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96th out of 115 books
—
79 voters
Devil on My Back (Arc One #1)
When the slaves rebel against the rigid social order imposed on the colony by the all-controlling computer, Tomi, the son of the colony Overlord manages to escape beyond the computer's reach and discovers what it is like to be free.
Hardcover, 170 pages
Published
May 31st 1984
by J. MacRae Books
(first published 1984)
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This was an unexpected find for me. I was in highschool, and wandering the library shelves for something to read. One of my habits at the library is to wander around and see what I can find. I have found plenty of good reads this way, and this book was no exception.
I've always liked sci-fi, so reading the inside of the book jacket intrigued me. I checked it out, and i was glad to. This was a idea that is unique today, even more so back then because computers weren't as much a part of life back t...more
I've always liked sci-fi, so reading the inside of the book jacket intrigued me. I checked it out, and i was glad to. This was a idea that is unique today, even more so back then because computers weren't as much a part of life back t...more
Read this as a kid. I think it was my first bit of post-apocalyptic sci-fi. I'd been looking for it for years on Google, but kept misremembering the title. I was starting to think I'd hallucinated the whole thing.
Anyway, it was a great book for young adult fiction. It got me to think about a lot of issues I'd later see as an adult. The main premise of the book, which I appreciated years later is that of a Pluto Republic where your test scores determine your lot in life. Until reading the book,...more
Anyway, it was a great book for young adult fiction. It got me to think about a lot of issues I'd later see as an adult. The main premise of the book, which I appreciated years later is that of a Pluto Republic where your test scores determine your lot in life. Until reading the book,...more
In the far future, after the earth's petroleum ran out and the environment was toxic, humanity retreated into cities enclosed in plastic domes. Generations later, young Tomi is nervous. He's about to get another information pack slotted into the plug in his spine. If his body can handle it, he's progressed another level up the ladder in his society. But if his nervous system can't handle it, he'll become a menial laborer at best--at worst, death or brain damage awaits him. But to Tomi's joy, he...more
I think I've read this book twenty times. In the future, civilization is almost entirely confined to huge domes to ride out a new Dark Age. In Arc One, they live in a very stratified society of slaves, workers, and citizens. Slaves are those incompatible with the Powerpaks that plug directly into the brains of the workers and citizens, giving them information at the blink of an eye. Tomi Bentt has just achieved full citizen status and hopes to one day be as hunched with knowledge (the Paks sit o...more
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Re-read of a book I read a long time ago. Still plenty of fascinating ideas: planned society - almost Plato's classes, except for the slaves, contrasted to freedom outside, in a tribal system (with one free to leave if one chose), and the idea of gradually fixing a broken system.
Read this book to my 4th grade class, but I think it was too deep for most of them. I like books that get young minds to think about how we treat each other. My fourth grade class really did like the twits, and that does the same thing, but I don't like it was well.
I remember reading this book as a kid and it blowing my freaking mind. To this day I remember the poem from the end of it. I completely connected with this book.
I read this one as a child and have to say it still fascinates me. I never knew it was just the first book but I will be sure to pick up the others!!
I don't know why the library wanted to sell this off. It's good.
This book contained an intriguing concept for me when I was a kid. Basically it was about a far-future society in which people enhanced their brains with computer "paks," and if your body rejected the implant that let you add these weird things to your brain then you ended up in a dead-end service job and never had a chance to pursue greatness. It could happen to anyone. But some people who are still living wild outside this society have rejected this way of life, and the main character ends up...more
May 12, 2012
Shanna_redwind
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who like Post Apocalyptic Fiction
Just re-read this and revised my rating from 5 to 4. This is a really good book, and it's much in the same vein as some of the recent post-apocalyptic or Dystopian young adult fiction.
Tomi's character is very hard to like at first, and that is the whole idea of the book. Of a transformation that is needed in the society, but must first start in the people in the society.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys post apocalyptic fiction and wants a fast read.
Tomi's character is very hard to like at first, and that is the whole idea of the book. Of a transformation that is needed in the society, but must first start in the people in the society.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys post apocalyptic fiction and wants a fast read.
I read this book as a kid and found it used as an adult and added it to my bookshelf. What struck me about this book that was interesting was a whole society based on Slaves, their watch police and then the people who had the knowledge. The knowledge was through packs that they wore on their backs where as slaves' bodies rejected them. It was a interesting look at a potential society and opression and the fight for freedom.
This SciFi novel was introduced to me as a middle schooler and I fell inlove with the YA book. With captivating characters and good writing, I know I will never out grow this story!
I like this book a lot but the plot is nothing original. People living in an underground city controlled by a computer. still a fun read.
May 02, 2013
Shell
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Zoe Maynard
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Mallori
marked it as to-read
Apr 29, 2013
Kaethe
marked it as to-read
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Monica Hughes was a very popular writer for young people, and has won numerous prizes. Her books have been published in the United States, Poland, Spain, Japan, France, Scandinavia, England, and Germany. She has twice received the Canada Council Prize for Children's Literature, and was runner-up for the Guardian Award.
She is the author of Keeper of the Isis Light, an American Library Association B...more
More about Monica Hughes...
She is the author of Keeper of the Isis Light, an American Library Association B...more
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