Rebel by Marie Lu: Exclusive Excerpt

We loved what Marie Lu did with Batman canon in her young adult book Batman: Nightwalker, and we can’t wait to see what she comes up with for Rebel, the next installment in her bestselling Legend series.

read more: An Interview with Marie Lu

Rebel, which comes out on October 1st, plunges readers back into the world of Legend, catching back up with brilliant inventor Eden, his famous revolutionary brother Daniel (aka Day), and June, 10 years after the war. As the official synopsis tells us:

Eden Wing has been living in his brother’s shadow for years. Even though he’s a top student at his academy in Ross City, Antarctica, and a brilliant inventor, most people know him only as Daniel Wing’s little brother.

A decade ago, Daniel was known as Day, the boy from the streets who led a revolution that saved the Republic of America. But Day is no longer the same young man who was once a national hero. These days he’d rather hide out from the world and leave his past behind. All that matters to him now is keeping Eden safe―even if that also means giving up June, the great love of Daniel’s life.

As the two brothers struggle to accept who they’ve each become since their time in the Republic, a new danger creeps into the distance that’s grown between them. Eden soon finds himself drawn so far into Ross City’s dark side, even his legendary brother can’t save him. At least not on his own . . .

Here is an exclusive excerpt from Rebel…

            Up on the wall, the countdown has moved down to three minutes, and most of the standing area around the clearing is packed. I can already see the racers lining up in the center, some of them doing last-minute tinkering on their engines.

            As we reach the other racers, I show my drone to Pressa. Compared with the other models here, it’s easily the smallest, maybe the tiniest size that could qualify for these races. But it makes up for any fragility with speed. The engine coils in a perfect circle underneath the drone, and when I flip it on, it glows with a faint blue light.

            Pressa makes an impressed sound at it. “Pretty design,” she says, admiring its swept wings. “Efficient. Can it survive a hit, though?”

            I shake my head. “If one of the others bumps into mine, it’s game over.”

            She gives me a withering look. “I thought you said it was amazing.” “I don’t intend on letting anyone get close enough to touch it.”

            She throws up her hands, but I can see the light in her eyes, the hunger for how much we could potentially win. “All right,” she con- cedes. “I’m trusting you.”

            Overhead, the neon-red bulbs dim, brighten, and dim again, alerting the audience that the race is about to start. I squeeze through the throngs until I’m standing to one side of the arena, on the side closest to the other racers.

            One minute until the race begins. Like the rest of the crowd, I reach a hand out in front of me and toggle my virtual-sight settings. To watch the entire race unfold, you log onto a channel being re- corded by a default drone that follows the official racing drones. Its footage will play before your eyes as the drones zip through the Undercity’s streets, as if you’re racing along right behind them.

            I try to keep a calm expression as people in the audience stare at me, murmuring under their breath. Adrenaline pumps fast in my veins, dulling the thoughts that usually plague me when things are too quiet, and I smile. All I can concentrate on is the thought of winning the race. This, in its own way, is freedom.

            Ten seconds before the race starts. I see Pressa moving through the crowd with her head ducked down, trying to be discreet. At the same time, she sends me a message that appears in white letters before my eyes.

            Good luck, skyboy.

            The other drones lift up into the air, the hiss of their engines fill- ing the space.

            As the audience chants uproariously for their favorite picks, I quietly turn on my drone and warm up the engine. In my view, I see its stats go live, a scroll of virtual blue letters and numbers in the side of my vision.

            The lights overhead flash once, brilliantly. At the same time, a loud pop like a gunshot echoes from the speakers overhead.

            The race has begun.

Rebel will be released on October 1, 2019. It is now available to pre-order. You can find out more about Marie Lu here.

Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.

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