Pod by Stephen Wallenfels - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Jun 08, 2010 Sheila Welch rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

POD by Stephen Wallenfels is a gripping story told in alternating first person chapters by a teenage boy and a twelve-year-old girl. Earth has been invaded by alien, gigantic spheres that hover in the air and destroy any human who ventures outside.

Josh is trapped in his house with his engineer dad in Washington state, while Megs is alone in her mother’s car in a hotel parking garage in Los Angeles. Each of these main characters is distinctly portrayed. Josh’s voice sounds authentic whether he’s...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Ed added it

Wallenfels, Stephen. (2009). POD. South Hampton, New Hampshire: NAMELOS. 212 pp. ISBN 978-1-60898-010-9 (Paperback); $9.95.

Pods are above Earth zapping humans careless enough to leave their covered shelter. Megs is trapped in a hotel parking garage; Josh is wondering whether the pod creatures are better than his father with whom he is trapped in a very SMALL house.

Fans of HUNGER GAMES will eat this book up! The action is intense. The implied threat from the Pods, never really addressed directly...more Wallenfels, Stephen. (2009). POD. South Hampton, New Hampshire: NAMELOS. 212 pp. ISBN 978-1-60898-010-9 (Paperback); $9.95.

Pods are above Earth zapping humans careless enough to leave their covered shelter. Megs is trapped in a hotel parking garage; Josh is wondering whether the pod creatures are better than his father with whom he is trapped in a very SMALL house.

Fans of HUNGER GAMES will eat this book up! The action is intense. The implied threat from the Pods, never really addressed directly in the text, serves as an even more terrifying evil than any description. The back and forth narration between Megs and Josh has readers experiencing two very different, but related, terrors caused by the destruction visited upon Earth by the pods. Josh’s story initially provides readers an emotional relief from the brutality and helplessness of Megs. However, his story gradually builds until readers realize that his situation is every bit as desperate as Megs, despite having the humor that is unavoidable when a teen and his dad are trapped hopelessly together. The issues in this book that could make this one too old for middle school are so far in the background that I have no trouble seeing 12, 13 and 14 year old students reading (and loving) this gripping, action-packed, science fiction adventure. While the ending makes it clear that there will be more coming, it has a satisfying conclusion that will have readers finally getting around to wondering just what is this big pod that seems to have distributed a whole lot of seeds to Earth? What will this pod do (in the next book)?

NAMELOS is a new publisher focusing on distributing downloaded books (e-Books). It is founded by Stephen Roxburgh who is responsible for many of the award winning books published by Front Street Books. This book is worth tracking down and if your library has developed fans of e-Books, check out the NAMELOS website (www.namelos.com). Do take the trouble to find and read and recommend this book to students; we need healthy small publishers every bit as much as we need established, larger publishers.
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Nov 21, 2012 Kat rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: aliens, ufos, sci-fi, invasion, drama

A good little Sci-fi novel about people struggling to survive, which is just the kind of thing I like to read.

While I loved being in the lives of Megs and Josh, seeing how they survived and struggled for food in both of their immensely different situations, I kind of wished we saw more of the aliens. They don't really play much of a role other than floating in the sky and keeping people inside. The second a person step outdoors, they get zapped and we never find out where they go. Doesn't matte...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Sammee (I Want to Read That) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review-read

4.5 Stars

This is definitely my kind of book! I really enjoyed it.

The story story begins with an alien invasion, where hundreds of strange spheres hover in the sky zapping any human that ventures outside. Josh is stuck in his house with his father, and Megs has been left alone in a hotel parking garage. Both have to find a way to survive...

