GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY
MindWar
(MindWar Trilogy Book 1)
(MindWar Trilogy Book 1)
by Andrew Klavan
MindWar is currently on tour with YA Bound Book Tours. The tour stops here today for a guest post from the author and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Rick Dial has the potential to be a hero. He just doesn't know it yet.
Rick's high school football team couldn't be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled.
Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he's approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick's gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn't just a game ... but Rick doesn't have many other options at the moment.
Entering "The Realm" gives Rick the one thing he thought he'd never have again: a body that's as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already ... and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?
Featured Review
I think Andrew Klavan is the best juvenile fiction author writing on the Christian market. Every book he has written for that age group has been a terrific read.
This book is the first book in a new trilogy, and he again has hit one out of the park. The plot is totally different than his other books, using modern technology and gaming to weave an exciting plot. As with his other novels I have read, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting, wishing that the next book was out so I could start it.
The book isn't overtly Christian, though it does have some Christian content, but it is a clean book that has great moral lessons in it. The main character is likable and has great character and willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of others.
I tend to enjoy good juvenile fiction, but this is the kind of books that most adults would enjoy, and definitely teenagers. After I read Mindwar, I passed it onto my fourteen year old niece who loved it and announced she can't wait til the next book comes out.
Unlike The Homelanders Series, this book did not have an ending that leaves the reader hanging, but has a very cool ending. It is obvious though that the story isn't over and will pick up in the next book.
Guest Post by the Author
The Hero of Your Own Life
The hero of MindWar is a guy named Rick Dial and when you first meet him he’s in really bad shape. You know how sometimes you sit around and worry that something really bad might happen to you? Well, in Rick’s case, his worst fears came true and it really happened.
Rick was a high school football hero, the quarterback of a winning team. Good looking guy, good student, great athlete. Coolest guy around, the guy who got all the girls, the guy everyone wanted to be friends with. He even had a full scholarship to college based on his athletic skills.
Then one day, his car gets broadsided by a panel truck. His legs are crushed. There’s no chance he’ll ever play football again. In one second, everything he values most about himself is wiped out.
His answer? He gets angry, depressed. Locks himself in his room. Plays video games all day long. Hardly ever comes out. Hardly ever says even hello to his mom or brother. He doesn’t even open the curtains because he doesn’t want to look at the outside world. That’s what he’s like when we first meet him. A defeated guy. A guy who’s lost everything. And that’s where his story begins.
I think everyone is afraid sometimes, afraid of what might happen to them, afraid of failing, afraid of looking foolish, afraid of getting hurt. Most of the times our fears aren’t realized. But sometimes ... well, sometimes bad things really do happen. The question is: what then? Is your life over? Is there any way to keep going?
I think the truth is: sometimes our worst moments are also our best. Which sounds weird at first, but when you think about it, it’s only logical. Sometimes the moment when we’ve lost everything is the same moment when we’re given the chance to demonstrate real strength, real courage, real grace. That moment when you just want to give up, put your head in your hands and cry - that’s the exact same moment when God is giving you the chance to be the hero of your own life.
So that’s the chance that Rick is given, and the story of MindWar is about whether he’ll take that chance or not.
About the Author
Andrew Klavan is a best-selling, award-winning thriller novelist whose books have been made into major motion pictures. He broke into the YA scene with the bestselling Homelanders Series, starting with The Last Thing I Remember. He is also a screenwriter and scripted the innovative movie-in-an-app Haunting Melissa.
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