Julian Rosado-MachainCritiques

"The Guardians were founded 7,134 years ago by a Sumerian scholar who moved from Uruk to Hierakoponlis in Egypt to ensure the rise of human civilization." They are searching for the Book of Concord, which allows them to make decisions that keep magic in check and tilt the balance in technology's favor. Thomas Byrne is only 16 years old, but it is up to him, as the cypher, to help decipher the clues that will hopefully lead them to the book in time to keep catastrophe at bay.

I found this to be a very enjoyable book with likeable characters (other than the ones we're not supposed to like, course), and an interesting plot. The pacing was a bit off and on, but this was still a very quick read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series,

4/5 stars.

Guardians Incorporated is a mysterious multinational company that has a substantial stake in almost every area of society. To the general public, the company's mission statement is relatively innocuous. However, in reality, Guardians Inc. is the oldest of secret societies, one that spans close to seven thousand years of existence, weaving in and out of history, guiding and protecting humanity from creatures and forces that most of us believe exist only in mythology and fairy tales.

Thomas Byrne is just your average fifteen-almost-sixteen-year-old teenager. Newly arrived to Carlsbad, California eight months after his parents disappeared while on a cruise, he is now living with his grandfather while going to high school. For the most part, Thomas does well in school - for the new kid, the routine is pretty simple: do your work, stay out of trouble, and whatever you do, don't cross the radar of Vice Principal Khanna - code name: Killjoy.

Thomas Byrne is a young man suddenly thrust into a secret world he shouldn't be aware of, facing dangers of which he should not have any knowledge. But, he ultimately will face such dangers, for he is a Cypher. The only one who can steer humanity's future into the light.

The ultimate conspiracy theory is that Magic is real. Oh, it's kept in check by technology, that's true, but every five hundred years the balance can shift and, if it does, technology will ultimately fail and all those creatures we've driven into the realms of myth will come back with a vengeance. In order to protect the present, Guardians Incorporated must know what lies in the future.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was quickly caught up in the story, and found the characters extremely likeable and sympathetic. I would give this first book of the Guardians Inc. Series a definite A+! It was certainly an excellent start to this series, and I can't wait to find out where the story goes next.

*Book source ~ NetGalley

While job hunting, Thomas Byrne and his grandfather Morgan stumble upon a multinational company called Guardians Inc. It turns out that Thomas is a Cypher and much wanted by both Guardians Inc and the Warmaster. Every 500 years the Oracle comes back to Earth and the balance between magic and technology gets all wonky. Depending on who finds all the Oracle’s clues, the balance could tip either way, to magic or technology. If magic wins, humans lose though so it’s a race against time.

This story grabbed my attention from the beginning. There are parts where I rolled my eyes a bit too much, but for the most part I enjoyed it. Thomas is almost 16 so this is a YA, but there’s magic and creatures and a fight between two factions. In fact, just about everything except the kitchen sink is included, so it does get a tiny bit confusing at times. It’s obvious at the end that the battle is only just beginning. There is a stopping point, but no real resolution. An enjoyable read nonetheless.

Great, fast paced story with an interesting premise (the balance between magic and technology in the world) and some brilliantly written supporting characters. Could be described as YA due to the age of the main character but if you have a strong sense of fun then this will appeal no matter what age you are.

I actually picked up this book for my nephews to read. However I wanted to make sure it was age appropriate. They are eleven and twelve. The verdict is...it is age appropriate. Even though the cover may look scary with the evil monsters, it is not too scary. Plus, it has a good storyline that my nephews will understand and enjoy. I know I sure enjoyed reading this book.

The mystery surrounding the Guardians had me intrigued. Thomas was a good hero. He kept getting more interesting as the story progressed. With his special talents. I know I would never want to face the monsters in this book. They are evil. Check this book out as you won't regret it.

