The Heartland Trillogy, Books 1-3
Under the Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is classic futuristic done right! I really don't know how to talk about this book, especially for those who haven't read much pre-1985 futurism dystopia.
Pros: Great character development and cast of characters. The author really puts in enough time to flesh out the main crew, but doesn't over do back story. There is enough meat to feel vested in their interests, and that really drives this book forward. Secondly, great world development. Readers are given enough information to keep them wondering about the detailed workings of the current class system, and how things are going to change. The consistent writing style and tone contributes to a smooth read with good pacing.
Cons: The only con I have for this book is that I feel for YA fiction (which is what it is billed as), I feel it might be a little out of depth. Not that that is a bad thing at all, just a note. I would definitely recommend this book to my students who are dedicated readers or have shown interested in the genre before, but I feel that they'd have to have some experience in order to grasp a lot of the concepts introduced early on in the book.
Honestly, I'd give this book 4.5 stars if I could, highly recommended!
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Blightborn by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Excellent follow up to Under the Empyrean Sky. If you go into this book worrying about the dreaded "sophomore slump" so many trilogies experience in their second installments, you can let that fear go at the door.
This book, though a squeal, was clearly written with intent. It doesn't suffer from any of the common tropes many squeals do, and instead continues the main story arch while still managing to develop and progress it's own individual story. It didn't have that feeling of being *streeeeeetched* into three books where it really shouldn't have been - there is definitely enough content here, and it's well written at that!
Biggest positive to this book is that the author clearly held some ideas in reserve for this story. You get a little deeper in understanding how the world was set up; the hows, whos, and whats that happened in the past to lead up to the current "big problem," but yet readers don't feel drowned in this back story explanation. It is dolled out in such a way that it works with current story progression, and creates a really fluid read.
The ending, while obviously left open for the third book, still had a nice, tailored edge to it that closed off most of the plot, which I appreciated. I was left wanting more (yes, please!), but also didn't just turn the page and get dropped on my face with a "to be continued."
This is the double whammy of a great story AND a great writer to present it. I really can't recommend this series highly enough, as this is the kind of book that will win over audiences easily.
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The Harvest by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Excellent ending to an excellent story!
As always, Wendig executed this coup de grâce with a finesse not often seen in modern writing. Most of all, I was very pleased with how all the characters were handled - they were not static at all, and instead grew and changed with the progression of the story. They were multidimensional, real for their setting, and a joy to read. Additionally, I have to congratulate the author for crafting a 100% COMPLETE story. It made sense all the way through, and there weren't any huge plot holes or dangling ends, which usually ruins an otherwise good story for me. As I said in the second book's review, Wendig obviously had a very clear intent in regards to the pacing of these books, and it really served him well in this last installment.
The only negatives I can comment on is that 1) I again feel that the style and maybe a bit of the content is pushing the upper edges of the YA audience base, and 2) the level of action was somewhat ramped up to such a consistent level that I missed some of the "ups and downs" that could have been used to drive the story forward more effectively (for me), and to be honest, that's being a little nit-picky. Not much negative to say when that's the best I can come up with!
Bottom line: solid series, expertly written, well thought out and executed. This is the kind of writing that will make you go search out other works by the author, because after a trilogy like this, you know this isn't a fluke. READ THIS!
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