An Uncommon Blue

Bruno lives in the blue area of Télesphore and has lots of friends and a promising future career as a doctor, thanks to his blue fire. He is also a skilled rugby player. Bruno is getting ready to take his exams when he finds out a young boy is looking for him in the blue common area. When he finds the boy he is surprised to learn that he is this boy’s favorite rugby player. And when the little boy asks for an autograph and to shake Bruno’s hand, he hesitates until he sees the boy’s safety glove on his fire hand. But, Bruno wasn’t expecting to get “painted” by the boy and when he complains to a guard everything goes wrong. The guard is going to kill the young boy because he is of mixed fire and lesser than a blue. Bruno can't stand this even though the boy did him wrong, and after a scuffle the guard is killed. Unfortunately Bruno is now a wanted man and his blue fire isn’t going to stay blue forever. Bruno has to go on the run. It is while he is on the run that he really learns about his society. Being a blue he'd always been around other blues, protected from those of other colors so his fire wouldn’t be in danger.  Now that he is near reds, yellows, and an assortment of mixture fires he sees how life is for those who are less privileged than the blue fires. He also realizes a few things he never notices about the blue population. What Bruno finds out bothers him for a variety of reasons. Feeling like he has nothing to lose he starts reacting with people of all different colors, hoping to help increase their chances of getting better food and having a better life by having at least a little blue in their fire. What will happen when Bruno tries to escape? Will the new love of his life, a red who seems to hate him, come with them? Will he ever be able to write the wrongs? You'll have to read this enchanting book to find out.

An Uncommon Blue was the first book that I've read by RC Hancock. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading the book, but I figured it was some type of alternate society. I was pleasantly surprised to see what an easy world it was to fall into. The language, vocabulary, and the names that are part of the Télesphore world fell into place for me. Bruno seemed to be a realistic character, although things certainly had to happen in a fast manner considering he was on the run. I thought the society was very interesting and it gave me a lot to think about. As I neared the end of the book I didn’t want it to end and I kept hoping that An Uncommon Blue would only be the first in a series of books, and I got my wish. I thought the end of the story answered most of my main questions. I still have some questions, but I know they will be answered in future books. If you like dystopian books or books about alternate realities I highly recommend this book. An Uncommon Blue will have you thinking about shaking hands, connecting with others, and the roles that different places in society play. Kudos to RC Hancock for a wonderful book! I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

Has anyone else read An Uncommon Blue? Or have you read something else by RC Hancock? We would love to hear your thoughts.

To connect with RC Hancock check out his website!