Fantastic family read. perfect for the pre-teen and his parents or hers. Heck when my kids were in 4th grade and 5th they would have loved it. -- full review coming 17th at cabingoddess.com

This book was moderately enjoyable for me, but I'm pretty sure that middle school kids who love Rick Riordan or Artemis Fowl (also only moderately enjoyable for me), will love it. The series has great potential, so I think it will only get better. I did find it a little weird that the main character was 16, yet the book felt more like a middle grade read to me. However, there was a lot of action with magical creatures, and the descriptions of the mansion were awesome. I want to live there! Imagine needing to go somewhere, anywhere in the world, and walking out your front gate to find yourself only 2 1/2 blocks from it. Very cool. I also loved that the main character worked in a library and all of the literary references. How amazing would it be to have access to hidden treasures from the great authors that no one even knows about? This book is a quick (quite a small book), mildly fun book with a lot of potential. Read it and then look forward to book 2.

Areas of concern: A couple of uses of the *d* word. Violence with magical creatures. All parental figures (parents and grandpa) have disappeared.

When Thomas Byrne opens the newspaper, he discovers an encoded message that invites him to apply for an Assistant Librarian job at Guardians, Inc. He calls and sets up an interview for his grandpa, but when he and his grandpa go to interview, Thomas gets hired instead. One day while working the information desk, a man comes up looking for a book that is considered unreadable and alarms go off, but the guy disappears before they can catch him. When members of Guardians, Inc. go to Thomas’ house to get his grandpa so the two can go into hiding, they find Thomas’ grandpa gone and monsters there trying to kill him. Soon, Thomas discovers that he is a Cypher, a guardian who has the sole job of finding the Book of Concord. Out there, there is an evil Warmaster who wants to control the book, so he can bring back ancient creatures that have been know to cause catastrophic destruction. Can Thomas find his grandpa and the book before the Warmaster kills him?

A fun, action-packed mystery for fans of mythology. The characters are loveable and memorable. The plot is fast-paced, entertaining, and engaging. Readers who like books like the Percy Jackson series or who like fantasy and adventure will enjoy reading this book.

This is one of those books that I wish I had discovered on my own-it entailed the kind of magical, and technological, wonderment that stayed with me long, long after the last page. The concept was so well thought out, and quite original. The description does NOT do it enough justice-this book was pretty darn great.

Right from the first chapter, as we are so lovingly introduced to Vice-Principal Khanna (a.k.a Killjoy), I was nostalgically blasted with the excitement and awe that I felt when reading Lois Sacher's Wayside series-a tinge of anxious, and confused joy. I already knew that I was in for something that would be way over my head, in a very good way.

I won't waste any time in getting to the part of the story that I wished went on for MANY chapters. I could have easily read an entire story on this one aspect alone: The Guardian Inc. Library. OH..MY...GOD. The description of this mastery had me DROOLING, literally..I swear! Picture a library that holds EVERY single book dated after the year 269. EVERY..BOOK. Even books that were deemed rare, obscure, burned, NONEXISTENT. In both print AND electronic copies I might add. I thought the concept was beautifully thought out, and couldn't help but completely forget about the storyline for a second, and lose myself within my head-walking the aisles, climbing the bookshelves, touching and smelling books..*happy sigh*.

Thomas, for me, was initially a very wishy-washy character. His attitude and demeanor were just a bit too nonchalant. The same was felt about his grandfather, Morgan Bryne. I just didn't feel the emotion that should have been pulsing between them, considering certain circumstances. However, as the story progressed, I began to really admire Thomas and his "talents." Both Thomas and his grandfather took interesting turns in development as the core story began to play out. Bolswaithe, the robot butler, takes home the title for most adored character-I always enjoy the enjoyably dull, unintentional humor of robots in both movies AND print, but none were as admirable as he.

The world-building in this story is fantastic, so much so that sometimes the narrative suffered, but only a smidgen. I was taken for a imaginative AND realistic ride, in which I found myself thinking that some of the back stories could very well be happening/have happened in our very own existence. I was intrigued, and inspired and flat-out entertained.

I definitely recommend this book for fans of Harry Potter, or those who find happiness in books that mix magic with technology, and fantastical with believable. Yeah, make sense of THAT. Check this one out!

It was an excellent book highly recomend waiting for follow up book want to continue reading.

It was an excellent book highly recomend waiting for follow up book want to continue reading.

I really liked this book. In fact I when I started the 4th chapter I went searching for the sequel.

Great characters, I loved the alternate history aspect of the story. Thomas is a great character and the library is amazing. Can't wait to read the next book.

Guardians Inc: The Cypher
By Julian Rosado-Machain
Published by TrueBA Interactive ISBN9781450748582
This book was supplied to me by the publisher on condition that I present a true and honest review for it.

Guardians Inc.: The Cypher - A Book Review

When I came to the end of Guardians Inc.: The Cypher, I felt exactly the same way I felt when I came to the end of the first part of The Gulag Archipelago. I felt a bit stunned, almost poleaxed. Where's the rest of it? I had been turning pages as fast as I could read, trying to get to the end of the story, and suddenly (to mix my metaphors badly) I twisted my ankle because the staircase stopped when I was still going down it. In both cases, I was immediately informed. The rest of Gulag hadn't been translated yet. This story continues in Guardians Inc.: Thundersword.

Gee, thanks. When can I get my hands on it?

That is not to say that The Cypher is of the same literary quality as Gulag. It isn't. It's a YA fantasy, of the kind that has today's world interacting with magic. It isn't quite heroic fantasy; it isn't quite urban fantasy. It is something different from either, but it partakes of both. The similarity to Gulag lies in the fact that it grabs the reader on page 1 and doesn't let go.

It is initially set in Carlsbad, California, which was a small town when I lived nearby fifty years ago. I gather from the book that it is now quite a city. Thomas Byrne, 15, lives there with his grandfather Morgan Byrne, since his parents, and the cruise ship they were on, totally vanished some six months earlier. His parents' insurance won't pay off because there is no proof his parents are dead, so his grandfather, at 72, is trying to find a job so that Thomas can go to college.

Thomas is an intelligent though not overly studious youth. He is a red belt in tae kwon do, only one step below black belt, and when three juniors ganged up on him, the juniors wound up in the principal's office somewhat the worse for wear, while Thomas wound up in the office of the assistant principal, who actually runs the school and who telephones his grandfather. As the book opens Thomas is sitting in the outer office waiting miserably to find out what his punishment is going to be, when he hears his grandfather and the assistant principal, Miss Khanna, better known among the students as Killjoy, laughing behind the closed door.

For appearance's sake, and to keep Thomas from getting in more trouble with more students, he is suspended for a week, but is privately told that the suspension won't go on his school record. The three bullies, who will not be allowed to play in the championship football game that weekend, are in considerably more trouble.

Before the end of the first day of his suspension, both Thomas and Morgan are employed by an international corporation which is not what it seems. No matter where you want to go, you can go out one of doors of the building and get there. Wherever you are, if you want to enter the building, you go two and a half blocks to your left and there it is. Morgan is hired to oversee a financial department of the corporation; Thomas is hired as an assistant librarian. Every book that has been written, even if it exists nowhere else in the world, in the last 1700 years is in the library, which he doesn't have access to from his work station. But that's all right, because the books are automatically delivered to his desk when someone asks for them. When the library is quiet, he is allowed to do his homework using the books and computer assigned to him, but other than that, he may make no personal use of any of the books, even those by his favorite authors and believed to be lost, and he may make no personal use of the computer.

Within the next month, Thomas's grandfather is abducted, his house is burned, and Thomas goes to ground in the corporation headquarters, with a robot (actually more like an android) butler looking after him. He is to be homeschooled, and he acquires an extensive bodyguard including an elf princess who looks seventeen but is about 3000 years old and who guards him with magic.
He soon learns that there are far more magical creatures than he ever suspected, and all of them want him. Why? Because he, and his grandfather, are human Cyphers. They can read any language ever written and translate it into English, though this does not extend to understanding the spoken language.

Every five hundred years, a supernatural being comes to earth and writes the history of the next 500 years. That allows the defenders of order to protect the world from the orders of chaos. But twice the book was not found--only a Cypher can find it--and each time, bad things ensued. Now it is late. The last version's last prediction was for 1905. The result has been a series of wars, natural disasters, famines, and other problems the defenders of order could have predicted. By abducting Morgan, the forces of chaos have acquired their own Cypher to look for, and translate, the book, and they have managed to convince Morgan that they are the right side. But having their own Cypher does not mean they will necessarily reach the book first, because Thomas is a Cypher belonging to the forces of order. They want to kill him.

