Book Review
Title: The Arc by Ben Oliver (The Loop Book 3)
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Considering the ending of The Block I had no idea where The Arc was going to go without Luka Kane. We were following an Alt named Chester who was selected to move into the Arc because of his father but I have a feeling it was really because Chester is a genius and he works in the data labs trying to decide the DNA of the test subjects, batteries like Luka. He would with another genius, Zariah and she wants to leave with her daughter because she believed Luka about Happy and Chester helps her get a message to her daughter, Stella. However, the very next day they are turned into Flares, the people who have Happy uploaded into them. Chester is questioning everything he thought he know especially after learning that the test subjects are being tortured and he wants to do the right thing but isn’t sure if he can make any difference at all.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Chester is a genius in finding a way to hide himself and his work from Happy as he tries to discover if what Luka said was the truth and learns exactly what Happy is planning for humanity and can’t allow it continue. Using his access to the labs he is tasked with discovering how the rebels can hide from Happy and we know this is Safe-Death and Chester has found a way to replicate something similar. He has a plan to get to the labs and free the test subjects before fleeing the arc and this is where things get really interesting. It turns out that Luka is still alive and being used as a battery like Tyco, who surprisingly isn’t insane anymore and Mabel. Through the rings they are wearing they can telepathically communicate which I don’t think Happy is aware of and Luka is already planning to escape from the arc he just needs time and help which he doesn’t know is on the way in the form of Chester.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Luka has spent close to a week coming up with a plan to escape the Arc and he plans on taking Tyco and Mable with him. Honestly, Luka’s plan was great but Happy knows him too well now for it to succeed and their plan ultimately fails and they are returned to being batteries. However, none of them count of Chester showing up to help them and together they escape although Tyco status behind to cause a distraction. After they successfully escape the Arc, they see Tyco escaping as well as Luka goes back to help him despite everything and Tyco gets him to advocate the detonator he was given which ends up killing Mable not Tyco. I don’t know whether this is Happy controlling Tyco because his eyes aren’t lit up or whether there was something off about Mable which might be the case but Luka isn’t going to take this well.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, it turns Tyco is just an asshole in killing Mable but I felt like this was a wasted opportunity. I felt like Oliver could have given Tyco a really good redemption arc, Mable still could have died but in a different way or he could have genuinely sacrificed himself to help the others similar to how Doctor Ortega is helping the group even though she was the one experimenting on the inmates in the first place. Chester and Luka manage to get to red zone where he placed Chester into purgatory but Igby left a note explaining that when the power goes down those in purgatory will be stuck there until Happy is destroying or the world ends. Knowing his friends aren’t there Luka heads back out and begins looking for them only to stumble upon Kina. The reunion was sweet but overshadowed by Happy testing the nanobots that are going to end the world. By the time they get back and reunite with everyone they have just over five days until Happy completely destroys everything but Chester’s lens might hold the key to their salvation. Luka explains that Happy stopped uploading because the hosts took on personalities of their own and that evolution might be the key to destroying Happy once and for all.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Luka is struggling to deal with the amount of trauma he has gone through and it is beginning to show. When he is sent out with Day to collect some equipment that Igby needs since he has a plan which seems to be hacking into Happy and using the stored empathy in order to override it, Luka knows something is wrong and goes after Day. He convinces her to give him the Ebb hoard she has but at the very moment Happy creates an earthquake, Luka only survives because of his healing tech and the same can’t be said for Day. When he returns to find Kina, he has a meltdown which Abril helps him with but time is running out for them. The next mission is the most important as Igby needs four people to transfer a single chamber from Safe-Death to the Loop which is the only building that still has power but he unknowingly sends them into a trap. Abril and three of the missing are captured and are going to be turned into hosts and there is nothing any of them can do since Igby explains most of them are going to be hosts before it is over. Sam, Luka and Kina head out to get another chamber but they don’t have time to make it to the Loop before Happy sends its next wave of destruction which comes in the form of a huge lightning storm. Luka is hit but survives and with the help of Sam and Kina they take refuge in a car but the storm seems to last forever and Luka ponders on what Igby is planning since he refuses to share the details with anyone.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the survivors have only two days left before Happy ends the world and they don’t seem any closer to winning that they were in the battle of Midway Park. After the storm Sam is injured so he sends her back to the subway with Kina while he and the HelperBot continue to the Loop to see through Igby’s plan. However, this is interrupted when Tyco makes yet another appearance trying to stop Luka from saving the world and he almost succeeds until Luka leads him into the tunnels where the rats attack him but it still isn’t enough to stop him. It is only when Malachai turns up and shoots him over 10 times that Tyco finally dies and Luka learns that Purgatory was back online and his friends and sister have come save him closely followed by Igby and Kina. Igby along with Chester begin repairing the damage Tyco created and Igby eventually explains to Luka and Kina that they are going to upload themselves into Happy and destroy it from the inside but when Happy dies they will die with it. Luka is all for this only to learn that Igby stuck Ebb patches on him and Kina because they aren’t going with him. Igby has decided that Luka and Kina will be the ones to help the survivors and begin rebuilding everything Happy has destroyed and I understand why he would want to be the one to die since Pod was taken from him because of Tyco. With less than 12 hours to go until Happy’s plan is completely they can only hope that Igby’s plan is going to work otherwise everyone is going to die. I have a feeling that they might win but I am sure it isn’t going to be without sacrifices and I honestly can’t wait to see how Oliver concludes the series.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we get to see everything come together and I was a little disappointed while I felt that Tyco could have been used better so could have the ending. Having Luka and the others succeed in destroying Happy was what I expected all along but the way in which it came about what a little flat for me and didn’t do anything overly exciting or original. I think it would have been better for Happy to have reformed itself after realising its mistake or to have someone like Luka or Igby who were inside Happy at the time take control of it from the inside, allowing them to live on and see the new world just in a different way and that would have had a more emotional impact. Despite that, I really enjoyed the Arc and the series in general and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast paced, action packed, sci-fi adventure.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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