Customer Reviews

Uprising (The Fall of Haven)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am about 1/2 way through the book and though I usually wait till the end to review a book, I felt the need to review this book now. I am really enjoying the book and think its one of the best I had read in a long time. I didn't pick it up here at Amazon and my copy was free but I am buying a copy here because the author deserves to be paid for such an entertaining novel and at $0.99 its a steal.Its so hard to find a a really good read that I feel obligated to pay for something that entertains me so well.Besides where else can I get great entertainment for less than a dollar :)

Haven has a feel similar to Orwell or Huxley as far as the storyline and writing style in my opinion and it is well though out and well written.

The characters are believable and not cardboard 2 dimensional beings.I find myself rooting for or hating characters which I rarely find novels are able to do for me.I like strong female characters and this book definitely has one in Kaylee. She is tough but likeable and knows how to take care of herself but shows moments of doubt and weakness which makes her very believable.

Its hard for me to find books that suck me in so completely but this one definitely has. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Sci/Fi with a hint of social commentary. It is well worth the price and I look forward to reading more by Justin K.

I would have given it 5 stars but there are several typos and editing could be better. The typos not completely distracting as the mistakes are few but they are there and the editing could have been better.

Let me state first that this story has all the elements I love in fiction: A futuristic civilization torn apart by class wars, revolution, retribution, betrayal, a golden hope for a better future, and guns. Lots of guns. I'm sure others have written synopses in their reviews, so I'll skip that and say that I like the story line quite a bit. However, there's far too much detracting from the story to have made it enjoyable for me. Specifically: 1) This book is way too long. A large number of scenes could be shortened or omitted altogether without affecting the plot at all. I'd say a cut of at least 35% would be in order. 2) Are you a better copy editor than a fifth-grader? Neither is whoever edited this book! Every single page contains typos, doubled words, missing words, misspellings ("lead" for "led" and "phase" for "faze," to scrape the surface), and syntax errors galore. I'm used to forgiving occasional errors in e-books, but this was beyond the "pail." 3) I stored in my memory pages of dialogue among minor characters, convinced that they would have some impact on the plot resolution later, but they didn't at all. They added nothing to the story except clumsiness and bulk. 4) The resolution itself feels empty and hollow after such a long slog -- unsatisfying is an understatement.

This writer has a good imagination, and coming up with original story lines hard to do. If the scenes had been limited to just what moves the plot along and if the mechanics had been paid any attention, this could have been a winner.

I'm a fairly new fan to dystopian fiction. In Haven by Justin Kemppainen "No action is without consequence". This couldn't be truer for Kaylee who is caught in the middle of a war that is brewing between the Citizens and Elijah, the slumlord king.

In this post-apocalyptic nightmare, it is truly a struggle to survive unless you are a Citizen. If you are a Citizen you are well-fed, well-sheltered, well-clothed and healthy. To be a Citizen is to live separate from the filthy and downtrodden, the disease ridden and the poor. To not be a Citizen is to fight to survive. Danger lurks around every corner in many guises; murder, starvation, disease, exposure to elements and lack of basic necessities.

The struggle between classes is reminiscent of times past and present; a different setting, certainly, but it smacks of the same prejudice that has always existed whether it be racial, social etc... of course, In Haven it is much more extreme.I like the way the author integrated it into the dystopian setting where people are starving, being kidnapped and `reprogrammed' in order to serve the elite. It is a compelling book and very well written.

I look forward to more works from Mr. Kemppainen. I'm not sure if there is a sequel in the works or not. If so, I'll definitely read it or anything else he writes.

When I got my new Kindle I was searching around for free amazon.com books to test out my new toy. I wanted some fluff, something to read under a maple tree in the grass on those sunny summer days, and this book looked like it fit the bill. With low expectations I began reading (it is free after all). To my surprise I found that Kemppainen had put some thought into this story. It's fast paced and interesting, a book you don't want to put down because there's never a slow spot. He develops caricatures that I cared about and a world that was a mixture of his suggestions and my assumptions. This is one of those stories where you see the action in your head as you read and wonder afterwards whether Kemppainen told you the building looked like that or if you put it together yourself. He never gets lost in the details but focuses his attention right where it needs to be, giving us just enough rope.

