Status
Available
Call number
Call number
FIC WAL book 1
Collection
Description
"A teen's suburban neighborhood bands together for its own survival in a world stricken by a catastrophic blackout"--
Series
Publication
Razorbill Canada (2015), Edition: Int, 432 pages
Original publication date
2014-01-21
Original language
English
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member Noussaiba
From the first page i knew that this book is going to be a five star. Between the funny, the mistery, the adventure, and a bit of romance i can only applause the author for this work of art. I really liked all the caracters and the bond that had to be made between them because of the circumstances,
Now one question remain: is there a next one ?
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the way they reacted to there new situation and the realization that they have to move on and adapt and protect to matter what the people that they live with like they say : in the moment of desperation and horror people show who they really are.Now one question remain: is there a next one ?
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
When something happens to all of the computer systems around the world, 16 year old Adam and his family quickly adapt to the situation. Their neighbor, an ex-military guy, has a stockpile of food, weapons and supplies and seems to know just how to organize the neighborhood to survive.
Overall, this
Overall, this
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was an interesting read. It was slow and places and left a lot unfinished at the end. I would like to read a sequel and find out what happened to the world and how this little neighborhood survives the chaos. I think teenagers will become a bit bored with the slow pace. Show Less
LibraryThing member ShellyPYA
A teen's suburban neighborhood bands together for its own survival in a world stricken by a catastrophic blackout
LibraryThing member AnnRushing
The book was good until the last page, where the story ends abruptly. I know there can't be a happy ending but the transitioning it terrible.
PS:
Apparently, this is the first in a trilogy. This make the ending a little more tolerable.
PS:
Apparently, this is the first in a trilogy. This make the ending a little more tolerable.
LibraryThing member tcards
A decent Young Adult speculative fiction entry. The ending was a bit disappointing. I guess the publishers thought the book was a tad lengthy and favored the rather abrupt ending.
LibraryThing member schatzi
I've been wanting to pick this book up for over a year, and once I saw it at my local library, I had to give it a turn.
Unfortunately, the book wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. The main character, Adam, is sixteen but acts more like he's twelve or thirteen. He comes off as quite
The writing style itself is incredibly distracting. The author loves exclamation points! A lot! Like crazy! Sigh. And the author favored telling rather than showing, which makes for a boring story. All of the conversations felt incredibly stilted and unrealistic to me. I've yet to meet real life people who talk like these characters did.
And the whole thing with society breaking down in just a few hours just felt wrong. Yes, there were no cars, no electricity, and no traffic lights. But I've lived through that for more than a few hours, as have my neighbors, and we didn't mug one another or try to steal things from one another. Heck, I can remember going without heat in the middle of winter (as well as electricity and water) for a week because of a major accident that also cut our electricity and water lines (thankfully we had enough snow on the ground to use for drinking water), and none of this crap happened. And it's not just anecdotal on my part - take a look at how people reacted to the great northeastern blackout in 2003 (which is actually mentioned in this book). Yes, there were some acts of violence and looting, but overwhelmingly, people just minded their own business and took care of one another. Granted, the cars still ran, but I can't see doing without cars for a few hours as making people homicidal maniacs. And yet the author would have us believe that. Nope.
Disappointing. I won't be continuing with the series.
Unfortunately, the book wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. The main character, Adam, is sixteen but acts more like he's twelve or thirteen. He comes off as quite
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immature most of the time, and I had a hard time believing that he was supposed to be sixteen. He also comes off as an extreme "goodie-two-shoes;" I hate to say it, but it's true. A good example: Adam and a neighbor go to a local store to stock up on chlorine. Adam has one of the very few vehicles that run. Society has apparently almost completely broken down in a few hours (more on that later) and a group of men vaguely threaten to steal Adam's car. Adam's neighbor brushes aside his jacket and shows that he has a gun. The men disperse. Adam's first thought is to tell his mom (who is a police officer) about the neighbor having a gun, even though the neighbor has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Really? I'd probably be more concerned with the fact that six grown men were going to steal my car. Adam's skills are also extremely convenient, like knowing how to fly airplanes. I just didn't buy him as a character; instead, he felt more like a two-dimensional placeholder.The writing style itself is incredibly distracting. The author loves exclamation points! A lot! Like crazy! Sigh. And the author favored telling rather than showing, which makes for a boring story. All of the conversations felt incredibly stilted and unrealistic to me. I've yet to meet real life people who talk like these characters did.
And the whole thing with society breaking down in just a few hours just felt wrong. Yes, there were no cars, no electricity, and no traffic lights. But I've lived through that for more than a few hours, as have my neighbors, and we didn't mug one another or try to steal things from one another. Heck, I can remember going without heat in the middle of winter (as well as electricity and water) for a week because of a major accident that also cut our electricity and water lines (thankfully we had enough snow on the ground to use for drinking water), and none of this crap happened. And it's not just anecdotal on my part - take a look at how people reacted to the great northeastern blackout in 2003 (which is actually mentioned in this book). Yes, there were some acts of violence and looting, but overwhelmingly, people just minded their own business and took care of one another. Granted, the cars still ran, but I can't see doing without cars for a few hours as making people homicidal maniacs. And yet the author would have us believe that. Nope.
Disappointing. I won't be continuing with the series.
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LibraryThing member kayceel
Adam is sixteen the day the tech goes out - not just power, but computers, cell phones, and even cars. Adam's 1970s car is one of the few that still run, making him one of the lucky ones, able to drive past all those stuck in transit on his way home. It isn't long before things get desperate,
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causing Adam and his neighbors to band together to pool resources and protection. This story emphasizes the benefit in having a retired military, possibly ex-CIA agent next door, 'cause without Herb's knowledge of the sorts of things that are valuable in a survival situation (ALL of the chlorine tablets, for treating and purifying pool water for drinking, for example!). Show Less
LibraryThing member roses7184
Wow, what a book. The Rule of Three doesn't feature zombies. It doesn't have a huge decimating explosion that sets off the end of the world. What it does have, is a realistic vibe to it. What happens when everything you take for granted is suddenly gone? Cars no longer work, cell phones are dead,
It's a little hard to describe the pacing of this book. While it doesn't exactly pick up pace at any particular time, it has this slow burn feel to it throughout the whole book. There's never really a huge climax. Lots of small ones, yes. Lots of little things to keep you reading on and wondering what will happen next, but nothing explosive. It's an interesting read for that very reason. I'm used to books being either slow, and then picking up or vice versa. This was bit of an anomaly to me, but one that held my attention.
In terms of characters, Adam and his neighbors have the ability to be anyone. They might be the people down the street from you. The babysitter at the end of the block. I loved the realism here. I watched in fascination as normally happy, easy-going people were reduced to shambles. As society as we know it so very quickly fell apart. Adam's story is scary because it is one that could, and most likely would, actually happen. It makes it that much harder to put down.
In fact, I predict that this very fact is going to be a deal breaker for some readers. The Rule of Three does have a few things about it (such as Herb) that are more fictional, but still possible. However the majority of this book is very grounded in reality. It's a look at what we are all capable of when survival mode sets in. So, if you've been eyeing this book, know that I recommend it! I can only hope there's more around the bend.
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and there's no way to know if any help is coming. What happens to society? This is what Eric Walters uncovers in The Rule of Three, and it's both amazing and terrifying.It's a little hard to describe the pacing of this book. While it doesn't exactly pick up pace at any particular time, it has this slow burn feel to it throughout the whole book. There's never really a huge climax. Lots of small ones, yes. Lots of little things to keep you reading on and wondering what will happen next, but nothing explosive. It's an interesting read for that very reason. I'm used to books being either slow, and then picking up or vice versa. This was bit of an anomaly to me, but one that held my attention.
In terms of characters, Adam and his neighbors have the ability to be anyone. They might be the people down the street from you. The babysitter at the end of the block. I loved the realism here. I watched in fascination as normally happy, easy-going people were reduced to shambles. As society as we know it so very quickly fell apart. Adam's story is scary because it is one that could, and most likely would, actually happen. It makes it that much harder to put down.
In fact, I predict that this very fact is going to be a deal breaker for some readers. The Rule of Three does have a few things about it (such as Herb) that are more fictional, but still possible. However the majority of this book is very grounded in reality. It's a look at what we are all capable of when survival mode sets in. So, if you've been eyeing this book, know that I recommend it! I can only hope there's more around the bend.
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LibraryThing member MrNattania72
Most definitely did not like this Apocalyptic tale of society breaking down without electricity or electronics - Hell, Society is breaking down and we still have those things in our lives. Bummer - had potentional
LibraryThing member Authentico
Rating: 3.7/5
There are three books to this series (which I didn't know until after I started reading) which is why the book may be a slower pace then would otherwise be expecting. This review is for the first book in the series.
The main character whose perspective we read from is a male high school
"Funny how much older I felt than these kids. Actually I’d always felt older than everybody who was my age and quite a few grown-ups. Throughout this whole situation I’d been entrusted with information that almost nobody else knew, information that made me feel older, weighed me down."
While it's categorized as a young adult book, there is tons of action which in some places the author includes tons of detail. So much so, that the reader may need to stop and step away from the book for a moment. There are also spots where more details could have been added by the author.
“Not pulling. Showing you this weapon that I have a permit to carry and know how to use.”
“I guess it’s the best plan we have”
The book does get the reader to think about things they may not thought about before (and which hopefully never happen).
"Not as well prepared as I should have been. I never dreamed of a scenario this severe. This has the potential to be so much worse than anything I’ve ever seen before."
It is interesting how the passage of time happens, and how certain people change over that time, which I believe the author did on purpose. There are also times when the author skipped over certain things, either to keep the book interesting or because there was a set page limit.
The book does end on a cliffhanger.
“You’ve done enough. More than enough. I want you to go and spend some time relaxing, being a kid again. At least for one evening.”
There are three books to this series (which I didn't know until after I started reading) which is why the book may be a slower pace then would otherwise be expecting. This review is for the first book in the series.
The main character whose perspective we read from is a male high school
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student, which means there are a few times that a high school sense of humour will be written. It isn't disrespectful in any way, but it's something to keep in mind, and at times you may be wondering why the main character decided to do a certain something."Funny how much older I felt than these kids. Actually I’d always felt older than everybody who was my age and quite a few grown-ups. Throughout this whole situation I’d been entrusted with information that almost nobody else knew, information that made me feel older, weighed me down."
While it's categorized as a young adult book, there is tons of action which in some places the author includes tons of detail. So much so, that the reader may need to stop and step away from the book for a moment. There are also spots where more details could have been added by the author.
“Not pulling. Showing you this weapon that I have a permit to carry and know how to use.”
“I guess it’s the best plan we have”
The book does get the reader to think about things they may not thought about before (and which hopefully never happen).
"Not as well prepared as I should have been. I never dreamed of a scenario this severe. This has the potential to be so much worse than anything I’ve ever seen before."
It is interesting how the passage of time happens, and how certain people change over that time, which I believe the author did on purpose. There are also times when the author skipped over certain things, either to keep the book interesting or because there was a set page limit.
The book does end on a cliffhanger.
“You’ve done enough. More than enough. I want you to go and spend some time relaxing, being a kid again. At least for one evening.”
Show Less
ISBN
014318752X / 9780143187523