“But if he was going to die, it would be on his own terms.” — The Chosen by Taran Matharu
Hello and welcome back to the Best of Books blog! Last week we talked about how The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren was the best Contemporary Romance; this week, we are talking about science fiction!
Science fiction has been around for hundreds of years. The science fiction genre started with Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, but soon science fiction gained popularity and now you can find whole sections of bookstores dedicated to only sci-fi novels. Science fiction is usually based on technological advancements or some kind of otherworldly story. This weeks novel takes place on a realm containing remnants from the past, present, and future.
This week’s sci-fi pick is The Contender trilogy by Taran Matharu! The trilogy is made up of three novels: The Chosen (#1), The Challenger (#2), and The Champion (#3). All three books have been released — which means you don’t have to wait for any new ones to come out!
The series revolves around Cade, a resident at a boarding school for delinquents. One night, Cade is transported to another realm with a group of boys from his school. This new realm has everything from past and future: ancient romans, World War II fighter-jets, prehistoric animals, and many other people transported from time.
Cade and his friends soon learn they have been chosen to compete in a deadly game made by their mysterious overlord, Abbadon. Until Cade and his friends — with help from some ancient people — make it to the top of the deadly leaderboard, they are not permitted to go home. If they lose their challenges, the entire world is in peril from the wrath of the mysterious overlord. Will Cade and his friends be able to gather the resources and strength they need to make it to the top of the leaderboard?
The author, Taran Martharu, is a New York Times Bestselling Author for his SUMMONER series! He has sold over a million copies of his books in the United States, and his novels have been translated into 15 languages. Although I have not read the SUMMONER series, The Contender trilogy is astounding. Matharu made his debut on Wattpad, but was then signed to a publishing company. One amazing thing about Matharu is how responsive and appreciative he is of his fans. I reached out to him in 2020 to tell him how much I loved his series, and he responded thanking me and saying how important his fans are!
I love The Contender because it is the only sci-fi/fantasy novel that has truly held my attention for three novels. Usually, I become very bored with world building and abstract concepts; however, I think these books have created a simple world that is still extremely interesting. Additionally, there is a mysterious element of these books because you don’t know if they are going to find a way home. There are plot twists and shocking moments, and honestly I could not praise these books enough. They are truly worth a try, and I really, really encourage you to read them!
But again, you don’t have to take my word for it! Barnes & Noble rates The Chosen (Book 1) a 4.7 out of 5. Goodreads rated The Chosen 3.82 / 5 from 2,058 reviews, The Challenger (#2) 4.33 out of 5, and The Champion (#3) 4.22 out of 5!
The Penn State Bookstore does not carry The Contender series, but you can find the novel on Barnes & Noble‘s website, Amazon, Books-A-Million, or wherever you get your novels.
You may also like:
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
When I had more time to read for fun, science fiction used to be one of my favorite genres. I loved the futuristic-seemingly-crazy ideas the authors had and I would always try to imagine what it would be like if they were real. I have read a few of the Hunger Games books and really enjoyed them, so this trilogy is definitely intriguing. I like how you include books from all different genres in your blog, you truly have something for everyone. I also found the information you included about the author interesting. It’s so funny when people go from posting on social platforms to becoming something bigger. I will definitely look into this trilogy, especially after hearing the rave reviews it gets.
Science fiction isn’t necessarily my go-to genre of books but I’ve definitely enjoyed the books I’ve read within the genre. I think it’s so awesome when authors are responsive to their fans and it’s so cool that he actually responded to your message! Since fans and readers are the reason for their success, it’s so refreshing to see authors openly appreciate them. The Contender trilogy sounds quite interesting and I liked how you described it, leaving that question of “what will happen” totally peaked my interest.
The only books that I really like to read are Sci-Fi books! I really like the way you gave a quick intro to the series that again does not give away too much and also makes it seem really interesting to readers. I absolutely loved the Maze Runner series, my favorite book series for sure and I may now have to give the Contender series a try!