Not only is the story fast paced but it is multidimensional. This isn't just the story of one caricature but the interwoven stories of many residing within a world which takes on its own life and feel as we see it through different lenses. Kemppainen also manages to give us some mystery. Throughout the book I knew something was missing, it's just around the corner and I turned each page hoping to find it in the next paragraph. Like any good mystery we aren't just strung along until the last page but given crumbs that lead us to the author's pay off.

This is not Isaac Asimov, with his deep and complex worlds which challenge today's social orders. It is a fun and exciting futuristic (but not space shippy) read that walks the narrow line between light reading and good old fashioned fun. There are books that you read because they are classics and expand your mind and then there are books you read because they make you feel good. This is a fun feel good book.

This is great sci-fi, the emphasis is on the characters and the story rather than the science but it keeps away from soap opera.

The characters are interesting, they are likeable or hate-able as required and all painted in shades of grey, they are given some depth without back stories being shoehorned into the plot.

There is plenty of action as we move from battle to battle, some small, some big.

The pace is nice and quick without any pauses or filler.

There are several surprises, not just a twist at the end but a few little twists throughout.

The ending is great, dark and cynical and consistent, no forced happy ending just an intelligent ending.

A great read from start to finish.

I absolutely loved this book!

This novel has everything, except foul language and sex (okay, so there was reference to it and an ill-fated attempt, but no actual sex)!!

There is LOTS of Action, Gore and Fighting Galore, but there is also Suspense, Mystery, Intrigue, Egomaniacal Despots and an Alien thrown in for good measure!

IF you are one of those stuffy, "that word wasn't spelled correctly, this book is too long, where is the editor???" people, don't bother reading this book. It will probably tick you off.

If you like to discover NEW AUTHORS you will be pleasantly surprised and impressed when you realize that this is an independent writer's FIRST novel.

Justin Kemppainen is a very inventive and imaginative writer.

I will be looking for more of his books.

I hate it when reviews give a synopsis of the story, so I don't do that. I will say that this was an incredibly well written book, definitely worthy of a higher price than listed. I also got mine for free and I'm confused as to why it was free and why this author isn't more well known. He will be, for sure.

The only thing keeping me from giving 5 stars is the ending, which I found a bit confusing. I'm not really sure what happened but it's not enough to keep me from highly recommending this book.

I found this book on the Free Kindle Books list this past week, and decided "Why not? Sounds interesting." It kind of took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to get so caught up in it, but before I knew it the chapters flew by. I was sucked into this story and quite entertained. It's a full-length novel, not a short story, for which I was glad.

As to what the book is about - it's a dystopian world in the vein of We, Brave New World, Anthem, and that general theme - you know, extreme social stratification, enslavement, tyranny, etc. There's more to it than that, but others have summarized it nicely and I don't want to give spoilers or a huge plot summary. I found most of the characters likeable, or at least understandable. Of course, there are a few characters I wanted to smack or get theirs.

The pacing was pretty good - a few parts seemed to be a bit slow, but I think it was mostly my impatience to find out what was going on with Character X or Z. As for the typos mentioned in earlier reviews, I didn't notice many in this (revised) copy. I'm glad there was an epilogue as well.

I hope there's a sequel. I would buy it. According to the last page, it should be out this year, but I don't see it listed. Guess I'll need to keep watch.

I really enjoyed this book... To me, it is a mixture of Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New World" and V for Vendetta with the setting of the Final Fantasy 7 Mako Reactor. I really enjoyed the characters, especially "Malcolm" the mysterious alien-like creature and I always appreciate a strong female character like "Kaylee". I am really looking forward to the next book!

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read w/ plenty of excitement, good characters, even a mystery character that is revealed near the end. This is a page turner that even an a critic could approve of.