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The Unsame Ones
IMAGINE A world where Everyone was exactly the Same, including YOU, BECAUSE Same was Safe.
The Unsame Ones, is a riveting story of an ordinary January whose Same life takes an extraordinary turn, when something Different throws her off of her Same track, and propels her into the forbidden realm of Unsame. Where once her life revolved only around the clock, and listening to only its sound, she starts to hear something different, something real, something powerful, and spell-binding that ignites a fierce desire to overcome the pull of Same, to know the truth, and to discover the vibrant power of music, even at the deadly cost of being infected with the Unsame virus, and losing her place in the world of SAME FOREVER.
The Unsame Ones is a gripping story that will appeal 7th to 12th graders, music enthusiast, kids, and individuals who have trouble fitting into the "in" crowd.
*Back cover blurb*
I was born in January.
So I am January, and everything that it entails. I bear the same name as a million other Januaries just like me, the same look, the same genetic makeup, the same job, the same face, the same goals, and the same dreams.
I am and will be a secretary for the rest of my life. I am good at what I do, I was made for my job, and my job was made for me.
I am Same.
I have lived the Same as every other January like me for seventeen years.
And a year from now, on the first of January, I will die from the same genetic defect every January has died from. No January has ever lived past eighteen.
No January has ever wanted to.
Until now.
I believe I have been infected with the Unsame Virus. My head aches, throbs, and pounds
without ever stopping. Before now, I never felt pain. I know I must turn myself in. That is the only logical thing to do.
It all started with the hideous Unsame One who crossed my path, and thrust a strange object into my hands. It is he who is to blame, and it is I who must fight this. I cannot shut out my master, keeper, and overseer, Time---nor disobey the clock. I will forever march to its dictates, and remain true.
I am a Same One.
I was born Same.
I have lived Same.
And I will die Same.
I am January.
I am Same.
The Unsame Ones, is a riveting story of an ordinary January whose Same life takes an extraordinary turn, when something Different throws her off of her Same track, and propels her into the forbidden realm of Unsame. Where once her life revolved only around the clock, and listening to only its sound, she starts to hear something different, something real, something powerful, and spell-binding that ignites a fierce desire to overcome the pull of Same, to know the truth, and to discover the vibrant power of music, even at the deadly cost of being infected with the Unsame virus, and losing her place in the world of SAME FOREVER.
The Unsame Ones is a gripping story that will appeal 7th to 12th graders, music enthusiast, kids, and individuals who have trouble fitting into the "in" crowd.
*Back cover blurb*
I was born in January.
So I am January, and everything that it entails. I bear the same name as a million other Januaries just like me, the same look, the same genetic makeup, the same job, the same face, the same goals, and the same dreams.
I am and will be a secretary for the rest of my life. I am good at what I do, I was made for my job, and my job was made for me.
I am Same.
I have lived the Same as every other January like me for seventeen years.
And a year from now, on the first of January, I will die from the same genetic defect every January has died from. No January has ever lived past eighteen.
No January has ever wanted to.
Until now.
I believe I have been infected with the Unsame Virus. My head aches, throbs, and pounds
without ever stopping. Before now, I never felt pain. I know I must turn myself in. That is the only logical thing to do.
It all started with the hideous Unsame One who crossed my path, and thrust a strange object into my hands. It is he who is to blame, and it is I who must fight this. I cannot shut out my master, keeper, and overseer, Time---nor disobey the clock. I will forever march to its dictates, and remain true.
I am a Same One.
I was born Same.
I have lived Same.
And I will die Same.
I am January.
I am Same.
448 pages, ebook
Published February 26, 2016
24 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Skeem
3 books23 followers"Every person passing through this life will unknowingly leave something and take something away. Most of this “something” cannot be seen or heard or numbered or scientifically detected or counted. It’s what we leave in the minds of other people and what they leave in ours. Memory. The census doesn’t count it. Nothing counts without it."
— Robert Fulghum
"We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil."
— J.R.R. Tolkien
Here's my boring Biography for those of you who prefer third person introductions. As for myself, I prefer a first person intro when I'm meeting someone new. So below the boring bio is the first person super awesome intro.
