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After the destruction of the Graveyard, Connor and Lev are on the run, seeking a woman who may be the key to bringing down unwinding forever while Cam, the rewound boy, tries to prove his love for Risa by bringing Proactive Citizenry to its knees.Tags
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You know the saying that actions have consequences? This book certainly illustrates it - whether the guys be good or bad. The actions of Connor Lassiter and others of his ilk who are trying to bring down the Unwind system is inevitably going to bring backlash from those who wish to maintain the status quo, and it is here that we see glimpses of how sinister Proactive Citizenry really is.
There are of course other story threads in here, including that of Michael Starkey, almost a main character in his own right. Deeply resentful of his Stork status, and how Storks are generally less valued than other kids, he decides to mobilize Storked kids into his own army, working separately from the other Unwinds, and willing to bring his tactics to show more a level of violence that Connor was unwilling to go.
Camus, Risa, Levi, and Hayden all have their own stories in here as well, and we learn more about what happened to Levi during his "absence".
The world of Unwind continues to be explored here, and it all leads us towards one hell of a cliffhanger that will have readers chomping at the bits for the final book! show less
There are of course other story threads in here, including that of Michael Starkey, almost a main character in his own right. Deeply resentful of his Stork status, and how Storks are generally less valued than other kids, he decides to mobilize Storked kids into his own army, working separately from the other Unwinds, and willing to bring his tactics to show more a level of violence that Connor was unwilling to go.
Camus, Risa, Levi, and Hayden all have their own stories in here as well, and we learn more about what happened to Levi during his "absence".
The world of Unwind continues to be explored here, and it all leads us towards one hell of a cliffhanger that will have readers chomping at the bits for the final book! show less
Another awesome installment in the UNWIND series. Our cast of characters continues to be stirred around like cherrios in a bowl of milk, going from place to place, meeting up, then being separated, finding friends and foes, Neal Shusterman has created a super exciting world and this was a great building of tension.
I particularly liked the inclusion of the reservations that were now safe havens within the US because they did not support unwinding and finding out more about what happened to Lev before he became a clapper. And I especially liked seeing Cam strike up with our regular gang of Connor and Lev (and Risa!) even if only for a bit. Cam is a character it's hard not to feel sympathy for. The idea of him is monstrous, an show more abomination, but it was never his idea to be made, as he points out. The abomination is really someone else's (his creator's) mind, not his, not him. He and Una make a funny/scary but potentially cute couple. Excited to read the final book! 4.5/5 stars. show less
I particularly liked the inclusion of the
This third book in the Unwind series takes us deeper into how unwinding began. Connor is rescued by Lev once again. The Graveyard is raided and most of the unwinds are captured. They are all searching for Sonia to get answers to hopefully stop the unwinding. What they learn is very nefarious. The parts pirates turned my stomach. How could someone take people, whether they are to be unwound or not and sell them for parts? Oh yeah, we have people who kill others for their organs. Not much different than the parts pirates. We learn something from Sonia that could have prevented the unwinding. We also learn why unwinding wasn’t stopped. Shusterman keeps the tension going. He keeps giving us more to learn about the characters we have come show more to care for so much, and at the same time introduces us to new characters. Some of them we love and some of them we love to hate. We have a group of teens who have had to grow up way too fast, yet still behave like teens. You can feel the tension in regards to the unwinding situation building to a point where there will be no turning back. It is an all or nothing outcome. show less
I'm not sure why I continue with this series, because I seem to find a lot of things to criticize with each book. As with the first two in the series, the storyline is interesting & thought-provoking, but I just don't think the writing is very good. This book in particular took me longer to get through, I think because it was a little more slow-moving than the first two. While I don't particularly mind a story told through various points of view, there were just too many of them in this one. And the "advertisements" scattered throughout the book....not sure that they added a lot. I especially found them annoying being thrown smack in the middle of chapters. I wouldn't have minded them so much if they'd been placed between each chapter show more -- that would've made more sense.
