The Unit

By Terry DeHart

Book Overview

A rare meteorite struck Alex Woods when he was ten years old, leaving scars and marking him for an extraordinary future. The son of a fortune teller, bookish, and an easy target for bullies, Alex hasn't had the easiest childhood.
But when he meets curmudgeonly widower Mr. Peterson, he finds an unlikely friend. Someone who teaches him that that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make it count.
So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the front seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing . . .
Introducing a bright young voice destined to charm the world, The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the unexpected connections that form our world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B007K4K7Z2
• ISBN13: 9780316077408
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Orbit
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

I generally don't read genre because, quite honestly, the quality of the writing doesn't sustain me. However, this book has both an interesting, hair raising plot, and quality writing. The author has obviously honed his skills in the literary world. I won't bother to give an account of the story because it is already well documented by other reviewers. I found myself riveted by the accounts from the four family members. Each voice was realistic and authentic. Part of this was due to the author's command of dialogue and scenic construction. Add these elements to a suspenful plot and you have a page turner for everyone.

post-apocalyptic chilling version of On the Beach

It is no consolation that when the nuclear bombs hit New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC, the United States retaliated by nuking the nations that enabled the terrorist to strike. More bombs hit big cities with China and Russia joining American and Europe in attacking Al Qaeda and those countries hosting the terrorist group. An EMP Pulse knocked out all electricity so that the scattered survivors have little idea of what is going on beyond their narrow sphere. The Sharpe family consists of patriarch Jerry, his wife Susan and their two teenage children Melanie and Scott. They travel in search of a safe place to live. On the road the Sharpe family scavenges for food, machinery and clothing that they take from the dead left behind by a feral gang of teens led by the vicious amoral Billy Jr.. His horde escaped Juvie Hall when the lights went out and the guards left. Now the world is there for their taking. Bill wants to kill the Sharpe parents and son, and take Melanie. However, his adversaries have found a defensible position shooting the ambushers. The juvies kidnap Melanie and pass her around so everyone can enjoy raping her. Jerry searches for her with rage in his heart while his spouse and son continue their journey although now the radiation sickness is coming with the contaminated snow. Once the country's centrifuge collapses after the bombs fall, people fail to bond; instead they kill without remorse. Each member of the Sharpe family and Billy tell their tale in the first person in alternating chapters so that the readers comprehend what each is thinking and what motivates their actions. Putting aside whether the abduction should have occurred, Terry DeHart's post-apocalyptic chilling version of On the Beach in which an apparent entire nation and perhaps world has gone crazy with kill or be killed as the only rule of law. Harriet Klausner