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Street Freaks

Terry Brooks (Goodreads Author)

3.55 · Rating details · 1,009 ratings · 196 reviews

It begins with a dire call—right before his father disappears and his skyscraper home’s doors explode inward. It is the kind of thrilling futuristic story only New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks can tell.

“Go into the Red Zone. Go to Street Freaks.” his father directs Ashton Collins before the vid feed goes suddenly silent. The Red Zone is the dangerous hear

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Hardcover, 376 pages

Published October 2nd 2018 by Grim Oak Press

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Jun 11, 2018 Robin Hobb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

As always, my honesty post: I received an advance reading copy of Street Freaks from the publisher. I’ve known Terry Brooks for years and I consider him a friend. I don’t think either of those things affect how I reacted to this book.

Terry Brooks is best known for his Shannara books. When we see his name on the cover, we expect a good high-fantasy tale from him, and he always delivers a solid, readable story with great magical elements and characters.
So I was a bit jolted, first by the title As always, my honesty post: I received an advance reading copy of Street Freaks from the publisher. I’ve known Terry Brooks for years and I consider him a friend. I don’t think either of those things affect how I reacted to this book.

Terry Brooks is best known for his Shannara books. When we see his name on the cover, we expect a good high-fantasy tale from him, and he always delivers a solid, readable story with great magical elements and characters.
So I was a bit jolted, first by the title Street Freaks and then by the tale. It’s not fantasy. It’s SF. It features biologically altered teenagers engaged in street racing custom cars.
“Hm. Not really my thing. Sigh. I should still give it a try.”
You see, like 97 percent of fantasy readers (I’m making up this statistic) I don’t want my favorite writers to get tricky on me. Give me the same kind of tale every time, but a little bit different. That’s all I ask. Don't step outside your box, fantasy writer! No, I don't want to explore a new world. I'm all invested in the old one. (See how reasonable that sounds?)
So, in truth, I went into this book expecting it would be okay. But not my cup of tea.
(Yes, I do 'duty reads'. I read books by old friends, set in new worlds, and if I don't enjoy them, I set them aside after 100 pages or so, and simply don't review them. Now you know my dark little secret.)
So.
First night of sampling the book. Great first chapter, in terms of, "I can't leave the character there. I'll have to read a bit more."

I didn’t expect it to become, “Just one more chapter and I’ll turn out the light, dear.”
But it did.

You know I have a no spoilers policy. But I will say that one thing Terry Brooks got very right in this story is how tricky it can be to make friends. When one is thrown into a situation where there is little choice in who you associate with, there are always the prickly ones, the snarky ones, the ones that you would never choose to associate with if you had a choice. But the relationships form, and each one is different. Each one has the pieces that fit, and the places where those pieces rub. All the different sorts of friendships that one forms in the face of necessity are listed here. He gets that part very right.
He also gets right that peculiar sensation of being an adolescent and realizing that adults are actually people. Just people. Some are nice and some care and some see you as a useful cog. And some may consider you disposable. They're not playing by any rules you can understand.

Terry Brooks doesn’t tip his hand. The events unfold for the protagonist, told in a gripping present tense prose. If you want to know what is going to happen, you have to follow. As a reader, you shouldn't trust the character's assumptions. His lack of life experience is as genuine as his intelligent reactions to some difficult situations.

It's a completely engrossing story.

Recommended.

...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Mel (Epic Reading) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley, read-alongs

This is a Terry Brooks being, more or less, himself. Street Freaks starts like a teen book but ends somewhat more mature; but I wouldn't hesitate to give it someone 15 or older depending on maturity. I've been a moderate Terry Brooks fan since I was a child. As a kid of the 80's and a teen of the 90's there was significantly fewer fantasy and sci-fi books that weren't classics and had real action in them; so Brooks felt like he was a pretty good writer. Today I'd say he's mediocre. Unfortunately This is a Terry Brooks being, more or less, himself. Street Freaks starts like a teen book but ends somewhat more mature; but I wouldn't hesitate to give it someone 15 or older depending on maturity. I've been a moderate Terry Brooks fan since I was a child. As a kid of the 80's and a teen of the 90's there was significantly fewer fantasy and sci-fi books that weren't classics and had real action in them; so Brooks felt like he was a pretty good writer. Today I'd say he's mediocre. Unfortunately that is exactly what Street Freaks delivered; a typical okay book. I had hoped that in the sci-fi genre (a first for Brooks) that he would be able to up his game.

