Unbound (The Omega Trilogy Book 1)

There are two things Elijah Goldsmith does not lack. The first is money. The second is ambition. It is not enough, in one year, to graduate high school and begin college at Princeton. He mixes in one more thing: Becoming a spy.

Only he doesn’t know, when he goes to Washington in the cold beginning of the year, what it really means to be a spy – what they do, what they want from him. He doesn’t know who the beautiful, talented girl training beside him really is. And he certainly doesn’t know what’s coming on Easter Day. 2066 is an appropriate year for the world to end.

"Unbound" is the first book of J.B. Simmons’ Omega Trilogy. It’s part spy drama, part sci-fi, and mostly End Times. I don’t often read End Times novels, and for two reasons. One, they can get depressing (the good guys lose and lose and lose, and then the world ends). Two, they can get predictable. I’ve read Revelation. I know the inevitable plot points.

Still, I have read End Times novels I liked, such as C.S. Lewis’ "The Last Battle" (yes, it truly is) and the Swipe series by Evan Angler. And now "Unbound".

"Unbound" operates outside the box of mainstream End Times theology, freshening and shaking up the narrative. Nor does it start out with apocalypse, but with a world running along, and which gives every indication that it will go on running.

I enjoyed the story’s setting; the futuristic aspect was well-done – hints of enormous changes in the world, and technology that felt both new and realistic. I particularly liked the small detail of the White House having been converted to a museum (and nobody knows anymore where the president lives). It’s the sort of thing that lets you know, without stopping the story to explain, that you’re in a different country.

The characters were quickly and vividly defined in the story. I was a little surprised at how fast a few characters were inserted into the story and then eliminated from it, but it’s hard to say it was wrong. And I’m not sure where to put this, so I’ll just tack it on here: There was one fleeting moment with “Jezebel” that was more than I liked.

I liked the balance struck by Elijah’s visions – neither too ordinary nor too exotic. His vision of the man had particular depth, and promised a greater spirituality in the books to come.

"Unbound" is a fascinating take on the End Times, a compelling mix of Revelation prophecy, sci-fi, and spy drama.

I received a review copy of this book from the author.

"Unbound," by J.B. Simmons, is a futuristic/apocalyptic story. The writing is clear and strong, the characters are mostly teenagers who are trying out to become spies for the International Security Agency. They are given many challenges to prove their loyalty and physical and mental abilities. There are many mysterious things happening, mostly secret things, that the teens are not even supposed to discuss among themselves. But the biggest mystery seems to have to do with the nightmares that Elijah has.

Are his dreams prophetic? Will they come true? The year is 2066. The world is a different place than the one we live in today. Only certain religions are approved. Elijah is a non-practicing Jew, his friend Naomi is a Christian who participates in non-approved secret religious meetings. Can Elijah trust her? Can he trust her friends? Who can he believe? And why do the Christians think he is a prophet??

"Unbound" kept my attention as I tried to figure out who the good guys and who the bad guys were. (I was unable to.) J.B. Simmons used futuristic technology, good storytelling and lots of mystery. "Unbound" is book one of "The Omega Trilogy," and at the end of it I had more questions than answers. I will look forward to the next book in the series!

I received this book from The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fabulous book! It takes place in 2066 in a futuristic world - and I loved how the author made the world both familiar yet different!

Elijah Goldsmith, a high school senior, wants to be a spy for the International Security Agency. As he attends training he meets Naomi and feels an instant connection with her, even though he is Jewish and she is a Christian. The book begins with, "My name is Elijah Goldsmith. This is my story, and it's the hones-to-god truth. I'll tell you what I saw, what I felt, and that's about all I can do. You're probably going to ask me why it happened. I'll go ahead and tell you-I don't know. I figure nobody knows, nobody human anyway. Maybe you'll ask me how I know it's true. We'll get to that, but let's start with the dream. The dream, the agency, and then the girl..."

Naomi is fascinated with his dreams since she knows the end of the world is soon. But what will happen? Will the dream come true?
I really enjoyed reading this book - I just couldn't put it down. And I can't wait for the sequel! I highly recommend Unbound!I received this book from bookfun.org in return for my honest opinion.

I don't read many book about the Apocalypse. The imagery of this setting/time period alone is difficult to grasp many times, much less the "technology of the future" that is referred to in this genre. Fascinated by the summary, I wanted to see if this book would be any easier to understand. The author takes a different view of the symbolism by making it literal, different from anything else I've read. The idea and concept is unique and sometimes very intriguing but most of the time I had to make myself pick up the book because it did not hold my interest.
Elijah is not your typical Christian hero-type. His background is of the Jewish faith but he does not practice it, nor is he a Christian. In fact, true Christianity has gone underground. The government now controls what is preached in the pulpits. All Elijah is concerned with is getting into the ISA (an spy agency controlled by the United Nations, which pretty much controls the world, except for a few hold-outs) and getting Naomi to be his girlfriend. Everyone is so secretive it's hard to figure out who to trust and who to be wary of. There were a few characters that I pegged correctly but some I didn't. The story starts out slow but once the action picks up, it takes off.
I am interested in reading the next book, which comes out today, to see how the story continues but it is not one I am going to run out and grab.

This book was provided by Believers Media for review without compensation.

I received a free copy of Unbound through a Goodreads giveaway.

I was worried this would be one of those books where everything you need need to know can be found on the back cover... Boy was I wrong! I was constantly being thrown through loops and could not put the book down! I was very impressed with Unbound and cannot wait to read the next installment.

Unbound is set in the futuristic year of 2066. It revolves around Elijah Goldsmith, a young rich kid about to graduate high school. He is trying to get into the ISA to be a spy so that he can make a difference in the world and prove to everyone that there is more to him than his inheritance. 
Elijah starts having disturbing, repetitive nightmares about a dragon, a strangely familiar man, and the destruction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. He brushes them off at first, but they quickly become impossible to ignore. 
Among the ISA fellows Elijah meets, Naomi is the most interesting. He is instantly drawn to her but, after meeting the cult-like crowd she associates with, he begins to question her motives.

I highly recommend this book to everyone! You will not be disappointed :)

The year is 2066. Elijah Goldsmith has nightmares of the earth splitting open and a dragon coming up from the chasm. I was intrigued starting with the first page. Elijah is a young man wanting to be a spy in the International Security Agency, will his dreams hold him back or his interest in Naomi? There is mystery, suspense, things only spies can see and hear with some romance too. I was getting to the end of the book and turning the pages faster wanting to see how this would end and well, you will just have to read it to find out. This is not my usual genre but I did enjoy this thriller with an apocalyptic twist!
I was gifted a copy from the Book Club Network (bookclub.org) for my honest opinion which I have given.

I must preface this review with the statement that this is not the genre of book I usually read. That being said, it took me awhile to get into the story. The story did, however, catch me unawares and I finished it quite quickly after that. This is a futuristic story with technology that would fascinate anyone interested in it. Using historical places that are familiar to us, the author keeps us on earth, so to speak. What really will happen in the future? We really don't know, so perhaps much, or all, of the fantastic ideas portrayed in this book will come true. As this is the first book in the Omega Trilogy, we will have to wait and see.
I received this book from BookFun.org in return for my honest review.

This well-crafted Christian end-times tale has memorable characters and plenty of action. I really enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it. My only complaint is that the brief story ends in midair. It's chopped off, leaving readers figuratively dangling. Of course there's the next book coming, so I know the story continues.

I'm fond of stories with complete character arcs, where the main character becomes different as the story progresses. I can see some character change going on, and foresee that a character arc is under way. So I guess I'll just have to wait for the next book to find out more!

Wow! This is a fantastic book. From the first sentence the author, J.B. Simmons, draws the reader into this futuristic world.

Set in 2066, this book is set around Elijah Goldsmith. He is a high school senior, Jewish, and dreams of being a part of the international Security Agency, as a spy.

While in training, Elijah meets Naomi, a Christian. The adventure begins from here, with a nightmare that Elijah has about a dragon and the destruction of At. Peter's Basilica.

Wonderful read!

I was given this book by bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review

This is a book for young adults and adults. This is a book of romance and science fiction with a bit of thriller.is the world going to end or will Elijah be able to save the world. He and another group of teenagers try to join a group that will teach them to be spies. Can they do it? I really enjoyed this first book of a trilogy and look forward to reading the second two in the series. I received this book from bookfun.org for a fair and honest opinion.

I picked up this book from Kindle Unlimited to read on my phone. Unfortunately, it did not even hint that this was a Christian novel. I read pretty fast, so I persevered through it - suspecting that even though it definitely had a religious slant, maybe it was more like The Da Vinci Code.

It isn't.

This is the story of a young Jewish man slowly getting taken into the Christian fold. Spoiler: He accepts Jesus Christ in book #2.

I couldn't put down this thrilling page turner! The world Simmons built is compelling and you get introduced to most of it as Elijah does allowing you to ooh and ahh over the futuristic tech along with him. The characters are enjoyable and the relationships believable. You don't even have to like fantasy or sci-go to enjoy this read, though it would help.

Great concept, phenomenal pacing, I couldn't wait to turn the page and find out what was going to happen next. The plot is not straight forward but you never feel as if its hard to follow and the world-building is simply superb. Definitely worth the time for you to read through, now I can't wait for the next book.

I was captured! First by curiosity, then by the passion of the narrative. I've read the left behind series, and of course the Revelation, but this telling is new and exciting and part of the whole, a retelling for the age of technology. It's as effective as a new translation of the pilgrims progress. The world is more than we know......,

Fun, exciting, entertaining, a page-turner. The story moves quickly and, no matter how one may feel about the apocalyptic genre, you want to find out what happens next. Finished it in two days flat. Well done J.B. Simmons! I'll be sending copies to friends and family as a gifts this year.