Begin Again (Remnants No. 14) by Katherine Applegate

Begin Again by Katherine Applegate


From the Publisher
The end of the world has come and gone, leaving only ruins, and the Remnants. This is the final chapter in their saga. The Remnants, Marauders, and Alphas are being summoned by the Source. Unsure of the future, and weary from the past, the group travels.But not everyone trusts the power and promise of the Source. Can it truly bring life back to planet Earth? Will the Remnants survive to tell the tale of the Rock--the times before and the times after? Only the Source knows if the universe will end, or begin again. All will be revealed.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great ending to the story of the Remnants. I was a little concerned that I would not be happy with the ending, but it all came together and ended in a good way. All in all a great series and a fun read.


View all my reviews.

Survival (Remnants #13) by KA Applegate

From the Publisher
Tate is fighting for her life. Honey, Duncan and Charlie are mysteriously transforming into slime creatures and they are desperate to "recycle" all of the living cells -- into their own bodies. But Tate has something Honey wants even more than cells. She'll manage to save her life by forging a strange alliance with these creatures. Tate is haunted by a strange reoccurring dream of the renewed Earth. Do the dreams mean Tate can use the powerful ship to undo the devastation caused by the Rock?

My Opinion
In this book we follow Tate as she is left alone on Mother when Yago and the Trioke take over and leave the other Remnants stranded on a destroyed Earth. Very interesting chapter and I can not wait to see how it all ends in the last book.

Dream Storm (Remnants, Book 11) by K.A. Applegate

Synopsis
Be careful what you wish for. After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, the Remnants are back on Earth---for better or worse. Yago has taken control of Mother and stranded the Remnants along with their ruthless enemies the Riders and Meanies to keep them company. Meanwhile, Jobs discovers that Earth has some ‘remnants’ of its own humans who don’t know any world other than the new Earth. Will the survivors of the Rock help the remaining Remnants? Or does a new enemy lurk on the horizon?

My Opinion
Yet another great chapter in the life of the Remnants. The Remnants have been abandoned by Yago on a hostile and sterile Earth. With no food or water and little hope of survival they explore their new world. When Edward discovers humans descending underground the Remnants decide to follow to get away from a very strange Dream Storm. They soon discover that life has indeed survived on Earth over the last 500 years. But exactly what kind of life and can they learn to survive as well?

Looking forward to the next chapter!!

Lost and Found (Remnants, Book 10) by Katherine Applegate

From the Publisher
It’s been 90 days since the Remnants broke the Big Compromise, turning Mother from her course. Now they’ve arrived at the place they called home...500 years ago. But a lot can change in five centuries. Earth has been transformed into a wasteland of ash and debris. And if that isn’t bad enough, while the rest of the Remnants pull together to survive, Yago is slowly pulling away --- concocting a plan to rise to power. With only 13 Remnants remaining, failure could mean the end of the human race...

My Opinion
So the Remnants have decided to return to Earth. When they finally make it there and discover that the planet was damaged too badly to have allowed life to continue they are disappointed. But Jobs won't give up hope.

Another good chapter in the life of the Remnants and I am looking forward to reading the finale as the Remnants return to a very different planet Earth.

No Place Like Home (Remnants, Book 9) by K.A. Applegate

Synopsis
The Remnants are on a mission to promote peace but the Blue Meanies have created a horrifying weapon, and the peacemakers are in grave danger. Yago's plan to rule has finally taken form, and promises death and destruction to everyone in the Zone. How does all this tie into the disturbing appearance of a stranger? Who is he? Can he be trusted? And what about Violet? The secret she hides may be a clue to the evolution of the human race. Secrets will be revealed as devious plots unfold. The fuure of the Remnants hangs in the balance. Can Billy save them? Can he even save himself?

My Opinion
Another wonderful chapter in the life of the Remnants. In this book, the Remnants have decided to head towards Earth, even though they are not sure what they will find when they get there, and it means breaking the Treaty with the other ship's tenants.

We meet a new Remnant, friend or foe, we don't find out till the end of the book. We also learn about some new mutations that our original Remnants have been hiding.

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Mother, May I? (Remnants #8) by K.A. Applegate

Synopsis
Job has found the Remnants' unbelievable virtual reality in the sky---could it be the Earth? With the defeat of the Babyr, Billy has secured his role as master-programmer and absorbed Mother in the process. If Jobs has really found the Earth, can Billy be convinced to alter the ship's course? Meanwhile, Yago puts his plan in motion to rule the Meanies as their god--what does this mean for the future safety of the Remnants? How will Yago's ambitions clash with Jobs' search for a new home for the Remnants? Courses will change for the ship, for the Remnants, and the future of humankind.

