Hammer Trollkin https://hammertrollkin.com/ is the author of five novels. Battle for Earth: Journal One was published in 2020 and is the first in his Shockwave series. This is the 8th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R. A group of teens is visiting a secret DARPA laboratory when explosions cover them in unique nanites. The explosions are caused by an alien attack. The bug-like invaders have technological superiority, but the teens become a force to be reckoned with as each develops unique powers.

The team, which comes to be known as Shockwave, is made up of an odd collection of characters. The leader, referred to as Mr. T, is a DARPA scientist. 17-year-old Elizabeth ‘Viz’ is Mr. T’s granddaughter. Her special skill is invisibility. Also part of the team is 16-year-old Mia, Viz’s younger sister. Known to the team as ‘Para’, her special skill is becoming super dense.

The 16-year-old identical twin boys Tom and Bill are known as ‘Rock’ and ‘Roll’. Their ability is nonlocality - they can transport. There is also Muncle. He is a spider monkey. But he is an exceptionally smart monkey with enhanced eyesight. Lastly is Mr. T, who can read a person’s mind if he can touch them. Lastly is Communal, a sentient artificial intelligence.

The Shockwave team strikes out against the invaders at every opportunity.

I thought that the 10.5 hours I spent reading this 265-page young adult science fiction novel were interesting. The plot and writing are tailored to young adult readers. The book is full of action. I do like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 3 out of 5.

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A group of young men and women are the best chance for survival of the Earth when alien invasion starts a chain of destruction. Using every resource available, they must overcome the many strikes against the world's population while figuring out how best to work together. The characters are memorable and entertaining, they make the core of the story interesting enough to hold the reader's attention, even if they are not the target YA audience. The action is non stop, sure to keep younger readers happy. This has been a very good read for this over 60 YA.

this was a great first entry in the series, the characters were great and I really liked the world that was built. I liked that the main characters felt like a family.

I was given a copy of this book for review.

This is a book written for teens, as this is the age of the characters described. The story goes from the main character to a computer entry. The computer references are very helpful in understanding this storyline. I did enjoy the talking monkey and the humor of the two twins.

This was a light read and enjoyable.

Thank you author Hammer Trollkin for gifting me with an advanced reader copy of 'Battle For Earth' (Shockwave Book 1), which releases June 30 on Amazon. This review is, as always, my honest and unbiased opinion.

I didn't realize this was a young adult Scifi novel. The voice of Viz is so young that I just can't get interested in the story, which may be my problem not that of the author. It's written in a simplistic, stream-of-conciousness style of journal entry that I could see my young teenage niece enjoying. Because of this, I'm going to refrain from posting publicly my review. Thanks again for the opportunity to review it.