Catalyst

By: S. J. Kincaid

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe

Tom Raines and his friends are eager to return to the Pentagonal Spire to continue their training for the elite Intrasolar Forces. They're in Upper Company now, vying for spots in CamCo, but soon discover troubling changes: strict new regulations, suspicious agents in positions of power, and the revelation that the Spire is under new military control. The trainees are now cadets.

What begins as an irritating adjustment soon reveals a dangerous shift in reality. Those now in control are aligned with the corporate sponsors who have ruthless agendas. And when the military academy begins welcoming new cadets with questionable neural processors, the first step in a plan with horrifying worldwide ramifications, Tom is desperate to stop it, even if that means keeping secrets from his allies.

Then a mysterious figure, the other ghost in the machine, begins a fight against the corporations, but with methods even Tom finds shocking. And when the enemy comes for Tom, how much can Tom endure in the battle to save himself? He must decide if he can still fight when the odds of success seem to be sliding from his grip.

In this exhilarating, explosive, and heart-rending conclusion to the Insignia trilogy, Catalyst brings Tom and his intelligent, passionate, and brave young friends stunning tests and dangerous confrontations, and through to an impossible future they could never have predicted.

©2014 S. J. Kincaid (P)2014 Harper Collins Publishers

Mind = blown

This book (and series) was So Awsome. With the perspective of a deep thinking futurist, Kincaid manages to ask massive questions such as: if you had access to learn anything instantly, what could you accomplish? Would you help a loved one by sacrificing self? What gives courage in times of helplessness? What is humanity capable of? There was such morbid fascinating psychological manipulation, such a run of friendship and family, such evil and valor... If you like awesome galaxy-grade adventure, this one's for you. Can I have another?

What an Ending!

Any additional comments?

Catalyst is a fitting closure to the Insignia Trilogy. Everything set up in the first two books, Insignia and Vortex, comes to a head in this book, and Kincaid reveals her hand one card at a time to unfold the master plot that harkens all the way back to book one. It's a masterful accomplishment, and the whole of this book was satisfying to me. Seeing the final growth of Tom, Vikram, Yuri, Wyatt, and the other characters is spectacular. There are still wonderful throwbacks to the beginning of Insignia, in the continued evolution of the gang's inside jokes. Even those jokes, as before, play important roles in the narrative. Kincaid has really demonstrated a deep understanding of character, plot, and storytelling in this final chapter of the trilogy.

I feel like every promise Kincaid made in the beginning has been fulfilled. There aren't any loose ends left untied for me, even ones that were left in book one that I thought were no longer important to the setting and characters. No, Kincaid has thought of everything, and it left me with a feeling of complete gratification. This is a fully complete series, a work done to perfection. Bravo!

SO GOOD

This was a great ending to the INSIGNA series.
Always kept me wanting more time to listen to!

Excellent!

I loved the story , this was a wonderful conclusion, it had everything. I must say though that the narrator Lincoln Hoppe made this book even better. He effortlessly switched between accents convincingly, his female voices were not overdone and he breathed the perfect amount of emotion into every single word, it was brilliant!

Loved it

Loved it back in high school and i still do now. Amazing story telling and great voice actong.

Nice finish to a good series

Definitely a series worth reading. The ending might have been a touch saccharine, but overall it was well done.

Great read!

I listened to this whole trilogy in about a week. I loved every book, and like all of the characters and the story, I have recommended it to all of my friends. The only exception I have is this, and it's minor--very minor: it seems S.J. Kincaid is still a developing writer. Her progress is evident throughout each book. She is no doubt developing into a fabulous author. She is about 87.5% there. ...I can't wait to see what comes out next!

Outstanding!

I love this book. The story and narration are both OUTSTANDING! I highly recommend it!

Nice ending of nice saga

It was a nice 3rd and final book of the series i would recomend this to any Science fiction lover

I love this book !

Would you consider the audio edition of Catalyst to be better than the print version?

yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of Catalyst?

when tom escaped from vagreov

What about Lincoln Hoppe’s performance did you like?

it was awesome

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when black burn sacrificed himself to save tom and wyatt

Any additional comments?

no!@#$$^&*()