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    SYLO
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    SYLO
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    SYLO
    Audiobook10 hours

    SYLO

    Written by D. J. MacHale

    Narrated by Andrew Bates

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The ultimate action-fueled end-of-the-world conspiracy trilogy from number-one New York Times best-selling author D. J. MacHale.

    They came from the sky parachuting out of military helicopters to invade Tucker Pierce's idyllic hometown on Pemberwick Island, Maine.

    They call themselves SYLO and they are a secret branch of the U.S. Navy. SYLO's commander, Captain Granger, informs Pemberwick residents that the island has been hit by a lethal virus and must be quarantined. Now Pemberwick is cut off from the outside world.

    Tucker believes there’s more to SYLO’s story. He was on the sidelines when the high school running back dropped dead with no warning. He saw the bizarre midnight explosion over the ocean, and the mysterious singing aircraft that travel like shadows through the night sky. He tasted the Ruby - and experienced the powers it gave him - for himself.

    What all this means, SYLO isn’t saying. Only Tucker holds the clues that can solve this deadly mystery.

    Look to the sky because Pemberwick is only the first stop.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 2, 2013
    ISBN9781101616963
    Unavailable
    SYLO
    Author

    D. J. MacHale

    D. J. MacHale (""The Scout"") is a bestselling author and is also a director, executive producer, and creator of several popular television series and movies. He lives in Southern California with his family, where they spend a lot of time backpacking, scuba diving, and skiing

