At the outbreak of World War II, Germany marched into Scandinavia. Norway put up a fight. Denmark, however, capitulated quickly. Businesses were more than happy to earn money from the German "protectors". Germany treated the Danes as a near-equal (they were the right race), and still let them govern themselves. However, the Germans occupied some of the key strategic areas for themselves. While many Danes objected to this, few were willing to take action. Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club were some that did.They were teenage students that did not like the Nazis. They committed small acts against their oppressors. They stole weapons and vandalized Nazi holdings - often in broad daylight. However, they were primarily upper middle class teenagers and didn't have the heart to seriously injure others. In the book, it felt like they were building up to their big acts of sabotage as they finally destroyed some Nazi holdings. However, shortly afterwards, they were caught and jailed. Half the book details their activities after being caught. They were unwilling to back down. They pretty much forced the government to jail them (otherwise the Nazis would have excuse for taking over the justice system.) Even in jail, they had many a sympathetic Danish ear, and some were able to sneak out of their cell and wreck havoc at night before returning to their cells. Some were moved to German controlled cells and treated much worse. Eventually, they were freed and some were able to participate in the resistance movement at the end of the war. Some of them were able to go back to school and continue on with their lives afterwards. Others were seriously traumatized by the experience. What they accomplished did very little to directly impact the occupation. However, they did provide the seed for the later Danish resistance.
I was initially expecting some bold events in the story. But, in typically Danish fashion, there is very little drama going on in Aalborg. It is the subtlety of the Danes that undermines. The book shows the kids with a strong rebellious defiance, even if they are not able to accomplish much with it.
The conclusion of the Mark of the Thief trilogy amps up the stakes significantly. Our hero, Nicolas Calva escapes certain death in numerous occasions. He also finally shares his feelings towards the girl he loves (and realizes that his "competition" for her actually has a ting for his younger sister. During the story, Nicolas makes a habit of ignoring the advice of others. This causes him to get into deeper and deeper trouble. However, it ultimately leads to him saving the empire and fending off war among the gods and men. The ending takes perhaps too many turns before it finally comes to its conclusion. I wonder how many of the characters are actually based on real ones, and how many are purely made up for the story.
Rise of the Wolf weaves together an interesting historical fiction narrative. It is set in a Roman fantasy world where the Roman gods are "real" and magic is just an everyday thing that people use. This second book in the Mark of the Thief series continues the episode of our young hero as he tries to "save" Rome from those that want to create a war among the gods. He learns that other our really his friends. He also finds he has feelings for "the girl" when his friend asks her to marriage as a means of saving her. Most of the book is dominated by his morality. He feels a strong desire to save Rome and save those he loves, while not inflicting harm on others. He feels a kinship for magical creatures (such as the unicorn he meets.) He does not for anyone to be hurt. He has grown more powerful in his magic. However, he has learned to control it better. Sometimes he withholds the use for the greater benefit. He is ostensibly not a slave anymore. However he often seems to be in a battle of wills between his grandfather and the Praetors. A chariot race is one event where he is expected to use his cunning to achieve victory. However, the other sides "cheat" in various ways, and there are numerous twists and turns before the unexpected ending. The book ends as a typical middle book in a serious with everything falling apart and the possible beginnings of a great war. 
In the fourth episode of the Michael Vey series, our heroes go to Taiwan to rescue Jade Dragon, I deaf mute autistic savant girl who has discovered the "key" to electric youth. Along the way they do some stupid things, but end up creating plans to get out of them. Hatch and his gang don't play much of a role in this book. However, when they do appear, they are portrayed as one-sided evil. His "kids" have no problem hurting others just for fun. Hatch disposes of the former Elgen chairman by aid of false promises to his banker. There is almost no "good" in his character. He also uses the talents of Tara to appear as Michael's father. Michael believes he is his true father, despite what he says. (As a reader, I could tell he was a snake. Would the kid be this gullible? Well, he is a teenager, so maybe.) The "good kids" also go against orders to explore a night market. You just feel they are doing something stupid for the sake of moving along the plot. And of course, it leads to their capture. Luckily, they manage to break out of the unescapable prison. The final capture of Jade Dragon is almost an afterthought that comes about too easily. The character development of the "good kids" is much better than the bad. They seem well rounded, yet they have a propensity to do things just to advance the plot. They are asked to be joined by Michelle, Hatch's previous electric youth torturer. The interaction with her feels forced. It fits with the plot, but there are too many holes to make it believable. As long as you can suspend belief, this book would make a great special-effects driven Hollywood action film.
