.’

Very fine writing and superb sci-fi craftsmanship, Rod Spence has reached a new plane!

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Mason (age 15) for Reader Views Kids (7/18)

Six teenagers sent 2.4 million light years from earth. An expedition of the world’s brightest biotech scientists missing on another planet. An alien army controlled by a powerful wizard called The Shadow Lord. Prehistoric creatures sent on assassin missions. “War World,” by Rod Spence is a fast-paced action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Jeremy, Patrick, Alex, Marrisa, Selene and Leo’s parents all work for a company called TerraGen Universal, the world’s leading Biotech company, sought after by mafia companies for their technology. The teenagers learn that something went terribly wrong with their parent’s expedition.

After receiving a secret message from his brother, Jeremy and his classmates embark on a mission to save their parents and possibly the world. The team consisting of the CIA, scientists, mercenaries and 6 teenagers travel across the galaxy through a wormhole that was created by TerraGen’s quantum computers. When the team gets to the other side of the wormhole they arrive on planet Genesis, a planet light years away from earth and home to blood thirsty Gnomes, prehistoric creatures, and wizards both good and bad. When the teenagers get split up during an attack, they must find their way out of the city to stay alive. The kids must make it through hidden passageways and secret entrances to escape the Gnomes who are hunting them. Once free of the city both groups encounter enormous creatures, wizards and deadly terrain. They begin to doubt they will ever find their parents and their other classmates, let alone survive this hostile planet and get home in 30 days before the return portal closes.

I thought “War World” by Rod Spence was an action-packed adventure with twists and turns of unexpected horror. While some parts were on the gruesome side, the story line was intense. I enjoyed the thrill of the chase as the groups narrowly escaped the Gnomes who wanted nothing more than to eat them. I think my favorite character would have to be Patrick, he is extremely smart and has an attitude and doesn’t let people like Alex push him around. The creatures were realistic and terrifying as they hunted the groups through inner city passages and a forest consisting of deadly terrain. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down, and finished it in two days! I look forward to reading the next book in the series, “War World, Paladin”.

I would recommend “War World” by Rod Spence to 9th graders and older who enjoy an action packed, space travel thriller.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I would like to thank the author and publisher for sending me an ARC to read and review**

War World is an interesting book, that's for sure. The cover and synopsis drew me in when I first received the review request, and likening it to Jurassic Park meets Lord of the Rings pretty much sold me. I knew I needed to read this book.

War World starts off with a crazy encounter with an alien creature in the lab Jeremy's father works at. Fast forward a year later, and everything has been covered up. Jeremy, however, won't ever forget what he saw.

Now Jeremy and his friends, who are normal high-school kids, are just trying to deal with being, well, normal. Unfortunately, their parents, who all work at TerraGen doing science-y stuff and researching cures, go missing on an expedition. You'd think there would be some sort of investigation within the company, maybe the cops get involved, something like that. But no. You see, their parents are missing on a planet in another galaxy. Yep.

So Jeremy and his friends decide they're going to sneak into the lab, use the portal that will send them through a wormhole, and they'll come out on said planet and save their parents. Huzzah! Easy peasy, right? Wrong.

There's corrupt, evil government guys to deal with, and so, so many secrets. In fact, it kind of makes your head spin with all the hullabaloo going on in this book.

So, I don't want to give too much away, although readers can glean from the synopsis that Jeremy and his friends do end up on this alien planet. However, it's not like anything they could have ever imagine or expected. And when the government people leave the kids hanging after an alien attack, it's up to the kids to try and save not only their parents, but themselves too.

War World definitely packs a punch. There's a lot more violence than I expected, although I'm not sure why that comes as a surprise to me. I mean, I guess it's because some of it happens in spots I wasn't expecting it to, so there's that.

The characters, I think, are pretty well written. I saw another review state that the characters seem stereotypical, but to be fair, most teenagers nowadays fit those stereotypes. I mean, they're eating laundry soap, for Pete's sake, so...

Anyway, I really enjoyed War World for what it was. The writing was solid, the characters were developed, and the world building was actually really amazing. I felt like I was there with Jeremy and his friends on Genesis hiding from alien creatures and trying to survive.

