The Take-Us [Hardcover]

John R. Takacs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

John Christenson, a man with an idea, modifies an automobile so that it can run without gasoline--instead, it generates its own motive power as it travels down the road. His invention could quickly and profoundly change the world's power structures by ending U.S. enslavement to oil.

John's plan, developed with the help of a beautiful TV reporter, Leena Delaney, is to drive the auto from New York City to San Francisco without using gasoline, and broadcast the trip on live national television.

The plan is simple but difficult to finish in a world where the value of life is nothing compared to the billions of dollars of income from oil that will be lost if John and Leena have a successful trip. Countries and corporations alike try to kill John and Leena and destroy their amazing auto.

With danger threatening them from all sides, John and Leena fight their way through almost constant ambushes as they fall more deeply in love in this fast-paced story that concludes in San Francisco with an explosive and unexpected finish.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Raymond Takacs is an inventor, adventurer and avid outdoor enthusiast. He served with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam and was awarded a purple heart for injuries received in combat. He resides on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 303 pages
• Publisher: Age Publishing Company (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981857108
• ISBN-13: 978-0981857107
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,151,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take-Us for a ride in the car car, July 7, 2009

By 

Joyce Faulkner (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Take-Us (Hardcover)

Vietnam vet John Christenson is fed up with the price of gasoline. He has invented an electric car that not only doesn't need to refuel, but generates more energy as it's driven. Obviously, this isn't something that pleases our enemies in the oil producing countries. John and FOX newswoman Leena Delaney drive the car, known as a "Take-Us," from New York City to San Francisco to show that the vehicle can do what Christenson claims. Terrorist cells, hidden in plain sight for years, are sent to stop the Take-Us and its inventor from achieving their destinies.

This book is one of those little gems that pop up from time to time. It's clever and entertaining and thought-provoking. It's based on that time-honored writer's device - "What if?" What if there was a car that didn't need to be refueled - ever? What if it was so efficient that you could use it to provide electricity for your home? What if it was available to everyone - around the world? What if there was a man so honorable and inventive that he could find a way to make all of that possible? How would that change us? Would we relate to each other differently if we weren't forced to compete for scarce resources?

The author never really explains the details of how the Take-Us works - but he gives enough hints to make the device seem plausible. He surrounds the protagonist with oodles of Americana goodness and evil but inept bad guys of the radical middle-eastern variety - that's what makes this romp read like a geeky-batman adventure. You just KNOW that things are going to turn out okay and you get a kick out of how the hero gets himself into and out of trouble along the way. In the end, like a great Hitchcock flick, all the pieces come together like a jig-saw puzzle of the good old U.S of A.

After all of that fun stuff, it's important to point out that this book has a provocative philosophical underpinning. On the one hand, Takacs explores the innate goodness of human beings - working together to solve common problems, reaching out to each other for support and comfort. Christenson's name is no accident. The tale is a re-telling of an older truth - talent brings with it responsibility, ability requires action on behalf of those without it. One must love in order to know how to love. On the other hand, the author replays the old battle between good and evil - which of course, depends on the most primeval issues of all.

This is a book that just about anyone would enjoy. It's filled with enough BAM/POW/THWOP action to appeal to the teenage boy lingering in our souls. It would take all the Scrabble pieces to name the government agencies involved. There are spies and lies and secrets galore. There's danger lurking and love not quite made. It's got a moral perspective that is intriguing enough for a Sunday School sermon - and for us nerds, there's enough technical machinations to channel our inner Ben Franklin. Highly recommended!
[...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Take-Us Away, November 19, 2008

By 

Bobbi Rightmyer "brightmyer249" (Harrodsburg, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Take-Us (Hardcover)

This book is about John Christenson, an ingenious man who was able to build a car that generates its own power and uses no gas - just what we need in this day and age! His invention - called the Take-Us - could be the next big thing for the United States and be the first big step in cutting our dependency on foreign oil.

John teams up with Leena Delaney - a TV reporter - and together they plan a nation wide promotion of this wonderful car. They plan to drive the car from New York to San Francisco without any gas, and they will televise their progress.

But, greed being what it is, this simple trip across the country turns into a life or death situation as the large oil corporations from around the world plan to destroy, not only the car, but the brilliant mind behind the invention.

This book is action packed as John and Leena try to maneuver ambushes and pitfalls around every corner. Of course, an action book would not be complete without romance and this unstoppable team of two fall in love.

I was amazed at the twists and turns this book took, and not just the expanded road trip. Futuristic in natural, but dealing with relevant issues, this is a good book for fictionalizing the problems in today's society. I recommend this book to anyone who believes, "Yes we can."