To go farther would be to risk creating a spoiler. So I will say only this: If you want to read a strong page-turner, it doesn't matter whether you are in the intended YA audience. I am 69. And I hope I live long enough to finish reading the trilogy this appears to be the beginning of.

Anne Wingate
Author of Scene of the Crime and other works of fiction and nonfiction

Guardians Inc.: The Cypher by Julian Rosado-Machain
4 STARS

I listened to the book on my kindle and enjoyed it, but I felt a little lost sometimes.
I would probably not had that same problem if I had read it.
This is a clean read, a adventure,fantasy book with the main character is 15 year old
Thomas Byrne.
Thomas Byrne parents went on a two month cruise and he stayed with his grandfather while they were gone. For some reason the whole ship disappeared in a area that is like the Bermuda triangle.
Thomas grandfather feels guilty because the cruise was his gift. Morgan is 72 year old accountant. He wants to get a job so he can do more for Thomas but no one wants to hire an 72 year old.
Thomas sees an ad for a librain assistant and shows his grandfather. The ad reads different for Thomas than for his grandfather.
The job opens into a different world for both of them. Weird things happen to them.
Thomas got a job as the assistant but Morgan got a job with them in accounting. They can't talk about thier jobs even between them.
Thomas finds himself working in a place of a library with almost every book that has been written. Even some books that the world at large don't know about. books appear and disappear when he puts them into the computer.
Thomas finds out that he can read and translate all different writings.
Something as taken Thomas grandfather and as attacked him. Thomas finds himself in the
middle of a war between Magic and technology. If Thomas can't find a certain book than
magic wins and the world could go back to the dark ages like the last time the book was not found in time.
Thier is magic,elves,robots that seem life like, garoyles who come to life and many other things that Thomas thought were just myths in books come true. The world is counting on him to save it.
I would like to read the next novel and see what happens next to Thomas. Can he win the race or will all lives be affected.
I won this book from Librarything and asked in exchange if I would give an honest review of it. I would put this book in section with percy jackson,harry Potter and ranger apprentice fans to enjoy.
February 26, 2011 PUB Publisher: Julian Rosado-Machain; 238 pages

I *love* the world here, and I'm loathe to say much more about it lest I spoil the discovery for someone else. Adventure, strange magics, unusual creatures, a special library, and a teenaged boy and his grandfather at the centre of it all. The characters don't feel fully fleshed out yet, but I have faith that they'll grow to be as deep as the world and its history and magic apparently are.

My one complaint is that although the author had me believing in animated grotesques and magical libraries, I utterly didn't believe the "romance" and I was so skeptical that I found it distracting and was kind of hoping for some variant of an "it was all a dream" explanation. Surely if you can make robots and centaurs seem reasonable, it can't be that hard to portray a teenager's crush?

That complaint aside, I really enjoyed this and am looking forwards to future stories!

Thomas is just a regular boy living with his grandfather until an unusual newspaper advert changed both their lives forever. Full of action, suspense and a touch of romance. I loved this book and will definitely be reading the next one!

Thomas and his grandfather accept jobs at a mysterious corporation which, though being located near their home, neither has seen before. It reminded me loosely of the Noah Wiley Librarian roll, but with fantasy characters added. I loved it. Fast paced, adventurous, evil to subdue, cliff hanger ending. perfect recipe for a trilogy.

A combination between the television show Sanctuary and about ten other movies, shows or ideas, Guardian's Inc is the story of 15 year old Thomas, who lives with his grandfather. The two start off on their adventure together, as a part of their job search, but soon things change for both of them.

This was a quick read and had some very original concepts or put a twist on older ideas to make them somewhat new. I didn't feel as involved in the characters as I felt I should have done and the pace of the book was a little off kilter sometimes, making it feel more like part of a story itself instead of one in a series. That said, younger teens will most likely enjoy the fantasy and sci-fi aspects that bring this story to life. Who wouldn't want a secret society's building to be two blocks away from them at any given time?

