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Socket Greeny #3
The Legend of Socket Greeny
Book 3 in the Socket trilogy. The Paladin Nation is rebuilding. Socket Greeny is leading them into a new era of compassion and understanding. But when Pike returns, Socket discovers nothing is what he expected, that his life has been planned from the beginning. He is faced with ultimate betrayal. In the end, he won't be asked to save the world. It'll be the entire universe.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2010
7 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Tony Bertauski
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He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
He grew up in the Midwest where the land is flat and the corn is tall. The winters are bleak and cold. He hated winters.
He always wanted to write. But writing was hard. And he wasn’t very disciplined. The cold had nothing to do with that, but it didn’t help. That changed in grad school.
After several attempts at a proposal, his major advisor was losing money on red ink and advised him to figure it out. Somehow, he did.
After grad school, he and his wife and two very little children moved to the South in Charleston, South Carolina where the winters are spring and the summers are a sauna (cliche but dead on accurate). That’s when he started teaching and writing articles for trade magazines. He eventually published two textbooks on landscape design. He then transitioned to writing a column for the Post and Courier. They were all great gigs, but they weren’t fiction.
That was a few years later.
His daughter started reading before she could read, pretending she knew the words in books she propped on her lap. His son was a different story. In an attempt to change that, he began writing a story with him. They made up a character, gave him a name, and something to do. As with much of parenting, it did not go as planned. But the character got stuck in his head.
He wanted out.
A few years later, Socket Greeny was born. It was a science fiction trilogy that was gritty and thoughtful. That was 2005.
He has been practicing Zen since he was 23 years old. A daily meditator, he wants to instill something meaningful in his stories that appeals to a young adult crowd as well as adult. Think Hunger Games. He hadn’t planned to write fiction, didn’t even know if he had anymore stories in him after Socket Greeny.
Turns out he did.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 15, 2011
Socket is pulled into another Universe and faces Pike, his friend and hero. Things are not as they seem to be as Socket learns that he may not be who he thought he was.
Trapped in this unknown Universe Socket has to fight his own demons to get back to the Paladin Nation in time to save the world.
Lets Talk About It:
Book 3 - The Legend of Socket Greeny
I cried. Yes, I cried.
If you've read the first two books then you've gotten pretty attached to these characters, especially Socket. This book from beginning to end, especially end, was an emotional book to read. Socket goes through so much emotionally you can feel it jumping off the pages. You also can't help but to be proud of Socket as he works through everything to come back and save the world. Putting aside his own feelings, his own needs, to save the world and the people he loves in it.
The ending tore me to pieces.
This was an EXCELLENT trilogy. I wish there had been more books just because I enjoyed the characters so much. The way this book ended gave a bittersweet ending to the books and that world which I couldn't have asked for more.
Melissa
Reviewer for
Trapped in this unknown Universe Socket has to fight his own demons to get back to the Paladin Nation in time to save the world.
Lets Talk About It:
Book 3 - The Legend of Socket Greeny
I cried. Yes, I cried.
If you've read the first two books then you've gotten pretty attached to these characters, especially Socket. This book from beginning to end, especially end, was an emotional book to read. Socket goes through so much emotionally you can feel it jumping off the pages. You also can't help but to be proud of Socket as he works through everything to come back and save the world. Putting aside his own feelings, his own needs, to save the world and the people he loves in it.
The ending tore me to pieces.
This was an EXCELLENT trilogy. I wish there had been more books just because I enjoyed the characters so much. The way this book ended gave a bittersweet ending to the books and that world which I couldn't have asked for more.
Melissa
Reviewer for
June 25, 2016
All three of Bertauski's Socket Trilogy are among the finest I've had the privilege to read. Great writer and a wonderful guy.
October 30, 2012
Wow!!
Tony Bertauski is the only author that I have to stop and let my brain settle, before I can write a review for one of his books!
I have really liked All the books I have read by this author, but this one might be my favorite! In a previous review I wrote for a Tony Bertauski book I said "I automatically give all Tony Bertauski books a 4 star rating". Well this one I give 5 stars! (I would give it 6 if I could, and most books don't get higher than 4 stars from me!).
Long story short: Start with The Discovery of Socket Greeny, and read all three of these books!! The first two are worth it, but this one makes them even more worth it!!
Tony Bertauski is the only author that I have to stop and let my brain settle, before I can write a review for one of his books!
I have really liked All the books I have read by this author, but this one might be my favorite! In a previous review I wrote for a Tony Bertauski book I said "I automatically give all Tony Bertauski books a 4 star rating". Well this one I give 5 stars! (I would give it 6 if I could, and most books don't get higher than 4 stars from me!).
Long story short: Start with The Discovery of Socket Greeny, and read all three of these books!! The first two are worth it, but this one makes them even more worth it!!
