Back Blurb:
Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong?
Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn't even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.
The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn't been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.
When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is Left Behind meets Matched for middle-grade readers.
My Review:
SWIPE by EVAN ANGLER
Movie Rating: PG for sequences of suspense
Book Rating: @@@@@
Swearing: None
Inapropriate Scenes: None
# of Pages: 273 (paperback)
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
LLFTB: What may seem good on the outside in often bad on the inside
I cannot tell you how nice it was to finally be able to pick up a book and not worry if my mom or little brother picked the book up. Swipe is a good clean book that still packs a punch! And although geared toward younger readers I am proof that older teens will also love this book! :) And I saw something interesting in the back of Swipe--I read that it's a debut. If so, then Mr. Evan Angler has TONS of talent! And I cannot wait for Sneak to come out!! Mr. Angler I am a forever fan!
*this book was provided by Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review*
About the author:
Evan lives without the Mark, evading DOME and writing in the shadows of Beacon.
Swipe is his first book. But if anyone asks, you know nothing about it, and you didn't hear anything from him. Don't make eye contact if you see him. Don't call his name out loud. He's in enough trouble already.
And so are you , if you've read his book.
Author Interview:
Even though Mr. Angler is busy evading DOME and trying to stay hidden he has decided to come forward and tell us, his devoted fans, a little about himself, although he can be traced online. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the brave Mr. Evan Angler himself!!! :)
1: If you had the power to control any of the 4 main elements (air, water, earth, or fire) which would it be? Why?
Very many of the earth's environmental and political problems could be solved if we could just figure out how to control water. Think about it—no more food shortages from droughts, no more deadly hurricanes and floods and tsunamis, no more fighting over land based on water scarcity...billions of lives could be improved and saved. I'd pick water in a heartbeat.
2: If you had the power to go into the past where would you go? Why?
I’d like to go back to the very beginning of the post-Unity period, to the start of the American Union and the year this Mark program was instituted...and I’d like to tell them a thing or two about where it was headed.
3: If you could travel anywhere in the world free of charge and free from harm where would it be?
I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling in the time I’ve spent running from the Department of Marked Emergencies (DOME). I’ve been all over the American Union and even a bit around European Union, so these days, anywhere not under direct DOME surveillance would be fine by me! Someday, I suppose I’d like to visit the area that used to be called Japan.
4: If you could pick your own superhero power what would it be?
I’d like to be able to control time. It really is our most valuable commodity, so even minimal control, like just being able to add a couple hours to the day every once in a while, would be a super awesome superpower.
5: If you could have 3 book characters over to dinner who would you pick?
From the Swipe series, I’ve enjoyed my dinners with Erin, since she’s pretty feisty, and a lot smarter than I am. It’s easy to see why Logan has a bit of a crush on her, though I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell her I said so, as her ego is healthy enough as it is! It’s also always fun to eat with Tyler and Eddie, even though their dinners always seem to end in a food fight.
If I’m picking characters from any book throughout history, I think I’d like to share a meal with 1) Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, to see what kind of trouble we could find, 2) Roald Dahl’s Matilda, since I’d love to know how she figured out telekinesis, or 3) the "one girl sitting on her own in a small cafe in Rickmansworth" from the prologue to Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, because I’m dying to hear the question to the answer of life, the universe, and everything.
6: If you had the above book characters over for dinner what would you have to eat?
Homemade lentil soup with mixed veggies and Sriracha sauce. Strawberries for dessert.
7: If you could rid the world of one evil what would it be?
Hypocrisy. We'd all be doing just fine if we actually lived according to the things we believed in.
8: If you could have any animal in the world (and afford it) what would it be?
An octopus. Do you have any idea how smart those things are? They frequently escape from their tanks, crawl across the room, open jars of food, take the food back into their tanks, and then hide the evidence! Why that might make them good pets, I'm not sure. But I definitely want one.
9: If you could replace any actor in a movie because you could do a better job acting what actor would you replace and what movie would it be?
I don't want to put down anyone else's creative work, and I’m no actor, but for my own enjoyment I would have loved to have provided the voice for one of the side-character robots in the pre-Unity classic, WALL-E. That movie rocks!
10: If Swipe was made into a movie what would you want the theme song to be?