I loved that this wasn't all about the alien invasion. Yes, it's an important (and intriguing) part of the story but the main focus in on how these characters...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I saw this in the bookshop a couple of months ago, the cover, although quite plain and simple drew me in. The synopsis on the back doesn't tell you much but I was intrigued. I decided to request it from the library and it came in a couple of weeks ago.
From the little I knew about this book I expected a Sci-Fi sort of thriller, but when I started reading it I realised that it was actually more of a Dystopian novel with a sci-fi twist.
This book is told in first person from two different character...more I saw this in the bookshop a couple of months ago, the cover, although quite plain and simple drew me in. The synopsis on the back doesn't tell you much but I was intrigued. I decided to request it from the library and it came in a couple of weeks ago.
From the little I knew about this book I expected a Sci-Fi sort of thriller, but when I started reading it I realised that it was actually more of a Dystopian novel with a sci-fi twist.
This book is told in first person from two different characters. (each character has a chapter each). Josh is 16 and is stuck at home with his Dad who is slightly obsessive. They are running out of food and water and driving each other up the wall. Megs is 12 and was left in the back of her mums car in the carpark of a hotel. She has very little with her, a couple of bottles of water and some beer. She must scavage round the car park to find resources to survive.
Alien 'POD's are hovering in the skies above. They have absorbed all cars, motorbikes, planes and trains in strobes of blue light and if anyone steps outside they too are taken, or 'deleted' as Josh refers to it. This creates a world where everyone is trapped in their own little bubble, doing what they can to survive.
Josh and Megs story is very different, Josh has resources for a while and doesn't really see the seriousness of the situation, he has his dad to rein him in and keep him in order, whereas Megs has nothing and has to fight for herself, not only does she have to avoid the aliens outside, she must search for food and water whilst avoiding a group of 'security guards' turned thugs from finding her. The hotel has turned into a prisoner camp run by these thugs and Megs wants to avoid it at all costs.
I really enjoyed this book, I started reading just before lunch and got about 40 pages in when I had to put it down. I ended up going out with my parents in the afternoon and round my grandad's house etc so I didn't get back til about 5. The whole time I couldn't stop thinking about the book, it was running through my mind, it was almost like Josh and Megs were calling me to come back and help them and I had to get back to it.
I then sat and read until I had finished, I couldn't put it down.
I liked Megs as a character more, it's almost like she had more to prove, and even though she had it so hard she was still very compassionate towards others and did her best to help. I thought Josh was a bit self-centered at times and I felt sorry for his dad, but I suppose in that situation it pushes you to the limit and I can see why he acted like he did.
Overall I was totally absorbed by the book, to be honest the aliens were more of a side-line to the book, apart from teh fact that they are there which stops the characters from going out, the aliens really don't actually do that much, but it didn't take anything from the book in my opinion. The plot idea was well thought out and the pacing is fantastic, each chapter is quite short which helps it move well.
The only thing I felt that let this book down a bit was the ending, to be honest, for me it was a bit of a deflation, it's almost like the author didn't know how to finish it and so just stopped. There were quite a few things that weren't tied up and events that still hung in the air. I was expecting some great big revelation or attack or wipeout but none of that happened. I mean the ending was OK, but I felt it could have offered so much more, however I have looked up his website and he says he is working on book 2 which makes me feel a little better about the ending, clearly more to come so I will look out for that.
A quick easy read that will keep you hooked. Definitely worth a read.(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

POD is straight-forward apocalyptic survival sci-fiction told through the perspectives of two young people. I don't always like alternating perspective stories but Wallenfels utilizes the technique in the best possible way.

Teenager Josh is trapped in his suburban home with his father, dog and dwindling supplies. Because he can see horrors from the windows of his house but is unable to do anything about them, his story is mostly psychological. Megs, a young girl, is abandoned in a hotel parking...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Crazyjamie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In case you hadn't noticed, aliens have plenty of options when it comes to finally invading Earth. In POD, they opt to drop in via millions of black orbs, which stay suspended over populated areas, systemically zapping any poor unfortunate person that happens to wander outside (or be outside when they land). Yet for some reason, they opt not to attack buildings or the people within them. And so it is that 15 year old Josh becomes trapped in his house with his dad, and 12 year old Megs becomes tr...more In case you hadn't noticed, aliens have plenty of options when it comes to finally invading Earth. In POD, they opt to drop in via millions of black orbs, which stay suspended over populated areas, systemically zapping any poor unfortunate person that happens to wander outside (or be outside when they land). Yet for some reason, they opt not to attack buildings or the people within them. And so it is that 15 year old Josh becomes trapped in his house with his dad, and 12 year old Megs becomes trapped in a car park with no one for company except some rather sinister security personnel from a neighbouring hotel.

Given that the title of the book is POD (which is the acronym that Josh gives to the orbs, standing for Pearls of Death), at first glance you would perhaps expect a story of desperate survival as Josh and Megs face the mysterious alien onslaught from within precarious shelter. You may expect that, but you would be wrong, because that isn't really what the book is about. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely an undeniable alien menace, but the book isn't about the aliens. In fact, the book is about the stories of Josh and Megs as they attempt to survive on limited resources within their individual environments. The aliens, whilst no doubt threatening, are simply a way to trap these children within their environment, and very little more. Yes, the aliens do more than zap as the book progresses, but at no point is anything explained or discovered about them. Whilst this may be a matter left to the imagination, I found it disappointing that the aliens were descended to nothing more than a convenient way to keep the main characters indoors. In all honesty, it made me think that the author himself doesn't know enough about the aliens and hadn't fully thought them through, which is always an ominous sign in a book like this.

