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Robot Wars #5
Final Battle
Set at an experimental community on Mars in the year 2039-2040, Robot Wars features 14-year-old virtual reality specialist Tyce Sanders. Life on the Red Planet is not always easy, but it is definitely exciting. As Tyce explores his strange surroundings, he finds that the mysteries of the planet point to his greatest discovery--a new relationship with God. He talks about his growing faith and curiosity in a manner that kids can relate to as they are probably wondering some of the same things. Book five, "Final Battle, " begins with Tyce's threat to reveal his special talents to the world--much to the dismay of the rebels who want to keep the technology a secret. Tyce has to battle the rebels and their plot while trying to return to Mars. The success of the entire Mars Project depends on his every move.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
9 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Sigmund Brouwer
255 books408 followersSigmund loves going to schools to get kids excited about reading, reaching roughly 80,000 students a year through his Rock&Roll Literacy Show.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 15, 2022
The last story in this book was probably my favorite because unlike the last nine installments, it didn't feel like I was just re-reading the previous books. They all include so much repetition, by the next to last story I felt like I was barely reading anything new (If we didn't understand how the robots looked/worked by story 8, then hearing it again wasn't going to help us).
I thought this last one held a lot of good character interactions, though it was a bit rushed. I wish there had been a bit more just showing where the characters ended up.
Rawling was the best. I was happy to get back to him!
Overall, this series is cute, but it has some flaws that make it frustrating. The biggest is the repetition being super annoying, especially if you're reading them back to back. The second is that Christianity is plopped in very badly most of the time. One time Tyce gets board so he just starts thinking through the chances of the universes coming together by chance. O.o I love Christianity in the stories, but these were very badly done, just putting it in with no connection to the story, or just repeating the same line in every book about how he was a Christian because nothing else made sense. Also, I thought that if there really was overpopulation on earth, shouldn't we see that when Tyce visits? It doesn't seem overcrowded from what they showed.
I thought this last one held a lot of good character interactions, though it was a bit rushed. I wish there had been a bit more just showing where the characters ended up.
Rawling was the best. I was happy to get back to him!
Overall, this series is cute, but it has some flaws that make it frustrating. The biggest is the repetition being super annoying, especially if you're reading them back to back. The second is that Christianity is plopped in very badly most of the time. One time Tyce gets board so he just starts thinking through the chances of the universes coming together by chance. O.o I love Christianity in the stories, but these were very badly done, just putting it in with no connection to the story, or just repeating the same line in every book about how he was a Christian because nothing else made sense. Also, I thought that if there really was overpopulation on earth, shouldn't we see that when Tyce visits? It doesn't seem overcrowded from what they showed.
October 30, 2020
And my son breathes a sigh of relief...
He had to finish the whole story, but the series had more suspense than he enjoys.
This final book was better at interjecting moments of hope, even before the ending, so that helped
He had to finish the whole story, but the series had more suspense than he enjoys.
This final book was better at interjecting moments of hope, even before the ending, so that helped
August 17, 2013
So this is the final book of the series, but my review here is not simply reflective of this book in particular but of the series as a whole.
The approach of my review will be from both an adult perspective and from a child's perspective. I have criticisms from both ends.
So the book is written for children, clearly. The writing style is simple, the chapters are short, and the plot and flow of the series is also simple (except for this last book--for more on that see below).
That's good for children who want to read the book themselves, but it can be torture for adults who want to read this series of books to their children. After the first two books everything becomes so simple, repetitive, and predictable that I didn't look forward to the next reading session with my nephew.
That shouldn't necessarily be taken as a criticism of the series per se though. It's not really fair to criticize Mother Goose because it's not at the same level as Camus' The Stranger. Still, I've read my nephew plenty of other children's books and I was able to enjoy it. But with this series I had a hard time enjoying it. The predictability of the book and some of its repetitiveness did become annoying to my nephew as well, though to be honest I'm not sure how much of that was simply him reflecting my own annoyance that I struggled to suppress during our reading time.
However the simplicity of the series as a whole leads to more frustration when this final book tries to take up a complicated political plot. Of course it's not really complicated, unless you take in mind the prior books and the (apparent) intended audience. My nephew had no trouble at all following what was going on in the first three books. But with the last two books it not only was confusing to my nephew but he didn't even care enough about the book at this point to try and understand it. The shift from simple conflict to more complicated political conflict felt odd. Why would the author make the first books so simple and then try to get all political and conspiracy with the last book?