I'd probably pick the same music that was used in the Swipe book trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwHV3lgO-PM). I thought that was just right.
11: Tell us a little about yourself.
Like anyone my age, my childhood was cut short by the Total War. When eventually the fighting stopped, I fled to the shadows of Beacon City, where I’ve spent the last fifteen years living without the Mark and hiding from DOME. My name is Evan Angler. But if anyone asks, you know nothing about me. I was never here, and you never interviewed me. I’m in enough trouble already. So are you, if you read Swipe.
12: What did you want to be when you grew up?
There was never really a question of me being anything other than a writer. It’s the thing that makes me happiest, and that’s the way it’s always been.
13: Tell us a little about your book Swipe.
Swipe is the first volume in the chronicles of Logan Langly, Erin Arbitor, and the Dust. It takes place soon after the end of the Total War, in the newly formed American Union. Here, basic rights are only acquired beginning at age 13, once people are mature enough to Pledge allegiance to Chancellor Cylis in exchange for
his Mark of citizenship. But most simply, Swipe is a story about friendship against the odds. It’s a story about a group of boys and girls who come together to do the unthinkable: to stand up for what they believe in.
14: What character was easiest for you to write about?
I think writing is easy or difficult depending largely on how much opportunity there is left for change. As long as the people you are portraying have room to grow, it is easy to write about them. Everyone in Swipe is in for a wild ride, so there’s always been a ton of room for change and growth, and consequently, I’ve enjoyed writing about all of them. That said, I really do love writing the moments with Tyler and Eddie in them. Those two crack me up, and I think deep down they’re great kids. Very compassionate and curious, even if they are troublemakers. All of the scenes portraying the Dust were great fun to write.
15: What character was hardest for you to write about?
Perhaps Peck, just because he is so enigmatic. It was difficult getting to know him at first.
16: What character is most like you?
There is a lot of me in Logan, or at least in the way that I portray him. I watched too many scary movies and read too many scary stories as a kid, so when I was his age, I spent a lot of time being scared in much the same way that Logan is at the beginning of the book. Logan is shy, but he’s a bit of a contradiction. When he
rationalizes things in his own head, or when he thinks through what he is about to do next, he frames it to himself as though he’s the play-it-safe type. But really, in the moments when it counts most, Logan is an enormous risk-taker. If I’m being truthful, those characteristics probably describe me pretty accurately, as well. After all, I chose to write these books. I chose to speak out about the Dust and what they are up to. And DOME certainly isn’t all too happy with me over that.
17: Do you plan to write a sequel to Swipe?
Yes, absolutely! The next book in the Swipe series is called Sneak, and it will be released in September, just a few months from now. Sneak picks up soon after the events of Swipe, and our heroes are in a bit of a tight spot, to put it mildly. All of them are in worse trouble than they’ve ever been, and there’s no easy way to undo the choices they’ve made in Swipe. But Logan has a purpose now. He’s on a mission that’ll take him all the way across the American Union, and he’s determined to see it through, no matter the consequences.
I’m also working on the third book in the Swipe series, and that’ll come out in about a year. But if DOME asks, you didn’t hear anything from me.
18: Do you have any ideas for more books?
Too many to list! But right now I'm focused on Logan and Erin and the chronicles of the Dust, so most of my energy these days is spent on them.
19: What or who was/is your greatest encouragement as an author?
Reading is any author’s greatest encouragement. Great books inspire you to do better; bad books prove that you can.
20: Do you have any favorite sayings?
As Samuel Clemens once wrote, “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”
And that's the end! Take a bow Mr. Angler! You have survived an author interview without DOME finding you! :)
Also, you can order Swipe on Amazon.com: Buy SWIPE
And you can pre-order Sneak on Amazon.com: Pre-order SNEAK
(Let's help tell the poor unsuspecting people of America how bad the Mark really is!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swipe is his first book. But if anyone asks, you know nothing about it, and you didn't hear anything from him. Don't make eye contact if you see him. Don't call his name out loud. He's in enough trouble already.
And so are you , if you've read his book.
Author Interview:
Even though Mr. Angler is busy evading DOME and trying to stay hidden he has decided to come forward and tell us, his devoted fans, a little about himself, although he can be traced online. So it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the brave Mr. Evan Angler himself!!! :)
1: If you had the power to control any of the 4 main elements (air, water, earth, or fire) which would it be? Why?