And against this backdrop, what we have is two essentially unconnected stories playing out in alternating chapters. In fact, Megs' story doesn't need the aliens at all except for there needing to be a reason why she can't leave the car park, as the villains in her plot are the security personnel. Josh faces the classic 'limited resources' scenario, but there is little to grip here other than a constant wave of clichés. There are some adult themes dealt with and some marginally risque moments for a teen fiction book, but nothing that announces itself as particularly original. And ultimately the way that the book ends, and the culmination of the plot as regards the aliens, is so lazy and dissatisfying that it just highlights how distinctly mediocre the rest of the book is.

The thing is, this sort of desperate survival story has been done many times before. If you're looking for a teen fiction version, I would recommend Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer, which plays the story out following a catastrophic natural disaster. Because in that book the big event is something which can actually directly affect the characters, and which equally intertwines with the plot itself. In POD, the aliens don't do that. Which means that what we have is two separate stories where the glaring hole in each is plugged by an under developed and ultimately underwhelming plot mechanic.

And that's it. There are a few nice touches, and the book is certainly readable. It's just that by the end the overwhelming feeling is of anti climax and 'is that it?'. Because when all is said and done, the lack of information about the aliens and the use of them as little more than a reason why the kids can't go outside, undermines the authenticity of the stories. Megs' story has some redeeming features of its own, and is certainly the better tale, but by the end Josh's story needed context that never arrives. The thing that should be the most interested from an imagination perspective, the aliens themselves, are not given nearly enough attention by the author, and the two stories become dissatisfying as a result.

It's not a terrible book by any means, but all in all it is difficult to recommend given the strength of the sci-fi genre.

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Nov 12, 2011 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Earth has been invaded – nothing will be the same. Everything was normal on the day it started, until metallic spheres began to appear in the sky, and people on the street disappeared in a terrifying beam of light. The PODs continue their menacing existence in the sky, and the only survivors are those hiding in buildings, including Megs in California and Josh in Washington. Josh’s food supplies are running out, along with his unsteady relationship with his father, whilst Megs is frightened and a...more Earth has been invaded – nothing will be the same. Everything was normal on the day it started, until metallic spheres began to appear in the sky, and people on the street disappeared in a terrifying beam of light. The PODs continue their menacing existence in the sky, and the only survivors are those hiding in buildings, including Megs in California and Josh in Washington. Josh’s food supplies are running out, along with his unsteady relationship with his father, whilst Megs is frightened and alone, afraid that the dangerous men from the hotel next door will find her and throw her out into the street, or worse...

I really liked the short, alternating chapters – they really pull you in to the story and leave you eager to find out what has happened to the respective character, as most finish on a shocking moment or a cliffhanger. POD has an excellent pace, and is very well told by Wallenfels; the atmosphere he creates is so realistic and tense, that you find yourself genuinely worrying that our two protagonists, Megs and Josh, will come to harm or fall victim to the PODs (‘Pearls of Death’), who cause anyone who is not in the safety of a building to disappear in a deadly beam.

Both Megs and Josh have flaws (some purposeful, like Josh being a typical teenage boy – lazy, rash and selfish; others not so much, like Megs acting way above her age of twelve – it would have been much better if she were also fifteen), which generally makes them realistic characters, and contributes to how much the reader likes them and feels for them.

I don’t like cover – I find it far too plain and simple for what it is, and I think it would put a lot of not-very-curious people off reading POD, which is a bit gruesome at times and deals with more adult themes, like cannibalism and suicide, so it’s not really suitable for younger readers. At first, I didn’t like the present tense POD is written in, as I’m not much of a fan because it’s rarely done right, but by the end I felt immersed in the action, although it was only within the last few chapters that I felt this.

POD reminded me of the Gone series at times, which, I hasten to add is a high complement, and I don’t mean that the stories are similar at all, but they both grip you in the same way, and make you genuinely fear for characters you come to care about. I liked the way the two protagonists are linked by the end, because at the start you are wondering why Wallenfels is choosing to focus on them, and it leaves you a bit confused. There were some shocking moments, but they propel you to keep reading to see their effect on particular characters, and make for more gripping reading.

I don’t read much of the Sci-Fi genre, so I don’t know if POD is completely original (though it feels very 'War of the Worlds-esque'), or how it compares, but although I have read similar dystopian tales, I found POD a unique and gripping read, which I highly recommend, even if POD isn’t your usual type of read, and I hope the sequel is published soon as I'm eager to see where the story will head.(less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Lyrical rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Many people describe a book they read as “unputdownable” or “a real page turner” – what they really mean is that the story was so engaging it was hard to put down but of course they did in order to fulfil the basic functions of life. With POD by Stephen Wallenfels, I want to say this book was unputdownable and I really mean it. I started reading it one afternoon and I didn’t stop until I hit the last page. I had no dinner, I forgot all my chores and I ignored everybody’s attempts at conversation...more Many people describe a book they read as “unputdownable” or “a real page turner” – what they really mean is that the story was so engaging it was hard to put down but of course they did in order to fulfil the basic functions of life. With POD by Stephen Wallenfels, I want to say this book was unputdownable and I really mean it. I started reading it one afternoon and I didn’t stop until I hit the last page. I had no dinner, I forgot all my chores and I ignored everybody’s attempts at conversation and it is all the fault of Stephen Wallenfels’ characters.

The books that really stick with me and make me pick them up time and time again are the books where the author has truly mastered the art of “voice”. There are characters and there are great characters, but the truly brilliant characters are the ones that make you see through their eyes, the ones that make your own heart pound when they are scared, the ones that make you cry when they hit the wall of despair and the ones that make you smile uncontrollably when it all turns out alright. There are not many books whose characters have made me react physically to them but POD definitely has those characters, very rarely do I actually feel myself slip into a book but with POD I did just that. It just has such a great power, and I think that this power is what makes science fiction a very special genre. It’s not all about spaceships and talking robots, think about all the dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction that’s flying around at the moment, they are sci-fi too. It’s about exploring human nature by putting it in extreme situations and this is essentially what Stephen Wallenfels has done in POD. He has created two incredibly realistic characters with very strong voices and plunged them into a survival situation to see what they would do. They react in different ways because they have different personalities but it is the strength of their personalities that make their reactions so realistic and it really feels like the author is documenting the survival instinct not just experimenting with it because you know instinctively that no matter how horrific things get this is probably exactly what would happen. This is what makes it so terrifying and darkly intriguing.

And this is why I literally could not put it down. I just didn’t have it in me to leave Megs and Josh hanging mid-story, playing hell with my imagination. I had to get to the resolution, I had to know what happened to them and if it turned out alright or not. It felt like they were real people and if I left them that would make me heartless, like I was putting a gun to their heads and making them stand there for hours thinking about what was about to happen to them. So, I kept reading all evening and into the night and if you read this book – which by the way is something you should definitely do – I challenge you to do any different. In fact, get it and cancel everything for that day because nothing is worth doing once you start reading POD.

Lyrical Reviews
@LyricalReviews
Goodreads Group: No Dark Romance Allowed (less)

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Aug 14, 2011 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

When they arrived he was asleep in bed and besides his dog Dutch the only other person in the house was his over obsessive father. He was expecting to sleep for at least another hour before he had to drag himself out of bed and get ready for school. He expected to meet up with his best friend Alex. Instead he was dragged from his sleep by a head splitting screech and the presence of black spears in the sky.

When they arrived she had just said goodbye to her mother. She was awoken early by her mum...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, suspense, favorites

16-year-old Josh calls them "Pearls of Death" (PODs). 12-year-old Megs calls them "spaceballs." What are they? Hundreds of alien vessels that have suddenly appeared in the skies above earth. Anyone who ventures into the open is immediately "deleted" with powerful light rays. Indoors is the only safe place, but how long will food, water and electricity last?? In this highly readable, very suspenseful science fiction page turner the two main characters' stories are told in alternating chapters. Ea...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Nat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surviving a massive alien siege is one thing-surviving humanity is another.
I'm all cried out. I'm still alone. The sky is full of giant spinning black balls that kill anyone stupid enough to go outside. I've only been out of the car twice-once to pee and once to look at the sky. That one look was enough for me. Now I sit alone in the car, staring out the window like a rat in a cage. But I don't have anyone to look at. The parking garage is empty, except for twisted-up cars, broken glass, and th...more

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May 29, 2010 Bronwyn Parhad rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just started it, but right up my alley. Sci-fi, alien invaders, adults not faring too well, the kids so far showing survival instincts. But I'm only 30 or so pages into the book. Stay tuned. Just finished it. Excellent character description, action, and definitely the door is left open for continued adventures. 16 year old Josh and his dad live in Washington state when the invasion happens. Anyone outside of their homes or buildings is obliterated instantly. Josh's mother is out of town on a tri...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

