PRAISE FOR INSIGNIA“Insignia expertly combines humor with a disarming and highly realistic view of the future. The characters are real, funny, and memorable. You won’t be able to put this book down.
As he tags along from casino to casino with his gambler father, Tom Raines has only one real escape: the virtual reality games that he has learned to master in hotel rooms. With little warning, his refuge becomes the opportunity for a new career. His advanced computer skills bring him an appointment to the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy where new futuristic war technologies are developed. Suddenly everything seems possible, even a girlfriend. Waiting in the wings, though, is a crisis that could bring everything down. A smoothly crafted novel about graduating from virtual realities to real world decisions. (P.S. Rick Riordan fans will enjoy author S.J. Kincaid's use of Greek and Arthurian folklore.)
Kincaid's debut novel, an ambitious, high-concept mélange of the teen hacker and teen spy genres (with some gaming elements included, too), occasionally struggles under its own weight, but still provides a fast-paced and exciting tale. Fourteen-year-old Tom Raines skips his virtual school, choosing instead to play VR games online and hustle other gamers. When one game turns out to be an audition for a military program, he ends up working for the Pentagonal Spire, with a computer chip embedded in his head, and hopes that he can one day become one of the elite students who guide unmanned drones in the ongoing war against the Russo-Chinese Alliance. Kincaid tosses a lot into her book—?romance, cyberpunk tropes, evil corporations, military academy subplots, a "Who's the traitor?" story line, and goofy humor (a subplot in which one student, Yuri, has been programmed to process classified information incorrectly is particularly over-the-top). It's too much, and leads to a too-long novel, but the strong action and spy sequences keep the core story entertaining. Ages 13–up. Agent: David Dunton, Harvey Klinger. (July)
As in Orson Scott Card’s Ender's Game (Tor, 1985), children are being trained for war in this impressive debut novel. In this case, however, it is an offshore conflict, meaning no loss of life or property. Instead, World War III is a VR war, with battles fought in space by drone vehicles controlled by earth-bound Combatants. The kicker is that big business, in the form of the Coalition of Multinational Corporations, rather than individual countries, is behind the conflict. Fourteen-year-old Tom Raines, who excels at VR games, is on the road with his alcoholic, gambling-addicted father when he is recruited to join the Combatants in the Pentagonal Spire. General Marsh is looking for an unconventional fighter to back up the high-achievers usually recruited for battle training. Tom is needed because the opponents have Medusa, who routinely wipes the floor with her opponents. Tom, a huge fan, would love nothing better than to go up against Medusa. He gets his wish, along with new friends, a new purpose in life, bullies to overcome, and a paranoid instructor who almost destroys his mind. From the conflict at the casino in the beginning to the high-octane battle to keep a traitor from destroying his friends and the Pentagonal Spire, the action is non-stop and the pacing, fast and furious. Of particularly interest is the developing relationship between Tom and Medusa, from respect for fighting skills to the recognition of similar traits, goals and interests. All in all, this is an extremely rewarding read. Ages 11 to 18.
Tom Raines, the teen son of a gambler, finds that his gifts at virtual reality gaming have earned him a new life as a military combatant. His job is to protect his home by winning battles in space. Transformed by computer and medical technology, Tom improves physically and mentally to become a better soldier. Tom has no major achievements to set him apart from the other plebes sent to The Spire for training, but he decides he will beat nemesis Medusa, a foe only seen on the digital stage of war but never in person. With a spy in their midst, Tom is charged with treason; now he must uphold promises to himself and his country in order to keep his job and earn a promotion. Only by clearing his name can Tom continue doing what he loves. Kincaid uses Greek folklore to propel this complex story. Despite the inclusion of so many elements, the plot flows naturally, paired with humorous dialogue and Tom's own internal monologues as his character develops. The amount of technological language is not a deterrent and is used in context for clarification. Fast-paced battles in a variety of virtual worlds like ancient Greece and Camelot will excite gamers of all levels. There is no indication of a sequel; however, Insignia would make a popular series for readers who enjoy adventures, science fiction, and espionage. Reviewer: Laura Perenic
Gr 7 Up—Tom Raines, 14, moves from casino to casino with his gambler father, generally paying for their lodgings from his winnings at virtual reality games. When he passes a surprise VR scenario, he is recruited by General Marsh to join the Intrasolar Forces. Teens from the IF are backed by multinationals to fight for the Indo-American Alliance by remotely piloting spacecraft in battles around the solar system. He jumps at the chance to do something with his life and is whisked off to the Pentagonal Spire. There he learns that he must have a computer implanted in his brain to be able to fulfill his responsibilities. He also learns that his mother's hated boyfriend, Dalton Prestwick, is an important and ruthless figure among the corporate sponsors. Meanwhile, a new Combatant, call sign "Medusa," has joined the Russo-Chinese Alliance and is reaping victory after victory. Tom finds himself strangely intrigued by Medusa and violates protocols to seek her out over the Internet. He eventually discovers that he has an ability above and beyond his comrades to interface directly with machines around the Earth and beyond. It is only with this ability and the help of his friends that Tom is able to escape Prestwick's reprogramming, find the mole in the Spire, and defeat Medusa. Kincaid combines a Harry Potter-like teen discovering that he has unknown abilities being sent to a special boarding school with the Ender's Game plotline of humanity's space battles being fought remotely by juveniles. She adds espionage and corporate skullduggery along with multiple mysterious enemies to create a blockbuster of a debut.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
An unlikely teen is selected to attend Hogwarts-at-the-Pentagon. Tom has spent most of his life casino-hopping with his ne'er-do-well father. His only real pleasure is virtual-reality gaming, and his mad skillz bring him to the attention of the U.S. Intrasolar Forces. In short order he is off to the Pentagonal Spire to train to become a Camelot Company Combatant: one of the elite teen "warriors" who pilot the remote spacecraft that wage World War III bloodlessly in space. The Indo-Americans and the Russo-Chinese are propped up by multinationals that fund the enterprise; the neural processors implanted in the kids' brains--not to mention war itself--aren't cheap. Tom quickly makes friends (warm and funny boy, Asperger's-like girl, goofy boy) and enemies (vicious boy, borderline-crazy professor). He also comes to the attention of his mother's horrible boyfriend, an executive in a multinational that wants a pawn on the inside of CamCo. In addition to obvious echoes of Ender's Game and Harry Potter, debut novelist Kincaid weaves in hefty helpings of Cory Doctorow–like philosophy: "What, you think the American sheeple are going to question the corporatocracy?" Tom's father says memorably. With action, real humor and a likable, complex protagonist, this fast-moving, satisfying adventure also provides some food for thought. Derivative and sometimes a little silly, but good fun nevertheless. (Science fiction. 13-16)
