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The System #1
Nervous System
At six months old, Thomas speaks in sentences. At one year old, he figures out how to stop his runny nose by shutting down his secretion glands. At two, he can tell when a cold is coming and head it off with the exact dose necessary of vitamin C. At three, he startles his parents with the memory of his birth. At four, Thomas discovers Crichton and Cornwell, and asks for medical texts for his birthday. At five, Thomas regulates his autonomic nervous system when he is anxious or frightened. He puts himself into a stupor several times before he figures out the proper balance for his body. At six, he discovers he can heal wounds by producing platelets and deliberately growing new skin cells. He calls up adrenaline and floods his body with it to win a race. He grows his hair back when his mom insists on a dreaded buzz cut that makes his ears stand out like flags waving in a breeze. But being able to control his entire body can't help Thomas with everything. It can't help his mom, who dies in a car crash two days before his dad is redeployed in the Navy. It can't help him connect with his grandma, who he's met twice in his life and comes to stay with him after the accident. It can't help him make friends. Though he has the intellect of a man, Thomas has the yearnings of a six-year-old boy to bring his mother back to life. He has the power, but it's trapped inside his own body. NERVOUS SYSTEM is a novel about how far we will go to get what we want, and just because we can, doesn't always mean we should.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2013
16 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 10, 2015
Really GOOD novel. Can't improve on the other reviews except to say I am thinking of making that 5 stars. Have to think about it. I have a hard time believing it was as good as I remember.
June 6, 2017
This is a unique book told from the perspective of a genius 6 year old boy who has the ability to heal himself. The storyline is a bit scattered, but this didn't frustrate me because I wanted to keep reading. By the end, I realized it's scattered because this is only one piece of a larger story-arch. This book acts as the background information, or at least I think it does.
There is a great theme that runs through the book - that of relationships. The young boy is constantly exploring the purpose and meaning of his relationship with his mother, father, friends at school, and God. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
In addition, the writing is smart and there are some really cute moments.
There is a great theme that runs through the book - that of relationships. The young boy is constantly exploring the purpose and meaning of his relationship with his mother, father, friends at school, and God. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
In addition, the writing is smart and there are some really cute moments.
November 17, 2017
Argggggggg Cliff hanger ending!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2020
Thomas is a 6-year old who is stupid smart. Essentially it’s cause his family can sense everything in their body so he manipulates it. Granted, the story wasn’t that interesting. I actually felt like it was tedious to make a kid so young when you were just going to mentally age him up anyways.
November 19, 2015
Our bodies are controlled by a system of nerves, which regulate our basic functions and enable our higher functioning abilities, yet a majority of us have a minimal understanding of these systems. And that's fine by me--let the professionals take care of and understand that which I do not. But what if you were able to control your nervous system by simply thinking about it? What would that be like? You can find out in Nervous System by Andrea Ring.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Thomas VanZandt is a precocious six year old, but that's not the strangest thing about him. Thomas can regulate his body and heal himself quickly through his ability to manipulate his nervous system. This ability sets him apart from the other kids in school and makes him question his normality. After the untimely, tragic death of his mother, Thomas is now forced to spend more time with his father, a Navy SEAL who previously traveled a lot for work, as well as his grandmother. Through this, Thomas learns that his ability isn't unique to him--it's an inherited trait.
With a quickly-paced narrative and an interesting evolutionary concept, it was easy to breeze through the story, despite my moderate lack of suspension of disbelief that even a precocious six year old would speak and behave as Thomas did. There was much discussion of what is "right," particularly as it relates to God, which was something that is understandable for a concept like this, but had me mentally slamming the breaks because it's an all too convenient platform from which to preach.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Thomas VanZandt is a precocious six year old, but that's not the strangest thing about him. Thomas can regulate his body and heal himself quickly through his ability to manipulate his nervous system. This ability sets him apart from the other kids in school and makes him question his normality. After the untimely, tragic death of his mother, Thomas is now forced to spend more time with his father, a Navy SEAL who previously traveled a lot for work, as well as his grandmother. Through this, Thomas learns that his ability isn't unique to him--it's an inherited trait.
With a quickly-paced narrative and an interesting evolutionary concept, it was easy to breeze through the story, despite my moderate lack of suspension of disbelief that even a precocious six year old would speak and behave as Thomas did. There was much discussion of what is "right," particularly as it relates to God, which was something that is understandable for a concept like this, but had me mentally slamming the breaks because it's an all too convenient platform from which to preach.
September 12, 2017
We all know that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Just as well, in this case, because the cover, with its lurid picture of a heart, wasn't to my taste.
The blurb, however, was, and on that basis (and because it was on offer) I downloaded 'Nervous System' to my Kindle. It turned out that the blurb was a better indicator than the cover: the story was well paced, smoothly written and absorbing, with new elements being worked into the plot at regular intervals to keep it interesting.
The basic story is of a child prodigy, who has amazing intelligence and a remarkable ability to control his own body functions but is still emotionally a six year old boy. An intriguing scenario, and very well handled. I read the whole thing in just a few days, and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it finished on a cliff hanger, which I find mildly annoying.
The main downside for me, though, was the sometimes questionable theology that is slipped into the story. Of course, that's a very subjective view, and to be fair it is well integrated into the plot, providing motivation for the main character's choices, and shows how even superior intelligence by itself can't give clear guidance for difficult choices. However, the main vehicle for this is a Minister who to me came across as a rather shallow character, only in the book to inject these moral guidelines. Still, this is the first of a four book series, so perhaps the Reverend will be better developed in the later books.
Overall, a good read.
The blurb, however, was, and on that basis (and because it was on offer) I downloaded 'Nervous System' to my Kindle. It turned out that the blurb was a better indicator than the cover: the story was well paced, smoothly written and absorbing, with new elements being worked into the plot at regular intervals to keep it interesting.
The basic story is of a child prodigy, who has amazing intelligence and a remarkable ability to control his own body functions but is still emotionally a six year old boy. An intriguing scenario, and very well handled. I read the whole thing in just a few days, and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it finished on a cliff hanger, which I find mildly annoying.
The main downside for me, though, was the sometimes questionable theology that is slipped into the story. Of course, that's a very subjective view, and to be fair it is well integrated into the plot, providing motivation for the main character's choices, and shows how even superior intelligence by itself can't give clear guidance for difficult choices. However, the main vehicle for this is a Minister who to me came across as a rather shallow character, only in the book to inject these moral guidelines. Still, this is the first of a four book series, so perhaps the Reverend will be better developed in the later books.
Overall, a good read.
October 26, 2015
I gotta get more!
This I expected to be a technically oriented sci-fo.
Boy was I wrong!
This story grabs you by the head as well as the heart!
The characters are so humanely real you begin to Care about their well being!
I loved this ebook, a gift by way of Choosey Books, in exchange for honest review.
Read this book your soul will thank you for it!
This I expected to be a technically oriented sci-fo.
Boy was I wrong!
This story grabs you by the head as well as the heart!
The characters are so humanely real you begin to Care about their well being!
I loved this ebook, a gift by way of Choosey Books, in exchange for honest review.
Read this book your soul will thank you for it!
January 22, 2016
Intriguing and compelling book with an ending that leaves the reader wanting to know more. Good characterisation of the thoughts of a precocious child, believable and realistic despite the syfy element.
November 5, 2015
I'm going to come back for a better review but I will tell you that I loved this bright, witty, funny, and heartfelt book about a genius 6 year old. Let's be clear, though I haven't got the detail into this review yet, don't worry about it. Just read this book, you won't be sorry.
October 25, 2015
very good
November 2, 2015
loved this book i would recommend it to kids ten and up loved it so much
January 16, 2016
Amazingly wonderful! I love it, it kept me intrigued about how much a little six year old boy can do and even helped a little with my writer's block. The ending is complete evil.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews