unwind trilogy book review

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Unwholly: unwind dystology, book 2.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 0 Reviews
• Kids Say 3 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Middle volume of organ transplant trilogy extends suspense.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that UnWholly is the second book in the Unwind trilogy and continues the saga of a group of brave teens trying to survive in a society that wants use them for spare body parts. There's some violence, including an armed attack on a camp full of teens, a couple of fatal…

Why Age 13+?

There's a fair amount of violence in UnWholly, most notably an armed assault

A few instances of "hell" or "damn."

There's little sexual content in UnWholly. Two main characters, Connor and R

Any Positive Content?

UnWholly supports the notion that all human beings are unique individuals deserv

Although a science fiction adventure tale, UnWholly raises questions about the e

The three main characters in UnWholly work for the protection of other, weaker t

Violence & Scariness

There's a fair amount of violence in UnWholly , most notably an armed assault on a camp full of teens, a game of Russian Roulette, a brutal beating, and a couple of fatal shootings. A plane crash results in a significant number of casualties. The main conflict involves the involuntary harvesting of organs and tissue from teen donors, but that process is never described in any detail.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

There's little sexual content in UnWholly . Two main characters, Connor and Risa, clearly love each other, but they do not have a physical relationship. Another male character, Cam, is also attracted to Risa and they share a couple of kisses.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

UnWholly supports the notion that all human beings are unique individuals deserving respect and care. By depicting a society where teenagers are seen as scapegoats and ready sources for transplantable organs, the novel emphasizes the inherent worth of the individual.

Educational Value

Although a science fiction adventure tale, UnWholly raises questions about the ethics of human organ transplantation and how a society might choose to demonize its teenage population.

Positive Role Models

The three main characters in UnWholly work for the protection of other, weaker teens -- even at great personal risk. Connor is the most obvious leader, constantly in charge the Graveyard and its young inhabitants. In dealing with the mysterious Cam, Risa must put her own feelings aside and prevent the massacre of her friends. And Lev bravely tries to help a character who would just as soon not have his assistance.

Parents need to know that UnWholly is the second book in the Unwind trilogy and continues the saga of a group of brave teens trying to survive in a society that wants use them for spare body parts. There's some violence, including an armed attack on a camp full of teens, a couple of fatal shootings, a brutal beating, and a plane crash with multiple casualties. The violence is not depicted with graphic detail, and the processing of harvesting organs for transplantation is not described at all. There's very little swearing ("hell," "damn") and just a couple of kisses.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

• Parents say
• Kids say (3)

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

UNWHOLLY takes place in the aftermath of the revolt at the Happy Jack Harvest Camp and follows the further exploits of three of its chief instigators, Connor, Risa, and Lev, introduced in Unwind . Connor is in charge of running the Graveyard, safe haven for teenagers in danger of being "unwound" -- involuntarily having their organs and tissues transplanted in someone else. When Risa, confined to a wheelchair, tries to get medical treatment for an injured Graveyard resident, she suddenly finds herself a pawn in a deadly game with Cam, the first individual created entirely from unwound tissue. Meanwhile, Lev becomes involved with the underground movement to rescue "tithes," those who seek unwinding voluntarily.

Is It Any Good?

This series takes a far-fetched premise -- that parents would voluntarily authorize their children to be taken away as unwilling organ donors -- and makes it work well enough for a second outing. Author Neal Shusterman keeps the tension cranked high and expertly choreographs a number of complicated action sequences. He also provides some intriguing food for thought with the subplot revolving around Cam, the modern-day Frankenstein's monster, made entirely from the flesh of others. As the middle book of a trilogy, UnWholly feels a little static, but Shusterman provides sufficient new wrinkles to keep the plot interesting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about organ transplanting as a sci-fi premise. Why do you think authors and readers are intrigued by stories about creating creatures with parts of other humans? Can you think of other books that have explored this theme?

Why do some societies seem to blame teenagers and young adults for civil unrest? Do you think young people are ever used as scapegoats?

If you read the first book in the series, Unwind , how do you think UnWholly compares?

Book Details

• Author : Neal Shusterman
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : Friendship , Science and Nature
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Simon & Schuster
• Publication date : August 28, 2012
• Number of pages : 416
• Available on : Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : August 22, 2019

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Hollywood the Write Way

Book review: unwholly by neal shusterman.

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman (#2 in Unwind Trilogy) Release Date: August 28, 2012 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Genre: Young Adult Dystopia ISBN: 978-1442423664 Source: Bought Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished. Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself. Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live. UnWholly , the long awaited sequel to Unwind by Neal Shusterman has finally arrived and this #2 New York Times Bestseller was definitely worth the wait. Neal Shusterman is a world building genius and his writing style is oh so captivating. It is clear that Shusterman took his time getting every moment in UnWholly just right. Every single line is carefully crafted and it is the most enthralling and thought provoking string of words you will read all year. Shusterman continues to shower the readers with imagery and detail, every bit of it you’ll thirst for after reading UnWind . And the PSAs will make your heart skip a few beats. It is as if one has fallen down the rabbit hole into an entirely different world. Except, the fascinating part about this journey is that this world is essentially a possible exaggerated future of our world. “No?” you say? Yes. Shusterman includes real life present day articles that correlate with the topics at hand, abortion and abandonment in UnWholly , just as he did in Unwind . Never say never. You haven’t seen creepy until you’ve read UnWholly . This can be best described with the words straight from the page, our “eyes can see the world.” Funny what one sees when their vision is adjusted. Shusterman opens our eyes to what is coming if we as a society do not straighten up. Does a sick society get so used to its illness that it can’t remember being well? Well, what Shusterman has created here is a story about what it means to be whole as an individual, as a family, and as a society and what happens when it all falls to pieces, literally. The pieces have fallen and UnWholly is putting them together in the most magnificent way. We all concluded unwinding and storking to be fascinating but UnWholly raises the bar that Unwind set, giving us even deeper dips on the rollercoaster than the first. Believed the kicks couldn’t get more intense? Think again. Just when Connor, Risa, and Lev have just barely caught their breath, they are thrown off course and forced to reevaluate once again who to trust and depend on for help in the fight for their lives, literally, their lives. Because even sanctuaries aren’t safe. What happens then? Pandemonium. And every unwind has their own form of resisting a repeat of that pain… lucky for us, those effects ripple in ways other dystopias drown trying to reach. Be ready to fall for the unwinds all over again. The character development for those old and new is superb. It’s as if no question from Unwind has been left unanswered and even more concerns that went over our heads were addressed. New characters have been intertwined with familair characters in the most organic way which is ironic considering one these characters is anything but organic. Society just wants them to think that he is. See, that’s the thing about individuality. It can’t really be defined. And when it can, it will still be used against the source. Good intentions mean absolutely nothing in this world. Which brings us to the question, what exactly is being kept out of history books, “for the greater good” and who determines what is greater? UnWholly poses so many questions. UnWholly unveils the unimaginable lengths people go to live in their false truth, live their lies and force the world to. In this world, there are two lies and one truth. Finding that truth proves to be a greater task than Connor could have ever imagined. UnWholly rises above rejection, fear, the impossible. UnWholly unveils the human heart in a way that shines high above the rest. UnWholly encourages its readers to take ahold of the power they have in the present for the future despite their past, doubt required. Ah, present. The unwinds were given the gift of life by a greater unknown and the older generation, mere human beings want to take that gift away, one to keep all for themselves. Who will soldier on? Who is willing to take back what is theirs? Find out in UnWholly , one of the most riveting reads of 2012 and one of the most powerful books of our time. If you start one trilogy this year, let it be Unwind . UnWholly by Neal Shusterman is in stores now.