POD was a fantastic, gripping read that literally kept me on the edge of my seat! Told from alternating point of views, POD is the story of fifteen-year-old Josh and twelve-year-old Megs, and how their lives are torn apart when Earth is invaded by alien spaceships, or what Josh refers to as “PODs” (“Pearls of Death”). Josh confined to his house with his obsessive dad, who immediately begins to draw up plans and create logs of the PODs’ every move – and it’s driving Josh crazy. Megs is stuck in a...more POD was a fantastic, gripping read that literally kept me on the edge of my seat! Told from alternating point of views, POD is the story of fifteen-year-old Josh and twelve-year-old Megs, and how their lives are torn apart when Earth is invaded by alien spaceships, or what Josh refers to as “PODs” (“Pearls of Death”). Josh confined to his house with his obsessive dad, who immediately begins to draw up plans and create logs of the PODs’ every move – and it’s driving Josh crazy. Megs is stuck in a hotel car park, all alone since her mum disappeared the first day of the invasion. Food is scarce, but venturing outside means being “deleted” – disappearing in a beam of bright light. With the chances of survival becoming slimmer each day, both Josh and Megs struggle to keep going, and they know sooner or later, the aliens will eventually attack. The only question is, when?

I really enjoyed POD – I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t even realise I’d been reading it until 2am! I liked the fact that it was narrated by two characters, because we got to see how the invasion affected each individual differently. Josh was at home when everything happened, so for him, it was like his whole life was turned upside down in the space of a few short hours. To go from cramming for a History test to rationing food and conserving water was so drastic and unexpected, there was no way he could have prepared for such a huge change. I felt sorry for him, and everything was made worse by the fact that his dad had started to act very strange - cleaning everything meticulously and organising the pantry – it was unnerving, and I could understand why Josh was so frustrated. He didn’t want to just sit there and do nothing, he wanted to go out and help people, but of course that was impossible, and his father was determined not to let him out of his sight. I think Josh was a very believable character, and the questions he was asking were the exact same ones I was too – where did the people who went outside disappear to? What will happen when the food runs out? When will the PODs attack? I could definitely feel how angry and panicky he was at this sudden horrifying upheaval of his previously normal and happy life, which really helped me to connect to his character.

Megs, on the other hand, viewed the invasion differently. To her, it was another terrible event added on to a list of horrible things that had happened to her and her mother recently. While I did like Josh, I have to say, I think I liked Megs the most out of all the characters. She’s was only twelve years old, yet she was so brave and managed to cope and keep herself alive despite being all by herself with no-one to help her. I don’t know how she did it, but each day, she came up with a plan for herself and carried it out, and she managed to survive on her own, even though she was so scared and still missing her mother. I admired her courage and think she did well to make it as far as she did without any help.

One thing I really liked about POD was the way things were revealed to the reader, bit by bit. At first it seemed as though Megs and Josh had no connection to each other, but towards the end, the mystery began to unravel, and we discovered why we were reading from the points of view of these two people in particular. I thought it was quite clever the way they were connected, and I’m really interested in what will happen in the sequel – will Josh and Megs eventually meet? How will they react? The last few chapters of POD were pretty fast-paced, and a lot of things happened that completely changed the way everyone was living – especially on Josh’s end. While no explanation for the POD invasion was offered in this book – apart from Josh and his father’s guesses – I’m sure we’ll learn more about everything in the next book, and I look forward to reading more about Josh and Megs (especially after that ending!).

Overall, POD was a thrilling and enthralling read that kept my eyes glued to the page. I’d recommend it to fans of survival novels, or to anyone who enjoys young adult with elements of sci-fi. I can’t wait to read the next book – I’m curious to find out what the PODs will do next!(less)

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Sep 11, 2011 A Thousand Words Festival added it

Shelves: dark-fantasy

When the alien invasion comes over, Josh is forced to live with his ever annoying, clean freak, compulsive Dad. He has no IPod and is dying for communication with another human being that isn’t organising the pantry into alphabetical order. Josh finds a girl across the road and they write to each other on big pieces of paper. He wonders if he is cheating. Is he? As slowly things get cut off, power, water and food runs short, people are getting desperate and a horrible memory haunts him every sin...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sci Fi Readers, especially Teens

Recommended to Barbara by: Beth

Shelves: dystopia, kindle, sci-fi

Excellent book for Teens. Definitely set up to have a sequel, and, more likely, a series.