Very many of the earth's environmental and political problems could be solved if we could just figure out how to control water. Think about it—no more food shortages from droughts, no more deadly hurricanes and floods and tsunamis, no more fighting over land based on water scarcity...billions of lives could be improved and saved. I'd pick water in a heartbeat.
2: If you had the power to go into the past where would you go? Why?
I’d like to go back to the very beginning of the post-Unity period, to the start of the American Union and the year this Mark program was instituted...and I’d like to tell them a thing or two about where it was headed.
3: If you could travel anywhere in the world free of charge and free from harm where would it be?
I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling in the time I’ve spent running from the Department of Marked Emergencies (DOME). I’ve been all over the American Union and even a bit around European Union, so these days, anywhere not under direct DOME surveillance would be fine by me! Someday, I suppose I’d like to visit the area that used to be called Japan.
4: If you could pick your own superhero power what would it be?
I’d like to be able to control time. It really is our most valuable commodity, so even minimal control, like just being able to add a couple hours to the day every once in a while, would be a super awesome superpower.
5: If you could have 3 book characters over to dinner who would you pick?
From the Swipe series, I’ve enjoyed my dinners with Erin, since she’s pretty feisty, and a lot smarter than I am. It’s easy to see why Logan has a bit of a crush on her, though I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell her I said so, as her ego is healthy enough as it is! It’s also always fun to eat with Tyler and Eddie, even though their dinners always seem to end in a food fight.
If I’m picking characters from any book throughout history, I think I’d like to share a meal with 1) Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, to see what kind of trouble we could find, 2) Roald Dahl’s Matilda, since I’d love to know how she figured out telekinesis, or 3) the "one girl sitting on her own in a small cafe in Rickmansworth" from the prologue to Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, because I’m dying to hear the question to the answer of life, the universe, and everything.
6: If you had the above book characters over for dinner what would you have to eat?
Homemade lentil soup with mixed veggies and Sriracha sauce. Strawberries for dessert.
7: If you could rid the world of one evil what would it be?
Hypocrisy. We'd all be doing just fine if we actually lived according to the things we believed in.
8: If you could have any animal in the world (and afford it) what would it be?
An octopus. Do you have any idea how smart those things are? They frequently escape from their tanks, crawl across the room, open jars of food, take the food back into their tanks, and then hide the evidence! Why that might make them good pets, I'm not sure. But I definitely want one.
9: If you could replace any actor in a movie because you could do a better job acting what actor would you replace and what movie would it be?
I don't want to put down anyone else's creative work, and I’m no actor, but for my own enjoyment I would have loved to have provided the voice for one of the side-character robots in the pre-Unity classic, WALL-E. That movie rocks!
10: If Swipe was made into a movie what would you want the theme song to be?
I'd probably pick the same music that was used in the Swipe book trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwHV3lgO-PM). I thought that was just right.
11: Tell us a little about yourself.
Like anyone my age, my childhood was cut short by the Total War. When eventually the fighting stopped, I fled to the shadows of Beacon City, where I’ve spent the last fifteen years living without the Mark and hiding from DOME. My name is Evan Angler. But if anyone asks, you know nothing about me. I was never here, and you never interviewed me. I’m in enough trouble already. So are you, if you read Swipe.
12: What did you want to be when you grew up?
There was never really a question of me being anything other than a writer. It’s the thing that makes me happiest, and that’s the way it’s always been.
13: Tell us a little about your book Swipe.
Swipe is the first volume in the chronicles of Logan Langly, Erin Arbitor, and the Dust. It takes place soon after the end of the Total War, in the newly formed American Union. Here, basic rights are only acquired beginning at age 13, once people are mature enough to Pledge allegiance to Chancellor Cylis in exchange for
his Mark of citizenship. But most simply, Swipe is a story about friendship against the odds. It’s a story about a group of boys and girls who come together to do the unthinkable: to stand up for what they believe in.
14: What character was easiest for you to write about?