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Book Review

Unwind — “unwind dystology” series.

• Neal Shusterman

Readability Age Range

• Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• United Kingdom Coventry Inspiration "Simply the Book" Award, 2009/2010; Virginia Readers Choice Award, 2009/2010; Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award List

Year Published

This dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman is the first in the “Unwind Dystology” series and is published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Unwind is written for ages 12 and up. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content appropriateness.

Plot Summary

After the “Heartland War,” a civil battle between those who believed in abortion on demand and those considered to be pro-life, a set of constitutional amendments was passed called “The Bill of Life.” These amendments stated that from the moment of conception, human life couldn’t be ended. But, from the age of 13 until a child reaches 18, a parent or guardian may choose to retroactively abort their child. This process is called “unwinding.” The child is not technically killed, as every useful piece of its body is recycled into the bodies of other people in need.

Connor Lassiter, a 16-year-old troublemaker, has discovered the papers his parents have signed ordering his unwinding. He escapes before the authorities come for him, but the Juvenile Police, or Juvey-cops as they are known, and his parents track him through his cellphone. Connor doesn’t give up easily, and instead flees across a divided highway as the police shoot tranquilizer darts at him. A Cadillac sideswipes him. Inside is Lev Caldor, a 13-year-old boy, willingly being unwound as a tithe to God. Connor makes the snap decision to use Lev as a shield from the tranquilizer bullets. Lev wants desperately to return to his parents and be unwound, but Pastor Dan, his family’s spiritual counselor, yells for him to run away with Connor.

Lev is accidentally hit by a tranquilizer dart. Connor carries him off the road. At the same time, a bus from a State Home swerves and rolls over. One of the passengers, Risa, is another teen set to be unwound. Although not a delinquent, Risa has no parents. As she has not been able to excel over others at the home in academics, sports or musical ability, Risa has been ordered unwound to make room for a new baby. Risa uses the bus accident to escape her fate and follows Connor and Lev into the woods.

Risa and Connor know they can’t really trust Lev, but decide to keep him with them anyway, as they can’t believe anyone truly wants to be unwound. When they come to a town, Connor hears a baby crying. He knows the child has been “storked,” abandoned on someone’s front steps. The homeowner is now responsible for the child unless the mother can be found. Years ago, Connor’s family was storked. Instead of keeping the baby, they kept it inside the house for the day and then storked another neighbor. A week later, the same baby was left on their doorstep, only now it was very ill and soon died. The entire neighborhood attended the funeral. Connor realized that the baby had been passed around with no one to care for it until it finally died. He can’t let that happen again, and so he approaches the homeowner who then insists he and Risa take the child.

Risa, Connor, Lev and the baby follow a group of teenagers onto a school bus. They hope to escape between leaving the school bus and entering the building, but they can’t. They hide out in a girls’ bathroom. Without Connor and Risa knowing, Lev ducks out and heads for the office. He tells the secretary that he’s been kidnapped by two unwinds. She calls the police. He then uses the phone to call home.

Pastor Dan answers. He tells Lev that his kidnapping was never reported to the police. The authorities believe he’s been tithed. Pastor Dan convinced Lev’s parents to see the incident as God’s providence. Lev begs the pastor to tell his parents that he wants to be tithed, but Pastor Dan won’t do it. Lev realizes the pastor never believed all the platitudes he taught about the value of being a tithe. He wants Lev to escape and live a full life.

Lev is devastated by the knowledge that he’ll be the cause of Connor’s and Risa’s unwinding. He flees the office and pulls the fire alarm. Connor and Risa are lucky enough to encounter a teacher willing to help them. As everyone exits the building, the teacher sends them to an antique shop in town and tells them to ask for “Sonia.” Lev tries to catch up with them as they escape so he can apologize, but the crowd of students prevents him.

Sonia, the owner of the antique shop, runs a safe house for unwinds. They are kept in a hidden cellar until they can find transportation to another safe house. Connor, Risa and the baby spend a week in the dark basement with three other unwinds — Mai, Roland and Hayden. Hayden’s parents divorced, and since neither parent wanted the other to have custody of him, they chose to have him unwound. Roland, a muscular teen with disciplinary issues, beat his stepfather in an attempt to protect his mother. His mom, however, took her husband’s side of the fight and signed Roland’s unwinding papers. Mai’s parents kept having children until they got the boy they truly wanted. Since they couldn’t afford to raise all six children, Mai was scheduled to be unwound.

Unable to sleep, Hayden tells the unwinds’ favorite urban legend, the story of Humphrey Dunfees. Humphrey’s unstable parents decided to have him unwound but then changed their minds after their son’s body had been redistributed. Mr. Dunfee worked for the government and was able to track down the recipients of his son’s parts. He and his wife supposedly killed them and tried to put their son back together.

Several days later, Sonia calls each of the teens upstairs, one at a time. She has them write a letter to someone they love. They are to write what they want the person to know, should they die. Sonia keeps the letters for a year after the teens turn 18. If they can keep from being unwound, they are to return and take back the letter. If they don’t return, Sonia mails it.

The next day, the kids are shuttled to another safe house. The teacher who helped Risa and Connor offers to adopt the baby. Risa and Connor spend the next few weeks bouncing between houses until they end up with about 100 other unwinds in a warehouse.

