OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Vagrant" by Janet Post and Gabe Thompson.]

Vagrant is set on a future Earth. It is a bleak future though. It is a future where The Company, the government which controls its citizens through drugs, is in charge. It is a future where Sopore, a drug found in genetically-altered corn, is turning everyone into dreamy-eyed, submissive zombies. Everyone, that is, except for the Vagrants. The Vagrants are outlaws who have learned long ago to stay away from all food that was made with corn. They live underground in the sewers as a pretty much self-sufficient population since they can grow their own Sopore-free food. There are some things that you can't make by yourself though like medicine. This is where Logan comes into play. Logan knows the sewers like the back of his hand which makes him an excellent runner ( person who risks going topside to get resources for the community). He was on one of these runs when his runner-in-training got abducted by the company. Now Logan, with the help of Knock, Eddie, and a top-sider named Shayna has to rescue Raj.

I really enjoyed this book. I would rate it a 3 out of 4 stars.I originally was going to rate it four stars but I had a couple of minor issues with the book. My first issue is the inappropriate language. If you read my previous review then you know that I don't like it when YA books curse. The words used weren't particularly bad but I feel like the main characters of books, who are supposed to be the good guys, shouldn't be telling teens that it's okay to curse. I don't think any parents want their teens to get that message.

My other issue is the poor editing. Simple things can really throw a reader off and it shows that the book wasn't professionally edited. This was probably the main reason why I knocked my original score of 4 stars down to 3.

My last issue is a little nitpicky but I hate it when authors mess up the continuity of a book. In one part of the book he says, "I can read in four different languages. Marge taught me Chinese and I read Spanish, French , and Japanese." Later he says, "Learned to read Chinese characters before I learned to read English." I count five languages.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a strong plot, good characters, and I felt like it was different from other "future Earth" books. I will definitely reread this book from time to time and am looking forward to future books in the series.

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Vagrant
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It's sad that the book has poor editing. It sounds like it's actually a pretty good book. Especially since it's setting is the earth in the future.

Great Review! ?

Regardless of the poor editing the plot is pulling me in. I love the thought of the government controlling citizens with drugs. I wonder where this goes. I might look into it. Thanks.

This sounds like a cool concept for a YA book. The inconsistency with the languages and lack of editing would have bothered me too. I really like your plot description though, so I'll check it out.

The plot sounds interesting. I am a huge fan of novels like this and government control is a hot button right now. I agree that continuity issues and editing are important components to a good story. I am definitely going to be a little wary in picking up a copy until I do more reasearch.

This was a great review!

It's too bad about the number of errors in the book, however, this seems like an interesting read. Great job on the review!

As a parent trying to find books that interest a young teen, I appreciate your parental warning. Good job on the book review.

Thank you everyone for your kind responses to my review! It means a lot to me! If you have any questions about the book I would be glad to answer them.

This book sounds like it has a cool premise, and I think I'd be interested in reading it despite the editing issues.