Fast and the Furious, in the Future
Basically Street Freaks is the movie Fast and the Furious (any of them, they are all the same premise) in the future with new shiny technology. It does have an added mystery element to it regarding our lead boy's father; but that is actually not really what the story is 'about'. Our core narrative is just about kids driving cars, evading police and rebelling against the status quo. Sound familiar? I bet you've seen this movie... um... book.

Cool Ideas
While Brooks had some cool technology ideas in Street Freaks; a good technological concept is not enough to keep me interested. There's some biological, genetic type upgrades that some of our characters have and the idea of a 'red zone' is certainly likely to be in our (near?) future. Humans have been building walls and acting elitist for thousands of years so that all seems like a safe bet to predict. While I like the set-up of how you can learn things quickly, communicate with one another and (of course) drive super fast cars; I can honestly read something similar in any number of sci-fi books or short stories. There's just not enough here to engage me.

Friendship
There was one really well done element of Street Freaks; which is is it's focus on friendships and how tricky it can be to gain access into a group of tight knit people. We also experience what it can cost to show trust first and suspicion later. While friendship inherently requires trust there is a threshold moment in which you are risking something. Our lead teen learns this the hard way, as it always is with fiction, and Brooks accurately describes the feelings and emotions that hit many of us (teens or adults) when we are let down by others.

Overall
While the characters and their interactions are quite well done, there's just something missing here. Some element or twist that would have surprised me; or maybe just more complexity. While there is a lot going, on the reality is that it seems like there's a mystery that is, honestly, easily unraveled. I knew who was going to be the traitor (if you will) near the end and why. Maybe I just read too many books (lol) but I just wanted more from Brooks. As I said above, it is not unusual of me to want more from Terry Brooks in general. Maybe my expectations are just too high for him? Perhaps I need to come back to reality and realize he is a tolerable author. Brooks rarely writes books I would DNF; but doesn’t have any that I will remember in the future or tell everyone about in an exuberant way. In fact as I'm writing this review I feel like in five minutes I'll have already forgotten about this book and my life will have moved on.

To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review. ...more

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Jul 26, 2018 Dave rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-books, science-fiction-not-classic, science-fiction-all, read-have

Street Freaks is a fast-moving, really fun standalone novel set in a futuristic world divided between technologically advanced but controlled cities and free-wheeling lawless areas called Red Zones. The star of this book is a teenager on the run from the authorities for reasons he doesn’t understand. He befriends a group of mutated rejects, kind of like super powered X-Men who are street orphans and freakishly redesigned, sometimes more cyborg than human. Their gang/ den/ group is Street Freaks, ...more

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Sep 06, 2018 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy-net-galley

*eARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this. It was certainly different than any Terry Brooks that I’d read before, and I’ve read a lot of Terry Brooks. Loyal fans will probably like this as his storytelling quality is there, even if we’re looking at a dystopian future instead of epic fantasy. It appeals to all age groups, being friendly in tone to younger readers, but mature enough in content for older ones as well. Because the main hero and majority of the characters are t ...more

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Jul 12, 2018 Bandit rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The reason I’ve not read Terry Brooks before was because he seems to be specializing in fantasy and series, two things I don’t care for. This book is the reason I might not be reading Terry Brooks in the future. Because nowhere..nowhere is this one classified as a YA book as it so obviously is. WTF. And because my OCD demands I finish every book I start, ended up being stuck with a YA book for nearly 400 pages. Almost all of the characters are teens and, while they aren’t annoyingly immature or ...more

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Aug 05, 2018 Patrick St-Denis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Although I used to be a big Terry Brooks fan back in the day, it's been over a decade since I last read anything by the author. I'm too far behind in the Shannara saga to give new installments a shot, so I've been waiting for him to write something new that I could sink my teeth into. When I received an advance reading copy of the forthcoming Street Freaks, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted with Brooks. I was excited to be bringing the book with me on my roadtrip around ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 *Thea 'Wookiee'sMama' Wilson* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well, Mr Brooks, if you were trying to prove that you aren't a one trick pony with the fantasy Shannara novels by sidestepping into the world of YA Science Fiction then you have done a fine, fine job sir!

I wasn't sure what to expect with Street Freaks but it wasn't the stonking dystopian adventure tale that I have just read! This book is basically a sci-fi based murder mystery after a fashion with a handful of corporate espionage mixed in and I found it to be quite remarkable and full of twists ...more

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Oct 22, 2018 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, audiobook, review-copy, young-adult

3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/11/03/...

Despite being the son of a wealthy renowned bioengineer, Ashton Collins is just your ordinary teenager. In fact, due to his strict and protective upbringing, Ash is probably much more sheltered than the average kid. But when he is ambushed in his home by a squadron of armed invaders, he finds himself on his own and without anyone to turn to. His only lifeline is a panicked message from his father right before the attack cu 3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/11/03/...

Despite being the son of a wealthy renowned bioengineer, Ashton Collins is just your ordinary teenager. In fact, due to his strict and protective upbringing, Ash is probably much more sheltered than the average kid. But when he is ambushed in his home by a squadron of armed invaders, he finds himself on his own and without anyone to turn to. His only lifeline is a panicked message from his father right before the attack cut the feed, telling Ash to head to the Red Zone, located in the dangerous heart of Los Angeles, in order to find a group known as the Street Freaks.

Once in the Red Zone, Ash finds himself swallowed up by this futuristic dystopian mega-city, a world he knows next to nothing about. Luckily, the Street Freaks find him before he can get into too much trouble, inviting him into their circle. They’re a band of adolescent outcasts, including a young woman with super-strength, a boy with more robot than human parts, a synth created to be pleasure bot, and many others. Brought together by the street racing scene, the Freaks also run a vigilante-style operation on the side, and Ash’s photographic memory and near perfect recall are skills that immediately make him an asset. But Ash is also on a personal mission to find answers, like the identity of those responsible for the attack on his home. News of his father’s death also turns his world upside down, though not for a second does Ash believe it was a suicide as reported.

I confess, I’ve not been a big reader of Terry Brooks over the years, despite him being a huge name in fantasy fiction. That said, I know enough about his work to know Street Freaks is a bit of a departure for him, exploring the sci-fi dystopian landscape with a Young Adult bent. However, what I did not expect was how skewed it was towards younger readers, for it does not feel as though it carries much crossover appeal, unlike a lot of Brooks’ other work. While the characters are likeable, they’re still very much the teenagers they’re supposed to be—impulsive, snarky, somewhat hot-headed and volatile and oftentimes immature. For fans of the YA genre who are familiar with the typical YA character shenanigans, I don’t think this will pose much of a problem, but for readers expecting something more serious and hard-hitting, you may find that Street Freaks has little to offer beyond surface-scratching territory.

To its credit though, the book does reads like an action movie, the plot’s lack of depth be damned. The scenes of the street races were almost reminiscent of the podraces of Star Wars complete with roaring crowds and fiery explosions, and I can’t help but think Brooks might have been channeling a little from his time writing the novelization of The Phantom Menace. These types of action sequences, which bordered on blatantly gratuitous, were nonetheless entertaining and provided well-timed bursts of spirit and dynamism in between sections where the narrative attempted at discussing weightier topics, such as the ethics and social consequences of genetically or technologically enhancing humans.

But ultimately, Street Freaks ended up being a rather typical YA sci-fi dystopian—though I don’t want to paint that as too much of a negative. The book is a mystery adventure-thriller, but at its heart also explores important coming-of-age themes such as finding yourself and seeking acceptance. Brooks’ style trends towards being lighter and not too subtle, which worked well in this particular case. However, his tendency to tell-versus-show made the romance (yes, of course there’s a romance arc) feel forced and awkward, and not even listening to this in audio made it any less cringey, though happily, this was probably the worst of my complaints.

Bottom line, I won’t deny I wish Street Freaks had been more. Still, at the same time, it was also pretty much exactly as I expected, so I can’t say I was too disappointed. It’s certainly accessible enough for Terry Brooks fans coming from his fantasy, and to many, the fun and readability might be all that matters.

Audiobook Comments: I make it no secret that I am a huge fan of Simon Vance, who is one of the most talented and versatile audiobook narrators in the industry. However, my first impression was that his voice might have been too mature for this very YA tale, though in the end he managed a fine job of it in any case. A good narrator can sometimes compensate for some weaknesses in the writing, and I felt Vance fleshed out a lot of the characters by bringing them to life with his voice. ...more

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Oct 05, 2018 Gareth Otton rated it it was ok

Shelves: dissapointing, sci-fi

It was tempting for me to give this book a much higher score because finally, we're getting a Terry Brooks book that actually hooked me in the opening pages. I have a whole shelf full of hardback Shannara books from my days as a devoted Terry Brooks fan, but over the last decade, his work has grown stale. His Shannara series has been whimpering along and the Landover novel he released a few years back... well, the less said about that the better.

So, when I started reading this book and the stor It was tempting for me to give this book a much higher score because finally, we're getting a Terry Brooks book that actually hooked me in the opening pages. I have a whole shelf full of hardback Shannara books from my days as a devoted Terry Brooks fan, but over the last decade, his work has grown stale. His Shannara series has been whimpering along and the Landover novel he released a few years back... well, the less said about that the better.

So, when I started reading this book and the story started to kick in, the pages turned a bit faster and there was some real momentum here, I was thinking "Finally. This is what I've been missing."

It wasn't to last.

Instead, the promise soon faded into a book of cliches, highly unoriginal elements and a complete lack of character building. (view spoiler) Mr Brooks seems to have cobbled this book together from a lot of popular elements in other media and novels, and assembled them into a 'new' story here. The worst part is that they're not even original concepts in the places I first encountered them, they've been used before... in some cases countless times.

It made the book overly predictable to the point where there wasn't a single twist or turn that you don't see coming from the opening chapters.

Then there's the trouble I had finding the target audience for this book. It reads like a YA novel with the way it's written and the characters involved. But, I got a strong 1980s vibe. I can't quite put my finger on why I felt that but I think it might be in the names everyone gave each other and the way they spoke that made me think of how youth culture in the 80s and early 90s was portrayed in TV and film. With names like 'Street Freaks', characters dressed in the Goth look and listening to Metal Head Music, it just felt really out of touch for a modern, young audience.

But above all this, my biggest gripe was the main character. What a useless and pathetic wet sack of nothing he turned out to be. He was a plot device in his own book. He existed for no reason other than to progress the story. He had no real character arc to go on, never showed any sign a personality, and was basically there as a reason for things to happen.

When his romantic storyline reared its ugly head, he soon went from being a nothing character to being detestable, creepy and pathetic. (view spoiler)

Overall, this book was a big disappointment. The very last Shannara book had promise of the old Mr Brooks and I hoped that he might be more passionate about a new project and I could get excited again. Never mind.

It's a 2.5 star novel, not awful but not good either, but I just couldn't bring myself to round up to a 3 because I just can't give it that score with everything that was wrong with it. I think that maybe some young people who haven't read much might enjoy this, for everyone else, you might want to give it a miss. ...more

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Jul 23, 2018 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley

I have never read any of Terry Brooks’s books so I didn’t really have any expectations going in to reading the book. Street Freaks takes place 200 years into the future with a totalitarian world government and big bio tech companies leading the way. The blog starts of with a bang but then I quickly start to notice the writing seems more on par with a young adult book (even though I can’t find anything anywhere that this book is a young adult book). I am not anti young adult books (some of my fav ...more

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Aug 03, 2018 Lauren rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to review this.
I bailed on this 52% in. The premise was brilliant. It was like Fast and the Furious with espionage and biogenetics. But I just didn't care enough about the characters to continue. For such a seasoned author as Terry Brooks, they were sappy and 2 dimensional. The main character spent 50% of his time fawning over one of the other characters, and the other 50% worrying about everything else. I really wanted to see these characters bond and have fu ...more

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Nov 18, 2018 Megan added it

Shelves: dnf, read-library

This is a DNF. I found myself unable to enjoy Brooks’ writing style: too choppy and to much of telling and not showing.

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Feb 18, 2019 Jon Adams added it · review of another edition

DNF at pg. 75.

If anybody wants this book message me and I'll send it to you. It's a paperback Uncorrected Proof and I'm not sure where I got it TBH. ...more

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Sep 06, 2018 Carol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, mystery, family, coming-of-age, friendship, for-boys, e-book, advanced-readers-copy, 2018

Entertaining look at a possible near future America. Believable characters, if somewhat unlikely with interesting dynamics. Unfortunately the romance angle didn’t ring true for me but it didn’t particularly spoil the story.

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Oct 21, 2018 Kat rated it really liked it

Thank you to Net galley and the publisher for providing me with an e copy of this book.

I may be slightly biased as Terry Brooks is one of my favourite authors, but this book was really enjoyable! I live his writing style and the world and characters were well built.

Great little standalone Sci fi!

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Oct 08, 2018 Darcy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018, listened-to-at-work, audio-book, dystopian, sci-fi, ya

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I love the author's Shanara series, but this one is set in a different world, a bit futuristic.

For most of the book Ashton was a fish out of water, not really fitting in and doing what others wanted of him. As time went on Ashton realized all he knew was not correct, that his dad may or may not be a good guy, it depends on who you are. By the end of the book Ashton has found his place and figured out somethings about his dad and himself. Ashton's wor ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 J.D. Grimm rated it liked it · review of another edition

When I first read the title “Street Freaks” I must admit, I giggled like an adolescent schoolboy hearing a dirty word for the very first time. To say that Sci-fi is not my usual cup of tea would be a profound understatement. However, with my first encounter with Terry Brooks I must admit… I was hooked relatively quickly. I could literally smell the jet fuel pouring from the pages as I read each word and if you're not seeing neon chrome in your sleep, you're not reading it right!

Okay but serious When I first read the title “Street Freaks” I must admit, I giggled like an adolescent schoolboy hearing a dirty word for the very first time. To say that Sci-fi is not my usual cup of tea would be a profound understatement. However, with my first encounter with Terry Brooks I must admit… I was hooked relatively quickly. I could literally smell the jet fuel pouring from the pages as I read each word and if you're not seeing neon chrome in your sleep, you're not reading it right!

Okay but seriously, I've rated this book 3/5 stars. I won't go into great detail as to why, until the book is released in October when I can throw all my notes on here for those curious enough to see how my odd mind works. But for now, just know that it was....

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So as you can probably tell, I had my gripes with the story. While the settings and actions are painted masterfully, the main character, Ash, sometimes falls flat. There are moments when he shows flashes of brilliance... and others where he seems to be lacking more than just your average sheltered upper-class teen. To be more specific... not knowing what the term "new-fish" means when you're clearly "new" to an area was slightly frustrating and unbelievable to me. There was also a tendency to overstate the obvious, instead of just relying on his descriptive skills and allowing the reader to gather their own conclusion, we also had the main characters jumping in to tell the reader exactly the same thing. It's the classic old Telling not showing dilemma. It definitely got old, very quickly.

However, I couldn't help but keep reading. Whenever, I felt like I wanted to put the book down and just say "meh," I couldn't. I turned page after page until finally... It was over. I reached the end. I was satisfied. That should speak volumes to the entertainment value of this title.

So should you read it? Well... that depends. Do you like Sci-Fi? Then yeah. Do you like the Anime Akira? Theeeen Yeah.

But if you're looking for a good fantasy style novel, this isn't for you. I would suggest this book for anyone that's trying to slowly transition into the Sci-fi genre without going full Star Wars. Overall, this book was okay and I do look forward to checking out more of Brooks in the SciFi genre.. however, I just won't be going back to this one any time soon.

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Oct 23, 2018 Let's Geek rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, scifi

Read the full review also on my blog Let's Geek: https://lets-geek.blogspot.com/2018/1...

Street Freaks is an action-packed SciFi adventure, with lots of twists, secrets and thrill.

Total Rating: 8.6/10

Originality: 8/10
Language: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Characters: 10/10
World building: 9/10
Fun: 8/10
Predictability: 8/10
Believable: 8/10
Relevancy: 9/10
Cover: 8/10

Genre: SciFi
For You if you like: Robots, Humanoids, Cars
Time It Took Me To Read: approx. 4.5 hours

“You know what your trouble is?”, she says, po ...more

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Jul 19, 2018 Karma♥Bites ^.~ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: z4-netgalley, g-futuristic-sci-fi, z4-rv-done, z2-repeat-reliable-author, 2a-ya-mya, pov-male, z-2018-release, z-arc-r2r-2018, zzz-writing-or-other-issues-minor

Read/finished 26 Sept 2018 (★★)

**ARC provided by Grim Oak Press via NetGalley**

Nws my long-time/nostalgic affection & respect for Terry Brooks (hello, Shannara, Word and the Void & Landover), I never would’ve picked up ARC for STREET FREAKS had I known that it was YA. I didn’t recall *any* mention of such on GR at that time; perhaps I didn’t look hard enough?

Anyhoo, this is a ‘me-not-book’ situation. I have nothing against YA; in fact, my friends & I divvy up subgenres so to screen for our legio ...more

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Sep 27, 2018 Charlotte rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways

A GoodReads giveaway win.
This book was NOT for me. It didn't hold my interest.
I would say it's for a younger audience, probably 12 to 15 years olds.
I felt the characters were under developed.
It was repetitious. Some of the action scene and races that were written in, didn't feel necessary.
The ending was predictable. ...more

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Dec 11, 2020 Steve Beaulieu rated it did not like it

This was kids written by a 70 year old and it showed. I can think of no redeemable qualities in this book. I’m ashamed of myself for having wasted four days in this bland world Brooks created.

