Insignia #1 Insignia

Its a futuristic read and its one of a kind. Presenting Insignia #1 Insignia by S.J. Kincaid.

Here is the summary of the book:

More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible. Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters—but what will it cost him? Gripping and provocative, S. J. Kincaid’s futuristic thrill ride of a debut crackles with memorable characters, tremendous wit, and a vision of the future that asks startling, timely questions about the melding of humanity and technology.

Its greed, its treachery and its the inevitable war that the world has been waiting for, WWIII. Its in the future and its the machinic-era battle, the only plus point here is that the humans don't do the actual gunning and stuffs but they are the ones controlling the machines that do the fighting. It is in this era that the story is based on. Tom Raines is a young, clever gamer who has the VR simulations managed down to a T and just wants to matter to his father and to everyone around him and then the opportunity raises itself, the US Army comes calling....but what it entails is not something he had envisioned. This war is much more than just the intrasolar battle between nations....its the battle of companies......its the battle of the greedy and only those survive who know what they want and choose right....

I know this summary from me above doesn't really say much but Insignia is so unique and so interesting and exciting and hilarious to read about that it is literally very difficult to summarize in a few sentences.....kudos to S.J. Kincaid for penning such an interesting and innovative tale. The characters here are some of the best I have read so far. Tom is the protagonist and is really one of a kind....the one with the killer instincts. He is immensely loyal to his friends and to all those he cares about and does all he can to prove himself and his worth.....sometimes that leads him to major trouble. His close friends are all but one a kind too.....Vik, Wyatt, Yuri.....they all form this tight knit group that all their interactions in the book are but the best parts of the book.

So all in all an innovative plot, some hugely compelling characters and a coherent and un-put-down-able book with the perfect sequence, with the perfect balance between the plot and the futuristic world building, S.J. Kincaid's story provides for an exciting adventure for the characters and readers alike......GOD so glad that this is just the first book of the trilogy, so excited for what comes next.

I have also heard that the 20th Century Fox is going to turn this into a movie......YAY!! so excited to know how that will come around.....