Allies

By S. J. Kincaid

In S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced and humorous sci-fi Insignia trilogy, the earth is in the middle of World War III when teen gamer Tom Raines is recruited to train with other young cadets as a pivotal member of the elite combat corps, the Intrasolar Forces. At the Pentagonal Spire's training academy, he makes the best friends of his life—fellow government weapons-in-training Wyatt Enslow, Vik Ashwan, and Yuri Sysevich.

In this 47-page prequel novella to the series, budding genius Wyatt Enslow—intensely loyal and hyperintelligent if occasionally, hilariously, socially awkward—takes center stage as S. J. Kincaid reveals Wyatt's life before she found her place, and her own inner strength, among her devoted band of friends at the Spire.

Praise for Insignia: "The characters are real, funny, and memorable. You won't be able to put this book down."—Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of Divergent

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• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9780062285096

S. J. Kincaid

S.J. Kincaid is the New York Times bestselling author of The Diabolic trilogy. She originally wanted to be an astronaut, but a dearth of mathematical skills made her turn her interest to science fiction instead. Her debut novel, Insignia, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Its sequels, Vortex and Catalyst, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. She’s chronically restless and has lived in California, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, Illinois, and Scotland with no signs of staying in one place anytime soon. Find out more at SJKincaid.com.

Reviews for Allies

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Insignia is a long book and a book that takes a mental commitment. I did enjoy the story and the whole idea of neural processors to create these hybrid "super-humans." The plot kind of thinned out a bit with the easy-to-predict subplots surrounding Tom's friends and his girl crushes, but overall it was not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

[karenball_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"You know exactly what it means if you come here. They stick an expensive, multimillion dollar computer in your head. They invest tens of millions more training you. Then they give you control of billions of dollars of military machinery and a critical role in the country's war effort...The question is, Tom, do you want to be one of us?Do you want to be important?"Tom Raines lives in a futuristic America where the third World War is raging... in space. The allies have shifted, and most everything is directly controlled by global corporations vying for power. But Tom could care less about that -- he's been living with his gambler father, going from cheap casino to cheap casino. Since his father loses most of the time, it's up to Tom to scrounge money for food and clothes, and he does this by hustling people in the virtual reality gaming rooms. He's incredibly gifted in gaming, which is what brings him to the attention of General Terry Marsh, who recruits him for training at the Pentagonal Spire, home of the elite Intrasolar Forces. When Tom arrives, it's not just the opportunity to get an education and be someone important that he discovers. For the first time, Tom has real friends, a home and clean clothes, regular meals, and even a possible girlfriend. He's being challenged in ways he didn't know existed, and he loves it (for the most part). While Tom is very, very good at the training and gaming tactics, he depends on his instincts honed in the casinos when he has to deal with the manipulative politics of the military and the corporations that sponsor and control almost everything. There's a price to be paid, and Tom's going to have to make some tough choices. Great science fiction, with humor and incredible world-building! This is imaginative, action-packed, and surprising. It reminds me in many ways of Ender's Game, but this has some awesome unexpected twists and turns. Good for strong 7th grade readers and up.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quick & Dirty: Anyone who loved Ender’s Game will sink into Insignia — its political intrigue and sci-fi are brilliantly balanced to build a suspenseful, high-stakes book.The Review: I was super worried when I first picked up Insignia that it wouldn’t live up to expectations — the synopsis rang like Ender’s Game, which is one of my favorite science fiction novels of all time. My trepidation was totally unwarranted — Kincaid does a great job of building a futuristic world that’s both believable and not a dystopia. It’s filled with corporate greed and corruption — easily believable in America — as well as intense technological advances. The moment Tom stepped into a VR simulator; I knew this book was going to be exactly what my geek-side wanted to read. Tom lives in casinos and VR parlors, hustling adults for room money. His father’s a washed up poker player and always has them on the move. He’s a loner by default and on the fast-track to becoming a nobody like his dad. Until the day his simulation is hijacked and he’s playing a war game he didn’t sign on to. Impressed by his skills, the Pentagon offers Tom a place in their virtual-reality war as a warrior for America. Despite everything his anti-establishment father’s raised him on; Tom will do anything to be important. After a signature on the dotted line, he’s on his way to training. At the Spire, Tom has friends. He may only be a plebe, but he’s a good fighter. But if he ever wants to make it into Camelot Company and fight in the war, he’s got to smooze up to the right people — and we quickly learn Tom’s not the smoozing type. He’s savage in his games, awkward in reality, and funny in conversation. So funny there were times I found myself crying with laughter in public. He’s not the smartest character by any means, but he has a good intuition that keeps him from being stupid and a head for strategy. Most of all, he is believably 14 years old. There’s a huge cast of characters in this novel, but Kincaid makes it easy to keep them all straight. Building unique characters is hard — making them memorable is harder. She pulls it off flawlessly. Even the characters I hated, I loved to hate. Everyone was their own person, no one fell too deeply into a cliché. They grow through the story, especially as the plot thickens around the Spire and Combatants. My favorite part about the plot was how reliant it was on the characters. If you put in another hero, none of it would have happened. It’s only because Tom is such a ferocious smartass that we’re able to see beneath the sheen of shiny tech and parent-free living into the corporate war machine. Despite being a trilogy, Insignia’s plot arc is so strong that it could (if necessary) stand on its own. (I’m really glad there are sequels.) Kincaid’s created a world any geek will fall in love with. I’ve barely scratched the surface of Insignia — Tom has family problems and a future that’s not going to be easy. Definitely going to be fighting for an early copy of the next book!

[chickey1981 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I went to a Dark Days Tour event this past week, and the author Kincaid was there talking about her new book, Insignia. I was tempted from the rave reviews about it, so I picked it up while I was there.Insignia is about a 14 year old boy named Tom who has nothing going for him and keeps his gambling addict father and himself clothed and housed through gaming. The government hears of him and soon he is whisked to the Pentagonal Spire where he is implanted with a neural device that allows him to enhance his knowledge with downloadable content; he effectively becomes a soldier in the military who want to use his talents for the current world war. Soon, he is pitted against the deadly but fascinating Medusa in a battle to end all battles.I had a hard time rating this book because through 75% of the book, I was very distracted by the fact that the author basically transplanted the Hogwarts trio (Harry, Ron and Hermione) into Ender's Game. Literally, I could match up plot lines and characters from each book to the ones in Insignia. At the same time, it was still entertaining to read (since I obviously liked both of the aforementioned books). And the last 25% (with one exception, which I can't talk about because it would give away plot points) made it all worth reading because it finally focused on my favorite character of all, Medusa, and it veered away from the previous formulas a bit more. The characters are lovable and funny. Since I liked Hermione the best from Harry Potter, it's not surprising that I enjoyed Wyatt, her counterpart, probably the second most after Medusa. The protagonist, Tom, is very likeable but is definitely flawed and adolescent-- Kincaid knows how to write 14 year old boy perspectives! Blackburn, the Snape equivalent, is appropriately creepy. And Yuri, the Russian, was really fun-- and possibly the most original of the cast.Overall, it was a fun read, and I'll keep it on my shelf, but this series needs to work more on originality; hopefully the next installment will showcase this talent.

[booktwirps · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tom Raines is a 14 year old virtual reality gamer with extraordinary skills. He’s usually not one to lose a bet. His father, Neil is a compulsive gambler, alcoholic, and a conspiracy theorist. Tom can’t remember a time when there wasn’t any gambling. Father and son survive on their winnings, these days mostly on Tom’s winnings – which dictate whether they have a roof over their head and food to eat on a daily basis. As for school, Tom attends Rosewood Alternative, via virtual reality, when he remembers. One day, he was given an opportunity of a life time – to attend the prestigious military academy at the Pentagonal Spire, where he will be trained to be a combatant for the Intrasolar Forces, fighting World War III. To Tom that only means he would finally have some things that he has never had before: to have a purpose, to be important, to have friends. Can he truly have all those things? And at what cost?I LOVED this book! S. J. Kincaid has done a tremendous job in writing this sci-fi story. Although it has technical and military descriptions, it is not so overboard that a middle grader or teen would find it confusing or overwhelming. This story includes virtual reality, video gaming and some seriously page turning action scenes. I was hooked within the first couple of chapters. The story is futuristic, unique and very funny. I love Tom, the main character, and his friends. I certainly felt connected to all of them. He and the other characters are among other things, hilarious. My kids have caught me laughing enough times that they have insisted that I buy the book for them the minute it’s released.This book is fantastic and is a must read for any sci-fi fan, gamer, or action buff! It will definitely appeal to finicky boy readers. I recommend putting it on your son’s summer reading list. He will thank you later.

[ayleeargh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In short: Insignia by S.J. Kincaid is a seriously funny, seriously cool read with a fun cast of characters that you will fall in love with.Ever wonder what it would be like to be able to think and learn like a computer? Such is the opportunity that acne-faced and regular kid, Tom Raines, receives when he is approached by the Pentagon to fight an intrasolar World War III. S.J. Kincaid gets major props for coming up with such a mega awesome concept in Insignia. Controlling robot spaceships in space using your computer-brain to fight the enemy? So cool.That awkward moment when you burst out laughing on a bus packed with strangers? That was me while reading Insignia. Holy heck was Insignia funny. And I think it's often hard to get humour right in books, without it falling flat or coming across as cheesy. So it's really a testament to S.J. Kincaid's talent and her priceless sense of humour that Insignia was such a success in ensuring laughter throughout the entire book.There were a few instances when I think the writing could have been a bit smoother though. At times, Insignia was bogged down by technological jargon that made the reading a bit rough. I was tempted many times just to skim over any extensive technological passages. Also, lengthy exposition scenes detailing the history of the Insignia world often read like a textbook, conspicuously placed in the text rather than smoothly integrated into the story. There were also a few noticeable plot holes that could've been ironed out.Still, some bits of slow pacing are not enough to stop me from loving Insignia. I adored spending time with likeable Tom and the entire ensemble of Insignia's side characters. I am amazed, looking back, at just how many characters there are in Insignia and how each of them were so well developed and unique. I would especially love to be apart of Tom's group of misfit friends who, while they were constantly teasing each other, were ultimately a strong and supportive group.Overall, Insignia was a hilarious read with a cool concept and an excellent cast of characters. Insignia is S.J. Kincaid's debut novel and I can't wait to read the sequels as well as any other books she eventually writes as she has proven herself to be a serious talent. Insignia will be published July 10, 2012. I definitely recommend it.