Official Review: The Evolutionite Chronicles Book Three: ...

[desantismt_17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Evolutionite Chronicles Book Three: Infinity Rises" by Timothy P. Callahan.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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For years, Damien Simen’s goal has been to eliminate all Evos (individuals with superpowers, Evolutionites). His mother was killed during one of their battles, and he wants a world safe from more unnecessary deaths. As the right-hand man of Bryn, the leader of the Evo-hating group called Infinity, Damien spends his days tackling assignments that bring him one step closer to his and Infinity’s goal.

But not everything is as it seems. Not all Evos are evil. Really, most of them aren’t. When Damien is thrust into their world, he finds that they might not be the enemy, and some of his friends might not be his friends, either. Who should he trust? And which side is he really on?

Infinity Rises by Timothy P. Callahan is the third installment in the Evolutionite Chronicles series. After reading the first two, which focus around Protectors (Evos) named Dagger and Shadow Ninja, I was disappointed to see that this book followed a different character. I’d gotten attached to the other two. As a result, I put off reading this for a while.

In hindsight, all I can say is I’m so glad I read this book. Dagger and Shadow Ninja will always hold a special place in my heart, but this book is absolutely the best in this series so far.

Damien made this book real. His hate for the Evos is grounded in actual events and not the generic jealousy of people with powers that I see so often in superhero stories. While most of the assignments Damien handles involve killing, he is morally opposed to doing so, and he exhausts all other options before he pulls the trigger. I appreciated this about his character. It made him stand out as a protagonist and a person.

The plot came together cleanly. Events flowed steadily and with a logical progression. I won’t spoil, but something happened a little after halfway through that left my jaw hanging open. There are precious few books that can completely shock me, and I literally had to stop reading to process this event. I couldn’t believe it. I applaud Callahan for an expertly executed plot twist that made perfect sense to the rest of the story.

There were several scenes that weren’t from Damien’s perspective. Many of these featured members of the Protectors, and despite the number of characters, they all felt fleshed out. From the little girl who was terrified about her powers being classified level 3 (unsafe) to the veteran Protector who’s just trying to keep her city together, I found a way to identify with all of them. This enhanced my reading experience so much.

There was very little I disliked about this book. If not for the sporadic grammar mistakes, this would have easily been a 4-star read for me. Unfortunately, due to those errors, I am forced to rate Infinity Rises 3 out of 4 stars. I never thought to give it 2. I recommend this book to fans of superhero stories who want a real experience. Yes, there are cool gadgets and interesting powers, but at its center, this is a story about one man’s fight to figure out what side he’s on. I couldn’t put it down. There is some light cursing and a bit of violence. While these may trouble some readers, they didn’t bother me, and I am now eagerly waiting for the next book in this series.

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The Evolutionite Chronicles Book Three: Infinity Rises
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[LauraLeeWasHere]

Wow. I've never read a review here at OBC where the reviewer is so emotionally attached to the characters. It's so refreshing and exciting and it made me want to read the book right away. And it told me more than all the other very competent analysing you did. Obviously it must be a very good story and believable characters for you to even refer to the first two books as if the entire universe the author created truly existed.

But you still were professional and broke down the various elements of the structure of the story. It's on my shelves now along with the first two in the series AND book #4 "the Honor System" as well.

Thanks for your efforts and help.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

[Erin Painter Baker]

I think it's great when an author can take a series readers already like and throw in a new perspective, specifically the perspective of someone who might be considered an antagonist in the earlier books, and expand the world and make the entire series better.