However, after saying all that, I was intrigued by where the story was heading toward the end of the book, so now I have to know what will happen in the next & will inevitably start it shortly. show less
However, after saying all that, I was intrigued by where the story was heading toward the end of the book, so now I have to know what will happen in the next & will inevitably start it shortly. show less
Each book in this extended series emphasizes a different aspect of social morality, while very naturally continuing the adventure begun in the first book. Characters grow and change convincingly. Questions deepen. And the inclusion of present-day media quotes together with imagined future ones deepens the immediacy and plausibility of the author’s dystopian vision. Each book has its own beginning (or more than one beginning, as several character arcs are followed), middle and end. Divided characters come together again. Simple characters grow more complex. And the blend of introspection, believable teen and adult behavior, and terror grows ever deeper.
I particularly like UnSouled for its glimpse into the question of what makes us show more human. For me, memories of Star Trek’s split personalities (does tearing your atoms apart and reuniting them retain the human soul?) blend with new memories of a young man called Cam. For other readers, there will be other parallels, all of them enhanced by a fast-moving, fascinating storyline set in a well-imagined not-too-future world.
Disclosure: I got the set as a present and I love these books. show less
I particularly like UnSouled for its glimpse into the question of what makes us show more human. For me, memories of Star Trek’s split personalities (does tearing your atoms apart and reuniting them retain the human soul?) blend with new memories of a young man called Cam. For other readers, there will be other parallels, all of them enhanced by a fast-moving, fascinating storyline set in a well-imagined not-too-future world.
Disclosure: I got the set as a present and I love these books. show less
Decent third installment. I could do without the now standard love triangle in dystopian teen movies. Sigh.
******spoilers below************
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So this book adds old school oppression for Native Americans now called chancefolk and living on the Hi-Rez. It's not explained really the accumulation of wealth, power and status for NA. I love that Hi-Rez has so much power and authority. I love their relationship with Unwinds.
Black people are umbers (after a mixed race photographer, erasing entirely brown and dark skinned blacks) and white people are sienna. No name given for asians, latinx, arabs, pacific islanders, etc sigh. It's almost insulting, as if you change the names of oppression and suddenly it disappears. Here's a reality check show more though, multiple oppressed groups have changed what they are called. I think 'African Americans' became popular in my lifetime. My father was born a 'negro'. My grandparents as colored. The oppression remains the same no matter what name is used popularly.
Yet, the first Unwind center is in Chicago. Are we going to touch on the 'ghetto' and how it was formed via redlining and refusing Black people home loans? Wonder who they processed first? The poor? The juvenile delinquents? Are we going to hear about how undesirables are usually the poor and otherwise oppressed? The non white? Who are seen in today's world as unworthy of government assistance, probably the first to be used for their parts. At least specific parts. Imagine if the Kardashians could steal actual black body parts: lips, skin, buttocks, rather than having to deal with tanning and collagen. Everybody is stealing asian hair, as most wigs and weaves are made from that hair type. This would allow cultural appropriation on a whole other level. So we have selective old school oppression?
CyFi makes me uncomfortable. He has shades of the magical negro archetype. Also if he was raised in an all white area, what's the point of having him use AAVE? It's mildly insulting as it's part of the community and usually blacks raised outside of it never use it correctly. They sound like Iggy Azalea. Again the book is decorated in diversity but it's doesn't really work.
I find it surprising that this book is the first book to deal with having criminals Unwound. I would think that would've happened before the problem teens. Seems like rehabilitating teens would be easier than adults. Again not discussed is that private prisons are multi-million dollar businesses with lobbies. I doubt they're supporting this seriously. Also who is picking crops? Washing dishes? Cutting lawns? If we kill the poorer folks how does that play out in how society functions? After all the black death meant rights for the lower classes as their were fewer people and they were not easily dismissed or replaced.
Not all disabilities are visible. If I was sent to the chop shop before 17 would my multiple chronic illnesses have been found before my parts were parceled out? So diseased parts must be passed unintentionally and unknowingly. Some illness would only be found as the body was taken apart. I wonder about this in my weird way.
I like the storyline with how Unwinding begins. show less
******spoilers below************
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.
.
.
.
.
.
So this book adds old school oppression for Native Americans now called chancefolk and living on the Hi-Rez. It's not explained really the accumulation of wealth, power and status for NA. I love that Hi-Rez has so much power and authority. I love their relationship with Unwinds.
Black people are umbers (after a mixed race photographer, erasing entirely brown and dark skinned blacks) and white people are sienna. No name given for asians, latinx, arabs, pacific islanders, etc sigh. It's almost insulting, as if you change the names of oppression and suddenly it disappears. Here's a reality check show more though, multiple oppressed groups have changed what they are called. I think 'African Americans' became popular in my lifetime. My father was born a 'negro'. My grandparents as colored. The oppression remains the same no matter what name is used popularly.
Yet, the first Unwind center is in Chicago. Are we going to touch on the 'ghetto' and how it was formed via redlining and refusing Black people home loans? Wonder who they processed first? The poor? The juvenile delinquents? Are we going to hear about how undesirables are usually the poor and otherwise oppressed? The non white? Who are seen in today's world as unworthy of government assistance, probably the first to be used for their parts. At least specific parts. Imagine if the Kardashians could steal actual black body parts: lips, skin, buttocks, rather than having to deal with tanning and collagen. Everybody is stealing asian hair, as most wigs and weaves are made from that hair type. This would allow cultural appropriation on a whole other level. So we have selective old school oppression?
CyFi makes me uncomfortable. He has shades of the magical negro archetype. Also if he was raised in an all white area, what's the point of having him use AAVE? It's mildly insulting as it's part of the community and usually blacks raised outside of it never use it correctly. They sound like Iggy Azalea. Again the book is decorated in diversity but it's doesn't really work.
I find it surprising that this book is the first book to deal with having criminals Unwound. I would think that would've happened before the problem teens. Seems like rehabilitating teens would be easier than adults. Again not discussed is that private prisons are multi-million dollar businesses with lobbies. I doubt they're supporting this seriously. Also who is picking crops? Washing dishes? Cutting lawns? If we kill the poorer folks how does that play out in how society functions? After all the black death meant rights for the lower classes as their were fewer people and they were not easily dismissed or replaced.
Not all disabilities are visible. If I was sent to the chop shop before 17 would my multiple chronic illnesses have been found before my parts were parceled out? So diseased parts must be passed unintentionally and unknowingly. Some illness would only be found as the body was taken apart. I wonder about this in my weird way.
I like the storyline with how Unwinding begins. show less
Review first appeared on fefferbooks.com.
In UnSouled, the action picks back up again. Here, all of our characters’ lives converge, and we gain Grace, my new favorite, and Starkey, a champion of storked (abandoned) kids like himself. The teens also have several encounters with Nelson, the vengeful Juvey Cop who originally tried to arrest Connor, and got tranquilized instead. The whole novel builds in romantic tension, political intrigue, and action throughout, and it’s just plain crazy fun. We also (finally!) get more background on how unwinding came to be, and the governmental fallout since the laws have changed over the past couple of years. Shusterman takes many of his ideas and details straight from news articles from the last show more few years, which is just…well, it’s downright freaky. He gives us quotes and citations at each section break, and it was enough for me to exclaim out loud and read things to my husband almost every time I got to one of those pages. It’s clearly a fictional book–don’t get me wrong–but reading it is just enough to make you uncomfortable about how things could go if you never got involved, never voted, and if politicians were bad enough and left unchecked long enough. It’s just…creepy. But in a good, important way, if that makes any sense?
I loved this series, and I’m thrilled there’s yet another book coming. Creepy and awesome. 4.5 stars. show less
In UnSouled, the action picks back up again. Here, all of our characters’ lives converge, and we gain Grace, my new favorite, and Starkey, a champion of storked (abandoned) kids like himself. The teens also have several encounters with Nelson, the vengeful Juvey Cop who originally tried to arrest Connor, and got tranquilized instead. The whole novel builds in romantic tension, political intrigue, and action throughout, and it’s just plain crazy fun. We also (finally!) get more background on how unwinding came to be, and the governmental fallout since the laws have changed over the past couple of years. Shusterman takes many of his ideas and details straight from news articles from the last show more few years, which is just…well, it’s downright freaky. He gives us quotes and citations at each section break, and it was enough for me to exclaim out loud and read things to my husband almost every time I got to one of those pages. It’s clearly a fictional book–don’t get me wrong–but reading it is just enough to make you uncomfortable about how things could go if you never got involved, never voted, and if politicians were bad enough and left unchecked long enough. It’s just…creepy. But in a good, important way, if that makes any sense?
I loved this series, and I’m thrilled there’s yet another book coming. Creepy and awesome. 4.5 stars. show less
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Author Information
93+ Works 45,671 Members
Neal Shusterman was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 12, 1962. He received degrees in psychology and drama from the University of California, Irvine. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal and a screenwriting job. He has written numerous books including The Dark Side of Nowhere, Red Rider's Hood, The Shadow Club, The Shadow show more Club Rising, The Eyes of Kid Midas, Shattered Sky, Unwind, and Antsy Does Time. He won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2015 for Challenger Deep. He also writes several series including the Skinjacker Trilogy, the Star Shards Chronicles, and the Unwind Dystology. As a screen and television writer, he has written for the Goosebumps and Animorphs television series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- UnSouled
- Original publication date
- 2013-10-15
- People/Characters
- Camus "Cam" Comprix; Sonia Rheinschild; Janson Rheinschild; Dandrich; Connor Lassiter; Levi "Lev" Jedediah Calder Garrity (show all 46); Risa Ward; J.T. Nelson; Argent "Argie" Skinner; Grace "Gracie" Eleanor Skinner; Jeff; Roberta Griswold; Miranda Marshall; Senator Marshall; Barton Cobb; General Edward Bodeker; Joey; Cyrus "CyFi" Finch; Pablo Ribeiro; Mason Michael Starkey; Bambi "Bam" Ann Covalt; Jeevan; Mark Proctor; Victoria "Vicki"; Tyler Walker; Austin; Dr Elina Tashi'ne; Chal; Pivane; Wil; Una; Kele; Porterhouse; Audrey; Divan; Hayden; Tad; Trace Neuhauser; Mahpee Kinkajou; Bees-Neb Hebiite; Elder Lenna; Emmalee; Kate-Lynn; Makayla; Hannah; Deidre "Didi"
- Important places
- Ohio, USA; Kansas, USA; Nevada, USA; Oregon, USA; Washington, D.C., USA; California, USA (show all 10); Colorado, USA; Nebraska, USA; Pennsylvania, USA; Idaho, USA
- Epigraph
- Surely this new medical technology will free us rather than enslave us, for it is my firm belief that human compassion outweighs human greed. To that end, I hereby found Proactive Citizenry to be a stalwart watchdog over the... (show all) ethical use of neurografting. I am confident that abuses will be the exception rather than the rule.
--Janson Reinschild
I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.
--J. Robert Oppenheimer - Dedication
- For Jan, Eric & Bobby, Keith & Thresa, Chris, Patricia, Marcia, Andrea, Mark, and all of my friends, who were there when I needed them most.
- First words
- They signed it.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)There's no doubt about it; Janson's dream is dead...but when the time is right and the winds begin to change, even the deadest of dreams can be resurrected.
Classifications
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- Fiction and Literature, Teen, Science Fiction, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ7 .S55987 .U — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
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