The thing that my nephew found most annoying was that there is never an actual robot war, yet the series is called Robot Wars. When me and my nephew first picked up Death Trap (the first book) we were expecting something like Mech robots in Japanese anime engaged in a war sort of like "All You Need is Kill," but for children. What we got instead was more along the lines of the robot from Short Circuit, only taller and controlled by a boy... and no war.
Maybe that's more a fault of our expectations than the author though (but still I think 'Robot Wars' is pretty misleading).
The series does have a lot of positive aspects though. It can be read by a 10 year old and the first few books at least will definitely catch his or her interest. The book has good moral and theological themes. Perhaps its a better series of books for the kids to work through themselves.
The approach of my review will be from both an adult perspective and from a child's perspective. I have criticisms from both ends.
So the book is written for children, clearly. The writing style is simple, the chapters are short, and the plot and flow of the series is also simple (except for this last book--for more on that see below).
That's good for children who want to read the book themselves, but it can be torture for adults who want to read this series of books to their children. After the first two books everything becomes so simple, repetitive, and predictable that I didn't look forward to the next reading session with my nephew.
That shouldn't necessarily be taken as a criticism of the series per se though. It's not really fair to criticize Mother Goose because it's not at the same level as Camus' The Stranger. Still, I've read my nephew plenty of other children's books and I was able to enjoy it. But with this series I had a hard time enjoying it. The predictability of the book and some of its repetitiveness did become annoying to my nephew as well, though to be honest I'm not sure how much of that was simply him reflecting my own annoyance that I struggled to suppress during our reading time.
However the simplicity of the series as a whole leads to more frustration when this final book tries to take up a complicated political plot. Of course it's not really complicated, unless you take in mind the prior books and the (apparent) intended audience. My nephew had no trouble at all following what was going on in the first three books. But with the last two books it not only was confusing to my nephew but he didn't even care enough about the book at this point to try and understand it. The shift from simple conflict to more complicated political conflict felt odd. Why would the author make the first books so simple and then try to get all political and conspiracy with the last book?
The thing that my nephew found most annoying was that there is never an actual robot war, yet the series is called Robot Wars. When me and my nephew first picked up Death Trap (the first book) we were expecting something like Mech robots in Japanese anime engaged in a war sort of like "All You Need is Kill," but for children. What we got instead was more along the lines of the robot from Short Circuit, only taller and controlled by a boy... and no war.
Maybe that's more a fault of our expectations than the author though (but still I think 'Robot Wars' is pretty misleading).
The series does have a lot of positive aspects though. It can be read by a 10 year old and the first few books at least will definitely catch his or her interest. The book has good moral and theological themes. Perhaps its a better series of books for the kids to work through themselves.
January 14, 2020
The ending of this book is one of my favorites ever!!! So sweet!
*2020 update*
Rereading these for the (third?) time and being older, I dropped all the books one star simply for repetitive information. There are reminders of why Tyce is in a wheelchair; how his parents met; why there are pictures in the director's office; how robot control works... you get the idea. At some point, the author needed to assume people had read his other books and stopped repeating the same details. Just a small thing but it makes the books lose a star in my opinion.
*2020 update*
Rereading these for the (third?) time and being older, I dropped all the books one star simply for repetitive information. There are reminders of why Tyce is in a wheelchair; how his parents met; why there are pictures in the director's office; how robot control works... you get the idea. At some point, the author needed to assume people had read his other books and stopped repeating the same details. Just a small thing but it makes the books lose a star in my opinion.
January 25, 2016
A really good series that's sci-fi, christian, and for young adults. I like how the characters use science to prove their is a God. But, I think the writing is too simple for the age group it is meant for. Also, the government issues in the book are fine for the age group the books are writen for but would be lost on a younger age group who wouldn't have the trouble of the simple writing. All in all, it is a good series.
October 29, 2013
This was my favorite of the whole series. The Final Battle is enough to show that there will be no more. The way the author, Sigmund Brower, had to finish all of the plots he had created always kept you on the edge of your seat. Therefore, if you want to read this book, then you should probably read the other 4 first but also you should read it because it is an amazing book itself. The thought of trying to inhabit mars is an amazing plot and I think that you would love it too.
February 25, 2015
This is a great series. It’s full of suspense and political intrigue, and the science is realistic. I really like the addition of religious contemplation by the main character. I find it refreshing when an author can add that in a believable way. There was a subplot that wasn't resolved in this last installment—major bummer.
April 23, 2017
I liked it!
I discuss it in more detail on my blog:
https://seminary2016.wordpress.com/20...
I discuss it in more detail on my blog:
https://seminary2016.wordpress.com/20...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews