TOYS by James Patterson & Neil McMahon

Little Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
Release Date:March 14, 2011
ISBN-10: 0316097365
ISBN-13: 978-0316097369


This book takes us to the year 2061, where there are two types of beings on Earth, HUMANS and ELITES.  


Hays Baker and his wife Lizbeth possess super-human strength, extraordinary intelligence, high powered jobs, stunning looks, a sex life to die for, and two beautiful children. Of course they do--they're Elites, endowed at birth with the very best that the world can offer. The only problem in their perfect world: humans and their toys!


Only things are not always as they seem, as the bottom falls out of Baker's world and he suddenly learns he must give up the life he has always known and realizes he must foil the plan of the ELITES and try to save the HUMANS from extinction.  He will need to tap into all of his resources to save millions of lives including his own.

Let me start by saying you will never look at your children's toys the same way again and the frightening thing is that the authors have set this book just 50 years into the future.  This story was a very interesting and scary read but in a totally different way than other books I have read by Patterson.  I have not read his Maximum Ride series but this book seems to dovetail into that type of book. The scientific, futuristic, save the world style, rather than the serial killer, mystery style.  But Patterson with his group of talented co-writers seem to pull off both effortlessly.  

The Humans vs. Elites mirrors the typical Good vs. Evil storyline but the addition of the political element gives you pause as it relates to what is happening in the government today.  The privatization of many things that have been previously handled by government and other political ideas put forth right here in Wisconsin by our current governor could be a precursor to things happening in this book.  Taken down to the raw level, the ELITES would be the billionaires and corporate America and the HUMANS would be the middle/lower class that is facing extinction.

This book is definitely a futuristic thriller, and the back of the book says "James Bond and Jason Bourne have been topped," but I don't think when the authors put this book together they realized that as is was released that the United States would be going through what it is right now with America being divided and ripped apart by those elected and the huge corporations that got them elected vs. the middle class.  Then again, maybe they did, which makes this book's release time brilliant.

Just be aware of the toys of the future, those robotic animals and ones that clone human-like behavior, may lead to the total unraveling of the world as we know it.  Sometimes "THE ONE WITH THE MOST TOYS--DIES".

Your Escape With A Good Book Travel  Agent

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Hachette Book Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”