The Handler

Mindjack: Kira #5

by Susan Kaye Quinn

Sparking a revolution can get you burned.
Julian Navarro wants to fulfill the mission of his dead parents—to spark a revolution and win mindjackers equal rights in a mindreading world. His jack ability lets him control the instincts of others, but he wants to win jackers to his cause with words, not weapons. When he discovers his first recruit has a secret—and bloody—history, Julian has to decide how far he'll go… or if his revolution will be snuffed out before it begins.

The Handler is Julian’s origin story.

MINDJACK: KIRA
Open Minds (Mindjack: Kira Book One)
Closed Hearts (Mindjack: Kira Book Two)
Free Souls (Mindjack: Kira Book Three)

MINDJACK: ZEPH
Locked Tight (Mindjack: Zeph Book One)
Cracked Open (Mindjack: Zeph Book Two)
Broken Wide (Mindjack: Zeph Book Three)

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Paranormal, Paranormal Urban Fantasy

43 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2012

About the author

CLICK HERE for a FREE STORY

Susan Kaye Quinn has designed aircraft engines and researched global warming, but now she uses her PhD to invent cool stuff in books. Her works range from hopeful climate fiction to gritty cyberpunk. Sue believes being gentle and healing is radical and disruptive. Her short fiction can be found in Grist, Solarpunk Magazine, Reckoning, and all her novels and short stories can be found on her website. She is the host of the Bright Green Futures podcast.

SOLARPUNK
collections
Bright Green Futures: 2024 (edited by SKQ)
Halfway to Better

novels
Nothing is Promised series
When You Had Power
You Knew The Price
Of Kindness and Kilowatts
Yet You Cry When It Hurts

short stories
A Moon Goddess to Watch Over Me (Luna Station Quarterly) (hopepunk)
It's in the Blood (Reckoning 8)
Once and Future Kilowatts (Solarpunk Magazine)
Rewilding Indiana (Little Blue Marble)
Seven Sisters (Grist)
The Joy Fund (DreamForge Magazine)

SCI-FI
Singularity Novel Series
The Legacy Human
The Duality Bridge
The Illusory Prophet
The Last Mystic

Stories of Singularity
Restore
Containment
Augment
Awakening
Harvest
Defiance
Resistance

YA SF
Mindjack Series
Open Minds
Closed Hearts
Free Souls
Locked Tight
Cracked Open
Broken Wide
Mindjack Short Story Collection

WATCH the award-winning live-action Mindjack Book Trailer!

STEAMPUNK ROMANCE
Royals of Dharia
Third Daughter
Second Daughter
First Daughter

CYBERPUNK
Debt Collector
LIRIUM (Season One)
WRAITH (Season Two)

WATCH the Debt Collector Book Trailer

ANTHOLOGIES
Synchronic
Telepath Chronicles
AI Chronicles
Dark Beyond The Stars
Future Chronicles
Cyborg Chronicles
CLONES: The Anthology

MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY
Faery Swap

WATCH the Faery Swap Book Trailer

CONTACT SUSAN
Susan's Website | Sue on Bluesky | Sue on Mastodon
Susan's Email: [email protected]

Reviews

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed The Handler. It's a short story set in the Mindjack world told from the point of view of Julia who we meet in book 2. It shows how frightening and powerful the mindjackers their powers can be and the start of the mindjack revolution. I liked how we get a better feel of Julia and we get a feel for Julian his handling ability. I thought it was very interesting to hear how his ability work and see it form his point of view and I could visualize pretty well how minds must look for him, it was very well written and described.

The story takes place over a short time span, but quite a lot happens in that time and the most important thing is that we get a feel for Julian, his power and a bit of backstory we don't see in the full length novels. We also see a bit of Anna, Sasha and a character we don't see in the novels. I liked learning how Sasha joined the cause.

To summarize: I really enjoyed this novella, we get a feel for Julian, his mindjack power and the start of the revolution and the why behind it. I felt like we got a good feel for Julian his character in this novella and I feel like we understand him better now and why he is so determined to get this plan of revolution started. We also see Anna and Sasha and understand how they got involved with the movement. And Julian has to make a difficult decision in this novella. I also liked how this novella illustrated how powerful and frightening the mindjack powers are. A great addition to the series!