The Battle of Ampere is one of the darkest of the Michael Vey books. Hatch takes over the Elgen company by brutally overcoming the board. Characters that we have got to know are killed (as are entire groups of people.) The book starts with Michael Vey hanging out with a native tribe. There he meets another electric child who had escaped from the Elgen compound. They meet up with Jaime who can communicate with the "Voice". They also find the other children are caught. Peru has lost power, and the whole country is against them. This can be both good and bad. (The military are less knowledgable about the "special powers", but they have a lot of military firepower.) Eventually, they escape. Then they have a grand mission to complete to help save the world. However, the bad guy escapes and the book ends with a new mission.
The author of Well-Tempered City likes urban planning and music. As a Bach fan, he was inspired by his well-tempered musical work to create the concept of a well-tempered city. It is a city that has a diversity of functions and a balance of how they are carried out. The first part of the book is a historical review of cities. He starts back at the beginning with hunter-gatherers that gradually join together to live in small social groups. Man had a habit of hunting large animals in their reproductive years, thus reducing the reproductive ability of their prey. This, along with environmental changes forced man to seek other sources of food. They began to encourage the growth of plants they saw and thus started agriculture. The domestication of crops encouraged people to bind further together and remain in the same place. (The monoculture also had negative impacts on the environment as well as people's health.) Rules and additional communication came out as people were joining together. Religion and a creation myth was important in binding people together and ensuring adherence to a moral code. (Science, democratic capitalism and the "theory of evolution" fills the same role in today's society. However, it is relatively new, so we have yet to see how it will survive.) Many societies collpased due to warfare, inequality and environmental degradation.
In the second book, Micahel Vey has escaped from the Elgen compound with some new friends. They get close to being captured, but are aided by some mysterious strangers that manage to send strange communications just in time. However, these anonymous helpers only help them after they have done everything else they could do. (In an early chase, they elude a couple cars, while one still manages to keep going. The helpers manage to blow it up.) This book has a brief bit where the "anonymous" board of Elgen decides to cancel Hatch's "superhuman" project. Hatch doesn't take it well. I wonder if these board members are connected with the "voice" that is helping out Vey. 
The first Michael Vey book starts out with kids living a relatively normal life. Michael is picked on by bullies and has a crush on a cheerleader. One day, the bullies pick on him and he shocks them as she looks on. From this, they discover that they both have special power. They are eventually found out by Mr. Hatch and the Elgin. Here the book gets depressing. Hatch is just too evil, spending money as much as he wants and crashing airplanes for ransom. His strategy is to use carrots and sticks to gain control. He lavishes his "kids" with gifts and tells them how separate they are from other people. Then he gets them to perform "acts of loyalty" which often harm or kill others. Now he has their loyalty as well as potential crimes to hold over their heads. Of course, our heroes don't fall in the trap and they eventually escape. In the process they experience the joys of the big city from the point of view of a small town kid. Even sushi is something special. 
The author of Family Gene has a rare genetic mutation that appears only in her immediate family. It seems to be sexed-linked, only passed down from mother to child. However, men are more severely impacted. It leads to bloating and excessive fluid production and an early death - though typically after child-bearing years. She is lucky enough to have connections to a medical research community that is studying her condition and seeking out a cure. Alas, for now all they can do is small treatments to help lesson the impact. 