Lev meets a teen nicknamed CyFi. CyFi is Umber, the name now used to describe a dark-skinned person. He speaks in an archaic urban dialect that used to be prevalent before the Heartland War. CyFi tells how after an accident, he received a full frontal lobe transplant from an unwind. CyFi is traveling to Joplin, Mo., but Lev doesn’t know why. He decides to go with CyFi. One day, CyFi starts walking and talking differently, as if he’s another person. Lev nervously follows him as CyFi enters a store selling Christmas items and steals an ornament.

Afterward, CyFi runs to a playground and cries. He smashes the ornament and then tells Lev to empty the pocket of his coat. Inside, Lev finds a treasure of stolen gold and diamond jewelry. CyFi insists he didn’t steal the items and that Lev must hide them somewhere. Lev buries all but a diamond bracelet, and the boys continue their journey. Lev pawns the bracelet for money. He comes to realize that CyFi is being influenced by the brain transplanted in his head.

CyFi’s unwind must have come from Joplin and is trying to get back home. CyFi tells Lev that the other boy, Tyler, didn’t seem to realize that he was unwound. CyFi can hear his thoughts inside of his own head, and sometimes they overwhelm him. When they arrive in Joplin, Tyler directs them to his former house, where the police, his parents and CyFi’s are waiting for him. Tyler is allowed to go into the backyard where he digs up a box of buried stolen items. He gives them to the police and then begs his parents not to unwind him. Distraught, Tyler’s parents are speechless until Lev insists they put the boy at ease and promise not to unwind him. In the resulting reunion, Lev makes his escape.

Soon after Christmas, Risa, Connor and the other unwinds are packed four into a crate. The crates are loaded onto a plane and delivered to The Graveyard. Unfortunately, four boys die from suffocation. Connor and Risa survive the journey and settle into their new lives. The Graveyard is a place where decommissioned planes are sent. The Admiral, an older military man, runs the graveyard. The children live in the abandoned planes and everyone has a job. Risa ends up in the medical clinic while Connor becomes a maintenance man. The Admiral fears someone is trying to undermine his authority within the camp and so takes Connor into his confidence. Five of the Admiral’s top teen aides were murdered. Connor tries to find out who did it. Connor suspects Roland, but doesn’t have the evidence to prove it. Lev arrives at the camp, but does not want to reconnect with Connor or Risa. His time with CyFi and being alone have hardened him. He joins up with the group conspiring against the Admiral. It is not led by Roland, but by the Admiral’s personal pilot, Cleaver.

Mai also joined with Cleaver, as her boyfriend was one of the teens that suffocated in the plane. Cleaver recruits Lev, Mai and another boy for a mission away from the graveyard. They will be injected with a special explosive, infiltrate a harvest camp, and blow up the harvesting facility.

Although Roland is not working with Cleaver, he is trying to take over the graveyard. By spreading rumors that the Admiral is running a “chop shop,” selling unwinds to the highest bidder or using their body parts for himself, Roland is gaining a following.

Connor traps Roland in one of the transportation crates and questions him about the murders of the aides. Meanwhile, the other unwinds start a riot and try to attack the Admiral. When they can’t get him, they beat Cleaver to death. Connor arrives to stop all-out anarchy, but the Admiral has suffered a heart attack. The only one who can fly him to a hospital is Roland. Connor releases him from the crate and he, Roland and Risa take the Admiral to the hospital. Roland betrays them and all the unwinds in the graveyard to the Juvey-cops, hoping to get a reward for their capture. His plan backfires when the cops tell him they’ve known about the graveyard for years but allow it to exist as it helps keep homeless unwinds from living on the streets and becoming criminals.

Roland, Risa and Connor are sent to a harvest camp to be unwound. It is the same camp that Lev has infiltrated. Before Risa and Connor can be unwound, Mia and the other terrorist blow up the facility. Lev does not detonate himself. Instead, he helps the injured teens to safety and willingly turns himself into the police. He is visited in his cell by Pastor Dan, who explains that Lev’s actions have changed the face of the unwind industry.

A law has already passed changing the age limit of unwinding to 17. Risa is left paralyzed by the explosion, but refuses the transplants to heal her as then she could be unwound at a later date. Handicapped people can’t be unwound. While Connor is in a coma, he’s given transplants for his amputated arm and injured eye. When he wakes up, he is horrified to learn that his arm came from Roland. Risa assures him that he controls it now. Connor is given the identity card of one of the harvest camp’s dead guards so that he can escape unwinding. The authorities are told that he died in the explosion. The Admiral refuses a heart transplant and so is no longer capable of running the graveyard. Connor and Risa take charge of saving the unwinds.

The Admiral returns to his home. He and his ex-wife are the parents on whom the legend of Humphrey Dunfees is based. They were forced to sign their son, Harlan, over for unwinding. The Admiral has contacted all the recipients of his son’s body over the years. On what would have been his son’s 26th birthday, the Admiral gathered them all together at his ranch in Texas. As the people mingle, they begin sharing memories they have of Harlan. Finally, the Admiral calls his son’s name, and all the people turn to him. One calls him “dad.” The Admiral and his wife welcome their “son” home.

Christian Beliefs

Lev is being unwound as a tithe to God, because he is the 10th child. Pastor Dan tells him that God doesn’t ask for the first fruits but the best fruits. Lev tells Connor that tithing and storking are in the Bible. He uses Moses as an example of being storked. Connor wonders how a good God can let a child be born who isn’t wanted or loved. At first Lev believes his situation is a test from God to see if he will remain faithful to his calling to be a tithe. Pastor Dan’s insistence that Lev see his “non-identity” as proof that God wants him to live, unnerves him. CyFi tells Lev a similar thing, that it may have been God’s plan to have Connor pull him from the car and force him to escape.

Instead of helping his faith, their arguments make Lev doubt everything about God. A line from Gone with the Wind is quoted invoking God as a witness to an oath. Lev’s parents don’t believe in IQ tests, saying everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Lev is angry that his parents love God more than they loved him. He thinks he may go to hell for his thoughts. In the transportation crates, the boys with Connor discuss their beliefs about unwinding. One boy says your soul goes to heaven when you die.

Connor wonders if this is true since if their own parents didn’t want them, wouldn’t they go to the other place? Another boy says that perhaps unwinds don’t even have souls as God would already know they are going to be unwound. Roland asks for a priest before he is unwound, but none is sent to talk to him. Pastor Dan tells Lev that he’s left his church, not his faith. He still believes in God, just not a church that would allow human tithing. Lev says he wants to believe in that God.