August 3, 2013
I loved the first one and the second one was really good. This one was good, but also weird. It is a very different story than the first. Even the writing style seems different. I'm not positive, but I think as you read you can notice the author himself grow more as a writer. This one had way more depth to the story. He does some really cool things with the characters and brings back a few characters that you may have thought were gone. It kind of turns the story on it's head, but in a very interesting way. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
October 31, 2013
I loved all three books in this series. The last one made me think harder, it was a little bit more difficult to wrap my head around the story. But after I finished the book I was reluctant to pick up any other book. I wasn't done thinking about Socket yet. And I loved the ending after all that struggle! Great series! Read these books!
September 22, 2019
And so ends the Socket Greeny Saga, and what an ending it all turned out to be.
There was a point near the beginning of this final book where i thought it looked very clear how this was going to go, and i admit to feeling a little disappointed.
'But wait, read on', i told myself; 'before jumping to conclusions.'
Tony does enjoy his plot twists and this one just seemed to keep on twisting, as further and further down the rabbit hole of Socket's true nature we went. My little disappointment didn't last long at all -- sorry for ever doubting you Tony.
And the final word is...
pause...
wait for it...
Awesome!
Yup, this whole saga has been totally enjoyable and very unputdownable. Which, although it's been quite a while since i read 'Halfskin', is what i remember feeling about that series as well.
Yes folks, Tony is a great writer who, if you're into his kind of sci-fi, will certainly keep you engaged all the way until the last page. Great characters, great writing, with a nice standard everyday lexicon that doesn't leave you having to use look up at all: which does make the reading experience a lot more immersive.
All i can say is that i'm very much looking forward to next time the 'Infinite Improbability Drive' picks one of Tony's books to read.
There was a point near the beginning of this final book where i thought it looked very clear how this was going to go, and i admit to feeling a little disappointed.
'But wait, read on', i told myself; 'before jumping to conclusions.'
Tony does enjoy his plot twists and this one just seemed to keep on twisting, as further and further down the rabbit hole of Socket's true nature we went. My little disappointment didn't last long at all -- sorry for ever doubting you Tony.
And the final word is...
pause...
wait for it...
Awesome!
Yup, this whole saga has been totally enjoyable and very unputdownable. Which, although it's been quite a while since i read 'Halfskin', is what i remember feeling about that series as well.
Yes folks, Tony is a great writer who, if you're into his kind of sci-fi, will certainly keep you engaged all the way until the last page. Great characters, great writing, with a nice standard everyday lexicon that doesn't leave you having to use look up at all: which does make the reading experience a lot more immersive.
All i can say is that i'm very much looking forward to next time the 'Infinite Improbability Drive' picks one of Tony's books to read.
March 20, 2021
Socket Greeny has had quite the adventure during the previous two volumes in this clever series but nothing comes close to what he has to face in this final instalment. Tony Bertauski has always written with intelligence and great skill and here again we see his best attributes on show. Things are progressing well for Socket and his life seems settled with the Paladin nation. He’s trying to show them a new way for the garrison to work. He has taken to mentoring kids younger than himself to achieve more than they thought possible. He also gets a trip further than he’s ever been before. I feel anything else I say in this review will ruin the story for others so I’ll simply say this is a worthy conclusion to this series that has heart, soul and most importantly mind behind it giving us smart, intelligent Sci-Fi with characters that are both fantastical and relatable. Great work Mr Bertauski.
November 26, 2018
Socket explained!
I liked this book but not as much as the last two. But the ending was a bit anti-climactic.
I would liked to have had a better visual of the grimmets. I can't quite visualize them.
I liked this book but not as much as the last two. But the ending was a bit anti-climactic.
I would liked to have had a better visual of the grimmets. I can't quite visualize them.
November 3, 2017
Excellent ending to the series, well worth a read at any age.
March 6, 2018
3,5 mainly because it wasn’t my taste. The writing is good, but its too long. A lot of cool scenery. Good characters. I like the ending.
September 6, 2018
I really enjoyed these books. It was well plotted, the characters and places became real in my mind. Very well done, I would recommend these books to anyone.
July 9, 2020
That was a great ending to a solid series. And the book ending itself was AWESOME.
March 23, 2022
The series finale is epic!
This series should seriously be on the television! It's one of the best sci-fi fantasy series I've ever read! Totally epic!
This series should seriously be on the television! It's one of the best sci-fi fantasy series I've ever read! Totally epic!
February 13, 2016
This one had even more philosophy (especially self discovery) , but with some very cool scenery, action, & it resolves everything. It answers a lot of questions about the origins, however I didn't care for the end.
There were some shining parts, though. Several characters played excellent twisty parts in the complex scheme. All in all, a pretty good book, but it went on a little too long for me. 3 stars.
Read as part of the full trilogy reviewed here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There were some shining parts, though. Several characters played excellent twisty parts in the complex scheme. All in all, a pretty good book, but it went on a little too long for me. 3 stars.