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Sep 29, 2018 Karen’s Library rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Set 200 years in the future, Ash is a sheltered teen who receives a frantic call from his father telling him to Get. Out. Now!! He manages to escape his apartment just as a swat like team storms in destroying everything in their path. Ash's father tells him to go to the Street Freaks. In a very unsavory part of the City where rules don't really apply, the Street Freaks, a group of modified teens, takes Ash in. Soon after, Ash finds that his father is dead and he has nowhere else to go.

The story ...more

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Oct 27, 2018 Elaine added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, fiction, science-fiction

One of the really great changes in literature is how genres are breaking down, merging, and recombining into something hard to categorize. This is advertised as science fiction, but there is actually very little science (either hard of soft). Rather, this seems to be a well written YA story based in the future when humans zip around in transporters, live in high rises to escape the pollution and live very different lives whether they are up top, or down below. Blade Runner investigated this trop ...more

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Oct 26, 2020 Rob rated it it was ok

I was quite jazzed about this book for the first couple of chapters, I thought there was a lot of potential for the world and happenings within it. Unfortunately, things went downhill incredibly quickly.
Basically this is a book aimed squarely at very young boys, my ten-year-old self may have enjoyed it...well, some of it, maybe. But this whole book is so dumbed down I actually felt insulted for the youngsters this thing is aimed at. And don't get me started on the love story side of things becau ...more

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Nov 08, 2018 Kevin Walsh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I can't say I'm surprised by this book because I've been reading Terry Brooks since 6th grade and he's one of the writers I covered in my master's thesis, so I know quite well he's capable of quite a lot, but I will say it's hard not to be impressed with what a great addition this is to the CyberPunk cannon. The characters are so interesting I almost wish we had more time with them, yet the story wraps itself up rather nicely. As Brooks always does, his main character is the most normal of all o ...more

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Oct 07, 2020 C. Scott Kippen rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi, ya, 2020

This was not bad, not great (as the 2-star rating says, it was ok). I must admit it was odd reading Terry write not only SF, but YA. The story itself is not bad, compelling, and does take a bit to get going, but it is satisfactory. However, Brooks, in this one, tells far more than shows. And, the love story (if you can call it that), was just terrible. Am I sad I read it? No. Would I recommend it? To some folks, but it is not his best for sure. Might be my least favorite Brooks to date, but it w ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 Paul rated it liked it · review of another edition

Yet, Brooks’s Street Freaks has some very good surprises and a certain edge to some of the twists, and there’s definitely room for a sequel. Its best parts are the coming-of-age moments for its characters. The times when growth is forced, when change is a necessity.

For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/09/19/st...

For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog ...more

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Nov 03, 2018 Adam Altman rated it liked it · review of another edition

Good but somewhat predictable. Different than other stuff by Brooks, but I think I know where the series is heading. 3.5 rating.

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Dec 25, 2018 WreckEm711 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

As a longtime Terry Brooks fan, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Sci Fi outing, but I was very pleasantly surprised! The story took interesting turns and there were some fun twists throughout. The world was great and the descriptions were vivid and fun to picture as I went through it. Great read over the holidays!

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Jan 22, 2019 Cherie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: published-since-2000

Great story in a future Los Angeles.

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Science Fiction

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Fantasy

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Young Adult

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Fiction

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Science Fiction > Dystopia

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Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

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Futuristic

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About Terry Brooks

Terry Brooks

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Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his ...more

Books by Terry Brooks

The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)

The Elfstones of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #2)

The Wishsong of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #3)

The Talismans of Shannara (Heritage of Shannara, #4)

Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold (Magic Kingdom of Landover, #1)

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Interview with Terry Brooks

The epic fantasy author of Bearers of the Black Staff shares his vast strategy for writing 1,000 years of elves, magic, and nuclear apocalypse.

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Quotes from Street Freaks

“You want to pigeonhole everyone. You like the idea of a world all nicely ordered and dependable. But that isn’t how things are. People are messy and changeable. The world is fluid; the people who inhabit it are chameleons. You want to think of everyone as stable and identifiable, but they aren’t.” — 3 likes

“Bot pharmacists.” Cay spits out the words. “The companies have so much trouble with drug robberies and theft in the Zone they can’t get anyone else to work the counters. That one’s good enough at its job of filling and delivering prescriptions in its database, but out of its comfort zone when it comes to anything else.” — 0 likes

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