Official Review: Sergeant Uri by Alana Baxter

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Timothy Rucinski
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Official Review: Sergeant Uri by Alana Baxter

Post by Timothy Rucinski »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sergeant Uri" by Alana Baxter.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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I believe that young adult novels are often more engaging and well-written than contemporary adult fiction. With this in mind, I eagerly jumped into reading Sergeant Uri by Alana Baxter. Unfortunately, I was gravely disappointed.

Young Sergeant Davida Uri voluntarily combs the post-apocalyptic Wastelands in search of survivors of the Mysterious War in the hopes of transporting them to the city of Shamayim. Working as a volunteer for the Lucrative International Expeditionary Services (LIES), she reports to various World Leaders stationed in Shamayim. She bounces from setting to setting while the World Leaders party heartily without much regard for her. Uri encounters strange and threatening creatures along the way, including screaming leeches, prism lizards, and giant bats. She also makes the acquaintance of several Caretakers, odd creatures that have taken upon the responsibility of saving the Earth from humanity’s mismanagement.

Perhaps Sergeant Uri is a metaphor warning us against the environmental damage to the planet. Maybe it's just an adventure story. In any case, it essentially resembles a nightmare of a fairy tale wrapped in video game format in which a two-dimensional character is transported from one wacky scenario to the next. I can understand how this format may be of interest to young adult readers, but I found it jarring to jump from the desert to woodland to sewer system to gem forest without any believable transition. Regrettably, the story doesn't make much sense, and the characterizations are practically non-existent.

We never find out the cause of the Mysterious War, although it's hinted that perhaps it was a pandemic. There are allusions made to Sergeant Uri's parents, but we never get any background on her, why she is a volunteer, or from whence she came. The World Leaders, the enigmatic Shadow who turns up now and again, the Caretakers, and all other characters are superficial. It's this failure to create any depth to the characters that I disliked most about the book.

There were a few things about Sergeant Uri that I liked. For instance, I am very much appreciative that the author tackled the importance of maintaining the world's ecological balance. I also enjoyed her use of wordplay, for example, naming the focal city Shamayim, which is Hebrew for heaven. I also enjoyed the underlying concept of trust as Uri repeatedly decides who is worthy of receiving her confidence.

Unfortunately, Sergeant Uri is a mess and in deep need of a professional edit. Much of it is repetitive, with the author highlighting the exact details repeatedly. There are numerous grammatical errors, and there is little attention paid to the passage of time. I could never understand if days or months had passed from section to section. There is nothing offensive about the book, although there is some minor violence. There are no sexual situations with only some very mild and limited profanity.

I award Sergeant Uri 2 out of 4 stars. I have to deduct one star because of the many errors, and I have to remove another star because of the poor characterization and confusing storyline. I suppose that there will be some young readers, particularly those who enjoy immersing themselves in video games, who will enjoy this book. But I do not believe that adults will be able to get through the novel with much enjoyment.

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RHD
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Post by RHD »

This one seems like a pass to me. A lot of errors plus a mixed up storyline results into a disaster. Thank you for your honest review.
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Timothy Rucinski
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Post by Timothy Rucinski »

RHD wrote: 01 Mar 2021, 13:43 This one seems like a pass to me. A lot of errors plus a mixed up storyline results into a disaster. Thank you for your honest review.
You are quite welcome.
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Post by Malve »

It's a shame the book has so many errors. From the sound of your review, the basic idea really has potential. Thank you for being honest. 
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Post by Heidadela »

It is disappointing that the book has no depth in characterization and some important information in omitted. All the same, it sounds like such an adventurous book. If only the author could take your suggestions and improve the book. Like tell us,albeit indirectly, how the war started and the background of Uri as the main character. I am also hoping that he will improve the characterization of the book and work on the errors. This sounds like a great story which flopped for some coringible reason. Thanks all the same for your openmindedness. I enjoyed reading your informative review.
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