Review: UnSouled

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Originally posted 10/31/2013

Unsouled starts out by giving us a look at how unwinding came about. Janson and Sonia Rheinschild, are the scientists who created a way to use every bit of a donors body. Their intentions were to help those in need, but the evil corporations used their dream to build an empire. After the Heartland War, people were scared, and with the educational system being down for so long, teens were turning feral. Many people agreed to the Unwind Order out of fear. The Rheinschild's never supported the way their work was used, and so they were erased..
Large spoiler section below, because there is too much going on to remember when the next book comes out!





***Spoilers***
Janson knew that to change anything he would have to stop the need for the unwinds. Too many people were benefiting from the unwinds, to ever want to stop it. He developed a way to create organs, and tissue starting with a few small cells so that the unwinds wouldn't be needed. To his utter dismay the corporations refused his methods, because too many people were making too much money in the unwind business. The powers that be effectively erased the Rheinschild's from history, shortly before Janson gave up and had a heart attack. Sonia turned out to be the Sonia that first gave Connor and Risa shelter when they went on the run.
Connor (the Akron AWOL) and Lev (the tithe who was rescued by Connor in the beginning, eventually became a clapper who didn't clap) are on the run from the graveyard barely escaping Nelson the parts pirate, after they were attacked. A lot of kids were killed in the battle, but many escaped. While driving back to Akron where it all started, with plans to question Sonia after learning of her past, the two of them are in a wreck. Connor goes into town to steal another car, but is kidnapped by Argent Skinner. Argent is a lowlife dope head who has a hero fascination with Connor. He is convinced that the two of them will be great friends once Connor comes around. Argent's sister Grace is low corticol (slow) and he treats her badly. Connor realizes that she is much smarter than her brother gives her credit for, and treats her nice. Argent's dumb ass takes a pic with an unconscious Connor and post it to Facebook, causing the cops to storm the place. Grace hides Connor out, and helps him get away, and ends up along for the ride. They pick up Lev, but he is badly injured when they accidentally hit him. The closest place they can go for help is the Arapache Reservation where Lev knows some people.
Lev stayed with the Tashi'ne family for a while, until on a spirit quest their son Wil, was captured by parts pirates to save the rest of their group. The Arapache don't believe in unwinding, and the reservations aren't required to adhere to the laws like the outside. Elina, Wil's mother takes them in, and hides them for a while. Una, Wil's fiance is not happy at first to see Lev, and tells him he brings trouble whenever he comes. They stay a few weeks while Lev is healing, still planning to return to Akron.
Risa was blackmailed by Proactive Citizenry to endorse their campaign, or watch her friends at the graveyard be captured and unwound. Once she finds out they were attacked anyway, she reveals on national tv that she was blackmailed, and never agreed with them, right before she makes a run for it. While running she is caught in a trap left by a parts pirate. She manages to kill him, but does so before she can get free. The only person she can think to call is Cyrus Finch.
Cyrus Finch received a part of Tyler Walkers brain, and Tyler makes his presence known, or so he says. Cyrus' dads pick Risa up, and take her back to their commune. All people who have a part of Tyler Walker, that now live together, and think they have put him back together. Eventually Risa is able to leave there, and sets out to find someone left in the ADR (Anti-Divisional Resistance).
Camus Comprix is the creation of scientists using nothing but unwind parts, 99 different peoples parts made into one being. He fell in love with Risa while she was there, and wants to do anything to get her back. When he learns that the Proactive Citizenry has basically sold him to the military, like an object, and not a person he decides he won't go. He starts out with the plan to capture Connor, and turn him in, buying himself enough power to negotiate the contract. He plans on bringing PC down in order to win Risa back. Unfortunately he has Wil's hands, and some of his memories. He sees Lev at the reservation, and knows that's where they will go. Once he arrives, Una takes him hostage after finding him playing one of the guitars. She is so devastated to have Wil's hands, and music but not have him she almost kills him. Connor realizes she is hiding something and follows her to where she is keeping him. They decide to leave a few days ahead of Cam in order to throw him off of their location, until he overhears them discussing where they are headed. Then Connor is forced to bring him along. Lev decides to stay at the reservation, and Connor, Grace, and Cam leave together.
Meanwhile Nelson, the parts pirate with a vendetta against Connor has hooked up with Argent. He knows the picture wasn't a fake like they all claimed it was. Argent thinks he is smart, and leads Nelson on a wild goose chase in order to see more of the country. Once Nelson figures it out, Argent reveals his ace in the hole. Grace used to wander off a lot, and so her parents had her implanted with a tracking chip. He agrees to give the info to Nelson, if he will teach him how to be a parts pirate.
Mason Starkey was one of the guys at the graveyard when it was attacked. Before then he had been gathering all of the storks, the adopted AWOL kids. During the attack he steals the only operating plane to carry him, and his storks to safety. At first they resorted to robbing out of the way gas stations to survive. He gets smart, and one of the tech kids steals a bunch of money from the kids parents. He buys them all t-shirts so they can pass as a bunch of kids on a field trip. His plans are to free a bunch of storks, but the sadistic bastard kills plenty of people while doing it. Hayden is one of the first rescued, and refuses to help with the tech, even though he has great ideas unless they do it his way. He devises a plan to rescue all of the kids without anyone getting hurt. They do this, but Starkey wants his name to be known. He lines up five adults, tells one lady his name, and what they are doing, and kills the other four. Most of the kids don't have the stomach for what he is doing, but are too scared to say anything. His second in command, Bam is really in love with him, but they have decided it won't work. When she finds out he has impregnated three of the girls she is furious. Then a helicopter descends on their cave hideout, extracting Starkey, and a guy offers him a deal. They will fund his project, as long as he continues what he is doing. What Starkey doesn't realize, is this person probably benefits from unwinding, and these teens terrorizing the nation only reinforces the peoples fear, and acquiescence to unwinding.
Once Connor, Grace, and Cam make it to Akron, and Sonia they find that Risa is there. The guys who were sort of getting along, are now at each others throats to win back her affection. She ends up choosing Connor, right before the military, and Roberta break down the door to get to Cam. Grace has proven invaluable on many occasions, and does on this one as well. She knows they are only looking for Cam, and hides the rest of them. They do only take him, and never realize who else is in the house. Cam doesn't say, and Roberta drops a bomb on him as they leave. She tells him that he has been wrong in some of his thinking, but she has an effective way of taking what's wrong in his mind and making it right.
Sonia reveals to Connor, Risa, and Grace that though they destroyed all of her husbands work, she hung on to one of the smaller prototypes of his second invention. She still has it now, and tells them how it works to rebuild the body, effectively dismissing the need for unwinding.



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