MY Ramblings on The Bane by Keary Taylor

The Bane
By: Keary Taylor 
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Author Website
Book Received From: NetGalley

Summary:
Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter. It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world. Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold. The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction.

Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality. This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time.

Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love. There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets. And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind.

The Bane is The Terminator meets The Walking Dead with a heart-twisting romance.

Previously published as Eden, due to reader demand it has been revamped and rereleased as The Bane: book one in The Eden Trilogy.

My Ramblings: 
I love when you get to discover books and authors that weren't on your radar and suddenly it's like a whole other world of books opens up for you. How is it I didn't know about Keary Taylor before NetGalley put The Bane in my path? The Bane was originally published in 2011 under the title Eden and was revamped (and retitled) as part of The Eden Trilogy, with the sequel, The Human, coming out mid-June. This book was excellent and I'm really glad that I stumbled across it on NetGalley. 

At the heart of the story is a girl named Eve who lives and works in Eden. She has no memory of her life before she arrived in Eden although she knows from hearing the stories of others about how the world used to be before machinery took over the human race. Somewhere in here is a parallel to The Terminator series, but instead of technology simply becoming aware one day, here we see human experimentation and ambition going sideways and getting out of control. what I really enjoyed was that the leap from where we are today to where we find Eve isn't that large of one. Already we are building better prosthetic that are helping people get back to life as normal. Cybernetics are certainly something that is being researched and worked on, so is it really that huge of a leap to see how we could start to use technology and fuse it with DNA to help people live a more full life. 

Here we see how it so quickly spiraled out of control. I particularly liked how Taylor told the story from two different ends. First we see how Eve and the other residents of Eden are living now, post Evolution. We watch as they try to stay alive, how they survive in a world where they have to provide for themselves mostly off the land, while still fighting off the Bane.  When West arrives in Eden he brings with him a key to Eve's past and also some secrets to how the Bane came into existence. Through West we get stories from the past and the gaps are filled in not only for Eve, but the reader. 

I know that this is a pretty technical review thus far, and there's a reason for that. It's relatively rare that a book surprises me, that the twists and turns actually catch me off guard, but Taylor managed it. I had an inkling of what was happening, of what part Eve played in the story of the Evolution, of what she was capable of and who she would find herself choosing. I was only partially right on most of my guesses, and that was awesome. There are twists and turns, there are moments of action and peace, and there are times when you can see the weight of the world pressing down on these people as they try to just stay alive. Mostly though, there is hope. Hope that there is a real possibility to survive, to defeat the Bane and the find a normal life amid the chaos. Watching the characters navigate a world turned upside down and face the unbelievable (like the Bane) and the very normal (finding love) is very satisfying. I for one can't wait to not only read The Human when it comes out, but also pick up the free short story, The Raid, and the free prequel, The Ashes, that Taylor has made available for Kindle.

My Ramblings on Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen

Leverage
By: Joshua C. Cohen
Release Date: February 17, 2011
Author Website

Summary:

The football field is a battlefield

There's an extraordinary price for victory at Oregrove High. It is paid on - and off - the football field. And it claims its victims without mercy - including the most innocent bystanders.

When a violent, steroid-infused, ever-escalating prank war has devastating consequences, an unlikely friendship between a talented but emotionally damaged fullback and a promising gymnast might hold the key to a school's salvation.

Told in alternating voices and with unapologetic truth, Leverage illuminates the fierce loyalty, flawed justice, and hard-won optimism of two young athletes.

My Ramblings:

I finished this book a few weeks ago and instead of reviewing it right away I wanted to sit on it, to think about it, and to really take the time to process it. I have a lot to say, but, to be honest I'm unsure how to say it, or even if I want to. Here's why: part of what this book have such an impact is that you are experiencing right along with the characters both the good and the bad in this world. I'm afraid that if I go too in depth, if I give too much away that I will also take away the impact of the story and that would be unfair. I know, I know, this book is 2 years old. why worry about spoilers at all? Well, because in this case I think it really could ruin the book for you. So I'm going to keep it broad. 

This book centers on two high school boys, Kurt a football player with demons lurking in his past and Danny, a gymnast who is faced with a world that at best doesn't respect him and at worst wants to hurt him. Laced into the story is violence, steroid abuse, corruption, bullying, people who do nothing when evil rears it's head and those that take a stand against it. When one of Danny's team mates is raped, Danny has to decide what to do next. Watching Danny struggle with this decision is heart breaking and terrifying. you want to say that these things don't really happen, that the author is exaggerating or ramping up the situation to create drama or tension. He's not though. As disgusting as some of the actions portrayed in the story are and as much as they make you want to close the book and find lighter fare, you know that somewhere this is actually happening to someone and it's heartbreaking. Think of Stuebenville (to reference a more recent case). Think of how children are abused by adults, think of how they abuse each other, and think about how, sometimes the bad guys get away with it. This book goes through all of that and allows you a glimpse into the minds of those who are stuck in the middle of the cycle and want desperately to get out. 

This is a great book. It wraps up just a little to neatly for me, but I imagine that after the last page turns, the ones who deserve it will get what's coming to them and those that were harmed will know that even though evil wins some of the smaller battles, eventually the right side wins out.

My Ramblings on The Cool Impossible by Eric Orton

The Cool Impossible By: Eric Orton
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Author WebsiteBook Provided By: NAL Hardcover

Summary:
The truth is: Athleticism is awareness. That simple phrase is at the core of The Cool Impossible. Athleticism requires awareness of form and technique, awareness of our effort level, and, most important, awareness of what we think (and don’t think). And with that awareness comes the possibility of endless potential and improvement, progress and mastery—and, ultimately, achievement that you never before would have thought possible.   With a program focused on proper running form, strength development, and cardiovascular training, Orton will help first-step beginners, prime-time competitors, and enduring veterans reach the cool impossible”—the belief that any achievement, athletic or otherwise, is within our reach.

Inside you’ll find:  
* Foot strength exercises to catapult performance, combat injuries, and transform technique
* A total-body strength program aimed at creating an athletic running body
* Step-by-step run-form coaching for performance enhancement and lifelong healthy running
* A run-training program providing the building blocks for endurance, strength, and speed
* No-nonsense nutrition strategies for performance, health, and the ultimate running body
* Visualization and mind-training tactics to run and live the Cool Impossible
*And much more…  

Natural running is about so much more than barefoot running. It’s about the joy of running that we were all naturally born with and can reawaken. Like a favorite running companion, The Cool Impossible will be there with you, stride for stride and mile for mile, helping you go farther than you ever could have on your own. (goodreads.com)

My Ramblings:

*This isn't a real review. Well, it is. It's just not all here. Check out the teaser below and then head over to From the Page from the Princess to see the whole review* 

Words. Seriously. So many words. In some ways this was an easy book to review, in others it was very, very difficult. Why? Because I was all in from the first page. Frankly, I was all in before I even opened it up. Back in January I reviewed Born to Run by Chris McDougall and I was hooked. I had already started to look into minimalist running and was starting to transition over to Vibrams, so that book reinforced what I was already thinking. I was also already working on Good Form Running, which I'm now imparting to the No Boundries runners at Fleet Feet as a coach in their 5k program. This book takes it one step further. The author, Eric Orton, is the man who coached McDougall to his first Copper Canyon Ultra-Marathon and in this book he imparts his wisdom and techniques for getting you, the reader, the same type of results. 

If you'd like to check out all of my thoughts on The Cool Impossible, head over to From the Page to the Princess!