Blog Tour Review: The Six by Mark Alpert

On tour with Sourcebooks.

Welcome to my tour stop for The Six by Mark Alpert. I posted the trailer reveal and an excerpt last week HERE if you want to check those out. My review is below...

The SixThe Six
by Mark Alpert
YA SciFi, Thriller
Hardcover & ebook, 368 Pages
July 7th 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire


Summary

Avatar meets The Terminator in this thrilling cyber-tech adventure…

Adam’s muscular dystrophy has taken his motility, his friends, and in a few short years, it will take his life. He takes solace in playing video games he’s programmed to reflect the life that he used to have. Virtual reality is the one realm where he can be the hero, and it’s where he chooses to spend his time, until an entity called Sigma tries to kill him.

A dangerously advanced artificial intelligence program created by Adam’s computer-genius father, Sigma has escaped its cyber prison and is threatening global destruction and domination. But Adam’s father has a plan. He will stop Sigma by using the technology he developed to digitally preserve the mind of his dying son.

Adam’s consciousness is uploaded into the body of a weaponized robot, along with a group of five other gifted teens who are terminally ill. Together, they must learn how to manipulate their new mechanical forms and prepare for combat before Sigma destroys humanity. Adam can finally play the hero for real, but will his new body be worth the sacrifice of his human existence?

This innovative and thought-provoking young adult debut, from the critically acclaimed author of adult thrillers Final Theory and The Omega Theory, questions what it means to be human and whether we are destined to be defined by our physical bodies or our intellect.

      

Advance Praise for Mark Alpert

“Adam is an unusual hero—and he faces a frightening question: Computers can’t kill—CAN they? I’m still shaken by the answer. Will the near-future really be this terrifying?” —R.L. Stine, bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series

“An exciting action story chock-full of characters you’ll love. The Six is full of big ideas, big questions, real science, and things that will make you think and wonder and lie awake late at night.” —Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of the Gone series

“The Six are introduced as terminally-ill teens, but there’s plenty of high-speed action in which they engage. Their physical disabilities and limitations through disease are forgotten as the teens’ hearts, minds, and personalities shine through...questions of principle, power, and possibility keep this look at our modern, hardwired existence fresh and fascinating.” STARRED Booklist

“Alpert's exploration of neuromorphic electronics raises interesting questions about ethics, technology, and human nature…a haunting ending scene will leave readers pondering the line between progress and loss. A thought-provoking clash between humanity and machinery.”- Kirkus Reviews

“A well-researched, hardcore science-fiction joyride, great for fans of first-person shooter video games like Halo and Destiny. Highly recommended” –School Library Journal

“Do not just read The Six; make your friends read it too.” –VOYA Magazine

My Review

After finishing The Six my mind is spinning. There are so many discussion points and ramifications of a situation like this. What made the story so good were the actual real facts that the author weaved through it and how realistic a scenario like this could be in the future, even though my mind says no way, that it would never work, that computers could never think so independently. It definitely was an intense, scary, and emotional ride!

Right off I loved Adam. His character has intelligence and heart. He has accepted his fate even though it's tough and he doesn't like it, but it is what it is. Then he's surrounded by these other volatile characters each with their own complex personalities and issues. Some of them made me mad, particularly towards the end. It was crazy though, imagining what it would be like to have these teenagers become computerized versions of themselves and have all that potential and power.

The end of the story was intense, with some definite twists, and emotional. Lots of craziness, destruction, and action. There was a nice lead-in for the next book. I already have an inkling of the who, but I won't know for sure until it's been released and I've read it and that's all I can say...  

If you're looking for an interesting roller-coaster ride in YA Sci-Fi, then I'd recommend The Six. The story, the plausibility, these characters and their battles (both emotional and physical) were the focal point of the story, with a slight hint of romance.

Content: Some sparse profanity and some violence, but otherwise clean.

Source: I would like to thanks Sourcebooks Fire for my complimentary ARC, which did not affect my review in any way.

About the Author

Mark Alpert

Mark Alpert is a former editor at Scientific American, and the author of several adult thrillers. He’s been praised by Douglas Preston as the “heir to Michael Crichton.” Visit Mark online at markalpert.com.


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