My Opinion
Another good chapter in the story of the Remnants. The Synopsis pretty much covers what happens. Some of the Remnants are content to live on the ship with the recreated neighborhood that Billy has created for them. But some, like Jobs, want to go back home to Earth and this book starts their journey home to an Earth that was broken in pieces 500 years before.

Isolation (Remnants #7) by K.A. Applegate

Synopsis
Three groups race to gain control of the ship and Mother--the ship’s power source and the Remnants’ only chance to create a new Earth. It’s a race against the clock, each other, and forces beyond human comprehension. . . it’s a race the humans may not be capable of winning. And it all leads to the ultimate face-off between Billy and the Baby’s true form. Will the Baby prove indestructible? Will Billy be able to tap hidden powers? Their conflict rushes toward an end so finite, so unbelievable, weapons will be dropped in awe, fighting will cease for a time. . . and new enemies will emerge.

My Opinion
A lot more action in this book than in the last.

All of the aliens; the blue meanies, the riders, the squid, launch into all out war over control of the bridge and ultimately Mother. The Baby, who has been a bit of a mystery until now, shows himself for what he really is and Billy gets pulled into the final battle for Mother.

I think this book is the turning point for this series. We learn a lot in this book about the different alien species and Mother. The battle for control is over and now we get to see how that power is used.

Breakdown (Remnants, 6) by K.A. Applegate

Synopsis
As Billy continues his mysterious encounter with the ship's powerful core, known as Mother, he begins to form a strange connection with her. Mother has generated the Remants' surroundings and she is lonely after centuries of isolation. But when Mother delves into the depths of Yago's sinister mind, a strange computer-generated battle pits Yago and an army of Civil War soldiers against the Blue Meanies. Will Yago sell the Remnants out to Mother? And when the Baby's true identity is revealed, can the possibility of a new Earth be far off?

My Opinion
It has been a little while since I read #5 in this series, but I was really looking forward to getting back to it.

This book was okay. Not a lot of action. We did get a closer look at the Blue Meanies (Children) who showed up at about the same time that the Remnants were rescued by Mother. We get a better understanding of what Mother is and what is happening.

The Remnants come together to battle the Blue Meanies, but by the end of the book they have again divided into two distinct groups, 2Faces' group and Yago's group.

Looking forward to reading the rest of this series to see how it all comes out.

Mutation by K.A. Applegate

Remnants Series #5)

Synopsis
Caught in the depths of their strange new world, Mo' Steel and Billy Weir encounter a lost Remnant, Kubric DiSalvo. Unfortunately, the ship has transformed him, replacing his skin with a transparent plastic coating. Scared and awed by the ship's vicious power, the group tries to rejoin heir friends. Meanwhile, the other Remnants are in danger in another stratum of the ship: Yago and Jobs are stuck in a computer-generated sea battle. When the groups meet, Billy finds he can communicate with the ship's core. Will his strange past help him to understand ­ or even control ­ the ship in time to save everyone?

My Opinion
Another wonderful chapter in the life of the Remnants. Billy and Mo are separated from the rest of the group when Billy goes overboard and Mo jumps in to save him. With his special abilities Billy is able to save himself and Mo long enough for the ship to suck them into what appears to be another part of the ship. Here they meet another Remnant and his father.

While this newly formed group becomes acquainted the others are stuck in a node where they are in a battle for their lives. A losing battle. Lucky for them, Billy and Mo discover a way for Billy to interact with Mother, the computer controlling the ship that they are on. But Mother does not like Billy trying to take over and starts a battle of her own with him.

When we leave this book, Billy and Mother have agreed upon a form of cease fire while they take stock of each other. We are left with a ton of questions and I can not wait to read the next book in the series. Sadly I do not have it and will have to try to get my hands on it sooner rather than later.

Love this series!!!

Nowhere Land by K.A. Applegate

Remnants #4

Synopsis
There's a reason for the strange environment of the world the Remnants have landed on. It's not a real world at all. It's a ship and the ship's landscape is computer generated. Technically enhanced. And when the group finds a power node, a green-glowing cone that's racing with electricity, they realize that they too can be in control of their bizarre surroundings.

My Opinion
Well this was another interesting chapter in the Remnants series. The survivors are exploring the ship that they have found themselves on. They encounter a nightmare world full of horrors that only a sick mind could create. They befriend one of the Blue Meanies and get more of an understanding of what is happening in the battle between these aliens and the Riders who are trying to kill the survivors.

I am sad that this is the last book in the series that I currently have. I am going to go on a hunt for the rest of the series and I have really enjoyed it so far.

Them by Katherine Applegate

Remnants #3

Synopsis
Of the Eighty people chosen to escape Earth's destruction, only a handful survived. And those that made the five-hundred-year trip through time have not emerged unscathed. They've landed among the truly bizarre, and it is now time to confront their strange new reality. Despite the enemies they know are out there, Jobs's and Mo'Steel's group venture out to explore, and soon discover what looks like a recreation of the Tower of Babel. Within the tower, they find an alien creature – wounded, but a potential threat nonetheless. Still, they decide to follow it deeper into the tower in an effort to unlock its secrets.