Other Belief Systems

Lev once witnessed a friend’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony. CyFi says that Tyler’s thoughts are like those of a ghost that doesn’t know it’s dead. The true story of someone trying to sell his soul on eBay is presented.

Connor and the boys in his crate discuss what happens to an unwind’s soul. One thinks that because all the pieces of their body are kept alive, their soul is divided among those pieces. Another believes the soul is indivisible so must stretch out like a giant balloon among all the recipients. Connor isn’t sure he believes in a soul, but a person’s consciousness has to go somewhere when they’re unwound. He remembers a man he met who had the arm of an unwind. The arm could perform card tricks that the man never learned.

Connor also wonders if your soul or consciousness is shredded between body parts. Lev comments to himself that Cleaver’s love of chaos has become his religion. Luck is invoked several times — a car swerving out of the way is good luck and a certain brick path is bad luck. A teacher wishes Connor and Risa good luck.

Authority Roles

Most of the parents in the novel are seen as incredibly weak and self-centered. Instead of protecting their teenagers or seeking to get them help for troubling behavior, they choose to unwind them and not deal with the problem. Lev’s parents are seen as loving but clueless as to the true meaning of being unwound.

The Admiral does not treat the unwinds with love, but he does respect them. He has a list of rules for their behavior in the graveyard that demonstrates that he believes they are worthwhile individuals worthy of respect and life. The Juvey-cops are seen as manipulative, self-serving and insensitive to the fate of the unwinds. As a spiritual mentor, Pastor Dan comes across as loving Lev and wanting the best for him.

Profanity & Violence

God’s name is used alone and with my, dear, d–n and h— are used. A– is spoken alone and with pain-in-the . Other objectionable words are suck and crap .

Connor is sideswiped by a car and bruises his ribs. He hits Pastor Dan as he tries to get Lev out of the car. Lev bites Connor’s arm. The Juvey-cops shoot at Connor with tranquilizer darts. A bus swerves to miss the accident and rolls over, killing the driver and injuring several people. Risa and Connor use a Juvey-cop’s tranquilizer gun against him in order to escape.

Risa wrenches Connor’s arm behind his back when she thinks he’s becoming too physical with her. Lev hits a pawnbroker over the head, rendering the man unconscious. Throughout the book, there is an undercurrent of potential violence between Connor and Roland. Roland threatens to rape Risa in the warehouse bathroom as a way to provoke Connor into a fight so he can kill him. When Connor pretends not to care about Risa, Roland backs off.

As they are being sorted into transportation crates, Connor punches another boy so he won’t be put in a crate with Roland. Connor uses a gun to force Roland into a crate that he then locks so he can question him. Cleaver, Mia and another unwind tell how they knocked the Admiral’s teenage aides unconscious and locked them in a crate without air holes so they suffocated. Connor sees their dead bodies.

The unwinds get caught up in their riot. When they can’t get to the Admiral, they find Cleaver, who they believe is working with the Admiral, and beat him to death. Roland attacks Connor in the harvest camp, nearly killing him. Mia and the other clapper are accidently detonated by camp guards. The resulting explosion destroys the harvesting clinic. Many unwinds and guards are injured and killed. Lev manages to help a mangled Connor and paralyzed Risa to safety. He pulls several other injured people out as well.

Roland’s unwinding is described in detail. Although the procedure is painless, it is incredibly disturbing. Roland is kept conscious and alert for the entire process as teams of doctors disassemble him. He senses his body being removed piece by piece as a kind nurse talks with him. Eventually, he can no longer answer her vocally, so she asks him to blink if he understands her. Then she lets him know that he won’t be able to blink anymore. The doctors no longer tell him what they’re doing as they take apart his brain, but it is evident that some part of Roland’s consciousness is aware of the procedure. This continues until there is nothing left of him on the table.

Sexual Content

Connor shares a brief kiss with his girlfriend before he escapes from his home. He and Risa kiss several times. Once they are in the harvest camp, their kisses are more passionate. Roland threatens to rape Risa as a way to spur Connor into a fight.

Mai and her boyfriend make out passionately while waiting in the warehouse. Their behavior isn’t graphically described, but other teens watch them. Several adults tell Connor that if he can get Risa pregnant he will give her nine more months of life since pregnant girls can’t be unwound.

CyFi was storked to a homosexual couple, so two fathers raised him. Homosexual marriages have been outlawed, but CyFi says his fathers made their relationship official by getting married.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Alcohol: Champagne is served at Lev’s tithing party. The Admiral drinks whiskey while telling his past to Connor.

Stealing: CyFi is influenced by Tyler’s mind to steal shiny things, including a gold Christmas ornament and jewelry.

This review is brought to you by Focus on the Family, a donor-based ministry. Book reviews cover the content, themes and world-views of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. A book’s inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

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Review: Unwholly by Neal Shusterman

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Unwind (1) (Unwind Dystology) Paperback – June 2, 2009

• Book 1 of 4 Unwind Dystology
• Print length 384 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 8 - 9
• Lexile measure HL740L
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
• Publication date June 2, 2009
• ISBN-10 1416912053
• ISBN-13 978-1416912057
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1416912053
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1416912057
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 15+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL740L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 - 9
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
• #15 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Death & Dying
• #18 in Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction Action & Adventure
• #43 in Teen & Young Adult Dystopian

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About the author

Neal shusterman.

Neal Shusterman is the author of many novels for young adults, including Unwind, which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, Everlost, and Downsiders, which was nominated for twelve state reading awards. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows such as Animorphs and Goosebumps. The father of four children, Neal lives in southern California.

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Customers say

Customers find the book engrossing, futuristic, and quick-paced. They also say the story is good, with on-point themes. Readers praise the writing style as extremely well written, sensitive, and thoughtful. They find the characters fully realized and know what they want. They describe the ideas as thought-provoking and unexpected. Opinions are mixed on the plot, with some finding it disturbing and outstanding, while others say it jarred them out of the story.

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Customers find the book entertaining, with a good story and thought-provoking plot. They also appreciate the superb characterization and many twists. Customers also say the themes are on point and brilliantly delivered.

"...characters' journey from fugitives to reluctant heroes adds layers of depth to the narrative , offering a glimmer of hope in the face of overwhelming..." Read more

"Unwind is a very unique book . I don’t think that I’ve ever read a book that even comes close to it...." Read more

"...I think this is a great book for either a male or female student, as the main characters present both sides...." Read more

"...The plot is provocative but intentionally so, to encourage readers to examine values and morality of individuals and the dystopian society in general..." Read more

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with controversial ideas presented in a unique story. They say the discussion possibilities are endless, and the book is highly intelligent. Readers also mention that the book challenges readers to question social norms and confront the ethical factors.