Black PODs fill the sky. Whenever anyone goes outside their homes, there is a quick flash of light, and they disappear. Josh, 15 and his father are trapped inside their house with their dog Dutch. Megs, 12 is in a parking ramp attached to a hotel. She and her mother left the abusive Zach, and are now living out of their car. Mom has left for a "job interview" and Megs is alone in the car when panic hits thos...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Pamela Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2011, ya-mg

POD was an intense, roller-coaster ride of emotions and action.

The story splits between twelve-year-old Megs "Pirate" in Los Angeles and fifteen-year-old Josh in Washington. We follow the lives of the two as they cope with the sudden invasion of 'Pods' that take over their country. The morning of their arrival, anyone unlucky enough to be outside on the street disappears. Josh was inside his house with his father and dog, Dutch. Megs was in a parked car in a hotel parking garage.

The tension ros...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, teenage-dream-wannabee

I thought the cover of this book spoke volumes, so I picked it up for that reason alone before reading some fairly decent reviews of it on Amazon.com--so I'd decided I'd better open it up.
The sci-fi teen genre (post-apocalyptic fun) is HUGE right now, and series like the "Dead and Gone" or books like "Compound" literally run of the shelves. I had a feeling POD might be one of those books, and I think my initial inclination may well be very right.
The story centers around two teens, Megs and Josh,...more

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May 07, 2012 Marilyn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 7th grade and up

Shelves: adventure-survival, fantasy-sci-fi, youngadultfiction

Every summer, Hollywood comes out with at least one shock-and-awe blockbuster alien invasion movie meant to entertain, help us escape and make scads of money. Think Independence Day, Men in Black, or last summer's Super 8. What if, instead of a movie, we had a blockbuster book about an alien invasion? POD, by Stephen Wallenfels, is just the ticket, I believe, to get us out of the dark theaters and onto our sofa, beach chair or wherever we want to buckle up for an incredible sci-fi ride.

POD stars...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Grey Liliy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, survival, horror

Two things to quickly summarize the novel:

1) This book is like 8 parts survival horror & maybe 2 parts sci-fi. That might be generous to the sci-fi content.
2) 12-year old Megs has the survival skills of a trained marine, & 16 year old Josh is borderline (not quite, but close) too dumb to live.

There really isn't much of a plot to speak of for this particular novel, aside from: Find a way to live for 28 days while trapped in a house with your dad (Josh), or scavenging in a hotel parking ga...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Hacedores Desierto rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenil, khardan, sci-fi, young-adult

Tengo que decir que me ha parecido un libro estirado. Quiero decir, que se trata de un libro que busca tanto el detalle que es como si cincuenta o cien páginas de otro libro aquí ocupasen trescientas. Y no, no es algo que me guste, demasiado detalle inútil. Consigue el objetivo de sacar de quicio y hacer sentir de esa forma al lector. Para mí, ha sido excesiva la forma que ha tenido de alargar la historia, no aportando nada en particular, y de hecho hasta las últimas cincuenta páginas o así el p...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Carien rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

This was a really gripping read.

This book is actually two stories: one about Megs and the other about Josh.

I think I liked Josh's story the most. It was emotionally intense and I could easily picture myself in his place.

Megs' story was more suspenseful and had more action. It was cool, but where I was emotionally invested in Josh's story, Megs' story felt more like a suspenseful thriller.

The difference in their situations and how they handle things did make for a compelling read though and I co...more

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Sep 13, 2012 AshleyiSee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Josh is fifteen, lives in the small town of Prosser, Washington State with his dad, mom and elderly dog. He’s got a girlfriend, friends and it’s normal for his mom to be out of town on business. A big black sphere appearing above his neighbor’s house that shoots a beam that makes anyone it comes in contact with disappear is not normal. Alone with his dad and dog, Josh’s sixteenth birthday passes without notice as food runs out, electricity shuts off, and water becomes a limited resource. His hou...more Josh is fifteen, lives in the small town of Prosser, Washington State with his dad, mom and elderly dog. He’s got a girlfriend, friends and it’s normal for his mom to be out of town on business. A big black sphere appearing above his neighbor’s house that shoots a beam that makes anyone it comes in contact with disappear is not normal. Alone with his dad and dog, Josh’s sixteenth birthday passes without notice as food runs out, electricity shuts off, and water becomes a limited resource. His house is a prison and the guards outside show no signs of leaving.

