Monday, May 9, 2011

The Third - Abel Keogh + GIVEAWAY

Hey guess what!?  We're giving away an
autographed copy of this book! 
See below for details!

Summary:  When Ransom Lawe, a recycler in the Pacific Northwest, finds out his wife is pregnant with their third--and therefore illegal--child, he's forced to choose between the government who proclaims a desire to save the planet and his hope for a place where his family can live in freedom.  But with the Cencus Bureau Sentinels closing in on his wife and unborn child, Ransom's choice will either save his family or tear them apart forever. (Summary from book - Image from abelkeogh.com - Book given free for review)

My Review:  I know what you're thinking.  Another dystopian novel?  Really?  Are you ever going to stop reading these?  Nope.  Never.  I love them.  The seemingly utopian society. The twisted morality. The character's struggle to survive.  They just, well, complete me (or something along those lines).  So, learn to deal with it.

Most dystopian novels begin in a outwardly perfect society before events uncover a seemy underbelly, but The Third skips over all that and drops you directly into a horrifying world where children are seen as a nuisance, and worse, expendable.  Ransom Lawe lives in our world, in 2065.  People are near starving, and third children are ripped from their mothers bodies by a tyrannical government bent on saving mother earth and controlling the population. 

I don't want to reveal much, but this story was disturbing and intense.  I am the mother of three young children and rarely find time to read during their waking hours, but after a few chapters I was desperate to read more.  All I can say is thank heavens for preschool...and naps...or I might have gone insane. 

I'd also like to give a nod (or a gigantic round of applause) to the author, who manages to keep this story free from the sex and language that seem to accompany other books.  While there is some violence, it is of the hand-to-hand combat variety and tame enough for an older YA reader. 

The Third tied up some loose ends, but there is much more of the story to be told.  As soon as I finished, I contacted the editor to confirm that there was another book and the author even let me read the first chapter (which is sure to torture me for a while).  I look forward to reading the next two books in the series when they are published.

My Rating:  4 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  Some hand-to-hand violence between characters, and one scene of violence towards an infant at the beginning (more of a "putting the child in danger" situation).

Sum it up:  An intense and evocative ride.

Read the first chapter or learn more about Abel Keogh here.

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Eligibility: This giveaway is open to US/CAN residents only.  It will end on  May 31st at 11:59 PM.  The winner will be chosen randomly, posted publicly and contacted swiftly to arrange shipping.  Good luck!
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