""Unwind" by Neal Shusterman is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged read that challenges readers to question social norms and confront the..." Read more

"The book is very interesting ." Read more

"...The premise of the book alone is unique and its just too difficult to place. I think this is a really good thing and it had me hooked...." Read more

"...If your parts are still alive, are you? The discussion possibilities are endless ...." Read more

Customers find the writing style extremely well written, sensitive, and thoughtful. They also say the descriptions make the future world easy to visualize.

"...' process as it takes place at a 'Harvest Camp' is written with a certain amount of compassion , for such a mind-boggling scenario...." Read more

"...The writing style didn't bother me . Great characters and plot. This is of those books that makes you feel closure when you finish it...." Read more

"...with idea of feeling unwanted by parents and society in a sensitive and thoughtful manner ...." Read more

"...The prose is a little simplistic ...." Read more

Customers find the characters fully realized and skilled at portraying the politics involved in both sides of the equation.

"...+ Unwind is extremely character driven , and this is really one of the only redeeming qualities the book has going for itself...." Read more

"...The writing style didn't bother me. Great characters and plot . This is of those books that makes you feel closure when you finish it...." Read more

"...I quite enjoyed the journey of the characters , and who they became, however the story greatly lacked in how it wrote Risa...." Read more

"...The characters are fully-realized and know what they want and even when they don't, they know what they believe in--it just takes a few of them time..." Read more

Customers find the book engrossing, dystopian, and futuristic. They also say it's a real treat to the science fiction genre and perfect for older teens and adults.

"...I highly recommend this as a great read for young adults and would encourage parents and grandparents to also read it to enable discussion of..." Read more

"...But overall, I loved this series, and I think this is the perfect series for teens ...." Read more

"...I think it's perfect for older teens and adults . I plan on reading Shusterman's other books as well." Read more

"...The teen characters are well-developed and relatable to teens today ...." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book fast and smooth. They also say the author controls the tempo like a master puppeteer, moves the timeline along very well, and provides plenty of non-stop action. Readers also say that the book grips their attention and questions certain dilemmas that may apply.

"...This novel grips the attention of a young reader and questions certain dilemmas that may apply to them...." Read more

"...system, subjective views on morality and ethics, there was plenty of non-stop action too and extreme moments where the atmosphere was convincing; so..." Read more

"...of the book is far stronger than the first half, with action progressing as a nice pace --this is where the world of an underground railroad saving..." Read more

"...Unwind" is a page turner and is a fairly fast and engrossing read ...." Read more

Customers find the book original, awe-inspiring, and amazing. They also say the author's expert craft takes it further. Customers also say it's different than any other book in the genre and sets high standards.

"...parts of the story together was both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring ...." Read more

"...What I Loved: The premise of Unwind is outstanding and thoroughly developed --it envisions a world that's not all that different from ours, that..." Read more

"I read the sample before I bought the book. The sample seemed interesting , so I decided to give it a shot and bought the entire book...." Read more

"...The world building is top notch and just disturbing enough to sit at the perfect center of the uncanny valley...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the plot. Some find the book disturbing, thought-provoking, and emotionally charged. They also say it's a great page-turner. However, some readers say the content is disturbing, jarring them out of the story. They say the resolution of the baby plot line is silly and abrupt.

"...This is certainly a dark story that will remain unforgettable in my mind; for the subject, the moral compass of the society in which it takes place..." Read more

"...When I first heard about this book, it seemed really creepy . The cover of the book didn’t help either...." Read more

"...This is of those books that makes you feel closure when you finish it ...." Read more

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From the Unwind Dystology series

by Neal Shusterman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 6, 2007

Shusterman’s Everlost (2006) dealt with death and children with a sense of innocence, redemption and even humor. None of that is present here. In a time not far distant, life is deemed to be sacrosanct from the instant of conception until the age of 13. From 13 to 18, however, parents and guardians have the opportunity to have children “unwound.” Technically, life doesn’t end, but every part of the child is “harvested” to be parceled out and passed on to the highest bidder. In this gruesome age of organ harvest, readers meet Connor (doomed to be unwound by his parents), Risa (doomed as a ward of the state due to overcrowding) and Lev, a tithe, conceived for the express purpose of being unwound and “donated” to society. Their story of escape and struggle to survive in a society that lauds itself on the protection of life, but which has reduced human body parts to market commodities, unrolls against a bleak background of indifference, avarice, guilt, regret, loss, pain and rebellion. Well-written, this draws the reader into a world that is both familiar and strangely foreign, and generates feelings of horror, disturbance, disgust and fear. As with classics such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 , one can only hope that this vision of the future never becomes reality. (Science fiction. YA)

Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2007

ISBN: 978-1-4169-1204-0

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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More In The Series

BOOK REVIEW

by Neal Shusterman

More by Neal Shusterman

by Neal Shusterman , Debra Young & Michelle Knowlden

by Neal Shusterman ; illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez

by Neal Shusterman & Eric Elfman

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

More About This Book

SEEN & HEARD

From the Powerless Trilogy series , Vol. 1

by Lauren Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.

The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.

Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023

ISBN: 9798987380406

Page Count: 538

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

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Unwind Review

Posted August 31, 2015 by Julie S. in Reviews / 7 Comments

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

Unwind caught me by surprise and blew me away. Seriously, it tackles a very sensitive topic head-on (abortion) and creates a scary world where unwanted children can be “storked” (abandoned on someone’s doorstep) and can later be “unwound” rather than aborted. Unwinding is taking someone apart organ by organ to use for transplants to save another person’s life (or replace a broken limb) but the teen being unwound never truly dies since he/she lives on in other people. I mean, come on, how disturbingly awesome is this story line?

I had purchased the Unwind audiobook a while back as a daily deal or something like that, but it wasn’t until I got a gentle nudge from Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight  (in reply to our Chat Between Chapters: Books that ruined you for other books discussion) that I finally decided to make it a priority. Also, this serves as a #ShelfLove read, so hurray for that.

I’ve been looking for a new series to start that would knock me off my unicorn and I think this one is it. It is just that powerful and shocking. Neal Shusterman is incredibly talented and the descriptions of events and characters are vivid. Each character contributed an important piece to the pie as the story unfolded. There were plenty of times I didn’t know if someone was a good person or not and what their motivations were. This book slowly gave away its secrets in an intriguing way.