[Diana Febry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this short book for my review. My review is an honest opinion and I do not know the author.
I was very impressed with the writing style. It was clear and concise and easy to read. At no point did the writing get in the way of the story or draw attention to itself which is something I like. I also felt the pace of the story was spot on.
I understand the book is part of a series which I have not read. The book could be read in isolation but it has made me want to read at least some of the other books in the series.
At some point in the future human brains have evolved and people are able to read minds. There are some who are able to do more, block others from their own mind and actually control the mind and thoughts of others or wipe their memories completely. A brother and sister team ae building a clan/army to protect and nurture those with the additional skills. (I assume the need for this is explained earlier in the series). In the handler two new recruits with special skills are introduced, the calculating and cool Serena and the angey Sasha.
The book was easy to read and I very much enjoyed the book. I will myself seek out other work by the author Susan Quinn.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good short story about Julian. He is a mindjacker that refers to his talent as a Handler. he is the only one he knows of that is like him. he can manipulate instincts by going directly into your mind and changing them.

In his story, him and his sister Anna are cleaning up a warehouse to ready it for the mindjackers they hope to recruit to bring about a revolution. An uninvited guest shows up, named Serena, that claims she wants to join his Clan, and she has an ability that is almost like his. But she may not be all that she seems. And then they also meet with Sasha, he is a recruit sent by a friend, that just wants to fight for the freedom he deserves. When they are all together, it comes down to a showdown between the four of them. And a secret is uncovered about Serena.

Together they are the beginnings of a group ready to fight for a place to call home. I am excited to read the next book in this intriguing series. Great YA series.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

How would it feel to read minds, to see emotions in color, to manipulate thoughts? How tempting would it be to use such powers for ill? And how quickly would the authorities try to appropriate such skills for themselves once they appeared?
Susan Kay Quinn’s novella, The Handler, doesn’t answer all the questions, but it lets the reader see through a different pair of eyes, think from a different background and history, and enter a different world. With beautiful writing, vivid imagination, fast action and pleasing relationships, these short stories build a world where much can happen, and leave the reader satisfied even though much is yet to be told.
Disclosure: The author gave me free ecopies of these stories when I expressed an interest in them.

[Eccentric Editions · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is set after Open Minds when Kira announces the existence of Jackers. But this from Julian's POV. It was interesting to get to know him and adore him even more, especially his promises lol. He is cute and the way he thinks so positively.

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

Love reading the back stories to all the characters that I grew to love reading the first series, nor I must read the next one.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE HANDLER (enovella #2.1) by Susan K Quinn

THE HANDLER is the latest e-novella release (August 2012) in Susan K Quinn’s Mindjack series. In a world where mindreading is the norm (due to decades of contaminated water) those without the ability are known as zeroes, but there are a few who possess a power greater than most. The Handler focuses on Julian Navarro and the characters introduced in Closed Hearts and takes place between Open Mind and Closed Hearts before Julian has ever met Kira Moore.

Julian can manipulate the instincts of the mind. Hoping to amass enough people to create an ‘army’ for the revolution, it is Julian’s belief that one day mindjackers would be the dominant species on the planet. But mindjackers came with all sorts of problems and abilities and Julian would meet a few in the early days of the revolution.

Along with his twin sister Anna, Julian would encounter a couple of new recruits that would hopefully become a part of his close circle of mindjacking specialists. But many of the mindjackers coming to New Chicago were forming lawless clans and were not capable of following orders and Julian was determined that Kira Moore, a revolutionary in her own right, would further enhance his stature and presence as a leader.

Julian and Anna would welcome two new recruits, but like most Handlers, the new recruits would have to learn to control their abilities. And it would soon become obvious that one of their recent additions to the Clan, was someone they did not want on their side. With Anna’s special ability, the new recruit would be re-assigned to a new location and Julian would continue his search for the best mindjackers his Clan required.

THE HANDLER is a quick and easy read that offers some background information into the personalities of some of the characters introduced in a previous storyline. Approximately 3 chapters in length, we become privy to the abilities of the mindjackers and the knowledge that they too, fear the power, that many of their own ‘species’ have developed. A great addition to the Mindjack series.

Copy supplied by author.

see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com

[Peter DeHaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Mindjack Trilogy Box Set

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Handler started off a little choppy to me, probably because it's been awhile since I've read Closed Hearts, but it fell into place pretty quickly. In the Mindjacking world, where this new ability has just been outed, one can never be too careful. There are so many abilities out there that even Julian doesn't know about and it's hard for him and his sister to protect themselves from every threat they can imagine. What he doesn't expect is the beautiful desperate girl that comes through his door disarming his sister without even jacking her. And try as he might, he just can't get a read on her, it's like trying to grab a hold of a slippery fish with greased hands. And then his recruit he was expecting, the one that is skittish and ready to run shows up. And Julian has to make a decision, one that he'll probably have to make time and again in his new revolution. He just wasn't expecting to have to make it on the very first day. This is a fast paced novella that gives you a glimpse into the way things started before Kira joined the group. It gives some background information on how Julian chose and who he chose and why. In any case, it's a great little piece of fiction in the series to hold you over until the third book FREE SOULS comes out!

