Monday, November 13, 2017

Renegades - A Thomas Locke Book Review

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Locke for review purposes. This did not affect my review of the book. The statements I made here are true and my own opinions of this book.


I feel privileged. Thomas Locke sent me an Advanced Reading Copy of this, his newest book.  I want to do this book justice. It is so spectacular. I want to do such a good job reviewing it that you can’t wait to get a copy and read it. I don’t know if I am capable of that kind of review. I will do my best, though, because this book deserves my best.

I loved this book. I loved it so much. I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads I wished I could give it 6 stars, that is how good I think it is. I read it in less than 24 hours and I had to sleep and work during that time. The rest of the time I was reading. I read it from 11/1 – 11/2. This is the second book in the Recruits series. The first was great. This one might just be better.

Sean and Dillon are twins that helped save a planet from an alien invasion in the first book. Now, Sean is bored in his Diplomatic Institute classes. He was saddened by his break-up with Elenya. Dillon is changing because of his military training at the Academy. Dillon has been devastated by his break-up with Carey. Both boys can transit (move bodily from one place to another as long as it is a place they have been before) and they can travel in their ‘spirits’ without their bodies moving. They call it hunting. Neither boy had “hunted” outside his body for months and the boys had lost their connection with each other where they could read each others thoughts, though far away on other worlds.

Carey’s cousin was kidnapped and Dillon comes to the school and takes Sean away from his boring classes to help him get Landon. Unfortunately, the boys’ plans are not sanctioned and they get into a lot of trouble with the law on the Human Assembly planet, Serina.

We are introduced to new characters as well. Professor Kaviti whom we love to hate from the very first sentences we read about him and Logan whom I admired from the start and love as much as I love the characters of Dillon and Sean. There are serious troubles on Cygneus Prime, on the outer rim. Warrior tribes and fiefs fighting against each other for control of mining. Logan, having just become an officer on Cygneus Prime had a plan to solve the warfare that was going on. Logan also has many men and women under him. We get to know his two squad leaders as well. I liked them both, though they don’t get along with each other at first.

Basically the first chapters of the book shift from a chapter for Dillon and Sean and their troubles to a chapter for Logan and his crew on The Outer Rim. Sometimes on or the other group gets two chapters in a row, but basically this is the way the book is set up. Can you guess what happens? Do these two groups meet up? My guess was that they would, otherwise what would be the purpose of the new characters. I wonder if you would have the same thoughts if you read this book….which I recommend that you do with all speed. I liked this shifting. It kept both parts of the story in my mind until the story came together.

I love the writing in this book. I love this series.  The characters are excellently written. Their problems are believable even though these worlds and the transiting are fictitious. Those characters you admire and like and those you hate, as well as the plot, make the book gripping and impossible to put down. The worlds and characters Locke creates are so descriptive and well written it is hard to believe they don’t exist. The characters definitely drive this plot. The action is fast moving and really keeps you hooked. You just have to know if, no not if because being the main characters you know they will get out of the trouble they are in with the law, how they get out of trouble. I also wanted to know when, where and why Dillon and Sean meet up with and help Logan.

Logan is the son of a servant, but there is a secret there that I will not reveal. Logan also has hidden talents that will come in useful on The Outer Rim and are central to his plan. I won’t tell you that either. It would ruin the story for you. Can Logan pull off the plan without Dillon and Sean? I don’t think so. Dillon and Sean are integral to the story, they are the main characters, but neither could Dillon and Sean fix the problems on The Outer Rim without Logan and his crew.

The ending chapters were unexpected and wonderful, a real twist to the plot. Just when you think things are over Sean sees new danger ahead. Gripping and stupendous writing.

I won’t be sharing any quotes this time, though I want to. I would have to clear them with the publisher first and I don’t want to wait to post my review until I contact them and wait for a reply. I guess they want us to contact them to be sure that the quote we use did not get changed before the official printing of the book comes out. I can understand that. Maybe I will contact them about the quotes I want to share and add them to the review later.

I highly recommend you buy and read this book. It was the best book I have read so far this year. I would, however, start with the first book of the series if you did not read that. Recruits, by Thomas Locke of course, is a great book as well and you can read my review of that book HERE.


Locke uses his pseudonym to write books that are outside the Christian fiction genre. Christian Fiction he writes with his real name.

You can find Thomas Locke and all his contact information at




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Monday, July 17, 2017

Recruits: a facinating book


***** (5 stars out of 5)
Loved this book. Loved it. Loved it.
Wonderful. Ingenious. Creative. Original. Stupendous.

Transiting; moving, bodily, from one realm to another. The twins have seen their destination, dreamed of it, and drawn it, before they knew it was a real place, before they had the privilege of feeling the power within them, and traveling instantaneously to the train station in another world.

Is that all there is? Traveling back and forth to different worlds? Of course not. There is romance and there is a BATTLE coming. Every good book has a conflict that the main characters must solve. This conflict is a dilly. Dillon and Sean had been attacked, way back in chapter 13. The enemy knew that the twins were dangerous. The twins could foil their plans and they wanted to take them out early.

     “Shield the folks.”
     “I've been doing that.”
     “You feel it too, don't you?”
     “I feel something. I have no idea what it is. He watched Dillon ease himself down to the floor, “What just happened?”
     “I shut my eyes and I rose up and I went out into the yard. And I hunted.” pg 117

Cool. Now they can not only Transit but they can leave their bodies protected and go outside them and look around for trouble.

The Assembly (those in control) do not believe that the twins know anything about, or could hope to prevent, a coming battle. Dillon and Sean and their family have been attacked. Twice now, actually. The Assembly have a scapegoat and are blaming everything on him. Who really attacked them. The scapegoat happened to be someone I did not like earlier in the book. I wanted him to be punished. I wanted it to be him causing all this trouble.

What will happen? Will the authorities believe them in time to prevent a disaster?  Will Dillon and Sean come up with a plan? Will their plan be successful? Will others be hurt, even killed? What about the Earth?

This world and it's characters were believable, which is unbelievable. Locke's writing is so superb that you believe it could happen. That in itself is a wonder. 

Descriptions are realistic... I accept that the worlds Locke created exist, and wish I could travel to them. They are nothing like Earth. 

The characters and the plot seem to propel each other forward. Not one taking over and pushing the book forward unnaturally. 

Locke uses his pseudonym to write books that are outside the Christian fiction genre, which he writes with his real name, and I think this is my favorite Locke book so far. It was extraordinary.

I highly recommend that you read this book, find out the answers to my questions for yourself, and I hope that you find it as fascinating as I did.

You can find Thomas Locke and all his contact information at

Debbie
all content on my blog is ©

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