There were a few scenes that really stayed with me, long after I finished the book. One of these was the scene describing being unwound from the POV of the person being unwound. It was so freaky. Another scene that affected me was when an Unwound’s memories (from a brain transplant) were driving another character so strongly that he had to act even if he didn’t understand what he needed to do. What a powerful and scary world this book portrays. This book is full of such gems intricately woven together to continue to give me chills.

If you’re a fan of dystopias in general and want something unique that will blow you away, pick this up. Upon finishing this book I quickly went and used another 3 Audible credits to get the rest of the series.

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7 responses to “ Unwind Review ”

[…] review spans the last 3 books of this series, since I already reviewed the first book separately. That book earned its 5 stars but these next three have been all over the place for me. […]

Yay!! This is one of my all-time favorite books and I think that EVERYONE should read it! Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted… Stepping Stones by Kacey Vanderkarr – Excerpt & $20 Giveaway

How did you feel about the rest of the series? I read the second book and it was so-so. I haven’t read the rest yet.

Hmmm … I really still loved the second and third books, though not QUITE as much as the first. I still haven’t read the final book – because I’m crazy and I do this to myself all the time with series. I don’t read the final book out of some weird fear or something – I don’t know exactly why. It’s a sickness. (I hear that the final book was amazing and I really plan to read it SOON!) Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted… August Wrap-Up Round-Up Giveaway

Love this book so much!!!!! JJ recently posted… Swoonworthy Sunday #20

Yep, I loved this one too 🙂 The writing was engaging, and the storyline mind-blowing. He’s a very talented, innovative storyteller. Ramona recently posted… Zen Monday: Weight Gain, How Come…?

I didn’t quite feel the same way about the second book though. Have you read anything else by him?

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Anyone a fan of the Unwind Trilogy?

I just finished book 2 of the Unwind Trilogy by Neil Shusterman and !!!!! I loved it!! It's been a while since I have felt this way about a YA series. I can't wait for book 3!

Anyone else a fan so we can, like, gush?

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• Reviews A-Z
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

• Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

4 comments:

This is what I'm talkin' bout! This is the kind of book I totally want to read right now. It sounds like a very well thought of dystopian world where the stakes are high and the characters are engaging! Awesome. Gonna add it to my TBR right now.

I'd totally suggest it. I know FOR SURE that you'd love it.

I love the sound of this one. I really need to complete my dystopian challenge so I'm looking forward to some fun through books like this one.

I'd definitely suggest this one for the challenge. Trust me, you'll love it. It makes tyou question life, the way a real dstopian should.

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'Lord of the Rings' series 'The Rings of Power' is beautiful but empty in Season 2

There's a hole in my heart where love for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" should be.

Season 1 of the outrageously expensive Amazon Prime series had a lot going for it. The sets, the costumes and the effects are gorgeous. You can tell and respect how much work it took to bring this series to life.

The story also had a lot of opportunity to go in almost any direction, considering it's using only a handful of writings of J.R.R. Tolkien from the "Lord of the Rings" appendices to tell a story about the Second Age of Middle-earth, which for the uninitiated is the middle part of the story, after the creation myth and before "LOTR" proper. It's all about the forging of those rings, the rise of ultimate baddie Sauron and getting all the chess pieces on the board that ultimately set up Frodo's journey to destroy the ring of power in the main trilogy.

The first season obviously required a lot of setup, and I gave creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay a lot of leeway to get their footing and create a series that's distinct from the Peter Jackson films that have so permeated popular culture. And by the time the season ended with a big reveal that Sauron (Charlie Vickers) had been hiding in plain sight all along , I was excited to see what they would do with a second season.

Unfortunately, all that promise has been utterly wasted on the confusing, directionless and emotionally bankrupt second season of "Rings of Power" (streaming Thursdays, ★½ out of four). If Season 1 was a leisurely stroll through Middle-earth, Season 2 gallops away, leaving many of the important details, character developments and stakes behind.

If you can possibly remember what happened in the first season − and I was still vaguely confused even after watching a recap video, which is a mark against the series because homework should not be required − you'll know things are looking grim in Middle-earth. Sauron tricked the elves, including Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo), into crafting three rings of power to save their crippled realm of Lindon. The utopian kingdom of men Númenor has lost its king and a battle in Middle-earth. A couple of Hobbit-like Harfoots are accompanying a mysterious wizard known as "The Stranger" (Daniel Weyman) on a perilous journey. And the dwarf underground realm of Khazad-dûm is collapsing, so it might need some powerful rings, too.

It's all a lot to remember, and the new episodes are far more interested in the big-picture plot twists and mythology than any of the characters. There are no magnetic heroes to ground the story from its many locations. The producers expect to scare us with monsters and villains but give us no one to love. Much hangs on the shoulders of the young cast, especially Aramayo and Clark, but mostly they lack the talent or depth to add gravitas to the story.

The series cycles through the storylines in perfunctory fashion. The relationships often don't make sense, and it's hard to keep track of who is related to whom, let alone their names and motivations. And that's a problem, because you can have the most beautiful sets and the most daring plot of any TV show around, but the essence of story is characters. Audiences are drawn to people, even if they're dressed up as dwarves or Harfoots. When dwarf prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) fights with his father, Durin III (Peter Mullan), it's hard to care, even if you can remember what they were fighting about in Season 1 (the writers feel no need to remind the audience).

It's heartbreaking to see a story with so much potential, so much work behind it, and with such beloved source material crumble the way "Rings of Power" has. Certainly, Hollywood has proved that no production is too big to fail, no matter how much money is thrown at it.

I wouldn't mind using a ring of power myself to make some edits to this version of Middle-earth.

'Terminator Zero' Review: Stellar Animation Can't Save Netflix's Twist-Heavy Series

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In 1984, James Cameron changed film history forever with The Terminator , a science fiction movie that was part action film, part slasher, and which made Arnold Schwarzenegger one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. In 1991, he somehow made an even better sequel with Terminator 2: Judgment Day , but it's been all downhill for the franchise since then, with several nonsensical follow-ups and a short-lived TV series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles . Thankfully, the movies have stopped for the time being, but Terminator is back with a new show done differently. Terminator Zero is an eight-episode adventure on Netflix, but this time it's an anime series.

With Masashi Kudo ( Bleach ) as the director and Mattson Tomlin ( Project Power ) as the showrunner, the collaboration between Skydance Television and Production I.G. has the talent behind it to produce something special. Terminator Zero includes both the original Japanese version with English subtitles, and an English dubbed version with voice talent including the likes of André Holland , Rosario Dawson , and Timothy Olyphant , and while the actors are great as always, they're not enough to save a plot that becomes bogged down in exposition and an ending with one twist after another.