Megs is twelve, stuck in a parking lot of a Los Angels, California. Left waiting in the car as her mother ventures out for a ‘job interview’ Megs witnesses mass chaos of people fleeing their cars only to disappear by a beam of light as they try to escape outside. Her mother won’t be returning. As Megs makes her home among the dead and abandoned cars she hides from the ruthless male leaders that have taken over the adjoining hotel. Resourceful and cunning, Megs learns that there are others that need her help. The world may be ending but her humanity hasn’t given up.

I read POD in a single day. Spread out over a couple of hours I couldn’t put the book down. The alternating chapters between the characters really kept me interested. Coming from Washington State myself it was a joy to learn about smaller towns that I didn’t know existed. Simple and thrilling Wallenfels knows how to get readers to keep reading. I’d rate this book for older teen readers, because there is some sadness and unfair events that take place. Wallenfels doesn’t skimp on showing the cruelty that humanity endures and creates.

The only problems I had was honestly with the language, as I read a UK edition it came off not genuine that characters from my State said ‘pavement’ ‘boot’ and ‘car park’. It’s a little thing but it causes the prose to come off fake. This is a book written with settings in the USA, we don’t say those words and that’s why I couldn’t give the book five stars. There are also a few aspects that are a bit cliché, reminiscent of World of the Worlds and even The Walking Dead when concerning men who think they deserve all the power. Regardless, the strength of Megs is astounding and even though Josh is a bit of a wiry teen he shows growth that made me glad I picked up the book in the first place. I wish Wallenfels would write another book about what happens after the end of this one. No one ever writes about the aftermath. (less)

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Jun 28, 2011 Braiden rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another alien invasion book? Well done! But there’s much more within these pages than just an alien invasion. I know! I wondered about it too; there’s not much you can possibly achieve story-wise if people get zapped by these black ‘Pearls-Of-Destruction’ balls that dot the sky as soon as they step outside, disappearing without a hint whether they’re gone forever--dead--, or...someplace else. Stephen Wallenfels did an alright job at using this concept but sadly, I believe he could’ve tackled dar...more Another alien invasion book? Well done! But there’s much more within these pages than just an alien invasion. I know! I wondered about it too; there’s not much you can possibly achieve story-wise if people get zapped by these black ‘Pearls-Of-Destruction’ balls that dot the sky as soon as they step outside, disappearing without a hint whether they’re gone forever--dead--, or...someplace else. Stephen Wallenfels did an alright job at using this concept but sadly, I believe he could’ve tackled darker issues in more intriguing environments and with an even more complex plot.

In POD we follow Josh, who when the POD’s (pearls-of-destruction) appear, is trapped in his home with his obsessive, and compulsive, father and his balls-sniffing dog in Washington, surviving only with what they possess. While in L.A., Meg is stuck in a parking garage alone and must utilise whatever she finds to survive; not only to feed and occupy herself, but protect herself from the ‘villains’ that lurk the garage and control the lives of the people in the hotel that the garage is connected to.

It was written superbly for the audience it was intended to attract involving two unique characters with dissimilar lives but unfortunately, minimal explanation was given about the presence and purpose of what these aliens, or PODs in Josh’s terms, are really there for. I know I said this about 0.4 by Mike Lancaster, but it felt unreal. Black balls in the sky...pssshhhh! It just seemed like an easy-way out to achieve means end; an analysis into human resourcefulness and how quickly we can adapt when weighed down by certain threats and conditions. I see that none of these characters would not know even one thing about these ‘alien’s’ motifs and must consider why and make their own theories, and yet still I wanted to know which in turn separated me from the story all together.

The cover did intrigue me though. Gold and shiny with a big red title. Definitely one for the shelf. However I’d be slightly apprehensive of reading the sequel based on how the lives of each character will fold out when they fear stepping outside. Only time will tell I suppose.(less)

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Aug 23, 2011 Emily May rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, sci-fi, ya-na, 2011

Many thanks to UK Book Tours for allowing me to participate in the tour of this book.

It is with regret that I have to say I would not have finished this book if it hadn't been sent to me for review as part of a blog tour. However, I ploughed on through to the very end and I was thoroughly disappointed with the book as a whole. The worst thing about it was that the story was rather boring and I didn't care for any of the characters. At one point I went online to check whether the book was self-pu...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aliens, confronting, danger, death, emotional, fantastic-plot, fear, friendship, horror, like-able-characters, lost-person-object, murder, mutilation, on-the-run, parent-child, suicide, survival, young-adult

No one knows where They came from. No one knows what They want. All we know is that to go outside is to disappear. Josh and Megs, two different people in two different areas, unaware of each other, struggle to survive the threat outside and the threat of others.

