4 out of 4 stars
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Stories are like food. There are short tales that are similar to snacks. Then there are yarns that are nice to read but mostly like breakfast cereal: good but nothing to write home to mama about. I would guess that many books fall into the meatloaf and mashed potatoes category: a great meal that is satisfactory or fulfilling but still not the top of the food chain, no pun intended. And then there are the books that are the filet mignon and sauteed mushrooms with wine sauce of the literary world. Blocks II definitely belongs in the last category. I savored every minute during my read, inhaling each morsel before slowly chewing and ingesting each succulent piece.
Written by Tara Basi, Blocks II continues where Blocks left off. Mina, Tress, Battery Boy, Stuff, Jugger, and Pinkie have all safely escaped from Block Seven, but the gang is not content to be free. There are still millions, if not billions, of people left in the huge cubes, and the group wants to rescue their fellow humans and vanquish the aliens that put them in bondage. Unfortunately, the Owners (author's capitalization) have arrived, and they are not happy. Along with computer system Trinity, can the sextet free the captives while also avoiding capture and possibly death?
Sequels have a bad reputation, but just like with book one, I could scarcely put this tome down. It started off a little slower than the first tale, but I was completely immersed by the third page. From there, things only got better. The twists and turns and dips and corkscrews often made me feel like I was back on one of my favorite amusement park rides, the roller coaster, to the point that I almost threw my hands up in the air and screamed.
As exciting as the book was, though, it also caused me to think more than book one had. I was reading it and enjoying it for the story it is, when the following passage struck me:
It was at that moment that I realized that this tome may very well be an allegory. The quoted words sounded a lot like something Hitler may have said, and it made me view the characters, both good and bad, in a whole new light...."the purpose of the empire?” “To gather unto the Vigilance all the races of the Prime in the galaxy and to purge the galaxy of non-Prime races. This is the galaxy of the Vigilance, given to us, the chosen, by the gods. Until this goal is achieved and the home world of the Prime found and venerated, we cannot rest.”
The worlds that Basi built were also astounding. I was especially captivated with the aliens' world, and the description of Rung One in their version of a living hell sent shudders down my spine. The fact that Tara was not content to keep the action to the locations described in the first book made my spirit soar, as I constantly had new places to imagine and mentally explore. At the same time, the new venues weren't so different that I had trouble picturing anything. Describing somewhere new and fantastic without losing the audience is a fine line, and the author walked it perfectly. The same could be said of the advanced technology used in the story, though I did have to read a few passages more than once to make sure that I grasped a particular concept.
I was quite pleased to meet new characters as well. Eva, who started out as a brain-dead Tuned - a "mouthpiece of the gods" - was both fascinating and scary. I really looked forward to her scenes because I really wanted to know what she'd say and do next. High Priest Truculent and Inquisitor Harder were interesting antagonists too; they looked mostly human but were a lot more advanced and snooty, referring to people as chickens to be farmed. Tippese, a Block Boss introduced in book one, was also back for the ride, and he never failed to make me shake my head, both in shock and in horror. Of the original crew, I still related to Stuff the most because he tended to be the most easily frightened and worried, but I also loved Trinity, who was as abrasive and unfiltered as ever. I would love to read a spin-off book starring the computer system. Jugger and Pinkie, two characters who had turned me off in the original book, had matured and didn't grate on my nerves quite as much.
As with book one, I loved the author's voice; the factual tone was perfectly suited for the story, and Basi did a splendid job in showing rather than just telling. Additionally, there were less than a handful of grammatical errors in the tome, so I do believe that the book was edited professionally.
I am ecstatic to give the second book of this trio 4 out of 4 stars and an A+ to boot. I honestly cannot praise it enough. I highly recommend Blocks II to fans of dystopian or post-apocalyptic stories as well as readers who enjoy science fiction. I also caution potential readers that the tome does end on a cliffhanger, so you must be prepared to see the story to the end by picking up book three, as I plan to do. You'll also want to read the original story, as this book is definitely not a standalone tale, and you will be confused if you try to start with this one. Some backstory is given, but the tale is so complex that you simply cannot skip the precursor.
In summation, I'll partly quote my first review in saying, "I felt that Basi did an excellent job [adding to] the building blocks...[which started out] a great series, a series that I intend to finish."
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Blocks II
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