The story is full of action, suspense, and drama. There's some violence and language, so if that bothers you, you may not want to read War World. However, if crazy alien sci-fi stuff appeals to you, you'll definitely want to read it.

I'm giving War World 4.5 stars, mostly because that ending. Ugh. I seriously cannot wait for the sequel!

[Christopher Schmitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I learned nothing from Rod Spence’s War World… and in the best kind of way. It was fun, loaded with everything that I like about genre fiction books, and had over the top action.
War World felt to me like a page out of my Jr High library. Specifically, it reminded me of those choose your own adventure books from the late 80s and early 90s. Each CYOA had crazy themes (usually skewing SF/F) and outlandish storylines that somehow worked in the context of that paperback. War World felt like Spence threw some of my favorites into a blender and tapped the button a few times… Dr. Who is another example of these kinds of genre mash-ups (especially Peter Capaldi’s run) and the card game Smash Up is another example of this kind of genre blender.
The tropes are familiar enough to let you envision where the action is headed right away (though it does start off a little more passive than I’d care for, but that corrects itself after the first chapter and a half.)
War World is a sci-fi, but it’s neither hard SF nor space opera… it’s also not straight-up general SF (because it feels like so much more than that so it wouldn’t fit that mold.) I felt the characters were more “everyman” teens, and that is okay in this context.
One thing I especially loved was the format and layout. It really reinforced that feeling of fun I mentioned above. This book reminds me of when I could read whatever fit my quirky moods as a jr high book addict in my school library (back before common core began jettisoning fiction that was creative for sheer creativity’s sake.) If you’re looking for a book that is more like roller coaster rather than a jogging track, this could be a good buy.
I got my copy in exchange for a free review over at Inside the Inkwell blog.

[Topbookreviewers · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You had better be ready for a non-stop action filled ride to another part of the galaxy with Rod C. Spence’s War World. This sci-fi/fantasy novel is a trip, literally. It starts with a bunch of teenagers who have lost their brilliant parents in a top secret expedition to a planet 2.4 million light years away. Jeremy Austin, the main character, is an average high school student who has the smartest father on the Earth because his father invented a portal to another world. When Jeremy finds this out, he and his friends decide to mount their own expedition to rescue their parents from that world. This is where the Spence’s imagination goes into overload. Mix in adolescent hormones, mercenaries, monsters, gnomes and an evil corporation and you get an unbelievably entertaining novel. Can Jeremy and his friends survive long enough to find their parents and return to Earth? What transformations and changes can happen on an alien planet to these teenagers?

This is Spence’s first novel and his raw talent shows. Right from the start he sets a fast pace and never looks back. His character development and storyline never falters. I like how he keeps jumping to and from three separate groups when they are on the planet with each group trying to get closer to their goal. It provides another excitement level to the already fast pace of the novel. What are the goals? Survival for one. You will have to read War World to find out the rest because you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

I could tell early on that Spence has set this up for a series and he doesn’t disappoint. I for one will be waiting for the next one and, if Rod were here, I would be giving him a high five!" TBR-TopBookReviewers

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

War World by Rod C. Spence is about the future in which new technology has been invented and the leading company, TerraGen, has it all. Six TerraGen workers’ kids go to the exact same school and have always been called The TerraGen Kids. Their parents are some of the leading scientists in the United States of America. When two of the scientists team up and design a working wormhole, a portal to another planet millions of light years away, an expedition is started away from prying eyes. When the scientists get there, they find killer aliens thrive on the planet they have named “Genesis.”
The six kids, named Jeremy, Alexander, Leo, Patrick, Marissa, and Selene, realize their parents are missing. This forces them to go through the portal to try and rescue their parents. Can the teenagers survive in the half magic, fully alien world? Find out in War World by Rod C. Spence.