I’m honestly glad I accidently clicked to place this book on hold at my library, I was after a different book called PODs, because the story of Josh and his father sent me on an emotional rollercoaster while Megs story made me shudder in...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, meh-it-just-wasn-t-for-me

Pod was actually an interesting story about Alien invasion and the battle to survive.

Josh is a boy who, quite frankly, thinks his father is nuts when they are trapped in the house by PODS. He's kind of whiny and questions everything his father does. Even when all his father did was try to make sure they survived the seige.

Megs is trapped in a hotel garage parking lot where she hides not only from the PODS, but by control freaks who think nothing bar their own survival. She's tough, but sensitive...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya_scifi

POD may stand for Pearls of Death, but I am always going to think of Print on Demand. That didn't help when POD is used repeatedly in the text.

For a totally unfathomable reason, the story is split between Josh, stuck in suburbia with his dad, and Megs, trapped in a car park attached to a hotel full of patrons being subjugated by a bunch of crazy men. Not only do the two stories never connect, but Josh has it about a million times easier than Megs and so his story lags in comparison. More charact...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, dystopian-survivialist

This book made me feel like I was going through a harrowing experience myself, so in that sense, it succeeded completely. It was interesting to see the changes the characters underwent as hunger, thirst, and cabin fever set in, and those parts were done really well. I enjoyed that the author really made them work for their survival and it always felt like an urgent situation (even though that part also made me uncomfortable a lot of the time, but if a book like this doesn't make the reader uncom...more This book made me feel like I was going through a harrowing experience myself, so in that sense, it succeeded completely. It was interesting to see the changes the characters underwent as hunger, thirst, and cabin fever set in, and those parts were done really well. I enjoyed that the author really made them work for their survival and it always felt like an urgent situation (even though that part also made me uncomfortable a lot of the time, but if a book like this doesn't make the reader uncomfortable, something is wrong).

I was put off or frustrated by a few things, though, which bumps my rating down from four stars. (Some spoilers follow.)

- Josh as a character. I loved Meghan, but this kid got under my skin at least half the time. I was with his father pretty much the whole way through since he really had a handle on the severity of the situation and the need to organize/ration things, but Josh was just not taking it seriously. And yeah, I get it at first - he's a 16 year old kid, he isn't really hungry yet, his house still has power and things don't "seem" so bad. Denial is a real thing, so that was pretty believable, but I think he should have gotten with the program at SOME point. Surely he should have realized the dog wasn't going to make it out of his neighbor's house. I don't know, maybe he just hasn't read the same books I've read.

- The texter language. Maybe I'm out of touch with the kids of today, but people don't really abbreviate everything into a long string of letters, do they? How on earth did that kid know what his window-friend Amanda was saying? It just didn't ring true to me.

- The intricacies of Meghan's several rescue/infiltration attempts. I get that she needed to be doing things, but I just couldn't follow her plans by the third one.

- The ending. So, what, the aliens just vanished? What part of Josh's last narration was real? None of that seemed to make sense (clear fresh water in the swamp? the dog alive and alone in the neighbor's house with a mountain of dog food, but no neighbors??), and I thought Josh must have been dreaming, but he never woke up. It was bizarre and not explained nearly well enough.

- Furthermore, the unanswered questions and new questions raised by Meghan's ending. How can a book like this end like that?? Unless there's a sequel, which it doesn't seem like there is, I am pretty annoyed that there's still an alien presence and in no way are these people on their way to rebuilding a normal society yet. I would have liked to see SOME kind of order being restored, like SWAT teams in the streets, military vehicles, etc. The ending frankly was no ending at all, just a slight change in circumstances. I'm also still wondering what exactly was wrong with "Aunt Janet" since her stomach cramps were never explained.

It's worth reading, though, since it's such a quick read (only 200 pages). But the significant flaws of the ending ruined the story for me just a little.(less)

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Apr 17, 2013 Laylan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pod by Stephen Wallenfels.

In complete honesty. WOW.

I do have to admit initially I was put off by the slow pace of the book.

The setting literally NEVER changed for each of the two characters from hotel to house and back and forth, making the book quite limited and uninteresting.

However, I forced myself to continue reading as I hate starting a book and not completing it.

Oh I was terribly wrong!

The book accelerated after approximately 100th page. There is a dramatic change in events that I had ne...more

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