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    Reviews for SYLO

    3.5/5

    61 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      While Sylo intrigued me with an interesting premise and an exciting ending, I did have some problems with it.Tucker lives on Pemberwick Island off the coast of Maine. It's a vacation spot, but Tucker is a full-timer. Tucker is a freshman football player who sits the bench until the star player drops dead at the end of a football game. The autopsy gives no indication of why he died.Now Tucker is thrust into a starting situation, and there's no way he can compete. A strange man offers Tucker a supplement -- that is supposedly totally natural and safe -- to help him with his football prowess. Tucker takes the supplement one time, and although it does make him much stronger and faster, he vows never to take it again for fear it is harmful. Tucker believes this substance, called Ruby, is what killed the football player.Tucker and his friend Quinn often take midnight bike rides around the island. On one of these rides, a mysterious dark shape appears in the sky and they hear strange music. This craft is apparently shot down right in front of them. They report the incident to the police, but nothing is ever discovered about this incident.The island is eventually quarantined by a branch of the U. S. military called Sylo. The claim to mean no harm, but they are sealing the island because of a mysterious virus. The CDC comes to investigate. Tucker wonders if the virus is somehow related to Ruby.The citizens aren't buying the quarantine, mostly because they have been cut off from communicating with the mainland too. They don't understand why.Tucker, Quinn, and a girl named Tori begin to sneak around to figure out what has really happened. They witness horrible things and realize they are being lied to. MacHale isn't afraid to kill people off. I liked the characters and their interactions, but Sylo is more about the action and the plot than the characters. There's the possibility of a romantic relationship, but nothing really happens in Sylo, so male readers don't have to worry about that!My first issue with Sylo is that it's pretty bloated. I usually don't read the blurb on the book before I start reading. But, Sylo took so long for anything to happen that after about 50 pages, I looked at the back to determine what this book is about. It's 80 pages before the island is actually quarantined. Even after the quarantine, things move very slowly until the last 150 pages when things really pick up. At over 400 pages, some of this bulk could have been cut down.Also, there are several things that Sylo does that don't make sense. They randomly capture citizens and incarcerate and interrogate them. It's explained a bit at the end, but it didn't really satisfy me. Other things (that would be spoilers) made me think, "No way. That's just not the way it would happen." I suspect the younger teen audience that Sylo is written for would probably have less trouble than I did with the "believe-ability" aspect.The ending is very tense and exciting. Not much is resolved -- so be prepared for a huge cliffhanger. The next book, Storm, doesn't release until March of '14, just so you know. And it's a trilogy, so you can probably expect another cliffhanger from the second book too. I think kids who are willing to make the effort will really like Sylo. I just wish it wasn't so thick -- and unnecessarily so -- because many won't even pull it off the shelf when they see the thickness of the spine.
    • 3/5
      What we have here is a case of really good authors trying to fit their works into a popular genre. First off, I love D.J.MacHale's work, from his TV scripts for Encyclopedia Brown in the 90's to the magnificent work on the Pendragon series. Best kids books out there. So I picked up this book thinking it would be the same plot-twisted marvel that he wrote Merchant of Death with. Turns out, it is decent a book for 3/4ths of the book. You care about the people, what happens with the town of Pemberwick Island, ME, the mysterious aircraft...etc... The ending though, much like James Dashner's The Maze Runner, turns out to be pure plot, as if he was trying to reach a point in the story where he could take off on a sequel. In both cases, most of the book was really good, and then it falls apart at the end. The "Plot Twists" are contrived, without significant shock value, and it didn't hold my suspense of disbelief. There are so many "dystopian" or "alternative future" books out there, that they get really old. MacHale isn't the only author that's tried to fit a novel into a genre. Orson Scott Card (my favorite author, hands down) wrote the Lost Gate, a high fantasy work which is amazing... very well done, but at the same time, he released a Young Adult series staring with "Pathfinder," which lacked sympathetic characters or significant plot to keep me involved in it for very long... I couldn't read more than about 100 pages before I gave up. If you want to read good "alternative future* novels, go back to the 1960's and pick up Heinlein, or Clifford Simak's Ring Around the Sun. Some of the old classic sci-fi books are amazing. The new "dystopian" novels just don't hold my attention at all... too full of political ideas and teen angst. Makes me wonder what ulterior motives the authors have for writing the books. I'll go back and finish up Pendragon... I stopped at Book 9 cause I didn't want it to end.
    • 2/5
      I received this book from Librarything in exchange for an honest review.I'll admit I didn't finish this book. I'm giving it an extra star because there are some interesting ideas, but it moves extremely slowly, and the characters just didn't grab me. I made it through 100 pages.Sylo by DJ MacHale is about Tucker Pierce, a 14 year old boy, who lives on an island secluded from the rest of the world. Two people mysteriously die, and then the military swarm the place, putting the island in quarantine until further notice. It seems that Tucker's parents know more than they are telling.The premise is pretty interesting, but the actual story when I started reading it wasn't gripping to me. Tucker was kind of a lackluster character (hopefully he grows in the book, but to me, I just didn't care), and his best friend Quinn, while more interesting, was kind of annoying. Then there are several mysterious girls floating around the text. The parents are probably the most interesting of all the characters and they are barely seen in the first 100 pages. I think this may be better geared towards young boys than me.
