Kindle Edition Amazon Talent Storm Amazon Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Sunest over Peconic Books Type: Fiction Pages: 411 Copyright: Apr 25, 2013 Price: $2.99 (eBook) When Jaden Stone discovers that he wields Talent, psionic powers that develop in a small number of people, his world is thrown upside down. Hundreds of years after the Great World War, America is a distant memory. In the ashes, new civilizations have risen up from the Wilds. Locke’s Coalition and Liberty Kingdom, bitter enemies, have been at peace for seven years. War is never far from politicians’ minds though, especially when one is the tyrant Archduke Goldwater. For all of human kinds’ positive traits, the character flaws of corruption, greed, anger, and revenge are etched into our DNA. In the new world, little technology remains and advanced weapons are in short supply, but today’s soldiers fight with innate power. They fight with Talent… the psionic powers that develop in a random few. A young Coalition citizen, Jaden Stone, dreams of graduating, having fun, and falling in love. As if his hard-nosed uncle, schoolyard bullies, and exams weren’t hard enough to handle, he discovers that he wields Talent. He’d now be forced to serve in the military, forced to train and fight, all for an organization that killed his parents.       Excerpt Ben turned away from me before picking up a few small rocks. "Let's see if you're any stronger from lifting all those weights. Maybe you'll beat me for once." Nodding and smiling, I pointed at him. "You first." Ben stood, then stretched, his back popping as he rotated his torso. Hefting a rock, he wound up and then threw it. The projectile crossed the wide creek and bounced in the distance before skidding to a halt. Lips pressed in a straight line, I shook my head, annoyed. He topped his last week's throw by a yard; he always beat me. He turned and smiled, stretching his long toned arms above his body. I shrugged. "Eh, an all right throw," I said with a wry smile. Ben faced me, his eyes crinkling. "Riiiiight," he said, while slowly bobbing his head. "Okay... beat me then." Images of my uncle's flushed-face appeared before me, fueling my strength. I gritted my teeth while drawing back my arm. In a flash, I whipped my arm forward, releasing the rock. It sailed over the creek, whizzing through the air. With a loud crack, it slammed into a birch tree, punching a hole through the trunk. My jaw dropped halfway to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, Ben wavered, looking like he'd topple over. He shook his head, his hazel eyes wide. "Wowww... how did you do that?" What had just happened? I lowered my head to stare at my hands, turning them over repeatedly. "Jaden?" I slowly raised my eyes to fixate on the hole again. "Jaden? Hello... Jaden." "What?" I asked, just realizing Ben was speaking to me. Ben patted my arm quickly, conferring a sense of urgency. Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from the hole to face Ben. He leaned in close, shaking. He spoke in a low voice, eyes darting side to side. "I think it was green." "What?" I shook my head, attempting to re-ground myself in the world. What was going on? Now, he spoke louder, emphasizing with his hands in rapid motion. "The rock... it was green. It glowed green. Don't you see? You're one of the Talented."

Swept up in Talent Storm
I found myself transported by Talent Storm and couldn't put it down. An epic story of a boy's journey to becoming a man in a mystical dystopia. Jaden struggles with family, responsibility, and girls. When the mysterious and powerful Talent is found within him he has to step up to work harder while also stepping back to realize what is important to him. Keeps you on the edge of your seat between battle scenes, romantic interest, and political intrigue. Do not miss this surprising and awesome novel.

A promising debut from Brian Terenna
I recently came across this debut novel and decided to give it a go. I was surprised at how the story fit like a glove to my expectations of what a science fiction/fantasy novel should be, but on closer inspection it felt like the glove was actually made of cashmere. The characters are rich and developed; their interactions and emotions are well written. The plot was fluid and natural, and the story seemed to logically move from one point to the next. In particular, though, I was very impressed by the detail and uniqueness of the battle scenes throughout the book. No standard parrying swordplay here: full on no holds barred talent fighting using all the cunning the combatants possess.

Terenna has a promising future (and so will my reading list!) if he can follow up on the success of this first novel.

post apocalyptic fantasy
This is a fun story for fans of fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction where society has collapsed and is now rebuilding. The United States has fallen apart due to economic crises, and there are hints of wars fought with a magical power known as Talent. The action reminded me a lot of Dragon Ball Z as Talented characters fight each other with increasing strength and skill, but instead of energy attacks, Talent lets people use psychokinesis, control biology, or project thoughts.

The protagonist Jaden Stone has a nice character arc moving from a kid in a relatively peaceful city-state who wants to be lazy to encountering the horrors of his world and learning responsibility. All the characters are well written and their relationships with each other are fun to watch develop. Give this novel a read if you like fantasy, action, and fiction that explores alternative political systems (the novel starts out pairing a government based on union/labor ideals vs a violent dictatorship, but events become more complicated than they appear on the surface).