My Opinion
In this third book of the series the group of survivors sets out to explore the new world they have landed on. Soon after the set out they discover that this is not a planet, but a ship. A ship large enough to hold worlds, that seems to be controlled by a super computer who is using their own data stores from Earth to create an environment for the survivors, based on artwork. But the artwork it chooses is a combination of artists who created paintings of atrocities that only a crazed mind could create.

What was one group of survivors becomes two separate factions. The normal group and the misfits. Who fits where is slowly determined by emerging mutations and each individuals desire or resistance to follow the self appointed leaders. Jobs, Mo-Steel, Olga (Mo-Steel's mom), Violet and Billy Weir form one group. The others form another, although some do not fit in as well as others. Tamara, who was pregnant when the shuttle took off from Earth, and her 'baby' that was born while the others were in hibernation, seem to be an entity of their own. 2Face who is taking care of Jobs younger brother Edward, finds herself fighting for her very life when the baby demands a human sacrifice. And Edward seems to have developed a mutation to camouflage himself that is becoming evident to the rest of the group.

While these two separate groups battle demons straight from the crazed mind of a long dead artist from Earth, as well as the every present Riders, they make startling discoveries about the ship that they are on and wonder if they can indeed survive.

Destination Unknown K.A. Applegate

Remnants #2

My Opinion
In this second book of the Remnant series the survivors of the destruction of Earth wake up from what they discover is a 500 year hibernation only to discover that while the new hibernation technology worked for some, others were not so lucky. Out of the 80 survivors less than 1/3 of them wake up from their long journey to discover that the world they have landed on, while able to support human life, is not very friendly towards it.

Jobs and his younger brother wake up to find that both of their parents have failed to survive the journey. Mo-Steel and his mother wake up but his father does not. As the survivors come to grips with the fact that there are very few of the remaining humans left alive they begin to explore the world they have landed on. Thanks to one survivor, Violet, they discover that the environment that they find themselves in is a mishmash of artwork that was added to the memory banks of the shuttle when it left Earth. It seems that someone has attempted to make the survivors feel at home, while not understanding the data that they have discovered. On top of the strange environment the survivors encounter Riders, a strange alien life form who attack and kill one of the survivors without provocation. As the survivors struggle for their survival they explore this strange new world that they now have to call home.

The Mayflower Project by Katherine A. Applegate

Remnants, No 1

Synopsis
The end of the world. Not something most people think about. Not something we even expect to ever really happen. But what if you found out an asteroid the size of New Jersey were about to collide with the earth? What would you do? t's the year 2011, and that's the question Jobs is asking himself. The question he asked his family. He certainly didn't expect the answer he got. Didn't expect that in a very short time he and his family would be some of the lucky few selected to board a revamped space shuttle... A shuttle that would leave Earth just before the asteroid destroys it. But there are a couple of catches: The shuttle has no ultimate destination; and all those aboard will be placed in a state of suspended animation---indefinitely. Or at least until the computers find a habitable planet for them to live.

My Opinion
I picked up the first 4 books in this series because I absolutely loved Applegate's Everworld series. So I thought I would try this one as well. I love sci-fi and like to read 'end of the world' books so this sounded right up my alley. I decided to go ahead and start the series even though I only have the first 4 and there are a total of 14, because my dd read this book and said that she did not care for it.

I am currently on #4 and all I can say is 'Waaahhhhaaaa!! I don't have anymore of the series yet!'

I love this series!

In this first book we meet the main characters, Jobs, Mo-steel, 2Face and others as they discover that Earth is doomed by a huge asteroid that will hit in less than 2 weeks. The only plan to save humanity is a quickly thrown together hope of survival for a select few called 'The Mayflower Project'. What is essentially a refurbished old shuttle with a bunch of as yet untested technology quickly added on. The hope is that the 80 chosen will be able to launch into space prior to the asteroid strike and use a new hibernation technology to travel in space in search of a planet that can support this ragtag remainder of humanity.

The chosen are folks who work for or have contacts with NASA and their families, so while there is an intersting mix of people, it is nothing like a group you would expect to be formed when they are to be the only humans left alive.

Jobs-- a 14 year old techie, and his best friend, Mo-Steel, an adrenaline junkie are the main characters in the story. We follow them from the first discovery of the impending dome of the planet Earth to the final moments of Earth's existence as witnessed by Jobs and Mo-Steel as they are floating in space attempting to repair the solar sails on the shuttle so that the shuttle can begin it's journey to the unknown. The ride from the discovery of the asteroid to the moment of the destruction of Earth is a roller coaster that you don't want to get off.