Craves The Angst: REVIEW - EARTHMAN JACK vs. THE GHOST PLANET (The Earthman Jack Space Saga #1) by Matthew Kadish:

TITLE: Earthman Jack vs. The Ghost Planet
SERIES: The Earthman Jack Space Saga
SERIES PLACEMENT: #1
AUTHOR: Matthew Kadish
AGE GROUP: Young Adult
GENRE: Sci-fi/Fantasy/Romance
RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2013
PUBLISHED BY: SPA
FORMAT: eBook and Paperback
PRINTED PAGES: Approx. 665

COPY PROVIDED BY: Author
MY GOODREADS REVIEW LINK
RATING: ★★★★★

BOOK BLURB:
Jack Finnegan only has to worry about dealing with school bullies, suffering through detention with his homeroom teacher, and getting noticed by the girl of his dreams... at least until an army of evil aliens invade Earth. Suddenly, this teenage slacker finds himself at the center of a galaxy-spanning conflict - where the lives of everyone on the planet are in jeopardy, soldiers use Quantum Physics to become superheroes, and the enemy uses some mysterious form of magic to make themselves practically unstoppable.

The secret to ending the conflict and saving the universe may lie in a powerful ancient spaceship, which it seems can only be flown by Earthmen. Now, Jack and a rag-tag group of allies must overcome impossible odds, defeat an unkillable enemy, rescue the princess of the galaxy, and save the universe from a threat more terrifying than any it has ever faced.

Can this underachiever rise to the occasion and become the hero Earth needs? The fate of all life in the galaxy may rest in his hands.

REVIEWERS NOTE: I was graciously gifted this copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

5 Outstanding, Out-Of-This-World Stars!

Storytelling At It’s Best! I Loved This Action-Packed Adventure From Beginning To End!

The Review:

First, let me say, this is not my typical reading genre. Admittedly, I’m somewhat of a geek. I love watching movies and tv shows in the sci-fi genre and I love awesome cool aliens and space travel type action but I don’t normally read it. I’m usually turned off by the overly scientific terminology, or the “contraterrene” this and the “superluminal” that so I dont read it much. However, this book? It was so much fun and flowed so well that when I hit the end of 665 printed pages, I felt like no time had passed at all. I already have plans for a re-read! It’s without a doubt one of the best YA book I’ve ever read and if all fantasy/sci-fi reads were like this one, I’d read nothing but that genre!

Story...

Jack Finnegan is your average teenage boy. He comes from a normal, if not impoverished life, he’s an only child in a single parent household and he likes the prettiest girl in school for which he knows he doesn't stand a chance in all the universe of hooking up with, let alone to actually form complete sentences around. He’s of average intelligence, average looks and he loves spending his time playing video games. Some might even consider him a slacker.

But one heroic decision and one massive event takes his life from ordinary to extraordinary.

If Jacks small Earthly life had one arch nemesis, it’s definitely the school bully J.C. and his band of hooligans who he tries his best to ignore. But when the day comes where J.C. starts harassing the girl he’s been crushing on all school year, it’s time to take action. Jack intervenes and that one moment changes everything. A quick, if somewhat limited friendship forms between Anna and Jack but Anna’s not like other girls. And when an alien invasion happens on Jack and Anna’s first night out, Jack gets caught up in way more than he ever expected.

Mammoth flying ships, space travel, evil alien hostels, explosions, a gargantuan swarm of “eat anything” space bugs, kidnappings, death, loss, shocking and painful events, one cranky robot, a life stealing ghost planet, enemies, fun, adventure... unexpected friendships.. this book has it all. From the first page to the last, Earthman Jack is one thrilling, entertaining, harrowing calamity after another.

This book is filled with lots of action to keep your mind moving, enough romance to make you smile, enough angsts to keep your heart invested and a lot of snarky back-talk to amuse you as Earth and Jack get caught up in a war between an army of evil aliens and the protectors of the universe. Everyone is in danger from the Deathlords, who want to eradicate the universe from all they claim unworthy of existence, which unfortunately, includes everyone and everything except them.

Characters...

I really found myself attached to each of the characters. They were all wonderful in their own way and even though some were not from “this planet”, they were totally relatable.

Jack quickly became one of my all time favorite YA hero’s. This fifteen year old was full of life and courage. There was literally nothing about him I disliked. From his quippy one liners to the real emotions he invoked in me while he suffered through tragedy or found joy in the little things like riding around in a spaceship or seeing a new breed of alien for the first time, I experienced his fear, struggle and excitement through the fantastic writing. He never gave up, never backed down! He has a whole slew of new experiences to deal with and he takes them in stride. Jack has to endure some pretty horrific things on his quest and as he’s the only one left to command the single, most powerful alien ship thats the only thing standing between the wicked Deathlords and total universal annihilation, he has to find his strength and be the hero he never knew he could be.

In the Band...

The author creates a surprising but phenomenal band of daredevil's to delight us with and though not all make it to the end, they all inspire and bring a most entertaining, brighter light to the canvas which is confirmation of this authors incredible talent to tell a story and make you fall in love with his characters.

The fearless princess, the valiant defender, the brainy scientist, the indestructible warrior, the testy swashbuckler and of course the maniacal evil genius. Though these are the main characters in the story, there is a whole collection of red shirts we get the pleasure of meeting and each and every one of them are sui generis! I loved them all and what they brought to the story.

The Wrap Up:

In two words.. Earthman Jack is EPICALLY BRILLIANT! I actually experience an emotional high when I was done reading this book. From the first page I was totally sucked in. I’m in my thirties and though this book is in the young adult genre, anyone of any age can find enjoyment while reading it. It has everything you could possibly want in an adventure. And with the impressive writing that just flowed from one page to the next, the non-stop action through all three “episodes”, the sweet little romance blossoming between Jack and Anna, the angst while experiencing all the loss the characters endure and the amazing and interesting friendships that are formed, this book is a must read. It embodies everything I loved from my childhood in this genre and as familiar as it was, it was also unique and had me cheering from my readers chair!

And the best part? There’s a second book on it’s way. I can’t wait!