Note: Though this book was a free gift from the author, the content of my review was in no way influenced by the gifting. The book speaks for itself and my review would have been worded just this way even if I'd gone out and bought it. I also give bonus points for Text To Speech enabling on Kindle format.... but that also wasn't a factor in the above review½

A coming-of-age story of a teenage boy, Thomas, who has lost his parents and is living with his grandfather, Morgan, on the other side of America. They both become involved with a secret society, called Guardians Inc, which has existed for many thousands of years. This society guides the destiny of humanity and protects it from evil magic. Thomas and Morgan find out that they are Cyphers with the ability to read anything in any language. They end up on opposite sides of a race to find a book that will guide the destiny of humanity for the next 500 years. This is book one of a trilogy and ends up after a major confrontation between Thomas and rejuvenated Morgan.

Thomas had moved in with his grandfather after his parents vanished. Grandpa is bored and looking for a job and Thomas is having trouble accommodating to his new school. Thomas is suspended by vice-principal Killjoy after a fight, and at this time finds out that he is a Cypher, a person who can read any written language. Both he and his grandfather get jobs at a strange library, and the fun begins.

At this point, I thought the book would follow the pattern of the Librarian series of films, with an adventuresome librarian looking for artifacts; instead it became a struggle between good and evil – but it was difficult to discern which side was actually the good one.

As an aside, over the past 10 years or so, I have seen a growing number of books that cast librarians as the collectors and protectors of historical artifacts, ways of living, and information in general. I think as the internet grows, there is a fear that non-virtual worlds will vanish, and librarians are needed to protect this info. In this case, they are needed to protect the world. I do like this sub-genre and this book was not an exception.

I enjoyed the plot, although the book probably needed an extra 15 pages to finish flushing out details. At the beginning, some scenes played out slowly, but by the end some seemed rushed.
Character development was also a little uneven. I understood Thomas, his actions, and motivations, but some other characters were not as clearly worked out.

I hope some of the questions are cleared up in the latter books in the series, and that the endings of the forthcoming books are written with enough detail. Overall, a good read for a young adult demographic who likes science fiction, action, and fantasy.½

This was an interesting book for me to read. It's a little bit outside the normal types of books I read.

At first, I wasn't sure it was going to be a good read, but as I read mire of the book, I did start to enjoy it.

The main character in the book is a 15 year old boy who lives with his grandfather. He is a Cypher, a person who can read any language. He is hired by the company to help find the Oracles message.

The book is the first in a series, and if the rest of the series is as good as this, I look forward to reading it. This author is one that I will look for other books by.

I was given a review copy of the book in The Library Thing's Member Giveaway.½

This was such an amazing story. At first I thought it might be silly - just a fun, easy book maybe geared more towards a slightly younger audience than me (I'm 18), but when I picked it up, I actually couldn't put it down for very long after that. I cared about the characters and what would happen to them and it was just an awesome read I really got into. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone because it's got a lot of good things in it from characters who are believable, and that you care about to an interesting adventure story and there's even some romance thrown in - but not enough to put anyone off. I can't wait for the book 2 :-)

A real page turner! Thomas Byrne is a Cypher, with that comes the ability to read and translate nearly everything. The story follows him through the learning and mastery of his abilities, and facing the fact that he and his grandfather have conflicting beliefs. I recommend this book and look forward to reading the sequel.

Having enjoyed the Artemis Fowl books, and similar novels, during middle school, I was looking forward to re-capturing the magic I felt during those novels. Combining science fiction, fantasy, and everyday life is a staple of young adult sci-fi. Unfortunately, this novel fails to effectively capture the reader in the story. Not enough time is spent establishing the characters themselves, their motivations, or their relationships, so seemingly important events seem to fall flat. Obligatory romances sprout out of nothing, as plot convenience requires that the relationship exists to be torn asunder later in spectacularly lackluster fashion. The world created around these characters is mysterious and quite engaging, but is not given enough detail. Overall worth a read, but it feels like the first third of one book, rather than the first part of a series.½

Definitely a captivating read! Though there were a few mistakes, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I will read the sequel, that's for sure!