Offender

The Walls of Primus

by Mikey Brooks, Michael Brooks

In a distant future, all criminals of violent crimes are sentenced to life in the Arena where they must battle against both man and beast in a fight to the death.

When sixteen-year-old Calvin Sawyer is wrongly convicted of his father’s murder, his charmed life as the son of a senator is changed forever. He’s stripped of his rights, his humanity, even his name. Now as the property of the Arena, offender CS4521 must learn to fight in the colosseum. It’s kill or be killed.

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2019

About the author

Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as adult. On occasion you’ll find him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including BEAN’S DRAGONS, the ABC ADVENTURES series, and author of the middle-grade fantasy-adventure novel, THE DREAM KEEPER. He spends most of his time playing with his daughters and working as a freelance illustrator. Mikey has a BS degree in Creative Writing from Utah State University. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast.

Aside from writing and illustrating, Mikey also love to read middle-grade and young adult fiction, narrate picture books, sing, and even sew. That’s right he also sews! He’s made practically everything from, Elizabethan costumes for the Utah Shakespearean Festival, to modern style wedding dresses. Mikey’s greatest love is his family. He gets more than inspiration from them; he gets support, courage, and most of all happiness.

Reviews

[Michelle Isenhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few books I have read that sucked me in so quickly and so completely. I picked this one up with reservations, the “arena” in the description making me fear it might be another Hunger Games knockoff. It isn’t. There are similarities, but Offender reminds me more of ancient Rome than Panem, with gladiator-style fighting like that which took place in the Coliseum. Understand, I don’t watch gladiator movies because I can’t stomach them, and I did struggle with the immediate, hand-to-hand nature of the fighting in this book. But I’d no sooner turn my Kindle off than I’d turn it back on because I had to see what happened. The storytelling is superb. It’s fast-paced and high stakes, with excellent world-building and a few main characters I really cared about. And the prose? Smooth and spot on—a pleasure to read.

[Loralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written post apocalyptic dystopian

Cal is a teen who is framed for his father’s death and sentenced to The Arena, the place in Primus where serious felons are sent, and where they fight each other to the death like gladiators. Despite his innocence, Cal can’t prove it, and seems doomed to a short, miserable life. But while many men in the Arena are out to get Cal, he does find a few allies. Can they work together to break free and find justice?

For parents and readers who would be disturbed by violence, there are many scenes of brutality in this book, mentions of rape, and a scene in which Cal is nearly raped but is rescued.

[Lorieah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether writing as Michael or Mikey, this author has a way of pulling you into his world right from the first page — even if it's a broken version of a future one of ours. I tend to shy away from YA dystopian novels because I get too attached to the characters (Divergent, anyone??), but Offender had more HEART than I was expecting, considering it was written by a guy with a pretty much all-male cast and set in a prison.

Good writing, characters with a bit of depth to them, obviously peril and death in there, but I started the book last night and finished this morning, if that tells you anything (that I was hooked, not that it was too short). My favorite line: "Why does every teenager think that the world they're the center of the universe?" Is that maybe a wink-wink at the whole YA genre?

This left me eager for the next book, but it doesn't end with an unsatisfying cliffhanger.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the feel of Hunger Games and Maze Runner, this book is a fast-paced tale of Calvin (Offender CS4521, as he’s been branded) trying to understand why he’s been convicted of his father's murder, why he must fight to the death, why his friends must suffer, and what he must do to break free—all while keeping his humanity.

I loved how Cal stays true to who he is even as he faces so much violence and injustice. I enjoyed the friendships he made with the others in the arena, and how each offender had a back story, a reason, a history, which made them all the more relatable. Cal is a strong character, likable, and I enjoyed seeing how he fought AND thought his way out of impossible, unthinkable situations. This is a great read for anyone who loves dystopian crime thrillers!

[ScrappyDiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me a lot of Hunger Games so if you enjoyed that you'll probably enjoy this, but don't worry there's plenty of interesting things that makes it different =) I really enjoyed the characters and the connections made with offenders and how they bonded emotionally.

[Cas Meadowfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action thriller, dystopian sci fi.

Sixteen year old Calvin gets convicted of his father's murder and is sent to the arena to fight, to kill or die. Exciting :)