What Is 'Terminator Zero' About?

The best thing Terminator Zero does is that it gets far, far away from the endless stories about John Connor . We certainly don't need any more of those. That's done by focusing its story in Japan, during two different timelines . We start in 2022, where a woman named Eiko ( Sonoya Mizuno , Toa Yukinari ) is being chased by a Terminator before being sent back in time twenty-five years to 1997. It's here where the vast majority of the action takes place. Fans of the franchise will know that it's in 1997 when Skynet goes online and launches a massive attack against humanity, but in Japan, a scientist named Malcolm Lee (Holland, Yuya Uchida ) has built an AI system he calls Kokoro (Dawson, Atsumi Tnezaki ), which he created to go up against Skynet's impending attack.

Skynet's launch hasn't happened, yet Malcolm is traumatized by relentless dreams showing him the onslaught and nuclear war to come. For much of Terminator Zero , the viewer is left to guess how he could know so much. Where is his information coming from? Malcolm might be one of our main protagonists, but the mystery surrounding his knowledge also makes him a figure we might not be able to trust. Kokoro speaks in a female form on screen, and is often Malcolm's only source of companionship, as he goes into hiding and converses with the only thing that might be able to save humans.

Eiko, and Malcom's housekeeper, a young woman named Misaki ( Saori Hayami ), are tasked with protecting Malcolm's young children, who are on the run from a Terminator sent back from 2022 with the mission to abduct Malcolm's children to force the scientist to take Kokoro offline so Skynet can execute its attack. Terminator Zero becomes a race against time , but not everything is as it seems.

'Terminator Zero' Doesn't Play Enough to Its Strengths

Terminator Zero has a lot of good things going for it. The use of animation and new characters makes it feel fresh, something that the franchise badly needs. There is no John Connor, no Sarah Connor, and not even a Terminator that looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger . While the killer robots have the same familiar exoskeleton underneath, their appearance on the outside has changed. Terminator Zero also wisely resists the temptation to give way to fan service by not bringing back popular phrases or scenes. Outside of a few small uses of that iconic Terminator theme composed by Brad Fiedel , Terminator Zero is its own creation. If you haven't seen all the movies or have forgotten the convoluted storylines, no worries, because it doesn't matter here.

Product I.G. has been around since 1987, and has found fame from animating everything from Ghost in the Shell to the animated scenes in Kill Bill Vol. 1 . Their animated work is in top form, creating a beautiful world that's a sight to behold even when the surrounding plot stumbles . There is so much that Terminator Zero gets right, but sadly, it fumbles at times by not focusing on that enough. One rather interesting subplot is that, in Japan, guns are hard to come by. It's not like America, where heroes and villains can logically find guns around any corner, leading to the Terminator films being filled with non-stop gun violence. When Eiko ends up in 1997, she doesn't know where to get a gun. The Terminator doesn't either, and for a time it uses a crossbow of its own making attached to its arm. That's a fun new approach that could have taken Terminator Zero in a complex direction, but alas, guns are soon found, and we return to the action we're used to.

‘Terminator Zero’: What Fans Should Expect From the Explosive Anime Installment

The anime genre is about to be terminated.

There's also the matter of the Terminator villain itself. With Olyphant voicing the English dubbed version of the baddie, that makes Terminator Zero a must-see, except that the Terminator isn't a huge focal point for most of the episodes , and it's not until the end that we hear him talk much. That's a missed opportunity with such a great actor on board . This ties into a larger problem with the series. The character focus keeps shifting, staying on one point of view for so long that the others are neglected. Malcolm spends the majority of Terminator Zero locked away with Kokoro, so a relationship with his family, needed for the viewer to care about, is barely formed.

'Terminator Zero' Goes for Shocks and Exposition Over Action

It only consists of eight episodes that aren't even thirty minutes a piece, but Terminator Zero still feels overly long, with lengthy periods of exposition and downtime that could have been condensed. It may have been much better off as a movie, and nothing proves that more than the final episodes. So many scenes are simply of Malcom talking to Kokoro on a screen. These conversations are the most important part of the plot, as Malcolm is desperately trying to convince his AI creation that humanity is worth saving, while it isn't so sure because of the destruction humanity has often caused. If Malcolm can't convince Kokoro to help, then Skynet will succeed and humanity dies. That matters more than anything, but when it becomes scene after scene of conversation and explanation , then it starts to get a little tiresome, and you find yourself wanting to reach for your phone.

While Terminator Zero does stop itself from giving into fan service , it can't help but fall into the trap of endless shocking twists. There are multiple ones in the final episodes, another after another, so much so that it feels done for shock value. Admittedly, they do make sense when you look back at it and don't destroy the narrative, but the twists lose their punch when the blows keep coming. Terminator Zero ends with a setup for a second season , one that risks doing what the movies did by being too convoluted with different timelines and building an illogical world overflowing with plot holes.

Terminator Zero isn't a bad series by any means. The questions it asks will make you think, as the lines between what's good and what evil become blurred. It's beautiful to look at, and the story and characters are entertaining, even if they would be more effective in a more condensed format. If you're a fan of the movies, definitely check it out, because it's worth a watch . Just don't expect to be taken back to the awe-inspiring time of those first two James Cameron movies. That magic won't be back.

Terminator Zero (2024)

Terminator Zero's excellent voice actors and animation can't fully save a plot that becomes bogged down in exposition and one too many twist endings.

• Terminator Zero tells a fresh story that gets away from the past and John Connor.
• The series doesn't give in to cheap fan service.
• Production I.G. continues to do stellar animation.
• It feels overly long, as if it would have been better as a movie.
• The relationship between Malcolm and his children isn't built well enough.
• Too much exposition weighs down an exciting idea.

Terminator Zero is a TV show set in a dystopian future where humanity battles against advanced AI and robotic enemies. As new heroes rise to combat the ever-evolving machines, secrets of the past are unveiled, revealing the origins of the Terminator threat.

Terminator Zero is available to watch on Netflix.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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‘Pachinko’ returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series

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“Pachinko,” a beautifully wrought historical melodrama, is back for its necessary second season, to fill in some holes, fiddle with loose ends and extend the story even farther beyond the borders of Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel . It is a transitional season, which ends with little resolved and gaps still to fill, and while it offers all the sensual pleasures of the first season’s performances and production, its portion of love and death, it is very much the middle of a book.

Unlike the novel, which proceeds chronologically, the series, returning Friday on Apple TV+, alternates between the “present day” — 1989 Osaka — and the evolving story that gets us there. Season 1 began in 1915 before the birth of main character Sunja (Minha Kim) in Japanese-occupied Korea, then followed her through her country-girl youth into a romance with handsome, dangerous Hansu (Lee Minho). An unexpected pregnancy led to a marriage of convenience, later affection, with Isak (Steve Sanghyun Noh), a Christian preacher; together they moved to Osaka to join his brother Yoseb (Junwoo Han) and wife, Kyunghee (Eunchae Jung), where they become Zainichi, the term for Koreans living in Japan — a population much discriminated against. (Incidents of prejudice dot the current season, almost as a reminder of what the first season firmly established.)

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March 24, 2022

That storyline got us to 1938. The new season picks up in early 1945 (skipping much of the novel), and times are difficult as Japan fearfully braces for an American attack; Sunja and Kyunghee eke out a living selling kimchi, and the cabbage has almost run out. Sunja’s children, Noa (Kang Hoon Kim), her son with Hansu, and Mozasu (Eunseong Kwon), her son with Isak, have grown accordingly. Noa, who is unaware of his birth father and takes after his adoptive father, is shy and studious, Mozasu brash and unsuited to study. Isak is in prison, having been arrested last season for rabble-rousing; Yoseb is working in a munitions factory in Nagasaki, which should raise an eyebrow. But a friendly new character, Mr. Kim (Kim Sungkyu), is hanging around helpfully, and Hansu, keeping an eye on them from near and far, will be back and involved.

(The Nagasaki sequence, which opens the fifth episode, is shot in black and white in standard aspect ratio, before returning to color and widescreen when the bomb drops. The title credit that follows omits the usual cheerful shots of the cast dancing to the Grass Roots‘ “Let’s Live for Today” as inappropriate. Understandably.)

Nearly all the capital of the 1989 storyline having been spent in the first season, showrunner Soo Hugh has had to create fresh material to keep those characters busy while the earlier narrative catches up. (At the end of the season, they still have three decades to go.)

Older Sunja ( Yuh-Jung Youn ) is still living in Osaka with her successful son Mozasu (Soji Arai), who has grown up to own pachinko parlors — a sort of pinball cum slot machine — and, as a somewhat disreputable if popular business, one of the few avenues then open to Koreans. (Mozasu himself, a major character last season, is mostly absent from this one.) Mozasu’s son, Solomon (Jin Ha), college-educated in America, is in Tokyo, involved in high finance and real estate. In Season 1, he’d attempted to pry an old woman from her home in hopes of putting a golf resort on the land and impressing his bosses; in the end, he advised her not to sign the papers, but the current season finds him unfortunately back on that horse, in a complete moral backsliding. (I found the particulars of Solomon’s business dealings somewhat hard to follow, or perhaps just not worth the effort.)

This authorial trouble making might be expressed in the old Hollywood formulation as “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets (possibly a different) girl” and so on, whether or not we are actually talking about boys and girls. It’s a problem familiar to ongoing original series, where fresh conflicts must be created each year. One expects it will build eventually to another shot at redemption — the series is too sentimental, too good-hearted not to offer him the chance.

And of course we get enough of Good Solomon to justify our interest, just as we get enough of Good Hansu to make up for his criminality. Parts of Solomon’s story, which brings in some unsavory characters, do feel constructed as a deliberate mirror of Hansu’s; perhaps not coincidentally they are played by the show’s best-looking actors. As to Sunja’s new, extra-textual adventures, she’ll strike up a friendship with a man at the supermarket that allows for an adorable scene in a Mexican restaurant, something seemingly new to 1989 Osaka.

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May 25, 2022

Though historical events are acknowledged, what with World War II and the Korean War falling within the earlier timeline, and the Japanese asset price bubble and crash on the horizon in the later one, the current season focuses on family life and domestic detail, even as, or perhaps because it’s disrupted. In 1989, Sanju travels on her own from Osaka to Tokyo to check on her grandson, whom she senses is not all right. There’s a lovely scene in which she slices vegetables alongside Solomon’s Japanese love interest and former colleague, Naomi (Anna Sawai); I almost wrote “throwaway scene,” but, in fact, that naturalism is essential to the series, making something real out of the extravagant, even soap-operatic plotting.

And food, often in short supply in the earlier storyline, plays a part — making a meal, making a living, making a place at the table, making a home — most tangibly, out of a barn that Sanju, Kyunghee, Noa, Mozasu and Mr. Kim occupy at the end of the war. (Hansu’s tragedy is that though he provides support for the family, with or without the knowledge, he remains an outsider.) Characters speak of a “life well lived,” which is not at all the same thing as living well.

Obviously, this is not the season to start with “Pachinko,” but if you haven’t yet, it’s worth beginning at the beginning. Even if you watched the first season — which, given that you’ve read this far, I assume you have — it may be worth a look back to remember who all these characters are, what they have to do with one another, and what kind of trouble they got in and out of previously. And if the new season lacks the expositional energy of the first, if it’s more muted in tone, if Sunju is not quite the ray of sunshine she was, her older self will still have occasion to say here that hers was a life well lived.

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Where Kamala Harris Stands on the Issues: Abortion, Immigration and More

She wants to protect the right to abortion nationally. Here’s what else to know about her positions.

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By Maggie Astor

• Published July 21, 2024 Updated Aug. 24, 2024

With Vice President Kamala Harris having replaced President Biden on the Democratic ticket, her stances on key issues will be scrutinized by both parties and the nation’s voters.

She has a long record in politics: as district attorney of San Francisco, as attorney general of California, as a senator, as a presidential candidate and as vice president.

Here is an overview of where she stands.

Ms. Harris supports legislation that would protect the right to abortion nationally, as Roe v. Wade did before it was overturned in 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

After the Dobbs ruling, she became central to the Biden campaign’s efforts to keep the spotlight on abortion, given that Mr. Biden — with his personal discomfort with abortion and his support for restrictions earlier in his career — was a flawed messenger. In March, she made what was believed to be the first official visit to an abortion clinic by a president or vice president.

She consistently supported abortion rights during her time in the Senate, including cosponsoring legislation that would have banned common state-level restrictions, like requiring doctors to perform specific tests or have hospital admitting privileges in order to provide abortions.

As a presidential candidate in 2019, she argued that states with a history of restricting abortion rights in violation of Roe should be subject to what is known as pre-clearance for new abortion laws — those laws would have to be federally approved before they could take effect. That proposal is not viable now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe.

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