Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Invasion by Jon S. Lewis

Invasion

Author: Jon S. Lewis

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

4½ out of 5 stars

Colt thought that it was just going to be an orientation for summer camp. He would go and do who knows what, and they would see if he would be accepted. All of his older brothers had gone, and now it was his turn. They all said that they played some sort of video game or something. Ok, cool, Colt could handle that. But what Colt finds out at the orientation is something much bigger than just video games. Colt learns that aliens… are real.

Colt McAllister had no idea, but there are planets out there that are home to other species. Earth is not the only life-sustainable planet out there in the galaxy, or the universe even! The inhabitants can reach other worlds when portals open up in random spots. One of his instructors is from a different planet even! At first this is all too much to take in, but that’s okay because Colt will forget all of this anyway. Before he leaves from his “summer camp’s” orientation he is injected with a serum that will cause him to forget everything that he had just been through. Sorry, but it’s standard procedure.

Colt leaves thinking that nothing out of the ordinary had happened and goes right on with his life. That is, until the one fateful day. He had been out surfing when Colt felt as through something had wrapped around his leg and had pulled him under. After a near-death experience Colt went home with some minor injuries and nothing more. But soon after Colt arrives home, some unexpected news arrives.

Both of his parents are dead. A drunk driver was speeding and killed both of them on impact as the car burst into flames. Colt doesn’t know what to think. How is it possible? How could this happen to him? Colt is whisked away to live with his grandpa over in Arizona. There he adjusts to a new life with the help of his best friend Dani, and his new acquaintance Oz, who looks strangely familiar. However, Colt soon finds out that his parents’ death might not have been as much of an “accident” as he originally thought. There are those out there who intentionally meant to murder his parents. But who? Colt vows to find them and avenge his parents. But where does he start? Who could have the answers? All is revealed in Jon S. Lewis’ intergalactic adventure of one boy’s journey to seek the truth in, Invasion!

Invasion was not at all how I expected, but nevertheless I was extremely happy with how it turned out. There was an interesting twist put on the story as Colt didn’t quite know what was going on, while the reader already had some idea from Colt’s earlier “orientation.” I received Invasion from Net Galley* and I suggest it for teens and adults alike who are looking for a fresh read with unexpected twists and turns thrown in.

I really didn’t know what to expect from Invasion, as I had only read a short summary of it on Net Galley before requesting it. I never thought that there would be aliens involved, that’s for sure! I enjoyed the idea of aliens and portals that this book presented, as I haven’t read anything like it. There was definitely a ton of action in this book as well, with intense fighting scenes against evil extraterrestrials.

The way in which Invasion started off, added greatly to the story. It was so cool to be introduced to this new world and watch Colt go through some preliminary training at the academy. However, it was sad to see Colt forget it all and not remember a thing. It was interesting to learn more about this new side of the world with Colt, later on the book. Since Colt had forgotten everything that had happened on the day of orientation he had to learn it all over again. It was also almost like an inside joke that the reader shared with the author, as Colt didn’t know what was going on or remember things at times, when the reader already had prior knowledge of it.

It would have been nice to have seen more explanation of the alien world that the government tries to hide. There wasn’t much of an explanation given which leaves me wondering about how vast the universe really is. Also, there is still so much left unsaid about what’s in store for Colt as well. That said, it would have been nice to see Colt spend more time at the academy in this book, but hopefully we will see more of that in the book two of the C.H.A.O.S. series!

To sum it all up, Invasion is a fast-paced, action-packed adventure of one boy’s journey to find the truth. Join Colt, as he seeks out those responsible for killing his parents, all the while trying to prevent an inevitable alien take-over in, Invasion!

-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading!


*I received this book from Net Galley, a website on which you can request free advanced reader copies of books. I received Invasion by Jon S. Lewis in exchange for my honest review.  Thank you Net Galley!

Check out the Invasion website at http://www.chaosnovels.com/.
Invasion is available from Amazon here.

7 comments:

  1. This sounds amazing! I love the look of the alien theme as well.
    Brilliant review, and I'm adding this to my wanted list!
    Thanks for your comments! After Eden was really fun, and I hope you enjoy it too! I really need to get The Mockingbirds, as well: it really oes sound good.
    Happy reading! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my gosh this sound intense! Memory wipes and deaths and an alien conspiracy. It seems strange that Colt would go to this orientation only to forget it all. I want to know what he learned!
    Great review, I'll be adding this one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like the government to me! Wonder if the author is prophetic or just imaginative. It definitely sounds like a good start to an adventure filled series. Sounds like a boy book. What do you think? Is there anything in it that would make it inappropriate for younger readers, say an 11 yr old with a high reading level?

    Heather

    ReplyDelete
  4. TheBookAddictedGirl- Thanks! What was funny was I had no idea that this was about aliens when I had first requested it. I was in for a surprise when I started reading! I really liked the extraterrestrial twist though, and it was a fresh idea.

    Laura (All of Everything)- Intense is a great way to describe this one! It would have been interesting to see Colt spend more time at the academy, but hopefully we'll see more of that in the future. Haha, I'm glad you're so excited about Invasion, and I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

    Buried in Books- You guessed right! The government is definitely in this one, which gave this book a "FBI" feel to it as well. Right again! This one is absolutely a boy book, all the way. Hmmm, an 11 year old you say? I think Invasion would be okay, especially if he has a high reading level. He might not be able to connect with some of the budding romances, but he'll probably love the action and aliens!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounded really awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

    And thanks for dropping by my blog! I haven't read The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman yet, it's currently basking in the pinkness of my shelf and waiting to be read. But I have heard some really awesome things about him, and I have heard that Godless and The Blank Confessions are two of his best works, so there you go :D Actually I never ride roller coasters, nor any rides in theme parks because I really hate that nauseous feeling I get when the height increases.

    You might want to sign up for Shelf Saturday too and have your own bookshelf featured. Just head on to that link and fill out the form at the bottom part if you're interested :D

    Have a great weekend!

    Brush Up On Your Reading

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Great to have you there. :D

    I haven't heard of this book before but it sounds great, will add it to by TBR list. Great review thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nina B.- Thanks! Oh, I had no idea that The Blank Confessions were by Pete Hautman! I've heard of that one, and it sounds really good, but I hadn't quite realized who the author was. I absolutely hate the feeling of the drop on roller coasters! I feel like I'm going to tumble right out of my seat! I think I will sign up for Shelf Saturday, it sounds great! Thanks for hosting the awesome feature! :)

    Barmybex- Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm so glad that this one sounds interesting. It's definitely an action-packed adventure with a lot of high-tech gadgets and comics thrown in as well.

    ReplyDelete

Hi, and welcome to From The Bookshelf of T.B.!

I can't wait to hear what you have to say! I do my best to try and respond to your comments, so check back often. Comment away!