AMPED (Daniel H. Wilson) - July 3/12

Yeesh. Yet another disappointment from an author I thought I liked. Amped was a real chore to get through, which is certainly something I couldn't say about Robopocalypse. The big problem here is that the book reads like a YA novel, complete with the dystopian setting and bland protagonist. There was never a point at which I really cared about Owen or his exploits, and Wilson does the narrative no favors by offering up one grimy, unpleasant locale after another (including the rundown trailer park that much of the middle transpires within). It's just dull, which is surprising given how much action there is. *1/2 out of ****