The Seven
4.8
8
5
1
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781608440665 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dog Ear Publishing |
| Publication date: | 08/19/2009 |
| Pages: | 228 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d) |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
The Seven
4.9 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
7 reviews.
 |
My first experience reading this book was on Amazon's website; the Kindle preview, which was quite a lengthy sample of the text which goes up to the beginning of Posey's transformation. In all honesty, this sample did not do much for me, and I considered not purchasing the item after all. However, when I got my Nook from my local B&N, the first thing I bought for it when I got home was this book. I figured the 5-star reviews could not be wholly unwarranted, and if it truly was not for me after all, then I will have not lost much.
I spent most of my free time the following three days reading the book, having just finished it several hours ago, and I found myself enjoying the book a lot more than I thought I would.
My initial fear was that this book would be just another X-Men story, with teenagers with mutant superpowers living together, going out and fighting crime, and ultimately save a world that treated them like freaks. But as I read on, and discovered the true purpose of these seven teenagers- why they were created, who created them, and what would eventually have happened to them if the villains had their way- I slowly but surely changed my mind. It didn't pull a number of cliches that I thought it would (though I will admit it did pull one or two) and for that alone I feel I should praise it. I can't talk too much about it without giving much away, but I did thoroughly enjoy the book. It brought several new ideas to a story type that I feel is honestly overdone.
However, this book was not without its problems. I feel it should have been better edited, as there were plenty of grammar mistakes that I was able to spot. Also, the constant name-dropping was getting on my nerves a little bit. The biggest problem, though, is the clunky exposition. It was part of the main reason I almost DIDN'T buy the book after reading the preview. We get a huge info-dump in the beginning of the story in the form of unnatural, forced dialogue between the characters. It should have been spread out a bit more than it was. However, if you are able to get past that, I think you will really enjoy this book if you are a fan of superhero/comic book stories. Sean Patrick Little, I am holding my breath for a sequel.
|
|
In the first section of the book, "Origins," readers meet Holly, Sarah, Andy, John, Kenny, Indigo, and Posey, a group of very unique seventeen year olds.
Sarah and Holly are compassionate, Andy is funny, John is analytical, Kenny is brilliant, Indigo is irritable, and Posey is sentimental and loving. Since they were taken from their families at seven and raised in the Home with only Dr. Cormair, Dr. Sebbins, and a crotchety housekeeper, the children have become family to each other.
They have suffered through numerous operations, genetic manipulations, and testing at the hands of Drs. Cormair and Sebbins.
One by one the friends begin to notice that they have special abilities.
When Posey undergoes a dramatic and frightening physical change, they start to realize the purpose of all of the operations Dr. Cormair has done on each of them, and they rebel against the exploitation of their minds and bodies. Fairly quickly, they realize that they have been re-created to be some kind of super soldiers.
On the heels of this discovery, the Home is surrounded by suspicious military personnel who take two of the kids prisoner.
Book Two is titled "Truth and Consequences" and Book Three "Razing Hell." In these parts of the story, the teens fully develop into the powers Dr. Cormair has given them and begin to accept and deal with the repercussions of their changes.
Readers who like traditional comic books will enjoy this novel. Sean Patrick Little has taken the idea of the graphic novel and developed it with a strong plot, likeable characters, and non-stop action.
|
|
Originally reviewed and published at www.readerviewskids.com
http://maggiesbookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/09/seven.html
Shortly before their eighteenth birthdays and legal adulthood, tensions are building among the Subjects-seven kids torn from their families to be part of a top-secret genetic experiment at age seven, they can't help but wonder what, exactly, the experiments are supposed to prove. But when their powers suddenly manifest in horrifying ways, escape becomes a matter of life and death, love and the destruction of all that they hold dear. If only they could figure out who they're supposed to be fighting against.
This book is absolutely one of the best books in the genre I've read this year, period. I always pick up a self-published book with some trepidation, but honestly I've found more flaws in spelling and grammar in the paperback copies of major publishing houses' chart-topper novels than existed in this one! The formatting and presentation are flawless and the writing is (almost) beyond reproach.
To put it simply, this book is a comic book in novel form, and the author makes no secret of his inspirations. However, he takes it a step beyond shoot-em-ups and cheesy romance to bring us characters that we genuinely care about, even if right and wrong aren't always clear and their motives are less than admirable. Here are teens that anyone can relate to! While I occasionally struggled with the dialogue and the pace was a little uneven, this book was a truly refreshing excursion out of the norm.
Perhaps because it is self-published, this book has a sort of nonchalant freedom about it that is a joy to read. Without caring who's reading, the author is free to make pointed statements about the true value of human (and inhuman) life, and is surprising philosophical for something so fun and entertaining to read. The government is especially portrayed in an unforgiving light, but it never crosses the line into angry justification or righteousness. Teens will most likely especially enjoy this book due to its anti-establishment feel, as the feelings of rejection experienced by the seven have been felt on some level by every adolescent as they struggle to metamorphose from the child they were to the adult they will become.
