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A review by cynsworkshop
Generation One by Pittacus Lore
4.0
A Stellar New Beginning | Review of ‘Generation One’ (Lorien Legacies Reborn #1) (Review originally posted on Cyn's Workshop)
Generation One comes to readers as the newest addition to the Lorien Legacies series. It takes a look at the new future for characters introduced in United as One as well as new characters brought to life in this novel. The way of the story functions is different from the original series because the world in which the story is taking place has an entirely different set of rules. This is not a story about the last survivors of a planet running and hiding; this is a story about kids who have strange new abilities, abilities that force them away from home and into a boarding school, drastically changing their lives.
What’s so telling about the story is the fact that it takes various characters from different parts of the world with different cultures and backgrounds who were exposed to the war in various ways, all of which influence their dynamics and ultimately defining the group of friends.
These characters are nothing like the characters from the original series which is a breath of fresh air. That’s not to say that the characters from the original series were boring it’s just a relief to see that the author made an effort to make these characters stand out from the originals, giving the story some freshness to it, drawing in new readers as well as longtime fans. They are all given the opportunity to show their perspectives allowing the reader to enjoy how relatable these characters are. Their entire world just changes and to hear their voices, to hear their stories here and there, sprinkled throughout the story gives them unique voices. They have evolved as the world around them has evolved, but their evolution does not just stop there. Admittedly, in the beginning, some of the characters are a bit annoying and standoffish, but by the end, they are bigger, they are better, more open, more hopeful. It’s such an apparent sign of growth for the reader to see how they went from point A to point B to point C that it shows growth on the writer’s part as well. Lore is a talented writer but looking back it is apparent that character development was something that was not the focus of the previous series and was more of just a side effect of the story. The characters shined no doubt, but here, their personalities shine more than their abilities do.
As a story it is not a very action-packed story that you would associate with the Lorien Legacies series. The story is setting up a new world, so it needs to follow the proper pace to do that, to allow the reader to grasp all the changes from United as One to here. This new world has changed since the war as humans now have Lorien abilities. Moreover, of course, human nature dictates how people are going to use those abilities. There are going to be those who use them for a good while others use it for crime or pure selfishness. That struggle is thoughtfully addressed here, especially with the creation of a shadow organization that kidnaps and exploits people with abilities. It does this by creating the facade that they are unlike the United Nations, that they provide freedom. However, it’s interesting to see these the mechanics of both this Foundation and the United Nations.
One crucial aspect of the novel that resonates strongly is the idea that their abilities are not limited to warfare. It is echoed throughout the story as the characters are challenged to find non-lethal and creative ways to use their powers, some of which is for art. This is important because every day it’s on the news that the arts are being taken away from school. The problem with that is that art, in all its forms, is essential for allowing the brain to see beyond the box and conceptualize theories. MIT realizes this by encouraging that, and my own college’s motto is “expression necessary for evolution.” I feel like I should get a t-shirt that says that maybe even a tattoo who knows we’ll see.
Anyway, Generation One is a great way to start off a new series. It is not the fastest storyline in the world, offering up just a bit of intrigue early on to draw the reader in. There’s enough tension to make the series enjoyable, and at the end of the day, the characters are just winners. The characters were just very well written they’re very well structured and they had a level of realism to them that any reader could connect to they have their insecurities our hopes their doubts their dreams and any reader any young adult reader or adult reader can connect to these characters.
Overall I’m personally eager to see where the series is going to go. (★★★★☆ | B+)
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Google+ | LinkedIn
Generation One comes to readers as the newest addition to the Lorien Legacies series. It takes a look at the new future for characters introduced in United as One as well as new characters brought to life in this novel. The way of the story functions is different from the original series because the world in which the story is taking place has an entirely different set of rules. This is not a story about the last survivors of a planet running and hiding; this is a story about kids who have strange new abilities, abilities that force them away from home and into a boarding school, drastically changing their lives.
What’s so telling about the story is the fact that it takes various characters from different parts of the world with different cultures and backgrounds who were exposed to the war in various ways, all of which influence their dynamics and ultimately defining the group of friends.
These characters are nothing like the characters from the original series which is a breath of fresh air. That’s not to say that the characters from the original series were boring it’s just a relief to see that the author made an effort to make these characters stand out from the originals, giving the story some freshness to it, drawing in new readers as well as longtime fans. They are all given the opportunity to show their perspectives allowing the reader to enjoy how relatable these characters are. Their entire world just changes and to hear their voices, to hear their stories here and there, sprinkled throughout the story gives them unique voices. They have evolved as the world around them has evolved, but their evolution does not just stop there. Admittedly, in the beginning, some of the characters are a bit annoying and standoffish, but by the end, they are bigger, they are better, more open, more hopeful. It’s such an apparent sign of growth for the reader to see how they went from point A to point B to point C that it shows growth on the writer’s part as well. Lore is a talented writer but looking back it is apparent that character development was something that was not the focus of the previous series and was more of just a side effect of the story. The characters shined no doubt, but here, their personalities shine more than their abilities do.
As a story it is not a very action-packed story that you would associate with the Lorien Legacies series. The story is setting up a new world, so it needs to follow the proper pace to do that, to allow the reader to grasp all the changes from United as One to here. This new world has changed since the war as humans now have Lorien abilities. Moreover, of course, human nature dictates how people are going to use those abilities. There are going to be those who use them for a good while others use it for crime or pure selfishness. That struggle is thoughtfully addressed here, especially with the creation of a shadow organization that kidnaps and exploits people with abilities. It does this by creating the facade that they are unlike the United Nations, that they provide freedom. However, it’s interesting to see these the mechanics of both this Foundation and the United Nations.
One crucial aspect of the novel that resonates strongly is the idea that their abilities are not limited to warfare. It is echoed throughout the story as the characters are challenged to find non-lethal and creative ways to use their powers, some of which is for art. This is important because every day it’s on the news that the arts are being taken away from school. The problem with that is that art, in all its forms, is essential for allowing the brain to see beyond the box and conceptualize theories. MIT realizes this by encouraging that, and my own college’s motto is “expression necessary for evolution.” I feel like I should get a t-shirt that says that maybe even a tattoo who knows we’ll see.
Anyway, Generation One is a great way to start off a new series. It is not the fastest storyline in the world, offering up just a bit of intrigue early on to draw the reader in. There’s enough tension to make the series enjoyable, and at the end of the day, the characters are just winners. The characters were just very well written they’re very well structured and they had a level of realism to them that any reader could connect to they have their insecurities our hopes their doubts their dreams and any reader any young adult reader or adult reader can connect to these characters.
Overall I’m personally eager to see where the series is going to go. (★★★★☆ | B+)
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Google+ | LinkedIn