Read as part of the full trilogy reviewed here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 20, 2014
THIS was the book I was waiting for in this trilogy. The final book is thoughtful, has depth, and makes sense. A metaphysical theme was slowly introduced through the first two books and is fully realized in this book. The theme is wrapped around a futuristic, technological, action core that would appeal to those readers who don't normally pick up a metaphysical book. This series suffered from what I call "sequel syndrome." This is when a story that can & should be written in one volume is stretched into two, three, or more. When this happens, the first few books seem stretched thin, with unnecessary details and side stories. It's often hard to stay with a series to get to the meaty part. If this series hadn't come as a group on Bookbub, I don't know that I would have stayed with it until the end.
August 3, 2016
I get this thing where after reading such an epic book, when I'm done, it takes a while to get out of the book and realize that I had just been reading. I feel blank. Words can't describe how awesome that was. I'm in like emotional shock. It was sad but it was amazing. The whole series just got more epic and more epic until finally it reached the climax at the end and...
I have nothing else to say.
It's just so awesome.
It reminds me of the ending of the Pendragon Series. The tenth book I don't think was even as epic as this book.
Sometimes I feel like the characters aren't so realistic. They aren't so curious. They don't react like how I think a real person would. Still, it was mind-bogglingly epic.
Wow. Just wow.
I have nothing else to say.
It's just so awesome.
It reminds me of the ending of the Pendragon Series. The tenth book I don't think was even as epic as this book.
Sometimes I feel like the characters aren't so realistic. They aren't so curious. They don't react like how I think a real person would. Still, it was mind-bogglingly epic.
Wow. Just wow.
May 12, 2013
having a very hard time finishing this one. hopefully eventually i will get through it.
Finally got through this book!! It wasn't a bad book, just not as riveting as others I have picked up. I am glad I finally finished it though.
I more or less enjoyed this series. There were some interesting concepts and I enjoyed most of the characters. It ended way different than I had anticipated, which I enjoyed because I generally can guess how things will end.
I know this review isn't helpful at all. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy sci-fi books, or who also enjoy alternate reality type of stories.
Finally got through this book!! It wasn't a bad book, just not as riveting as others I have picked up. I am glad I finally finished it though.
I more or less enjoyed this series. There were some interesting concepts and I enjoyed most of the characters. It ended way different than I had anticipated, which I enjoyed because I generally can guess how things will end.
I know this review isn't helpful at all. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy sci-fi books, or who also enjoy alternate reality type of stories.
June 6, 2016
Well - the first book in the series was pretty goid - creative.. Somewhat entertaining wven though the authors was really tring to be deep and philosophical. The second book fell into the *really trying* again and got pretty sappy. This third book was really really hard for me yo get through (the only reason i finished it was because i was listening to it - not actually giving it 100% of my attention. Sappy got thinker abd thicker until in the end when the one was begging to die and get it over with - i was feeling the same about this book - just die and get the thing over with... Stuck it out - glad its over.
March 11, 2016
Not as enjoyable as the first two books for me. It started off enjoyable, but at a point there was a plot twist that came out of nowhere. Once that was introduced the story seemed to just get weirder and weirder until I was just reading to get to the end. I won't share the plot twist because I don't want to spoil the twist, but it derailed the story for me. And from that point on, nothing really made sense.
January 24, 2016
The whole series was a little dull, tbh. I wasn't gripped by anything that was going on and frankly just wanted to be finished.
The problem in the first book was wrapped up too quickly and neatly - I thought that was going to be the setup for the whole series and it was actually interesting.
I didn't like the "twist" in this book AT ALL. It was all just boring and unbelievable.
The problem in the first book was wrapped up too quickly and neatly - I thought that was going to be the setup for the whole series and it was actually interesting.
I didn't like the "twist" in this book AT ALL. It was all just boring and unbelievable.
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February 17, 2016BERTAUSKI STARTER LIBRARY is FREE!
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Get 3 full-length novels and 1 novella…Just tell me where to send them.
http://bertauski.com/
February 11, 2014
A disappointing ending to the series. I suppose it wasn't an awful ending, just not what I was hoping for.
May 27, 2014
Enjoyable series.
May 30, 2014
I loved this series but really hated the ending. Still it was an excellent series.
March 8, 2015
Of the three books in the series, this was the most difficult to wrap my head around. I still enjoyed the story but it left a strange feeling afterward.
October 25, 2016
Amazing
I loved this entire series from start to finish.
An awe inspiring end to a beautiful story that just keeps on giving.
I loved this entire series from start to finish.
An awe inspiring end to a beautiful story that just keeps on giving.
December 8, 2016
This book was a lot better than the last book. The plot twists were interesting but the ending was kind of sad yet happy in a way.
June 6, 2017
weakest of the three.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews