The Reluctant Ones is a 2023 young adult science fiction novel by David B. Bond. It was independently published by the author and released in July 2023.
Earth as we know it will never be the same. Earth's sky is penetrated by an alien spacecraft that crashes into a hillside. Miraculously the military is able to save three infants from the wreckage. These three survivors are placed in foster homes until they are twenty. As an adult, they obtain jobs in the depressed seaside port of Grimsdale. The trio is unaware the military has plans to test their 'abilities' with eight other individuals. Unbeknown to the group, the future holds hidden truths and a pathway to horror. The first sinister test involves an array of terrifying monsters. This attack is one filled with brutality and bloodshed. Will their superpowers be enough to fight off the impending evil and chaos? Or will they perish under the English sky?
The characters in this novel were a bit of a mixed bag. I enjoyed the main trio, Xenia, Yara and Zayne, and a few side characters. The trio had the most complexity to them. They weren't all-power beings who instantly knew exactly what to do. They had personalities and consistent flaws. Seeing them struggle, grow and become more assured in their abilities as the story progressed gave each of them engaging character arcs. While certain side characters lacked complexity, they were at least relatable or entertaining. Other characters read as caricatures, especially the military leader that serves as the antagonist. He's intelligent and pragmatic, but the story completely avoids giving him any depth or even delving into his philosophy, which is an issue since he's the driving force behind the events of the novel.
The premise of the novel is incredibly intriguing. We have plenty of alien invasion stories, but I can't think of many stories centering around aliens being raised on Earth, aside from Superman. The idea of these aliens' being tested by the military was likewise intriguing. Reading the novel, the author had a lot of very compelling ideas. The execution is where the plot of the novel stumbled for me. The narrative first introduces the aliens as teenagers and then shows them as adults, which was fine, as it established a few important things, such as what abilities Xenia, Yara and Zayne each have and does some world-building. Once they become adults, the story still moves a little slowly before the main plot, the tests of their abilities, comes into play. Once the tests start, the story becomes one action scene after another, with short respites in between. These scenes felt like they were building towards a conclusion that never comes. The story more or less just ends without a resolution, or even a glimpse at what the true purpose of the military's tests are, beyond a flimsy statement made by the antagonist in the middle of the book. The ending doesn't feel like an ending, but a reveal that should come in the middle of the story.
The writing in this book didn't quite stand out to me. The prose were straight-forward and the author made the action scenes exciting. However the writing itself felt a little basic, with little nuance. The narrative did a lot more "telling" than "showing" which was frustrating. Some dialogue read as unrealistic, not because of what was being discussed, but because the back-and-forth between characters felt clunky. I had a few "nobody talks like that" moments while reading.
The Reluctant Ones was a book that didn't quite meet my expectations. The characters were intriguing and had engaging arcs. The novel had a great premise, but I found the execution lacking. The plot was interesting, but the conclusion was unsatisfying. The writing didn't click with me either. It's a fun story overall, however I felt a bit let down by it.
Rating: 2 Stars
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