[Sher A. Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Handler is a short but exciting read, just the right amount and flavor to make my mouth water for more. Even though SF is my favorite genre, I don't give many 5 star ratings. But Susan has created a world of mindreaders vs. mindjackers that keeps me interested in the characters as well as the technology, and she never fails to throw a curve.

I wished I could peek into the mind of this handler, a jacker with the special ability to manipulate emotions, in Closed Hearts. I got the good guy vibe from Julian, but Kira couldn't jack into his mind so I couldn't be sure Susan wasn't going to bait and switch. Anna, Julian's sister, seems a little one-dimensional in this story, but her constant weapons cleaning serves as a good contrast to Julian's character cleaning. He helps recruits clean their souls.

I'm not telling what happens when some new recruits join his clan except to say, expect the unexpected. And if I weren't too old for teams, this novella would have made me declare for team Julian.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, so happy to have the chance to tell you about these two short novellas (The Handler, The Scribe) that go along with the Mindjack Series by Susan Quinn. I have reviewed the first two novels, Open Minds and Closed Hearts here on my blog. I loved them.

I just love when authors give us these novellas. For me, it serves two roles. First, it feeds me need to read more in between the actual full length novels. A little snack at intermission. :) Second, it gives me a glimpse into the lives, emotions and history of individual characters. It's awesome. Now I love Julian and Sasha even more.

These two novellas are fantastic. Julian and Sasha are both introduced in book two of this series and if you have read book two you will be wondering about them both. I sure was. Your heart will break just a little for Sasha. Well, maybe a lot.

My thanks to Susan Quinn for allowing me a chance to read and review these novellas. Love, love, love. I cannot wait to read the next installment in the Mindjack series, Free Souls.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read using Kindle Unlimited)

First of all, the formatting in this was really annoying. Every time I turned a page, the top 2 or more paragraphs were exactly the same as the last 2 or more paragraphs on the previous page! The font changed from page to page, and the constant jumping about was really quite irritating.

As for the story, well, I didn't really understand quite a bit of it, because I think this is set after book 1 , and I can't really remember much of that book. Because I didn't understand what was going on, I lost interest a bit.
5 out of 10.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this world, so I jumped at the chance to read these little novellas that accompany the series. This one gets inside Julian’s head and shows us more about his motivations and decisions.

We join Julian as he is still in the recruiting phase of his revolution. He’s obsessing a little bit about the leader of the most public step forward in years. His sister is not pleased with him, but supports the role that was left to them by their parents. It was nice to see into the inner workings and developing group dynamics as they begin to occupy their new home. If you’ve read the series (or up to the second one, as I have), these are must-reads.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was VERY interesting. Loved the interactions between Anna and Julian and the mysterious Serena that showed up out of no where with harmful interests.

It was great seeing how Julian had his vision of the future and his clan and how Sasha was the first true recruit after the mistake of trusting Serena. Interesting also to see Julian have to use his ability to "re-wire" her brain and make her less dangerous.

Great prequel to Closed Hearts!

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We're not freaks, Serena. And we're not an anomaly. We're destined to be the next step in the evolution of mankind, but only if we fight to survive."

Wow, Julian is a very complex person.
It's interesting to see just how ideal and romantic he is about how the world can be. It's nice to see that in a world that seems so full of hate and fear.

Julian is this big smiling beacon of hope.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh yummy, I want to read more! This book gives a nice tease of the series. This is the first of the series that I have read. Makes me want to eat up the rest of the series. The two siblings in the book are immersed in a world at war with both sides having unique powers. The few new characters that pop into the story to join their cause are quite a catch of powers and issues.

[menr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire Julian, but I'm not sure how I would feel if he ends up with Kira. Call it loyalty to first love interests, just like Lena triangle with Alex and Julian in Delirum (Hah! the coincidence of two Julians in two of my favourite series). Not that I'm putting much stock on Raf, seeing as how that's practically a lost cause unless they can do some voodoo work on his mind. LOL!

[Concetta Phillipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the look into Julian's character, the novella was a fast read. Nothing special, but a fun look into another character.

Julian could easily warrant his own full fledged novel, just like Sasha.

[Aydrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice background on Julian!

[Stephy-jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely insight into the perfectly wonderful Julian! I love him even more now LOL! <3

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julian, a handler, and his sister prepare to start accepting members into their merry, revolutionary band.
Ooo I can't wait until Julian meets Kira.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice additional backround to the series. I like having a little extra peek into their head. Nope, I am not a jacker!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good additional insite

[Gabrielle Zastrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

TOO SHORT! But still a nice story. I miss these characters!

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10: Good solid read, something to get your teeth into.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved to get into his head.. I wished it was more...