The New York Times Book Review - N. K. Jemisin
Billed as a cross between Guillermo del Toro's movie Pacific Rim and Korean action dramas, the story is rather more the latter…This isn't necessarily bad, since the strength of a good K-drama lies in its characterization. With a secret past as the son of a failed rebel, Jaewon must choose whether to accept society's corruption or follow in his father's footsteps. The conclusion is foregone, but it works thanks to Oh's eloquent writing, delivered in a stark, understated style that suits the dystopian tone. Any lesser prose and the story might have edged into satire. As it is? It's moody, explodey fun.
Publishers Weekly
08/07/2017
Oh debuts with an engrossing SF thriller that combines giant robots, Korean culture, and dystopian themes. In 2199 in the divided city of Neo Seoul, Lee Jaewon, an ambitious young soldier, is recruited to pilot a God Machine, one of the “massive, human-piloted machines of modern warfare” that operate on the front lines of the decades-long Great War of the Pacific. After Jaewon partners up with Tera, who is part of a project to take the God Machines to a frightening new level of destruction, he discovers that the Neo State of Korea holds devastating secrets. Caught between the establishment (as represented by the tyrannical Director), a rebel faction, and an influential criminal syndicate, Jaewon has to decide where his loyalties rest. The worldbuilding and backstory are left somewhat vague, but Oh balances the story’s action sequences with plenty of moral and philosophical quandaries for readers to consider. It’s a gripping, satisfying tale on its own, and the ending leaves room for further exploration. Ages 12–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
* "This action-packed sci-fi novel, with deeper explorations of empathy, humanity, and the capacity to love, is a great choice for most collections." — School Library Journal, starred review
* "Equal parts K-drama (Korean drama) and sci-fi blockbuster, Oh blends futuristic tech, authentic Korean culture, and romance in this complex, utterly engrossing, and wholly fresh story that is sure to entice a wide array of readers." — Booklist, starred review
* "The story effortlessly blends elements of science fiction, romance, and drama...everyone can enjoy the blockbuster action and heartwarming drama of Oh's novel." — Foreword Reviews, starred review
"Oh debuts with an engrossing SF thriller that combines giant robots, Korean culture, and dystopian themes... It's a gripping, satisfying tale." — Publishers Weekly
"Warning! Don't start this book unless you have time to finish it in one sitting because you will not want to put it down! I read this book as fast as I could just so I could read it all over again! This is a heart pounding, wild action packed adventure with characters that you will fall in love with and that stay with you long after you've finished the book. It is one of the most vivid books I've read in a long time—it literally played like a movie in my head. Stunning." — Ellen Oh, author of Spirit Hunters, founder and president of We Need Diverse Books
"Open the cover of Rebel Seoul and you'll enter the thrilling worlds of Old Seoul and Neo Seoul, where the lines between humanity and technology blur, oppression and treachery are ever-present, and battles are fought in the coolest giant robots in YA literature today. I was mesmerized from start to finish. Look alive, world, here comes Axie Oh." — Mike Jung, author of Unidentified Suburban Object
"Rebel Seoul is a stunning debut and a haunting read. Axie Oh will steal your heart with her deft prose and unforgettable characters. I couldn't put this book down. Don't miss it." — New York Times bestselling author Ann Aguirre
"Oh deftly weaves a high tech world contrasted with the old and traditional. Rebel Seoul's non-stop action is underscored by deeper themes of loyalty, love in all its forms, and the family we have and the family we choose. A thrilling and wonderfully layered debut." — Cindy Pon, author of Want and Serpentine
Junior Library Guild Selection New Visions Award Winner - Lee & Low Books
School Library Journal
★ 09/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—It's the year 2199, post the Great War that left East Asia divided. Living in the slums of Old Seoul, Lee Jaewon wants a better life and enrolls in the Apgujeong Academy in Neo Seoul to secure a high-level position in the military. After surviving a crucial simulator placement test, Jaewon is placed in the Tower to monitor a secret military weapon—human killing machines. As the rebels become stronger, the military must hurry to prepare their human weapons for battle. There's just one problem: Jaewon has fallen in love with his assigned killing machine, Tera, and must make a tough decision between love and war. The theme of fathers and sons is multilayered and engaging in this stand-alone novel. Alex Kim, a friend of Jaewon, desperately seeks his father's approval while his other friend Park Young has made peace with his father. Jaewon's own parental issues fall somewhere in between as he struggles with abandonment and identity. This debut has a large cast of characters that includes teens and adults, and heroes and villains. Jaewon is the most fully developed, but those around him help to shape this appealing young man and to help him grow and decide which side he is on in the impending civil war. VERDICT This action-packed sci-fi novel, with deeper explorations of empathy, humanity, and the capacity to love, is a great choice for most collections.—Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL
Kirkus Reviews
2017-07-02
In a militaristic future Korea, a boy and girl meet.It is 2199, and Korea, China, and Japan no longer exist as separate countries but as members of the Neo Council (conveyed to readers in infodumps). Five decades of war have yielded many innovations, such as the God Machines (riffing on the tradition of Japanese mecha movies and Pacific Rim). Preparing to take his military placement exam before graduation from an elite academy, Jaewon is isolated: his father is dead, his mother abandoned him, and his former best friend has turned his back on Jaewon to gain power in one of the Old Seoul gangs. Jaewon's military posting is to the Tower, the kilometer-tall building in Neo Seoul that serves as headquarters, where he is assigned to supervise Tera, a girl whose strength has been enhanced with drugs in order to pilot a new kind of God Machine. With war still raging and rebel nationalists seeking to make Korea an independent nation again, will two young people be able to find love in this plot-heavy story? While Jaewon is an effective character, much of the supporting cast is relatively flat and the dialogue occasionally stilted, which jars against the mostly colloquial flow. The setting is well-captured, but it's slow going in this sci-fi adventure. (glossary) (Science fiction. 14-16)
