Sulan, Episode 1: The League [Kindle Edition]

Camille Picott (Author)

Book Description

Sixteen-year-old Sulan Hom can’t remember life before the Default -- the day the United States government declared bankruptcy. As a math prodigy, she leads a protected life, kept safe from the hunger and crime plaguing the streets of America. She attends the corporate-sponsored Virtual High School, an academy in Vex (Virtual Experience) for gifted children.

Beyond the security of Sulan’s high-tech world, the Anti-American League wages a guerrilla war against the United States. Their leader, Imugi, is dedicated to undermining the nation’s reconstruction attempts. He attacks anything considered a national resource, including corporations, food storage facilities -- and schools. When Sulan witnesses the public execution of a teenage student and the bombing of a college dorm, she panics.

Her mother, a retired mercenary, refuses to teach her how to defend herself. Sulan takes matters into her own hands. With the help of her hacker best friend, Hank, Sulan acquires Touch -- an illegal Vex technology that allows her to share the physical experience of her avatar. With Touch, Sulan defies her mother and trains herself to fight.

When Imugi unleashes a new attack on the United States, Sulan finds herself caught in his net. Will her Vex training be enough to help her survive and escape?

This is a young adult dystopia/cyberpunk novel.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Camille Picott has been writing books since the age of twelve. She specializes in science fiction and fantasy stories with Asian-inspired settings and Asian main characters. She is the author of two middle-grade fantasy books, Raggedy Chan and Nine-Tail Fox. In her spare time, Camille loves to read books and write reviews. Her reviews are written from a writer’s perspective, highlighting various aspects of craft found in the books she reads. To visit Camille, learn more about her writing, and read her book reviews, go to www.camillepicott.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 323 KB
• Print Length: 298 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1477631070
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Pixiu Press (June 4, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0088ULYL8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,738 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #93 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Asian

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced, smart YA read June 10, 2012

By AliBird

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a smart book, combining cyber-punk elements with a dystopian future. I am not going to tell you about the plot--I think the blurb fills that in better than I could :)
Sulan reminds me a lot of most teens I know; smart enough to think they've figured out the perfect future for themselves but not necessarily aware of the bigger picture. The difference is that she's living in a world where any misstep could lead to death. Because her parents work for the corporation-in-charge, they can afford safety...to some extent. So most of her experiences in the "world" come through virtual experience.
Sulan and her peers have fairly typical concerns, but they're juxtaposed with the far bigger problems like life-and-death. They feel real and hopeful in a world that offers very little hope. I really enjoyed Picott's world-building and hope for a sequel to fill out the pieces we get.
This is a fast-paced, smart young adult read that I think anyone interested in teen, dystopian, or cyber lit will enjoy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging YA June 29, 2012

By M. G. Alves Jr.

Format:Kindle Edition

I don't normally read YA but Sulan is a real gem. The story focuses around Sulan Hom, a math prodigy who wants nothing to do with her natural academic abilities but instead dreams of a future as a mercenary. Not physically gifted for a mercenary life, Sulan must strive throughout the book to bolster her fighting skills by sneaking in training sessions in Vex, the virtual reality world where most citizens spend their days. All the while, however, she must hide her secret mercenary life while underachieving an average yet acceptable academic standing. An assortment of supporting characters adds to the story and offers the reader an interesting array of personalities to move the story along. But there's far more to the story than that, and Sulan and her friends must eventually fight for their lives against the League. Overall, the story was well told while the first person, present perspective adds a unique element, making the reader feel as if they are taking each step with Sulan. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute page-turner June 12, 2012

By Arlene Ang

Format:Kindle Edition

I'm not a huge fan of cyberpunk, but Picott's highly entertaining and witty YA novel completely won me over. Every chapter springs its own surprise and ends with a perfect cliffhanger that won't let you put the book down. Sulan's character is also a real gem. Her tenacity in the face of adverse circumstances -- from being vertically challenged to dealing with villains -- makes you root for her every step of the way.

More About the Author

Camille Picott is a fifth-generation Chinese American. She writes science fiction and fantasy books with Asian characters and/or Asian settings. Camille grew up reading speculative fiction stories largely devoid of Asian characters and culture. This, coupled with a passion for her heritage, is the reason she strives to bring some aspect of Eastern myth, legend, culture, and ethnicity to all of her writings.