Rebel Seoul

Title:

Rebel Seoul

Author:

Oh, Axie author.

ISBN:

9781620142998

Edition:

1st ed.

Physical Description:

389 pages ; 22 cm

Reading Level:

HL 730 L Lexile

Subject Term:

Robots -- Fiction.

Soldiers -- Fiction.

Imaginary wars and battles -- Fiction.

Totalitarianism -- Fiction.

Abandoned children -- Fiction.

Military weapons -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Korea -- Fiction.

Genre:

Science fiction.

Summary:

East Asia, 2199. After a great war, the East Pacific is in ruins. In brutal Neo Seoul, where status comes from success in combat, ex-gang member Lee Jaewon is a talented pilot rising in the academy's ranks. Abandoned as a child in the slums of Old Seoul by his rebel father, Jaewon desires only to escape his past. When Jaewon is recruited into the most lucrative weapons development division in Neo Seoul, he is eager to claim his best shot at military glory. But the mission becomes more complicated when he meets Tera, a test subject in the government's supersoldier project. Tera was trained for one purpose: to pilot one of the lethal God Machines, massive robots for a never-ending war. With secret orders to report on Tera, Jaewon becomes Tera's partner, earning her reluctant respect. But as respect turns to love, Jaewon begins to question his loyalty to an oppressive regime that creates weapons out of humans. As the project prepares to go public amidst rumors of a rebellion, Jaewon must decide where he stands--as a soldier of the Republic, or a rebel of the people.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	TEEN FICTION OH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	TEEN FICTION OH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	TEEN FICTION OH	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	TEEN FICTION OH	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Pacific Rim meets Korean action dramas in this mind-blowing sci-fi novel set in New Seoul in the year 2199.

EAST ASIA, 2199. After a great war, the East Pacific is in ruins. In brutal Neo Seoul, where status comes from success in combat, ex-gang member Lee Jaewon is a talented pilot rising in the academy's ranks. Abandoned as a child in the slums of Old Seoul by his rebel father, Jaewon desires only to escape his past.

When Jaewon is recruited into the most lucrative weapons development division in Neo Seoul, he is eager to claim his best shot at military glory. But the mission becomes more complicated when he meets Tera, a test subject in the government's supersoldier project. Tera was trained for one purpose: to pilot one of the lethal God Machines, massive robots for a never-ending war.

With secret orders to report on Tera, Jaewon becomes Tera's partner, earning her reluctant respect. But as respect turns to love, Jaewon begins to question his loyalty to an oppressive regime that creates weapons out of humans. As the project prepares to go public amidst rumors of a rebellion, Jaewon must decide where he stands-as a soldier of the Republic, or a rebel of the people.

Pacific Rim meets Korean action dramas in this mind-blowing, New Visions Award-winning science fiction debut.

Author Notes

Axie Oh is the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea , XOXO , and the Rebel Seoul series. Born in New York City and raised in New Jersey, she studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea, and she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her dogs, Leila and Toro (named after Totoro). Find her online at axieoh.com and @axieoh.

Reviews (5)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-It's the year 2199, post the Great War that left East Asia divided. Living in the slums of Old Seoul, Lee Jaewon wants a better life and enrolls in the Apgujeong Academy in Neo Seoul to secure a high-level position in the military. After surviving a crucial simulator placement test, Jaewon is placed in the Tower to monitor a secret military weapon-human killing machines. As the rebels become stronger, the military must hurry to prepare their human weapons for battle. There's just one problem: Jaewon has fallen in love with his assigned killing machine, Tera, and must make a tough decision between love and war. The theme of fathers and sons is multilayered and engaging in this stand-alone novel. Alex Kim, a friend of Jaewon, desperately seeks his father's approval while his other friend Park Young has made peace with his father. Jaewon's own parental issues fall somewhere in between as he struggles with abandonment and identity. This debut has a large cast of characters that includes teens and adults, and heroes and villains. Jaewon is the most fully developed, but those around him help to shape this appealing young man and to help him grow and decide which side he is on in the impending civil war. VERDICT This action-packed sci-fi novel, with deeper explorations of empathy, humanity, and the capacity to love, is a great choice for most collections.-Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Oh debuts with an engrossing SF thriller that combines giant robots, Korean culture, and dystopian themes. In 2199 in the divided city of Neo Seoul, Lee Jaewon, an ambitious young soldier, is recruited to pilot a God Machine, one of the "massive, human-piloted machines of modern warfare" that operate on the front lines of the decades-long Great War of the Pacific. After Jaewon partners up with Tera, who is part of a project to take the God Machines to a frightening new level of destruction, he discovers that the Neo State of Korea holds devastating secrets. Caught between the establishment (as represented by the tyrannical Director), a rebel faction, and an influential criminal syndicate, Jaewon has to decide where his loyalties rest. The worldbuilding and backstory are left somewhat vague, but Oh balances the story's action sequences with plenty of moral and philosophical quandaries for readers to consider. It's a gripping, satisfying tale on its own, and the ending leaves room for further exploration. Ages 12-up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

In Neo State of Korea following years of conflict, Jaewon has risen out of poverty as a pilot of fighting robots. After he's hired to monitor a genetically enhanced teenage pilot, Tera, Jaewon develops feelings for her that conflict with his duty. A riveting sci-fi war story set in a fully imagined future world inspired by Korean culture. Korean glossary included. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

In a militaristic future Korea, a boy and girl meet.It is 2199, and Korea, China, and Japan no longer exist as separate countries but as members of the Neo Council (conveyed to readers in infodumps). Five decades of war have yielded many innovations, such as the God Machines (riffing on the tradition of Japanese mecha movies and Pacific Rim). Preparing to take his military placement exam before graduation from an elite academy, Jaewon is isolated: his father is dead, his mother abandoned him, and his former best friend has turned his back on Jaewon to gain power in one of the Old Seoul gangs. Jaewon's military posting is to the Tower, the kilometer-tall building in Neo Seoul that serves as headquarters, where he is assigned to supervise Tera, a girl whose strength has been enhanced with drugs in order to pilot a new kind of God Machine. With war still raging and rebel nationalists seeking to make Korea an independent nation again, will two young people be able to find love in this plot-heavy story? While Jaewon is an effective character, much of the supporting cast is relatively flat and the dialogue occasionally stilted, which jars against the mostly colloquial flow. The setting is well-captured, but it's slow going in this sci-fi adventure. (glossary) (Science fiction. 14-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* In her brilliantly crafted debut, Oh brings us to the year 2199. The planet's East and West have been consumed by war for the past 50 years, and the newly formed Neo Alliance (Korea, Japan, and China) are ruthless in their ambition to control the world. Enter Lee Jaewon, fresh off his military placement exam from one of Neo Seoul's elite military academies and assigned to the Tower home of the government's most top-secret project. Here Jaewon meets Tera, a teenage girl who has undergone years of military testing to turn her into a supersoldier with the ability to pilot one of Korea's advanced God Machines, a weapon capable of leveling a city block in one blow. Abandoned by those who were meant to love him the most, Jaewon is committed to doing his part to contribute to the war effort. But as he and Tera grow closer, and the mystery of his father's death comes to light, Jaewon begins to question his loyalties. Will love for another open his eyes to the true nature of war? Equal parts K-drama (Korean drama) and sci-fi blockbuster, Oh blends futuristic tech, authentic Korean culture, and romance in this complex, utterly engrossing, and wholly fresh story that is sure to entice a wide array of readers.--Kuss, Rebecca Copyright 2017 Booklist

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (5)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review

Horn Book Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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