War World definitely deserves five stars. It is one of my favorite books, for everything was obviously well-researched. The author showed his love of science by researching the different aspects of the story, especially wormholes, as he stated in the acknowledgments! Since every character was well-defined, it made for a more enjoyable read. One of my favorite characters was Patrick, for he was smart and saw the logical point of view, unlike some of the others. Personally, I loved the specific details used by the author. His descriptive words and use of similes and metaphors made me overjoyed by how well I could see everything in my mind. Without a doubt, War World is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Tynea Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In War World by Rod C. Spence, Rod C. Spence tells an incredible science fiction story about how an invention of wormholes allowing travel through space could lead to a corporation that creates a new world. This corporation starts inventing technology in this desolate world where no other organizations’ spies could figure out their secrets. When a group of teenagers’ parents suddenly “disappears,” they grow suspicious. Where could their parents be? Are they dead? Lost? Each teen has a special talent they bring to the team. But as they progress, it turns out each person also has a secret they’re not telling. Does the team have what it takes to rescue their parents?

In my opinion, this book rates up there with Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and all the other amazing sci-fi books. I really enjoyed it and could never figure out what was going to happen next. At first, I thought I could see the plot coming, and then all of a sudden, I was surprised to see the story twist into another unexpected ending! As I read this book, I felt like I knew the characters personally, as if when they were talking to each other they were also talking to me. I enjoyed reading, and in a way watching, how each character overcame problems and bonded with each other, almost as if I were right there next to them. I especially connected with Leo because he was funny and smart, yet an "average" kid at Louisville High School, just like so many of my friends. I give this book 5 stars due to its good plot and amazing characters! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

[Valery · Rating 4 out of 5]

War World by Rod C. Spence showcases the author's background well. With a substantial career in the television and film industry, he knows his stuff and knows how to write. Here the story focuses on fantasy, science, and science fiction. A group of scientists travels to a planet far away, like 2.4 million light years away, then they disappear, and their kids must rescue them. This tale is all about portals, various monsters, and teenagers. What could possibly go wrong? Jeremy and his friends are in for the adventure of their lives as they embark on their mission. There is a lot going on in this book, it can seem disorganized at times, and the characters might be developed a little more. However, with all of the fast paced action,and wanting to see what happens next, you will speed through this book to the fantastic conclusion. This is the perfect blend of science, science fiction and fantasy. Highly recommend.

[Pegboard · Rating 4 out of 5]

War World is a well developed science fiction novel that gives you a taste of multiple scenarios common in this genre. Rod Spence centers around Jeremy and his teenage friends who ban together to find their parents who have come up missing. Well...they really aren't missing, they are just stuck on an alien planet without a way back. While the government maliciously covers this up, Jeremy and the other children find a way to get to this bizarre planet, but violence appears the only option in some cases.

I found War World very fast paced with an immediate connection to the main teenagers. Rod Spence does an excellent job ending this novel with the desire for the next book to come out. I enjoyed the suspense throughout the story and was pleased with the development of the teens and how they found a way to rescue their parents.

[Barb Shuler · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*s

*review copy provided by author*

This is a very intriguing, interesting and a little chaotic Book. The kids in it get themselves into all kinds of trouble, which is not what they set out for. But much like life, things happen when you don’t expect them to. When they come across something that they didn’t expect to see. It set off a chain of events, well, things they can’t get themselves out of.

I mean, we have bioweapons, wormholes and many things that have to deal with he craziness of a new patrol. Calm control keeps them sort of on the top level of the craziness.

I will be honest, I’ll have to read it again. There is a lot going on in his book. Not bad stuff, it’s an interesting read, but I had to keep going back and forth because I’d forgotten things. I’m not good at keeping up with so many things happening at once I guess.

This is not my normal genre as well, but I did enjoy the story. I look forward to going back through it again.

[Melleny · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars


If you would like to see all my thoughts on this book, be sure to check out the review on my blog:

www.abooktropolis01.blogspot.co.za

But here is a snippet and overview of what I thought:


Overall, I really enjoyed what I read. This is definitely one Sci-Fi series that I can get behind. The writing was really good, the plot was full of action and mystery that you just can't stop thinking about and full cast of characters that are well devloped, the cherry on top. This book is perfect for Sci-Fi lovers. Thank you so much to Hargrave PR and Events for sending me a copy of this book to review!