Post by Frank Balara on Oct 7, 2011 14:23:31 GMT -5
When The Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club held their giveaway contest for The Prometheus Project Trilogy by Douglas E. Richards, I was one of the two lucky winners - lucky in more ways than one.
You see, GMTA likes its winners to post a review once they read the book they've won. The books are both young adult and science fiction, two genres I don't normally read, so I worried I might not like them. When I began reading the first book, it didn't take long to realize I had nothing to worry about.
Book 1: Trapped introduces you to the main characters, Ryan and Regan Resnick (named after Richards' own children.) Their parents have just uprooted their happy lives in San Diego and replanted them in Brewster, a boring, small town in the middle of the Pennsylvania woodlands. The kids find the place so boring they nickname the town, Snooze-ter, but the boredom doesn't last for long. They soon stumble upon the reason why their parents, both brilliant research scientists, have brought them to this place in the middle of nowhere: A top secret, government project code-named, Prometheus. It involves alien technology and alien worlds discovered buried deep beneath the Pennsylvania landscape, but before they have a chance to explore any of it, they find themselves in a race against time to save their mother's life.
[Please note there are some spoilers beyond this point. If you want to read these books I'd advise skipping past the "Book 3" paragraph.]
Book 2: Captured picks up where Trapped left off: with Ryan and Regan not only having saved their mom, but also becoming the youngest members of the research team. Just as everything is getting back to normal the team finds itself held hostage by an alien. Again, Ryan and Regan are put to the test. This time it's not just their mother's life at stake; it's the entire planet.
Book 3: Stranded is Richards' admitted favorite of the three books and it's mine as well. After saving planet Earth from possible destruction, the kids are going on a special trip with their parents and some other researchers - to another planet for the weekend. Instead of a fun-filled adventure, they find themselves fighting for their lives and Prometheus and Earth under attack again.
All three of these books are well-written, page-turning, nail-biting, thrillers; but, just like with my review of The Devil's Sword, I have to say they are so much more. Richards writes in a way that makes his stories interesting to both young and old readers and he peoples them with characters of both genders who stand as positive role-models for kids, making these books an opportunity for you to enjoy a positive reading experience with your children. And these books not only tell of science fiction technology. There are some enjoyable scenes where the father explains some real life science to the kids in a way that makes it accessible for everyone (and makes me wonder if Richards wouldn't be even more valuable to school science labs across the country.) The fact that there is real science involved with the science fiction also makes the story more believable. Obviously, it's not a true story, but realism is something many people are looking for in their entertainment these days. If you don't have children, but enjoy sci-fi or watching and learning from the shows on the Discovery and Science channels these books may be enjoyable to you as well.
I came to these books a little hesitantly, but by the time I finished the third book I found myself hoping there would be more books to come in the series. Richards is currently focusing on adult, mainstream thrillers like his latest book, Wired. I look forward to reading this book as well. You can find out more about Douglas Richards and all of his books, including where to purchase them, on his website: www.douglaserichards.com/
-Frank Balara
You see, GMTA likes its winners to post a review once they read the book they've won. The books are both young adult and science fiction, two genres I don't normally read, so I worried I might not like them. When I began reading the first book, it didn't take long to realize I had nothing to worry about.
Book 1: Trapped introduces you to the main characters, Ryan and Regan Resnick (named after Richards' own children.) Their parents have just uprooted their happy lives in San Diego and replanted them in Brewster, a boring, small town in the middle of the Pennsylvania woodlands. The kids find the place so boring they nickname the town, Snooze-ter, but the boredom doesn't last for long. They soon stumble upon the reason why their parents, both brilliant research scientists, have brought them to this place in the middle of nowhere: A top secret, government project code-named, Prometheus. It involves alien technology and alien worlds discovered buried deep beneath the Pennsylvania landscape, but before they have a chance to explore any of it, they find themselves in a race against time to save their mother's life.
[Please note there are some spoilers beyond this point. If you want to read these books I'd advise skipping past the "Book 3" paragraph.]
Book 2: Captured picks up where Trapped left off: with Ryan and Regan not only having saved their mom, but also becoming the youngest members of the research team. Just as everything is getting back to normal the team finds itself held hostage by an alien. Again, Ryan and Regan are put to the test. This time it's not just their mother's life at stake; it's the entire planet.
Book 3: Stranded is Richards' admitted favorite of the three books and it's mine as well. After saving planet Earth from possible destruction, the kids are going on a special trip with their parents and some other researchers - to another planet for the weekend. Instead of a fun-filled adventure, they find themselves fighting for their lives and Prometheus and Earth under attack again.
All three of these books are well-written, page-turning, nail-biting, thrillers; but, just like with my review of The Devil's Sword, I have to say they are so much more. Richards writes in a way that makes his stories interesting to both young and old readers and he peoples them with characters of both genders who stand as positive role-models for kids, making these books an opportunity for you to enjoy a positive reading experience with your children. And these books not only tell of science fiction technology. There are some enjoyable scenes where the father explains some real life science to the kids in a way that makes it accessible for everyone (and makes me wonder if Richards wouldn't be even more valuable to school science labs across the country.) The fact that there is real science involved with the science fiction also makes the story more believable. Obviously, it's not a true story, but realism is something many people are looking for in their entertainment these days. If you don't have children, but enjoy sci-fi or watching and learning from the shows on the Discovery and Science channels these books may be enjoyable to you as well.
I came to these books a little hesitantly, but by the time I finished the third book I found myself hoping there would be more books to come in the series. Richards is currently focusing on adult, mainstream thrillers like his latest book, Wired. I look forward to reading this book as well. You can find out more about Douglas Richards and all of his books, including where to purchase them, on his website: www.douglaserichards.com/
-Frank Balara