I think writing is easy or difficult depending largely on how much opportunity there is left for change. As long as the people you are portraying have room to grow, it is easy to write about them. Everyone in Swipe is in for a wild ride, so there’s always been a ton of room for change and growth, and consequently, I’ve enjoyed writing about all of them. That said, I really do love writing the moments with Tyler and Eddie in them. Those two crack me up, and I think deep down they’re great kids. Very compassionate and curious, even if they are troublemakers. All of the scenes portraying the Dust were great fun to write.
15: What character was hardest for you to write about?
Perhaps Peck, just because he is so enigmatic. It was difficult getting to know him at first.
16: What character is most like you?
There is a lot of me in Logan, or at least in the way that I portray him. I watched too many scary movies and read too many scary stories as a kid, so when I was his age, I spent a lot of time being scared in much the same way that Logan is at the beginning of the book. Logan is shy, but he’s a bit of a contradiction. When he
rationalizes things in his own head, or when he thinks through what he is about to do next, he frames it to himself as though he’s the play-it-safe type. But really, in the moments when it counts most, Logan is an enormous risk-taker. If I’m being truthful, those characteristics probably describe me pretty accurately, as well. After all, I chose to write these books. I chose to speak out about the Dust and what they are up to. And DOME certainly isn’t all too happy with me over that.
17: Do you plan to write a sequel to Swipe?
Yes, absolutely! The next book in the Swipe series is called Sneak, and it will be released in September, just a few months from now. Sneak picks up soon after the events of Swipe, and our heroes are in a bit of a tight spot, to put it mildly. All of them are in worse trouble than they’ve ever been, and there’s no easy way to undo the choices they’ve made in Swipe. But Logan has a purpose now. He’s on a mission that’ll take him all the way across the American Union, and he’s determined to see it through, no matter the consequences.
I’m also working on the third book in the Swipe series, and that’ll come out in about a year. But if DOME asks, you didn’t hear anything from me.
18: Do you have any ideas for more books?
Too many to list! But right now I'm focused on Logan and Erin and the chronicles of the Dust, so most of my energy these days is spent on them.
19: What or who was/is your greatest encouragement as an author?
Reading is any author’s greatest encouragement. Great books inspire you to do better; bad books prove that you can.
20: Do you have any favorite sayings?
As Samuel Clemens once wrote, “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”
And that's the end! Take a bow Mr. Angler! You have survived an author interview without DOME finding you! :)
Also, you can order Swipe on Amazon.com: Buy SWIPE
And you can pre-order Sneak on Amazon.com: Pre-order SNEAK
(Let's help tell the poor unsuspecting people of America how bad the Mark really is!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And here's the other wonderful bloggers participating in this tour:
- ADD Librarian
- Blooming with Books
- The Book Fae
- Book Nook 4 You
- Bookworm Reading
- Books I Recommend
- Christian Book Review Blog
- CTF Devourer
- Fiction Fire
- Jill Williamson
- Labor Not In Vain
- The Maniacal Bookworm
- My Story Shelf
- Oh, Restless Bird
- The Pen and The Parchment
- Reviews by Jane
- Shadow Writer World
Nicely done review. ;-) And of course I loved reading through the interview with Evan Angler himself. I just love how secretive and shadowed he is...adds so much more suspense to his wild literary imaginings, don't you agree?
ReplyDeleteI do agree! :) It made me want to read the book again.... :)
DeleteGood review. The interview so enjoyable too so thanks for sharing it. I know what you mean about clean. I can rarly pick up a book that isn't from a Christian publisher without being on guard for objectionable stuff. It really stinks so I'm glad there are good, clean books that support me faith.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad that authors nowdays think they need to put 'bad' stuff in their books to sell more copies. Even Christian authors are doing it. :(
DeleteGlad you liked it. Great interview:)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D
DeleteGreat Interview! Thanks! I would love to see more of DOME in future books. Maybe an agent that becomes convinced that DOME is bad and becomes an "Inside Man?" Just a thought :-)
ReplyDeleteThat would be really cool! I hope that happens now. :) I was so bummed that Erin didn't agree with Logan at the end....
DeleteGreat review and interview! I want to go to that lunch with Evan, Matilda, Tom, and the one girl sitting on her own. I think that would be a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd I totally agree that this book rocked! And that it was clean and a great read for all ages!
Thank you! I really enjoyed your post about it too! :D
Delete