I think I have found a new favorite to pore over, and against all odds I am dying to read more!
|
|
The author really knows teenagers. Despite the fact that the characters have unbelieveable super-powers, they are very human and believeable. I found myself thinking of how similar the characters in the book were to teenagers I know. I found myself caring about them. The plot was also really engaging and took some surprising twists. Do you ever get so engrossed in a book, that you have to catch yourself from bringing up what's going on in the book during casual conversation, like it's reality? That happened to me with this book, and considering that "what's going on" was a plot to take over the world, I'm glad I caught myself before I told a friend "hey, did you hear about...." I really recommend this book and look forward to reading the next one.
|
|
Seven teenagers, best friends, are bound together because they share an important and incredibly unusual background, they were all taken from their families at a young age and brought to 'The Home.' At 'The Home' each child was subjected to DNA experiments, tests using cutting-edge science and so bizarre that the very core of each teen's DNA was changed over time. So begins The Seven, a teen novel that chronicles the struggles of Andy, Holly, Kenny, Sarah, Indigo, Posey, and John as they come to terms with their new superpowers and fight against the evil military that hopes to take advantage of the teens' new strengths.
The Seven gets off to a quick start as some of the teens begin to exhibit signs of their new superpowers. Holly has a heightened sense of smell and can communicate with animals while Andy is growing larger and stronger every day. When Posey suddenly shrieks out in pain, her friends are alarmed as they come to her aid. Posey, it seems, is starting to grow wings!
As the group struggles with their newly acquired powers, they decide to keep their emerging strengths a secret from the adults at 'The Home.' Talking amongst themselves, they realize that each person has been enhanced in some way to create a more effective killing machine. With that realization it also becomes apparent that 'The Home' may not be the best place for them. Dr. H. Bromwell Cormair, the head of the research team and something of a fatherly figure to the gang, seems to have hidden many of the facts about the testing from his charges. When the seven teens decide to make a break for freedom, a clash breaks out and not all of 'The Seven' are able to gain their liberty.
When General Tucker and the Trust (a mysterious military organization) go after the seven teens, things get downright nasty as the General will stop at nothing to recapture, study, and then destroy the genetically altered test subjects. Will the teens who escaped come back to 'The Home' to rescue their friends? If they do, what will happen? Will the military, with its well-armed arsenal, recapture the youths?
The Seven is an action novel that lives up to the genre's name as it is full of non-stop action. Indeed, there are very few pages where the group of teens are not either planning or engaging in battles or rescues. The author has effectively captured both the angst and lingo of his audience, who should be able to identify with at least one or two of the main characters. "Oh for the love of macaroni, Ken. What is wrong with you?" asks an exasperated Holly of her friend as they make plans to keep their powers a secret. But it is the conversations the kids have about their own awkwardness that the author managed to capture so beautifully and that his readers should truly enjoy. For example, at one point Kenny, the computer whiz-kid admits, "Before, I guess I didn't feel like I was important. Sarah was the pretty one, Indigo was the mean one, Andy was the funny one.now I know why they did what they did and for the first time in my life, I actually feel useful."
Reluctant readers may be hesitant to pick up a copy of The Seven because of the very small font used, which is unusual for a teen book. However, once they get into the story (and it doesn't take long), they'll be well rewarded for their efforts.
Quill says: A teen action novel that hits a home-run and should have readers hoping that the author brings out a sequel!
|
|
Little, Sean Patrick
THE SEVEN
Dog Ear (228 pp.)
$15.95 paperback
August 19, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-6084-4066-5
Arollicking science-fiction story about mutant teens forced to battle the paramilitary army that created them.
Posey, Andy, Holly, John, Kenny, Indigo and Sarah were taken from their families when they were seven years old and kept at the Home where they were tested, operated on, observed and changed. Now, a decade olderand on the brink of legal adulthood, they are ready to head into the real world to live as normally as they can. However, the group sponsoring the great experiment has other ideas. When they try to escape, the teenagers are confronted by an army of soldiers from all over the world who have one objective-final analysis and subsequent termination of the test subjects. A few of the kids also have to contend with the sudden maturation of their powers-one of them turns into a bird, another can run so fast that her pants catch on fire and another grows powerful muscles that can withstand bullets. Their powers are a help and a hindrance as they struggle to regroup, save each other and save themselves. Little is a deft writer, seamlessly blending fast-paced action with engaging dialogue and complementary descriptions in this, his second book. He does not ask readers to jump haphazardly into a sea of pseudoscience bent to the needs of his plot, but bases his science fiction in concepts that will feel slightly familiar and wholeheartedly believable, like genetic mutation. The plot of The Seven stems organically from the characters, and no scene feels forced together for the sake of explanation. Also, the author doesn't ignore consequences. The characters take full responsibility for killing and stop to grapple with the moral question of whether it's alright to kill when battling for your life, or if any death is too great a loss. As such, the book works well on multiple fronts, and will appeal to young readers and adults alike.
A discussion of morality disguised as a terrific sci-fi action story.
|
|
|