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The Planet Thieves
(The Planet Thieves #1)
by
Two weeks ago, thirteen-year-old Mason Stark and seventeen of his fellow cadets from the Academy for Earth Space Command boarded the SS Egypt. The trip was supposed to be a short routine voyage to log their required spacetime for summer quarter.
But routine goes out the airlock when they're attacked by the Tremist, an alien race who have been at war with humanity for the la ...more
But routine goes out the airlock when they're attacked by the Tremist, an alien race who have been at war with humanity for the la ...more
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Showing 1-30
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May 19, 2013
Christina (A Reader of Fictions)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
series-not-finishing,
finishedreviewcopy
Though marketed as a middle grade novel, do not let the age of the protagonists scare you away if you're an older reader. Krokos' sophomore novel is well-written and does not speak down to the audience. I loved Krokos' debut, False Memory, and he's hit it out of the park once again. The Planet Thieves is funny, full of adventure, and packed with delightful characters.
Novels for children and teens are full of absent parents and authority figures. This construct allows for young people to feel emp ...more
Novels for children and teens are full of absent parents and authority figures. This construct allows for young people to feel emp ...more
Jan 03, 2012
Wendy Darling
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-or-futuristic,
2013-publication,
may,
middle-grade,
read-2013,
male-ya-author,
male-pov,
aliens,
tor
3.5 stars A fun read overall, with tons of cliffhanger chapter endings to ensure you'll be turning the pages to find out what happens next. I'd recommend this one specifically for readers in the book's target age range of upper middle grade or younger YA, who will likely find the quick pacing and action-packed story an easy and entertaining read.
The full text of this review may be found inThe Midnight Garden. ...more
Reading, in my household, is a way of life. Books are everywhere. Stacked on shelves, stuffed in random boxes, perched precariously on the tops of lamps. Walking into my house is like walking into hermit’s habitat, with slightly more light. Though it irritates my husband from time to time (I’ve deduced this from his annual threats of “Don’t make me sell your books!”) I have found that my children don’t seem to mind. So I asked my son once, “Why doesn’t mommy’s books bug you? They are all over th
...more
Oh goodness! I can't wait for this book! The first sentence totally got my attention Star Trek meets Rick Riordan . As a fan of Rick Riordan, I will really check this out!
I hope 2013 will come soon. A few more months and this would be released! I can't wait! :) ...more
I hope 2013 will come soon. A few more months and this would be released! I can't wait! :) ...more
THE PLANET THIEVES is something I don't think I've encountered in middle grade before - military sci-fi. The closest I can think of are the later Alien Adventures books by Bruce Coville. I loved those books, and I enjoyed THE PLANET THIEVES quite a bit. The genre isn't the only unexpected thing.
THE PLANET THIEVES was darker than I expected. I was expecting a bit of a madcap adventure based on the cover and tagline ("Two civilizations. One planet. And a race to see who steals it first!"). But tho ...more
THE PLANET THIEVES was darker than I expected. I was expecting a bit of a madcap adventure based on the cover and tagline ("Two civilizations. One planet. And a race to see who steals it first!"). But tho ...more
The Planet Thieves, by Dan Krokos, is the first in a new children's science fiction series set in a far future during a half-century-old interplanetary war between humanity and a mysterious race known as the Tremist. Thirteen-year-old Mason Stark, his best friend Merrin, and his sometime rival Tom Renner, along with another dozen or so cadets, are on board the warship SS Egypt for what is supposed to be a routine mission when they are suddenly attacked by a Tremist ship. Soon, Mason and his fell
...more
Four stars: A fun book that feels like a Star Trek adventure!
Mason is horrified to hear the alarms sounding while he is on the bridge trying to play a silly prank on his older sister Susan. Quickly, he hides and watches in terror as The SS Egypt is engaged by their enemy the Tremists. Before the action gets dangerous, Susan insists on escorting Mason off the bridge and locking him in the Brig, not only to punish him for his actions, but in her mind it is a great way to keep him safe. Mason refus ...more
Mason is horrified to hear the alarms sounding while he is on the bridge trying to play a silly prank on his older sister Susan. Quickly, he hides and watches in terror as The SS Egypt is engaged by their enemy the Tremists. Before the action gets dangerous, Susan insists on escorting Mason off the bridge and locking him in the Brig, not only to punish him for his actions, but in her mind it is a great way to keep him safe. Mason refus ...more
Mason lives on the USS Egypt with his sister Susan as an ESC Cadet after the death of his parents. When Tremists (an alien race hostile to humans) attack the ship, the captain is killed, his sister is taken hostage, and Commander Lockwood is so gravely injured that he puts Mason in charge. Tom, the captain's son, is a bit put out, but knows that the cadets must take back the ship if there is any hope of defeating the Tremists. They have been fighting with the ESC over the habitable planet Nori-B
...more
Jun 07, 2013
Brad Sells
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
finished-copy-for-review
I still don't entirely know how I feel about this book. While some parts really had me invested into the story, others had me dozing off. Did I enjoy The Planet Thieves wholly? Yes. Did I enjoy it at all times? Not exactly.
The biggest problem I had with The Planet Thieves was the main character - I never connected to Mason. He seemed to whiny and jokester-like for me to enjoy. Yes, being a jokester character does work in middle-grade fiction sometimes, but given the circumstances and the plot of ...more
The biggest problem I had with The Planet Thieves was the main character - I never connected to Mason. He seemed to whiny and jokester-like for me to enjoy. Yes, being a jokester character does work in middle-grade fiction sometimes, but given the circumstances and the plot of ...more
Okay … The Planet Thieves has to be the most frightening book I’ve read all year. Is it a horror book? Nah. But it terrified me all the same. It feels like a very conservative novel meant to make 8-12yos want to join the military. It’s a military recruitment tool.
Content warnings:
ableist language (cr*ppled is EVERYWHERE in the prose!)
antisemitism mention (e.g., the enemies could even be LIZARD PEOPLE)
basically everything I explained above …
This review is pretty harsh and judgmental, sorry. Be p ...more
Content warnings:
ableist language (cr*ppled is EVERYWHERE in the prose!)
antisemitism mention (e.g., the enemies could even be LIZARD PEOPLE)
basically everything I explained above …
This review is pretty harsh and judgmental, sorry. Be p ...more
It took me a year to find book.And when I finally find it would kind of suck if i didn't even like it.
But Damn it.It was Good
It's your typical Middle Grade.Good vs Evil,Child hero blah blah blah but at the same time while everything shouts CLICHE it was different.
Scratch that it was a true Middle Grade.Right there till the end
THE LIKE SECTION
TO begin with it was almost entirely believable.Up until the end Mason and the ESC did not once find that random silver of luck that so many Heroes often de ...more
But Damn it.It was Good
It's your typical Middle Grade.Good vs Evil,Child hero blah blah blah but at the same time while everything shouts CLICHE it was different.
Scratch that it was a true Middle Grade.Right there till the end
THE LIKE SECTION
TO begin with it was almost entirely believable.Up until the end Mason and the ESC did not once find that random silver of luck that so many Heroes often de ...more
This is a fast paced book for middle graders who love science fiction.
Mason is a cadet on the ship, the Egypt, where his sister is captain. There are 17 other cadets on this mission as well as the mail crew. And Mason loves to play jokes. The last one, against his sister, landed him in the brig. Just when things got complicated with their enemies the Tremist.
The Tremist want Nori-Blue and are willing to steal the planet, and the ESC has the technology to move planets via a "gate" which is on th ...more
Mason is a cadet on the ship, the Egypt, where his sister is captain. There are 17 other cadets on this mission as well as the mail crew. And Mason loves to play jokes. The last one, against his sister, landed him in the brig. Just when things got complicated with their enemies the Tremist.
The Tremist want Nori-Blue and are willing to steal the planet, and the ESC has the technology to move planets via a "gate" which is on th ...more
This is a solid middle-grade space opera, capably balancing the terrors of war with the inherently goofy concept of moving an entire planet to a different solar system. I like that the whole book is basically one long adrenaline rush of action, and that its 7-to-13-year-old ensign protagonists are written as both children and heroes. I have quibbles with some of the worldbuilding and plot developments, but this seems like a great book for younger readers, especially fans of Ender's Game.
...more
starts out a little slow but then it picks up and is quite adventurous. The origin story of Earth and humans is a pretty creative spin on things, and I like that the 2 races come together in the end to battle the evil that remains on the home planet. For a middle grade book it has some intense parts and some people die, but it wasn't terrible, nothing too gory or over the top.
...more
The Planet Thieves, written by Dan Krokos in 2013, is a Hal Clement award for young adult literature. I listened to this book on tape, and Kirby Heyborne's voice is an excellent reading voice. This is a great sci-fi journey, and I recommend it to middle school and high school readers.
...more
Science fiction for cool kids, could you save earth from being stollen through a gate to a different universe? You are just a space cadet in your second year and a lot of people depend on you when everything goes wrong! Intense creative and unpredictable!
Great science fiction! Read this on my son's recommendation. Great characters, some good twists, and a burning question to drive you to book 2!
...more
Oct 30, 2018
Cayen Philbrick
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
want-to-buy
One of the best books I ever read when I finished I did not want to let go.
A must read for people who like continuous action
A must read for people who like continuous action
it has potential but it was too short
Sorta a lil bored of this book but I'm sure others will like it
...more
Ok, YA book. lots of action but I could not really get into the world.
Great book!
Enjoyed the fast paced action that enters the novel quickly. This is the 4th time I have read this book, it is better for 11 - 12 year olds.
Enjoyed the fast paced action that enters the novel quickly. This is the 4th time I have read this book, it is better for 11 - 12 year olds.
Great quick read! Lots of action, even though things happened really quickly.
A well written book and a delightful listen.
I lost interest in Planet Thieves and did not finish listening to the audiobook.
I can't remember the last time I did such a 180 on a book.
The story started out great: A space ship full of a regular crew and a team of cadets getting their first chance to go into space is attacked by an alien enemy. This enemy has refused all attempts at contact in the past, and seems bent only on destroying humanity. The writing seemed realistic and exciting at this point.
Then, maybe 40% into the book, we learned the cadets were all 8-13 years old. That made me frowny, as their actions thus ...more
The story started out great: A space ship full of a regular crew and a team of cadets getting their first chance to go into space is attacked by an alien enemy. This enemy has refused all attempts at contact in the past, and seems bent only on destroying humanity. The writing seemed realistic and exciting at this point.
Then, maybe 40% into the book, we learned the cadets were all 8-13 years old. That made me frowny, as their actions thus ...more
A great start for an adventurous junior fiction sci-fi series. Have already started book #2! Dan Krokos has created a good group of main characters. There is bonding and clashes. The aliens, wonderfully described, are different and interesting. What starts out as a normal journey for new cadets, headed to their next training school, ends up being anything but usual!
This book and the way it's written raised a lot of questions. (There are some spoilers in here.)
Why do magnets have an effect on human bodies?
Why do the characters keep winking at each other when they're in mortal danger?
Why does the author tell me the protagonist, Mason, who he'd theoretically want me to like, is manipulative?
Why does Mason, just after thinking about how the Alien King (yes, he's really the King) has a shoot-on-sight order out on him, not immediately shoot the king?
Why do they ...more
Why do magnets have an effect on human bodies?
Why do the characters keep winking at each other when they're in mortal danger?
Why does the author tell me the protagonist, Mason, who he'd theoretically want me to like, is manipulative?
Why does Mason, just after thinking about how the Alien King (yes, he's really the King) has a shoot-on-sight order out on him, not immediately shoot the king?
Why do they ...more
Review originally posted at Step Into Fiction
If you have kids and you'd love for them to read more (especially boys) then I would say definitely hand them this book. It's middle grade so it's for younger readers but I think, no I know that adults will enjoy this book, too. I just finished it and it was just such a fun, adventure filled book of kids being the heroes. Plus it's got the sci-fi factor of space and aliens - what kid doesn't love that?
I read this book because I became a fan of Dan Kro ...more
If you have kids and you'd love for them to read more (especially boys) then I would say definitely hand them this book. It's middle grade so it's for younger readers but I think, no I know that adults will enjoy this book, too. I just finished it and it was just such a fun, adventure filled book of kids being the heroes. Plus it's got the sci-fi factor of space and aliens - what kid doesn't love that?
I read this book because I became a fan of Dan Kro ...more
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
When I was first contacted about The Planet Thieves I was told it was “Star Trek meets Rick Riordan.” I didn’t need to read any further to know this was a book I needed to read. And it was exactly as described. The Planet Thieves is without a doubt, very similar to Star Trek. Remember that Star Trek episode, “The Game” guest staring Ashley Judd? Where all the adults are incapacitated so Wesley saves the day? Combine that with one of Kirk’s cra ...more
When I was first contacted about The Planet Thieves I was told it was “Star Trek meets Rick Riordan.” I didn’t need to read any further to know this was a book I needed to read. And it was exactly as described. The Planet Thieves is without a doubt, very similar to Star Trek. Remember that Star Trek episode, “The Game” guest staring Ashley Judd? Where all the adults are incapacitated so Wesley saves the day? Combine that with one of Kirk’s cra ...more
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“Sometimes, if she was afraid, she’d take all her fear and gather it up and turn it into anger. Anger didn’t paralyze the way fear did. It was the opposite of being helpless. But it was dangerous too, because you could end up being angry all the time.”
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“Mason knew what it was like to say things you didn’t mean, to just have them vomit out, and then feel that crushing ache when you realized you could never pull them back.”
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