Undeniable Rule of Three

When the power goes out for a few days, we get a real taste for how dependent we are on our technology, but if all technology crashed... and there was no end in sight? Then we would really witness just how thin our veneer of civilization truly is. In Eric Walters' The Rule of Three, suburban America gets a makeover it never asked for. 

When Adam's school releases the students after a power failure, he hops into his old jalopy to pick up his kid brother and sister. It starts right up (which is a miracle), but as he scans around the parking lot, he sees a lot of cars that won't start. In fact, all the new, computerized cars are completely dead. When he gets home, he is surprised to find the entire neighborhood without any power- even cellphones, laptops, cars, etc. that should run in a blackout are down. When his neighbor, Herb, comes to his house, he is skeptical of Herb's need for an emergency trip to the pool store... especially since Herb doesn't even have a pool! Quickly, however, Herb's decision to stockpile chlorine tablets becomes the start of a whole new way of living: pure survival.

As the local police captain, Adam's mother has a lot more responsibility on her shoulders than the rest of the neighborhood, but her trust in Herb, even if she doesn't fully know the extent of his involvement in the government before his retirement, gives her the opportunity to take care of her precinct knowing her kids are safe at home. Herb knows things are going to get ugly, though. And fast. When he starts sharing more and more of his useful knowledge about how to protect themselves and prepare for longterm survival, not everyone is comfortable with his decisions. What they can't deny, however, is just how different their world has become. And in a ruthless world like this, there are tough decisions to be made if anyone is going to survive. 

I read a couple of reviews of this book after I finished it, and I was actually surprised so many people thought it was so derivative. Yes, I mean, we can't deny the deluge of disaster books out there anymore than we can deny the existence of a bazillion supernatural tales on the shelves, but still, I thought this was a really good book with some key surprises that made it even better than I originally thought it was going to be. For instance, Herb is your typical ex-"Black Ops" (or so they assume- he never tells!) government retiree who just happens to know how to survive a disaster. Convenient? Yep. Stereotypical? You would think so, but there is more to Herb than meets the eye. Instead, he is actually very keen on negotiations and finding ways to defuse the situation in a way that is mutually beneficial for everyone. In addition, he is willing to admit his notions might not be the best way. Even though he knows survival, he is willing to admit the cold heartless reality of their new world can truly be mitigated by friendship and a sense of community. And all that comes from his time with Adam. Usually you have the youngster learn from the old, wise man, but here we really see a shift in who Herb is as well, and that is pretty unique. 

I actually really enjoyed this story of the new apocalypse and survival, but there were some obvious plot holes that weren't fully explored. I did a little research and realized there is going to be a sequel, so I am looking forward to the caulk that takes care of these holes (like Adam's dad). Still, the story itself is pretty good in a league of many of its kind. Adam is an interesting kid who transitions just enough while not losing the type of person he was before the disaster, and Herb is a fascinating character. Since the story ends in a way that leaves you hanging and a little perturbed, I am grateful for the upcoming sequel! Adam and Herb's story isn't over, and I can't wait to see where this technology-less world takes them!

And the Fight Continues...

Review by Guest Reviewer, Andre Q. 

There are hundred of thousands of book in the world, although fantasy is one of dominate series, they appeal to both children and adults a like. They want a world that is not reality and all the pain it brings with itself. Many people escape into the world of fantasy, through Esther Hicks’s Vortex is a great example of such a book. It is a futuristic time period where the world is at war for resources and fighting has been replaced with machines shooting each other into oblivion. The best kind of a book is one where anyone could read the first few pages and instantaneously become addicted to the story.

Vortex takes place is a futuristic world that many hope to be a reality some day. Tom Rains, the main character, lives in the state New York at the Spire. He lives with a computer chip embedded within his cerebral cortex. This chip allows Rains to posses inhuman characteristics that essential to the success of his country and her allies. They fight as a combatant who drives a drone into space that is used as warfare than the traditional guns and knives. Rains is a maverick when it comes to actually training but when the matter is serious enough, he manages to pull through being assassinated, Having being a rough kid for a kid surrounded anyone in his neighborhood.

The character of Tom Rains, is a willful and private and sometimes the feeling of general resentment of his life because all of him family abandoned him to die all alone. One interesting quality that Rains never bow down to another man nor take any kind of insults to him and his friends. Rains stands firmly on the ground and refuses a solution that didn’t work out with his favor. He goes through the companies that sponsor all the combatants, that will chose their fate of whither he can become a Combatant or a walking database. Rains will always consider his actions but is also a troublemaker that lead to his humiliation numerous times. Rains does, sometimes, have his good ideas that allow him to move on and gain results from his actions that will change the outlook for the entire world that is engulfed with war.

Rains is a very dynamic character, he rushes in at first without thinking of the consequences, while later on he develops self control of his own emotions. Rains has many adventures and suffering, though his undying determination to change the world for the better. Having the same power as the Indo-China's ace pilot, Medusa, he uses his power in further better himself, though at times he uses that power for self benefit. Rains, though impulsive and often childish, puts his friends before him and does what is need to be done to protect them. Rains might have been a troublemaker and often poked fun at his enemies that later kicked him in the teeth, but he was able to turn all his misgivings around to achieve the goal of becoming a combatant. When he became a upper class of the combatants, even that was an act to save a friend from the clutches of multi-billion dollar company thats only aim was to unlock the secrets of Rains and Medusa’s hidden talents that even they can’t explain.

Overall, the book of Vortex was filled with extremely action packed and drawn me into reading more of the book. I wanted to read more of the adventures of Tom Rains, so every chance I got I picked up the book and began to read. The pilot had many turns and unsuspected events that they never ceased to amaze me. The character of Rains interested me because of his witty comments towards every event, but also his care and concern for his friends. Vortex was the one of the best books that I have read in a while.    

Such a Romantic Rush

High School is a battlefield and the kids are at war. What side would you be on? In Jennifer Echols' Such a Rush, we get the story of Leah Jones, a girl whose trailer park home and absentee mother have branded her, but she doesn't want to live up to that brand. In fact, she will take unbelievable risks to break out of that mold.


Leah's mother moves every time she gets a new boyfriend. Always a trailer park, which is almost always by an airport. When they moved to Heaven Beach, Leah decided to take control of her life and got a job as a receptionist at a small private airport. But receptionist wasn't enough for Leah; she wanted to fly. Forging her mother's signature, she gave Mr. Hall the money for a lesson (all the money she had) and demanded a lesson. Seeing the fire and love for flying in Leah, Mr. Hall took her under his wing and taught her to fly. Mr. Hall's sons, however, didn't think their father's generosity was as charitable as it sounded. They assumed Leah was paying for the lessons in a less than appropriate way. Why else would their old man be helping this girl?


When Mr. Hall dies suddenly, Leah's hope of becoming a pilot is gone along with him. No one else would take an almost 18 year old girl seriously as a pilot. She assumes Mr. Hall's business is gone, but when the twin sons, Alec and Grayson, return to Heaven Beach, they announce they are keeping the banner business going. Grayson wants Leah to continue on as a pilot, but she doesn't trust him or the longevity of his business. When Grayson blackmails her to not only fly for him, but to also date his brother Alec, she can't figure out what his motives are. But flying is more important to Leah than anything else in her life. So how far would she go to make sure she could fly?


Jennifer Echols has written books under the MTV imprint, and they are edgy, mature, and fun. They fall in the older realm of Young Adult books, and are best left for older teens in high school. There are some intimate scenes and graphic language, but none of it is filthy. But what Echols does best is appeal to those older teens who can smell BS a mile away. We all know teens are BS detectors of the most critical kind, so they require a book that doesn't patronize them or treat them as a children. They might not be "adults" yet, but they sure don't want to be treated like children. Echols' books are upfront, no nonsense, callin' it like it is, whether you want it or not. And this book is no different.


Leah's life with her flighty, always unemployed, leech of a mother in the trailer parks is a sad one. She is labeled the slut because of the way she dresses and her mother invited Leah's boyfriend to move in pretty much sealed the deal. But you know Leah is a proud, bright young woman. She takes the insults in stride and holds her head high. But internally, she struggles to see past how others define her. And she certainly doesn't take any crap from Grayson. I am going to say that I had a tough time with another female YA character falling for the absolute jerk, but I have come to expect it now. Of course, they always have a reason for acting like a toad, and the reason can be healed or fixed, but it doesn't change the fact that they treat these girls like crap and then the girls want them desperately. I wish we could have a romantic story that doesn't start with a verbally abusive male lead... ahhh... if only....


But Grayson's cantankerousness aside, this was an interesting story. I loved Leah and everything she stood for, even in the face of a world where the only person who ever cared about her was basically a stranger and who passed away. The grief Leah suffered at his loss was touching and quiet, as she felt she didn't really have a right to grieve the same way his sons did, even though she spent more time with him than they did. This is still a mature book better left to older teens. It is fairly romantic and emotional and would probably appeal to older girls most. But the best thing about Echols? She is a BS free zone!