    • 3/5
      I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.Sylo started out with a bang, and I was completely interested in finding out why people were suddenly dying. However, it didn't take very long for me to get weighed down by Tucker. I don't know if it was because he was 14 years old or because he is a guy, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into his narration. The dialogue seemed very immature, and it just wasn't the book for me.After the initial death and then the explosion, the plot seemed to slow down. Though there were still tiny cliffhangers in the chapters, I felt like there was no substance. It was too much of Tucker's parents lecturing him when I wanted the book to dive into the quarantine and the mysteries surrounding the island. But, the more you get into the book, the more questions arise. AND, I felt like we didn't really get any answers. I understand that he wants to save something for the sequel, but I wanted more answers than questions instead of the other way around.I do think that MG male readers will enjoy this, though. There is action and girls in little red bikinis, so there is plenty to keep their attention and curiousity peaked. I just don't think this is for an older audience like myself.
    • 4/5
      This is my first time reading something from this author and I have to say that Sylo was definitely good, however, I felt as though there lacked authenticity when it came to the voice/tone of the main character. I had trouble really making the connection and trying to find common ground/sympathy for him because of this and throughout most of the book, was left disconnected.The book is very well written, please don't get me wrong. However, there lacked those certain extra colors/ that depth that kept it from really achieving the greatness it could have from the synopsis and general plot line alone. Overall a highly interesting premise that could have used just a little more tweaking. It was really interesting, however, with cardboard thin characters I wasn't as engaged as I should be for a sci-fi/adventure novel.
    • 3/5
      The first thing I noticed about in the first couple pages of SYLO is how straightforward and kind of dull the writing was. It lacked atmosphere. As I was reading along, there were moments when I started to like the book, but then Tucker would say or do something stupid and I would be back to disliking it again. The thing is, I never hated the story. But I never liked the characters one bit. Especially since they were incredibly flat and I couldn't figure out their motivations or personalities. The book starts off with a bang but quickly gets boring. I thought this was really freaking weird. It's a Sci-Fi Dystopia and those are usually paced really quickly, and there is a point where it picks up again, but I specifically marked page 56 as a boring spot. The first chapter was really exciting and riveting, and aside from the flat writing, quickly caught my attention. But it fizzles out quickly. So I definitely need to mention the uneven pacing in the beginning. The other thing that really irritated me about SYLO is how stupid the MC is. I love my characters flawed and real, but I have a hard time when they keep making stupid mistake after stupid mistake. He actually takes a drug from a stranger and ingests it. And it's not like it was pot or something he was aware of. It's a completely unknown substance and he has NO IDEA what it is going to do to him. Not to mention, he is aware that it has KILLED someone and he still takes it. No. Just no.There is a point in the novel though (probably about halfway) where I became engaged in the plot again and started to like what I was reading. It was definitely not perfect because of the characters and writing, but I have to give the author kudos for a plot that through me for a loop. I could not figure out what was going on. I had a couple of theories but both turned out to be wrong. That's good, right? It's hard though because all throughout the book, the MC keeps doing stupid things. He immediately thinks SYLO is the enemy without one lick of proof. It's all speculation. SYLO does some bad things, but how does he know they are not the good guys? He doesn't. And this made me angry. Based on the disappointing ending and everything else, I really wanted to give this book a two, but I can't justify that because I did enjoy the story to a point. There are just a lot of missing technical elements here that made me have to knock down a couple of stars. And the ending is just...not okay, in my opinion. The reader was led to believe that they would get some answers at the end. And no...aside from one reveal that wasn't even that major, you get NOTHING. It's such a cheap ploy to read the next book. It's not really a cliffhanger but it leaves you hanging in the worst way and that's just really annoying. Very frustrating finish.
    • 4/5
      This book comes out next month. I think I will be looking forward to the sequel, but probably not on a preorder-on-Amazon-race-home-on-release-day-wait-with-bated-breath kind of looking forward. This is a good, solid book, but doesn't rate up with my favorites of all time.I have read reviews that note that it starts a little slowly, and I will agree. But it's a great concept, and I'm interested to see where the author takes it in the next installment. Quite honestly, this read a little bit like a script for me, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it as a movie or limited-release summer series on TV in the near future.Tucker, his best friend Quinn and his secret crush Tori get thrust in the middle of supernatural intrigue when people in their small Maine town start dropping dead for no reason whatsoever. Tucker is offered a suspicious "supplement" to help him finally get off the bench on the varsity football team. UFOs that look like shadows are spotted in the airspace over their little town. And their town is suddenly invaded by a special branch of the US military (the titular SYLO). A lot of different veins of a story, all running together. However, this is the first book in a planned trilogy, so I feel like they are all coming together in a secure knot, we just have to be a little patient.I'm giving this book four stars for now, but reserve the right to change that as more books in this series come out.
