"Alienation"  by Jon S. Lewis Average Rating By NRTeam Members | View All Reviews

Alienation is the second book in the C.H.A.O.S. Trilogy.  The first book, Invasion, was entertaining.  Alienation is more of the same.  The book is very fast paced, with short chapters and lots of action.  Colt McAlister, along with his friends Oz and Danielle, are heading to the C.H.A.O.S. Academy for training.  They will be joining a group of recruits who will defend the Earth against invasion by the Thule, six-armed aliens from one of the twelve known worlds.  What Colt doesn't know is that he has been marked for death by someone inside C.H.A.O.S.  Even though this is the second in a trilogy, the story is resolved while laying the foundation for the final book.

Some observations:  This is a quick read, and the first book appealed to some of my students.  It is full of comic-book type action, with jet packs, aliens, secret bases, and conspiracies.  The characters are a little two-dimensional, but are showing some growth.  I feel like a subplot concerning Colt's "girlfriend" from the first book was rushed or tacked on; it either needs to be eliminated or fleshed out more.  Also, with only one book to go, I'm curious how the potential invasion will be dealt with.  There is a lot of room for sequels or other series and I'd be interested to see Colt's world expanded on.

This was an entertaining book, and I'd recommend it particularly for 10-16 year old boys, although anyone could enjoy it.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program in exchange for my honest review.