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S. J. Kincaid
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Allies (Insignia) Kindle Edition

by S. J. Kincaid (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 174 ratings
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In S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced and humorous sci-fi Insignia trilogy, the earth is in the middle of World War III when teen gamer Tom Raines is recruited to train with other young cadets as a pivotal member of the elite combat corps, the Intrasolar Forces. At the Pentagonal Spire's training academy, he makes the best friends of his life—fellow government weapons-in-training Wyatt Enslow, Vik Ashwan, and Yuri Sysevich.

In this 47-page prequel novella to the series, budding genius Wyatt Enslow—intensely loyal and hyperintelligent if occasionally, hilariously, socially awkward—takes center stage as S. J. Kincaid reveals Wyatt's life before she found her place, and her own inner strength, among her devoted band of friends at the Spire.

Praise for Insignia: "The characters are real, funny, and memorable. You won't be able to put this book down."—Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of Divergent

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  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Print length
    85 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    6 - 12
  5. Publisher
    Katherine Tegen Books
  6. Publication date
    May 7, 2013
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  11. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00B72H3SM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Katherine Tegen Books (May 7, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 7, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4290 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 85 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 174 ratings

About the author

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S. J. Kincaid

S. J. Kincaid

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S.J. Kincaid originally wanted to be an astronaut, but a dearth of mathematical skills turned her interest to science fiction instead. Her debut novel, Insignia, was shortlisted for the Waterstones prize. Its sequels, Vortex and Catalyst, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. Her next book, The Diabolic, comes out in the Fall of 2016. She’s chronically restless and has lived in California, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, Chicago, and Scotland with no signs of staying in one place anytime soon.

You can visit her online at http://wwsjkincaid.com or follow her on Twitter (@sjkincaidbooks).

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
174 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars Five out of Five stars!
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2015
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An interesting bridge between books, this novella tells the story of Wyatt Enslow, the genius who could, at times, seem more machine than human. We get a sweet little look into her mind, her struggles, her desire to be normal like everyone else.

She's way too smart for her own good, but when she goes to the Pentagonal Spire she's given a chance to actually fit in. And despite a few setbacks, she finally feels herself growing into her own identity after meeting Tom, Vik, and especially Yuri.

This was a terrific look into an exceptional character from the Insignia series. I'd recommend this to anyone who has read at least the first book!

Now, I'd be extraordinarily happy if we got another novella about Medusa...
3 people found this helpful
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Noesis
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting point of view
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2020
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It was very interesting, and heartwarming, to view the world through Wyatt's eyes. Previous events were primarily through Tom's eyes, so this additional perspective provides greater texture to the world, and also serves as a neat reminder of various events surrounding their relationship. Fundamentally new information is present as well, since we learn some of what went on before Tom joined the Spire.
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Seldon
4.0 out of 5 stars Wyatt!
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2013
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Wyatt Enslow, not-quite-neurotypical math genius extraordinaire, was easily my favorite character in Insignia, so I had to read this.

Allies follows Wyatt as she becomes a trainee at the Spire, from before the events of Insignia up through a couple of early scenes from the book. Wyatt knows it'll be a big change in her life, but it's a bigger one than she's expecting: she's the Spire's first autistic student, and nobody's sure what the effects will be when they install the neural processor that all the Spire's trainees have implanted in their brains. It's likely that the processor will try to "fix" her brain's atypical way of perceiving the world.

Even though it may fundamentally change who she is, Wyatt goes through with the implant, hoping that it will give her the ability to understand people like she understands mathematics. It turns out, though, that being "normal" isn't so easy.

Autism isn't something that shows up a lot in YA speculative fiction, and I really appreciate Wyatt's inclusion and sympathetic portrayal. I did feel a little like from her point of view, being non-neurotypical was a bad thing, which it absolutely isn't. But based on her experiences, it wasn't a surprising view. And it wasn't a view shared by all the characters; Lt. Blackburn, the Spire's programming teacher, repeatedly tries to tell her that it's fine to be who she is.

Most of the events of Allies were at least alluded to in Insignia; there aren't any big surprises here. It's not as humorous a read as some of Insignia's scenes. But it's a nice little bit of backstory for Wyatt, so if you like her, it's worth picking up.
6 people found this helpful
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Kelley
3.0 out of 5 stars A Quick and Enjoyable look at Wyatt!
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2013
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I like the series, so I was excited to pick this one up when I realized it existed — and even more excited when I realized it was about Wyatt. It was such a treat getting to learn more about this character, her life before the Pentagonal Spire, and her initial experiences there before Tom arrived. It made me like her even more, and it actually surprised me, some of the thoughts she had regarding some of the other students at the Spire. This was a fun read, and pretty satisfying, but they did that thing I hate. You know, where the file is this long, but actually only half of it is novella, and the rest is just a preview of the book. Boo! I was tricked! I wanted more!
One person found this helpful
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Mindy
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013
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I read insignia about a year ago and enjoyed it quite a bit, as it seemed much more realistic than the average YA novel, with a main character who doesn't enjoy immediate success at everything. Allies does an excellent job as an add on to the series. Can't wait for Vortex!!!!
One person found this helpful
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Tyler
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2019
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I enjoyed reading this series. Thank you
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Marcela Sandino
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2017
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I really liked how it tells you about what really goes on in Wyatt's big brain of hers.
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Sarah Rose Woodward
4.0 out of 5 stars Allies by S. J. Kincaid
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2013
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I enjoyed this short novella in a new generation sci-fi series I fell in love with. It's a bit short, and from the point of view of a character I hadn't known well before I began. I would recommend this for anyone waiting for more of this series, but only read it if you've at least read the first one. I don't think it would make sense otherwise.
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Top reviews from other countries

Cathryn
5.0 out of 5 stars a brilliant read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2013
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I enjoyed it as it told me more about the people in the book that are before this. It's fantastic
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nickyhusky
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2013
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I always like to find out more about characters that I like in a book, so this is enjoyable. It's clear that Wyatt is on the autistic spectrum, although that isn't stated explicitly, from the way she has trouble with reading other people, with nuances in speech and from her literalness and resulting lack of social skills.

The book is just a bit short. I know it's a novella, a little add-on to the main books, but there's a lot of crossover with the first Insignia book, so it seems like it didn't take that much effort to write and in fact could almost have been cobbled together from bits edited out of Insignia. Perhaps I'm being unfair as I did enjoy it and I'm now about to start the second book of the main trilogy, but I'd have liked a bit more book for my 99p.
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Nicola Squares
3.0 out of 5 stars Allies
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2014
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Too short. I was just getting into it and it finished. No fair! (I didn't spot the part about it being a novella.)
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