    • 4/5
      I picked this book up because I enjoyed the Pendragon series, and I love science fiction. Tucker is the back up player for a senior tailback named Marty Wiggins, and Tucker is one of the last people to talk to Wiggins before he dies on the football field of unknown causes. Freaked out by what Wiggins said and how he looked, Tucker convinces his best friend, Quinn Carr to go for a late night bike ride. The boys see some kind of huge dark shadow out over the water, and then witness an incredible explosion. The next day, military personal descend onto their island, and quarantine the entire island indefinitely. The boys want answers, but no one is giving them any. This is a fast moving adventure - one that I think decent male readers will enjoy.
    • 3/5
      When Pemberwick Island, Maine is invaded by the U.S. military called SYLO, Tucker Pierce and his friends will uncover the truth about the singing aircraft that appears only at night.
    • 5/5
      D. J. MacHale is EVIL! He has written a page-turning thriller narrated by a sympathetic main character and raised more questions than he has answered. Tucker Pierce is a high school freshman on the island of Pemberwick, Maine. He and his family moved there after his father lost his job as a civil engineer in Greenwich, Connecticut. His dad has a gardening business and his mom is a free-lance accountant. Tucker loves the island with its tourists and beaches. His best friend Quinn can hardly wait to leave and do big things. But Tucker is content and happy to let things be just the way they are. He isn't an ambitious boy. He prefers to stay under the radar. He has a fear of failing at anything that keeps him from stretching himself.Tucker's idyllic life is about to come crashing down on him. A death at a football game, a strange new performance enhancing drug called Ruby, and an invasion by a US Navy division called SYLO change Tucker's, Quinn's and his new crush-turned-friend Tori's lives forever. The people are told that SYLO has come to the island because of a new disease on the island. The island has been cut off from the rest of the country. Lots of things don't add up for the kids. Why have they never heard of SYLO? How did SYLO manage to get so organized that they could bring in troops, weapons, equipment at such short notice? What are those mysterious black ships that make musical sounds when they travel? What does Mr. Feit, who is pushing Ruby, really want? Why is he running from SYLO? The kids decide that they have to escape from Pemberwick and let the rest of the country know what is happening there? However, the sea is being patrolled by Navy ships and helicopters and that won't be easy.This is an exciting story that doesn't shirk from hard things. Characters, even important ones, die. People lie and betray. And Tucker needs to step up and take a stand. He can't just let things happen. He needs to act. It isn't clear to Tucker, or to the reader, who the bad guys are. No character is all good or all evil. Like, Tucker, we are left with questions about what is happening. But D. J. MacHale's most evil action lies in the last three words of this story: TO BE CONTINUED...
    • 3/5
      I love the characters, if you enjoy adventure, suspense and mystery than this is a book for you. :)
    • 4/5
      I must admit, I was quite enthralled by this book. I stayed up way too late on two consecutive work nights reading it. I liked the characters and the location of Pemberwick Island. I so wanted to know what was going on and just exactly what SYLO was up to. I just couldn't put the book down. MacHale's story is very fast paced and the hits just keep coming. I'm ready for the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      SYLO is a great book, especially for boys. It’s got action, explosions, and confusing feelings about girls. It was definitely refreshing for me to read. I was even telling my hubby about it, and he said, “Wow, that seems like a movie or something we would watch.” I was like yep, and it would translate well into a tv series.

      The characters were great. Tucker likes being average. Everything he does in this book he tries to think of how it affects others. He just wants a chance to live his life, and he doesn’t think that will happen with the invasion of SYLO. Quinn is awesome! He’s the kind of best friend everyone wants. He’s witty, and not afraid to push the limits. He also has some pretty deep thoughts when it comes to life. This guy was made for greatness. Tori is a rough around the edges girl. She can take care of herself, and doesn’t necessarily need the help of Tucker or Quinn. Some other characters are Olivia and Kent. I didn’t care for them at the beginning of the book, and by the end, I still didn’t really care for them.

      There is complete mystery involved in every aspect of this book. We don’t really know what’s going on, and nobody is who they seem to be. Where did the Ruby come from? Why is SYLO keeping the island contained? They aren’t telling the residents a lot, and still, as the reader, you don’t really know what’s going on either. You think one thing, and an event happens that makes you change your thoughts. The same goes for the people, who can you trust? The people you thought were okay, seem less trustworthy.

      Anyway, the book was great. The ending took me completely by surprise! I wasn’t expecting THAT at all!!! I do know that I can’t wait to read the next installment, Storm. Too bad I have to wait until MARCH!!!!