Review: A robotic rumble in the jungle
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2013
If you're a young adult looking for an action novel that reads like you're watching a movie, this is the one you're looking for. The story is loaded with visual action, like a movie or comic book, only in this comic book, rampaging robots replace the super villains.Many of the characters are type cast: There are biker bimbos, country hicks, and evil dentists. What they are is what they do, and no motivations are necessary or furnished. The main characters are more developed, and it's easy to sympathize with their plight as they try to avoid their enemies and salvage success from a contest turned to chaos.Toby is a teen with a noble mission. His friend, Caitlin, accompanies him. Toby is not the heroic type. He's more cerebral than physical. Although he lacks brawn, he has determination in abundance. Toby admires Caitlin's athleticism. However, there's more to Caitlin than her skill in martial arts. Caitlin is the story's conscience, its supplier of wisdom.Although the writing is good, I had a problem when the robots acted too human, and the adults acted too moronic. However, that's alright in a young adult novel, since most teens, and many pre-teens, expect adults to be act moronic. Some adults over 25 may, like myself, find the story difficult to believe. Then again, they may also question the believability of current events and of many historical events as well. If history teaches us anything, it's that humans excel at creating mayhem, so if this story is a bit of a stretch, it's not by much.