*Smiles sheepishly*
Stephanie Skeem, the seventh child of nine children, was born on the sixth day of June on the sixth month, in the tiny town of Snowhere, sandwiched right in the middle of Somewhere and Nowhere, with Nothing Much in between. She lives on a not so ordinary farm, with a barn (that isn't red) With goats that can fly over fences, an orphaned horse that thinks it's a unicorn, and chickens that actually have invisible teeth. For fun, she sings to old people, does amazing hula hoop tricks, paints beautiful pictures, milks goats, has mud fights, rescues the poor and afflicted, and scuba dives through water that is amazingly populated with leaches, alligators and hippos, all while sitting at her writing desk.
______________________________________
And so..."Ahem, here's the non-boring intro for those of you who are interested."
This is my own personal canvas to express myself, so says goodreads. Well, I guess I shall start by swiping my paintbrush across this canvas by saying I'm a author, just like a hundred other authors on here. What makes me different from the masses of authors all trying to get people to read their books, you ask? Let's see...well I can hula hoop about 30 to 40 lbs of hula hoops at one time. *yeah, impressive, I know.* Next, I'll have to learn to do a handstand while hooping, and reading a book.
I've rescued baby goats from freezing temperatures and brought them back to life. My favorite sounds are the hum of crickets on a summer night, people laughing, rain, water over rocks, doves calling, lid on a sprite bottle opening, fish splashing, thunder.
I love playing Frisbee, a good laugh, smashing evil moths that invade my work space at night, righting the injustices of the world, finding new ways to make ordinary things not so ordinary. I love thunderstorms, you know, the kind when the power goes out and you have to go get the candles. I love cuddling on the couch with a good book, and a fuzzy blanket, feeling warm, and safe, ready to embark on a new adventure without having to even move.
*Shrugs* The simple joys. Who doesn't love em?
Also, if I was a shameless author, I would tell you how great my young adult book Flotsam is. But I wont. I'll just let you go take a peek at it and decide if you like it yourself.
*Cheers*
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-1-Steph...
— Robert Fulghum
"We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, though they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragment of the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only by myth-making, only by becoming 'sub-creator' and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the Fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbour, while materialistic 'progress' leads only to a yawning abyss and the Iron Crown of the power of evil."
— J.R.R. Tolkien
Here's my boring Biography for those of you who prefer third person introductions. As for myself, I prefer a first person intro when I'm meeting someone new. So below the boring bio is the first person super awesome intro.
*Smiles sheepishly*
Stephanie Skeem, the seventh child of nine children, was born on the sixth day of June on the sixth month, in the tiny town of Snowhere, sandwiched right in the middle of Somewhere and Nowhere, with Nothing Much in between. She lives on a not so ordinary farm, with a barn (that isn't red) With goats that can fly over fences, an orphaned horse that thinks it's a unicorn, and chickens that actually have invisible teeth. For fun, she sings to old people, does amazing hula hoop tricks, paints beautiful pictures, milks goats, has mud fights, rescues the poor and afflicted, and scuba dives through water that is amazingly populated with leaches, alligators and hippos, all while sitting at her writing desk.
______________________________________
And so..."Ahem, here's the non-boring intro for those of you who are interested."
This is my own personal canvas to express myself, so says goodreads. Well, I guess I shall start by swiping my paintbrush across this canvas by saying I'm a author, just like a hundred other authors on here. What makes me different from the masses of authors all trying to get people to read their books, you ask? Let's see...well I can hula hoop about 30 to 40 lbs of hula hoops at one time. *yeah, impressive, I know.* Next, I'll have to learn to do a handstand while hooping, and reading a book.
I've rescued baby goats from freezing temperatures and brought them back to life. My favorite sounds are the hum of crickets on a summer night, people laughing, rain, water over rocks, doves calling, lid on a sprite bottle opening, fish splashing, thunder.
I love playing Frisbee, a good laugh, smashing evil moths that invade my work space at night, righting the injustices of the world, finding new ways to make ordinary things not so ordinary. I love thunderstorms, you know, the kind when the power goes out and you have to go get the candles. I love cuddling on the couch with a good book, and a fuzzy blanket, feeling warm, and safe, ready to embark on a new adventure without having to even move.
*Shrugs* The simple joys. Who doesn't love em?
Also, if I was a shameless author, I would tell you how great my young adult book Flotsam is. But I wont. I'll just let you go take a peek at it and decide if you like it yourself.
*Cheers*
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Flotsam-1-Steph...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 23, 2016
During the early pages of The Unsame Ones, two images went through my mind: Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall—in particular the scene with all the giant hammers marching in perfect step—and Yevgeny Zamyatin's We (inspiration for Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four amongst others). If anything, though, the world here is even more dystopian: joyless and largely colourless (even the food is grey), a society-machine whose clone-like "individuals" are the cogs. For example, those born in March (all called "March") are police, while Aprils are teachers, Julys cooks, Augusts drivers, Decembers the black-clad authority figures and so on. Universal sameness is its orthodoxy, and difference—"unsame"—not tolerated in any form. What best sums it up is its all-pervasive clocks—a typical day begins like this: all Januarys wake and rise as one, walk with metronomic precision to the cafeteria to eat their grey breakfasts, walk in perfect step to the morning's indoctrination classes, then to work for an afternoon filing documents. "...The clock always ticked in time with our instructor's voice as if each word was planned, down to the last syllable exactly in time with the school bell that sounded more inside our heads than without..."
Except that it's not quite a flawless machine, and on this particular day an incident disturbs the perfection: one of the Unsame suddenly appears in the street, confronts our narrator (January 444) and thrusts a strangely shaped wooden box into her arms. Worse, the box contains a message (and what a message: a message from Vivaldi, Paganini, Bach!) The Unsame are outsiders, misfits "Infected" (as the official line has it) "with the Unsame virus"—so what should our January do now? Turn herself and the box in of course. And yet...
It's, er, some time now since I belonged to this book's target audience (YA but, what the hell, aren't we all young at heart?) yet I enjoyed it hugely. I absolutely loved the first quarter or so, and although it did lose me a bit in the middle during the prison-cell scenes, came back again with a last quarter as good as the first—hence my overall four-star rating. The style is, much of the time, unbroken monologue (necessarily so given that January 444 is, in a sense, completely alone in her world of Same) yet I found it engaging and there's some lovely writing too. For example: "I played the violin like a weapon, like a woodsman with a bow and arrow. Each string I played was strung with a note of music as sharp as a dagger. Each note cut through the crowd, hitting its mark with careful accuracy, knocking the breath from those whom it hit. No soul was left untouched, no ear left unscarred from the sound, no cold heart unscathed." Or this: "I filled that moment with music, with rhythm, with the breath of hope of a new day. This was my song. In it were streams, hills, valleys, wind, rain, sky, freedom and life."
One last thing: I read this off the page, but towards the end was thinking that it would sound terrific on the radio—then noticed that it's also available as an audiobook, and it suddenly all made sense: I can imagine this sounding brilliant read aloud, both the monologue-style narration itself and with real (rather than purely imaginary!) music.
Except that it's not quite a flawless machine, and on this particular day an incident disturbs the perfection: one of the Unsame suddenly appears in the street, confronts our narrator (January 444) and thrusts a strangely shaped wooden box into her arms. Worse, the box contains a message (and what a message: a message from Vivaldi, Paganini, Bach!) The Unsame are outsiders, misfits "Infected" (as the official line has it) "with the Unsame virus"—so what should our January do now? Turn herself and the box in of course. And yet...
It's, er, some time now since I belonged to this book's target audience (YA but, what the hell, aren't we all young at heart?) yet I enjoyed it hugely. I absolutely loved the first quarter or so, and although it did lose me a bit in the middle during the prison-cell scenes, came back again with a last quarter as good as the first—hence my overall four-star rating. The style is, much of the time, unbroken monologue (necessarily so given that January 444 is, in a sense, completely alone in her world of Same) yet I found it engaging and there's some lovely writing too. For example: "I played the violin like a weapon, like a woodsman with a bow and arrow. Each string I played was strung with a note of music as sharp as a dagger. Each note cut through the crowd, hitting its mark with careful accuracy, knocking the breath from those whom it hit. No soul was left untouched, no ear left unscarred from the sound, no cold heart unscathed." Or this: "I filled that moment with music, with rhythm, with the breath of hope of a new day. This was my song. In it were streams, hills, valleys, wind, rain, sky, freedom and life."
One last thing: I read this off the page, but towards the end was thinking that it would sound terrific on the radio—then noticed that it's also available as an audiobook, and it suddenly all made sense: I can imagine this sounding brilliant read aloud, both the monologue-style narration itself and with real (rather than purely imaginary!) music.
May 29, 2016
Title: The Unsame Ones
Author: Stephanie Skeem
Publisher: Lost and Found Publishing Kindle Edition
ISBN: 9781311725028
Buy Link: http://thewritinggarden.blogspot.com/...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
To The Unsame In the wee hours of night my sister, Bessie, brainstormed with me while she fixed an old violin, helping me to form the idea behind this story, proving that anyone with enough love, and determination can fix the unfixable and bring music back where it was once lost. This book is dedicated to her. A true friend who I can always be proud to be Unsame with. And to all the Unsame Ones everywhere---to the musicians, the artists, the street performers, the tinkers, the amateurs, the dancers, experimenters, writers, teachers, dreamers, doers, seekers, movers and shakers. Mismatched, and as unique as you are, you are what gives the world a reason to keep on dreaming. You break down the rigid barriers to our own limited thinking. You are The Unsame Ones, a guild of brave individuals who dare to be different. You keep the music alive, and bring to light the beautiful curves, swirls, and ringlets of the imagination that can only be seen with Unsame eyes.
Summary:
January lives in the society of Same where every moment of the day was spent in a never ending cycle of work or study where every person born in a month was a copy of each other. No one had or even wanted individual ideas because they would be looked upon as abhorrent and unsame. Everyone was to follow along as they were born to never questioning anything. That was until the day an unsame, blade, ran into January #444 and that one action changed her life forever. Imagine suddenly seeing your would and all it's short comings for the first time. It seemed like her vision slowly cleared to what her life was, gray and lifeless. Even more than that, this book allowed the reader to understand that all are lives could be so much richer if we allowed ourselves to see the beauty in the world around us. Jan with Blade's help was given a chance build a life full of color and love if she as strong enough to reach for it, but the question is are you? This story gave me pause and a moments reflection to remember what life is really about and I for one wish to thank the author for that.
Author: Stephanie Skeem
Publisher: Lost and Found Publishing Kindle Edition
ISBN: 9781311725028
Buy Link: http://thewritinggarden.blogspot.com/...
Reviewer: Teresa Fallen Angel
Blurb:
To The Unsame In the wee hours of night my sister, Bessie, brainstormed with me while she fixed an old violin, helping me to form the idea behind this story, proving that anyone with enough love, and determination can fix the unfixable and bring music back where it was once lost. This book is dedicated to her. A true friend who I can always be proud to be Unsame with. And to all the Unsame Ones everywhere---to the musicians, the artists, the street performers, the tinkers, the amateurs, the dancers, experimenters, writers, teachers, dreamers, doers, seekers, movers and shakers. Mismatched, and as unique as you are, you are what gives the world a reason to keep on dreaming. You break down the rigid barriers to our own limited thinking. You are The Unsame Ones, a guild of brave individuals who dare to be different. You keep the music alive, and bring to light the beautiful curves, swirls, and ringlets of the imagination that can only be seen with Unsame eyes.
Summary:
January lives in the society of Same where every moment of the day was spent in a never ending cycle of work or study where every person born in a month was a copy of each other. No one had or even wanted individual ideas because they would be looked upon as abhorrent and unsame. Everyone was to follow along as they were born to never questioning anything. That was until the day an unsame, blade, ran into January #444 and that one action changed her life forever. Imagine suddenly seeing your would and all it's short comings for the first time. It seemed like her vision slowly cleared to what her life was, gray and lifeless. Even more than that, this book allowed the reader to understand that all are lives could be so much richer if we allowed ourselves to see the beauty in the world around us. Jan with Blade's help was given a chance build a life full of color and love if she as strong enough to reach for it, but the question is are you? This story gave me pause and a moments reflection to remember what life is really about and I for one wish to thank the author for that.
June 13, 2016
Overall Rating 3.5. The Same Ones by Stephanie Skeem is an interesting take on the future of society where all emotion and unnecessary movements are taken out of society. Everyone is born for a specific purpose, there is no individuality, and no one has freedom to do anything other than what they were bred to do.
The story begins with 17-year old January, who is identical to all other Januaries; until she hears a violin played by a boy who is not the same. She is intrigued by this boy, Blade, and she defies her superiors and befriends the boy after he is captured despite being infected with the Unsame Virus. This virus is actually a desire to be different and free to choose one's own destiny, which is the biggest fear of the establishment because disorder would kill this structured community. The rest of the story is Blade training Jan, as he calls her, how to play the violin and what it means to be an individual.
The author also narrated this book, which she did with an impassioned fervor. What I loved most about this story is Blade's transformation from being an arrogant outsider to a self-sacrificing emotional wreck over his concern for Jan's impending death. However, this 14-hour audio would have benefited immensely with a few hours trimmed off of it. At about the 8-hour mark I knew where this story was going and just wanted it to get on with it already. I received a copy of this audio from the author in exchange for a review.
The story begins with 17-year old January, who is identical to all other Januaries; until she hears a violin played by a boy who is not the same. She is intrigued by this boy, Blade, and she defies her superiors and befriends the boy after he is captured despite being infected with the Unsame Virus. This virus is actually a desire to be different and free to choose one's own destiny, which is the biggest fear of the establishment because disorder would kill this structured community. The rest of the story is Blade training Jan, as he calls her, how to play the violin and what it means to be an individual.
The author also narrated this book, which she did with an impassioned fervor. What I loved most about this story is Blade's transformation from being an arrogant outsider to a self-sacrificing emotional wreck over his concern for Jan's impending death. However, this 14-hour audio would have benefited immensely with a few hours trimmed off of it. At about the 8-hour mark I knew where this story was going and just wanted it to get on with it already. I received a copy of this audio from the author in exchange for a review.
September 18, 2017
Fascinating story
As I read this book I wondered what the point was? Aren't we all basically the same? I personally consider myself average. But as I continued to read I realized that we are unique and also the same. I found my mind exploring different pathways as the story progressed. I will remember this story forever, my world has been changed. I recommend this book to all thinkers.
As I read this book I wondered what the point was? Aren't we all basically the same? I personally consider myself average. But as I continued to read I realized that we are unique and also the same. I found my mind exploring different pathways as the story progressed. I will remember this story forever, my world has been changed. I recommend this book to all thinkers.
May 8, 2017
A heart moving emotional story.
August 15, 2018
I really liked this book. I would've given this five stars if it didn't feel like there was just a little something missing (I'm not sure what didn't feel complete)
August 22, 2016
My original The Unsame Ones audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
There are different people in this society, twelve to be exact. Depending on the month they are born they have a different set of skills and a certain job. Januaries are secretaries, Marches are cops. Novembers and Decembers are at the top of the hierarchy, and they are also who live the longest. Because the same ones have an expire date, each type with a different congenital defect that will kill them when the time comes. Everything is designed to have a perfect society, and this is why they chase and kill the unsame ones, which are believed to carry the unsame virus, a potential danger for the society of sames.
The main character in this book is a seventeen year old January, and this means that this will be the last year of her life. One day she suddenly meets an unsame one who gives her a violin asking her to promise him to keep it safe. She will face then new situations and will have new thoughts that will change the course of her normal life.
The premises of this story were really good but the execution failed at several levels. The book is 14 hours long but with the poor development and depth it has I just see material for a short story. The length comes from the repetitions and reiterations all along the book, I guess to set the mood and make us see the world through this January's eyes.
There are a couple of twist to the plot, but they were not totally unexpected. The interaction with the Decembers and how one of them reveals what they use the unsame ones' blood for were quite forced. The descriptions failed for me since everything was just grey, but it was difficult to imagine January's surroundings. I expected to learn a bit more about how the society worked, how it was formed and its origins. It is like the writer presented a skeleton but failed at showing the muscles and how the body moves. I guess we should take this book just as a dystopian experiment to make us reflect about life and decisions. It felt odd how nobody noticed how differently this January behaved and the fact that she visited unexpected places. I expected this society to be a version of the Big Brother, where everything out of the normal is quickly denounced, but everything goes unnoticed until the end. One would wonder how this society did not fail before.
The end was more fantasy or magic than science fiction, and in spite of its beauty, I found it a bit disappointing.
I could not understand January's attitude towards the end of the book. This made me disconnect from her as a character, and made the story even less realistic.
The book is narrated by the Stephanie Skeem herself. Her diction was very clear, and the voices were good enough to identify the subject. She put a lot of passion into the dialogs and made the book an easy listen. Due to this and the constant repetitions, I was able to listen to the book a bit faster than usual. I normally listen at 1.2 - 1.4 and here I was comfortable at 1.6 - 1.8, and even like that some parts felt slow. I guess it was due to the reiterations and the very little useful information.
I enjoyed this book, and found it an interesting dystopian experiment. I just wish it was properly edited before its publication, since some hours should have been trimmed off. The author has a lot of potential, and I hope she continues writing.
There are different people in this society, twelve to be exact. Depending on the month they are born they have a different set of skills and a certain job. Januaries are secretaries, Marches are cops. Novembers and Decembers are at the top of the hierarchy, and they are also who live the longest. Because the same ones have an expire date, each type with a different congenital defect that will kill them when the time comes. Everything is designed to have a perfect society, and this is why they chase and kill the unsame ones, which are believed to carry the unsame virus, a potential danger for the society of sames.
The main character in this book is a seventeen year old January, and this means that this will be the last year of her life. One day she suddenly meets an unsame one who gives her a violin asking her to promise him to keep it safe. She will face then new situations and will have new thoughts that will change the course of her normal life.
The premises of this story were really good but the execution failed at several levels. The book is 14 hours long but with the poor development and depth it has I just see material for a short story. The length comes from the repetitions and reiterations all along the book, I guess to set the mood and make us see the world through this January's eyes.
There are a couple of twist to the plot, but they were not totally unexpected. The interaction with the Decembers and how one of them reveals what they use the unsame ones' blood for were quite forced. The descriptions failed for me since everything was just grey, but it was difficult to imagine January's surroundings. I expected to learn a bit more about how the society worked, how it was formed and its origins. It is like the writer presented a skeleton but failed at showing the muscles and how the body moves. I guess we should take this book just as a dystopian experiment to make us reflect about life and decisions. It felt odd how nobody noticed how differently this January behaved and the fact that she visited unexpected places. I expected this society to be a version of the Big Brother, where everything out of the normal is quickly denounced, but everything goes unnoticed until the end. One would wonder how this society did not fail before.
The end was more fantasy or magic than science fiction, and in spite of its beauty, I found it a bit disappointing.
I could not understand January's attitude towards the end of the book. This made me disconnect from her as a character, and made the story even less realistic.
The book is narrated by the Stephanie Skeem herself. Her diction was very clear, and the voices were good enough to identify the subject. She put a lot of passion into the dialogs and made the book an easy listen. Due to this and the constant repetitions, I was able to listen to the book a bit faster than usual. I normally listen at 1.2 - 1.4 and here I was comfortable at 1.6 - 1.8, and even like that some parts felt slow. I guess it was due to the reiterations and the very little useful information.
I enjoyed this book, and found it an interesting dystopian experiment. I just wish it was properly edited before its publication, since some hours should have been trimmed off. The author has a lot of potential, and I hope she continues writing.
March 22, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
While many dystopian novels nowaday don't venture out that much into unchartered territory, this one is bold. The setting is really extreme: January 444 lives in a same world. There are only 12 types of people and thousands of them - thousands of Januaries, thousands of Februaries,... The Januaries do everything at the same time, they think the same thoughts and never diverge. The same goes for January 444 until she meets an Unsame boy who gives her an object that will challenge her sameness.
In the beginning I was really worried that the world set-up would be too constricting - how can a person rebell in a world where everything is in sync? Where everything is timed to the second? Skeem manages quite well, actually. This book could have been a 4.5 stars book for me if it weren't for one thing - the pacing. The first chapter is available for free as an audiobook and while I loved that, it also became painfully obvious how much editing had NOT been done. While the endless same thoughts surely help us get familiar with what January feels and thinks, it just doesn't make a good starting chapter. In the audio the better part of an hour was spent on explanation and same thoughts with literally no plot happening. I'm not sure whether I'd have gone past this point if it weren't for the audio that allows to do something else on the side. A good editor would probably have shortened the book by at least 10% (and found the frequent mistakes). Kill your darlings, Ms. Skeem!
If you are a patient reader, this still is for you - "The Unsame Ones" is just as unsame as the title. If you're sick and tired of always same dystopian societies, try this one. And watch January 444 become unsame.
While many dystopian novels nowaday don't venture out that much into unchartered territory, this one is bold. The setting is really extreme: January 444 lives in a same world. There are only 12 types of people and thousands of them - thousands of Januaries, thousands of Februaries,... The Januaries do everything at the same time, they think the same thoughts and never diverge. The same goes for January 444 until she meets an Unsame boy who gives her an object that will challenge her sameness.
In the beginning I was really worried that the world set-up would be too constricting - how can a person rebell in a world where everything is in sync? Where everything is timed to the second? Skeem manages quite well, actually. This book could have been a 4.5 stars book for me if it weren't for one thing - the pacing. The first chapter is available for free as an audiobook and while I loved that, it also became painfully obvious how much editing had NOT been done. While the endless same thoughts surely help us get familiar with what January feels and thinks, it just doesn't make a good starting chapter. In the audio the better part of an hour was spent on explanation and same thoughts with literally no plot happening. I'm not sure whether I'd have gone past this point if it weren't for the audio that allows to do something else on the side. A good editor would probably have shortened the book by at least 10% (and found the frequent mistakes). Kill your darlings, Ms. Skeem!
If you are a patient reader, this still is for you - "The Unsame Ones" is just as unsame as the title. If you're sick and tired of always same dystopian societies, try this one. And watch January 444 become unsame.
June 7, 2016
I listened to the Audible audio version of this book.
"I Liked the Idea of this Book"
THE UNSAME ONES was a difficult listen for me in that there wasn't a solid enough foundation to build around. The idea was awesome but I'm not sure it was executed in the best way. I respect this author's creativity and dedication as a literary artist but. I hate that there has to be a but. This book, although based on a neat premise was repetitive and just didn't hold up. For me. I think it needed editing. Along with editing, in its audio format, going with a different narrator may have been better. The music in between chapters was neither here nor there for me. If this was Ms. Skeem's sister, she sounds like a terrific violin artist. In the book it added a bit of folklore, poetic sound taking the listener from chapter to chapter but didn't add to or take away from the story.
The narration was overly dramatic and I do like listening to an author narrate their own story but that's usually when it's their own auto bio or similar. I can't stress enough though, I hope this author keeps writing. I'm just a reviewer but I can see that she has talent. I liken it to the real estate mantra of location, location, location. In this situation I would say edit, edit, edit.
I think in the long run, Stephanie Skeem has what it takes and I hope she keeps writing. She definitely has the talent to do great work.
"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."
August 29, 2016
Echoing that which was voiced by previous reviewers, this is a good story in dire need of thorough editing. The story moves slow and the story arch is flattened as a result of repetition. It is easy to see that the author can write, and write well, however there is the sense that Ms. Skeem does not trust that the reader will follow. This may be at the heart of the abundant retreading of ground previously covered. One hopes the author considers a rewrite and re-release as this is a gem hidden in the weeds.
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