Thursday, September 8, 2016

The Extraction Files (Book 1 and 2) by R.S. McCoy | A Book Review

I won an eARC of The Lethal Agent by R.S. McCoy on Instagram. And since, The Lethal Agent is the second book, she was kind enough to send me book one which is The Killing Jar.  The Lethal Agent was just released August 31, 2016. Yes, I got an eARC but was not able to read it until about two days ago. Still, I still think it's pretty awesome to be able to get an advance copy of the book. Thank you soo much R. S. McCoy. 

The Extraction Files is a sci-fi dystopian novel. I am not really fond of sci-fi but this book has me glued. I actually regretted not reading it earlier. 

The Killing Jar. The story starts in year 2232. The earth has been destroyed after a Third World War and a lot of nuclear bombs. The earth's atmosphere is totally covered with haze which is poisonous. So, in order for civilization to continue to exist, people were organized into three classes - Scholars, Artisans and Craftsmen. Scholars are those involved in sciences and are tasked to find another planet for humans to live. Artisans are of course artists and craftsmen are the farmers, etc. There are also rules that are set to be followed. Those that broke the rules or simply do not agree to them prefer to live underground. 

The first few chapters of the story introduces the characters. Each character is so varied and I was wondering how they will come together in one place. I know, I am getting ahead of myself. But I am also filled with anticipation. Right there, I know I am hooked. I had been putting off to read this because the last sci-fi novel I read was fun but not as engrossing. I was glad to be done with it. So, imagine my excitement on wanting to get to the rest of the pages of this book because I can't wait to get all the important characters in one place. And finally, they did. I was not disappointed. It was also so unexpected. This book had a lot of surprises that left my mouth open. Totally so unforeseen. Just so you know, I am a type of reader who tries to anticipate what's going to happen next. Some writers, often leave a trail of bread crumbs to clue in the reader what comes next and I am just the person who picks at those crumbs and just so eager to get to the next event before the writer obviously reveals it. It's fun trying to play Sherlock and gratifying if my guesses turn out to be right. But for this story, I was so clueless. There were clues though, but I was never able to guess what happens next. And the events are a bit fast-paced also. My brain was still trying to figure out what's about to happen and then boom! There it is.

I really flipped over because I was like one of those bugs totally caught in the clamp and had nowhere to go. And I was glad to find out also why this was called The Killing Jar. I think it was pretty smart to call it that. It does not become obvious until you're into the middle of the book. This has been a really really witty adventure. I am in awe how McCoy was able to come up with this story. Super out of this world, literally and figuratively. It also tries to tell us that we should take care of our mother planet. As far as the climate changes , global warming and all the environmental problems that we are facing, I think it is not too far off that the events in this book will likely happen. If we want to stay here and continue to exist, we must take care of our beloved Earth. After all, there is just no place like home.


I give The Killing Jar five stars. It was a fun ride and I was just so pumped to get started on book two - The Lethal Agent.

She felt like a shell of a person, as if someone had come in and scooped out the meaningful parts of her, leaving only the husk.
- R. S. McCoy, The Killing Jar -


The Extraction Files (Book 1 and 2) by R.S. McCoy Book Review

The Lethal Agent picks up right where The Killing Jar left off. Good thing I have book two right after I read book one because if it were not, I would have been so restless to find out what happens next. The Killing Jar ended abruptly but not that it will leave you hanging but obvious enough that there is definitely a next book. Fortunately, I was spared that feeling because I have The Lethal Agent available and got on with my reading as if book one never ended. 

I have mentioned about bugs on the above, right? Well, let's just say that The Lethal Agent was more into looking for those bugs. I refuse to tell you where and how those bugs came about as it will definitely spoil the story. You have to read it for yourselves. I assure you, this is absolutely no waste of time. I love to read books but I am also honest and critical in terms of liking a book or not. I have a lot of books I bought because the summary on the back cover is really promising but ended up not finishing the book because it was not what I thought it was. The Extraction Files, I suppose was going to bore me but thankfully it did not and I think this series is one of the few sci-fi novels that I really really enjoyed. It didn't feel like it was too nerdy or used too many scientific words where it tends to get the readers lost and confuse. These books are just so creatively written that I often pause and try to understand where the author got her inspiration for all these characters and events. Freaking awesome! Also, it talks about family, relationships, our fears and insecurities and the things that we value most. I think this aspect of the novel makes it less a tumor-inducing read because it makes it more relatable and a little less fiction.
I admire how McCoy was able to put this into the story flawlessly.


Again, I give The Lethal Agent five stars. It was so worth it having two straight late nights just so I could finish them. Never a minute wasted. 

There were about five words in typo error but other than that I have no complains. 

Love is blind. Love is unfair. Love is cruel. Love is crooked. It gives and takes without care. It lets you believe you're happy then burns your dreams to the ground.

- R. S. McCoy, The Lethal Agent - 

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