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The Jestivan

Name: The Jestivan
Author: David F. Farris
ISBN: 978-0-692-60640-7

From the Erafeen series , Vol. 1

by David F. Farris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 9, 2016

A fun, energetic fantasy sure to appeal to anime aficionados.

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Farris’ debut is an epic tale of strange powers and political maneuvering set amid the backdrop of 10 fractious kingdoms, each with its own agenda and defining traits.

Sixteen-year-old Bryson is scarred both physically and emotionally. A student at the elite Light Realm–affiliated school Phesaw, Bryson struggles with the memory of his father. This year might finally be his chance to escape his father’s shadow, though: Bryson and his friend Olivia will join the Jesitvan, a legendary group of heroes. The Jestivan are called only in times of great danger, however, and as much as Bryson is enjoying the new experience of having friends and a team, the Jestivan were called for a reason. Dark forces are moving, using subterfuge and deceit, to pit the Light-aligned Kingdoms against one another. Complicating matters further is Lita Lilu, fellow Jestivan, princess, and just maybe the girl of Bryson’s dreams. Lives—and kingdoms—are at stake, and to save them, Bryson and his new friends will have to overcome not just powerful enemies, but their own flaws and weaknesses. The narrative, like its protagonists, is full of fun strengths and a few flaws it needs to overcome. The action scenes are snappy and well-written, and the characters are as colorful as their hair—violet, green, purple, etc. The anime influence is very strong. While that definitely contributes to the fun, it also has a few drawbacks. The bombastic speaking style can sound stilted, and exposition often unfolds via robotic monologues. However, the cast is a hoot, successfully riding the line between amusingly over-the-top and outright unbelievable (see Meow Meow the sentient hat that looks like a kitten).

A fun, energetic fantasy sure to appeal to anime aficionados.

Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-692-60640-7

Page Count: 296

Publisher: Sphaira Publishing

Review Posted Online: April 8, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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I CAPTURE THE CASTLE

by Dodie Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 20, 1948

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The author of popular theatrical hits, Autumn Crocus, etc., has produced a first novel, a gentle, genteel story of English eccentrics, kindly Americans, and an artless, unworldly background that has no current feel. The story is told in diary form by Cassandra, middle child of novelist Mortmain. At the moment, the family is stale-mated—the father refusing to write, the stepmother able to pose only once in a while, Rose, beautiful and despairing of meeting anyone eligible to marry, even their friend, the librarian, can offer no solution. Rose wishes on a devil—and two Americans, Simon and Neil, appear, lost en route to the property Simon has inherited. They are fascinated by the whole unlikely thing—the old castle, the girls, the identity of Mortmain, whose one great novel Simon knew. Both girls determine that Simon shall be Rose's—and almost too late, with Rose in London shopping for her wedding, Cassandra realizes that it is Simon she loves, while Rose loves Neil. There's charm here—there's a gay, English spotting of humor that makes the romance and the slight story almost a natural for the Thirkell followers—for enthusiasts of the Jane Austen tradition. Literary Guild selection for November will give it the necessary impetus. And the crying need for clean and pleasant romance will find a measure of answer here.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 1948

ISBN: 978-0-312-31616-7

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: April 9, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1948

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

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THE TALISMAN

by Stephen King & Peter Straub ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1984

But, with some gripping sequences along the way and the double-whammy byline, this grandiose, meandering saga—echoing Oz,...

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The quasi-cosmic, picaresque journey of twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer—across America on foot, "flipping" in and out of a parallel universe called the "Territories"—in quest of a magical talisman that will save his widowed mother (a former B-movie star) from dying of cancer.

Jack's trek begins on the Atlantic coast, where an old black man at a seedy "Funworld" tells him about the Territories, The Talisman, and the "Twinners" (parallel-universe doppelgangers); and these first chapters recall the murky hoo-hah of Straub's opaque Shadowland—as Jack learns that his nemesis is his dead father's evil business partner Morgan Sloat, known in the Territories as "Morgan of Orris." Still, Jack plunges ahead—walking west but flipping into the Territories whenever Morgan's pursuit becomes lethal. . . and vice versa. In the real world his ordeals include: slave-labor at an upstate N.Y. tavern; harassment from pederasts; dreadful days in a neo-Diekensian "Home" for delinquent boys. In the semi-medieval Territories, he faces tree-monsters and assorted "thing" attackers—but also acquires a devoted, brave sidekick: a werewolf named Wolf, who travels with Jack into the real world. (This 150-page section, midway through, is prime alien-fiction Ã la King—funny, touching, complete with a Carrie-like outburst of retaliation from poor, sweet Wolf.) And eventually, after Wolf's noble demise, lack reaches the midwestern prep school of chum Richard Sloat (son of Morgan)—who'll reluctantly accompany him the rest of the paranoid-peril way: across the radioactive Blasted Lands on a magical train, then flipping into real-world California. . . where The Talisman awaits ("COME TO ME! COME NOW!") in a black hotel. Fans of King's horror, then, will probably be irritated by the pretentious, verbose, psycho-gothic/philosophical fantasy here—which involves coming-of-age, the Twinner gestalt, the sinful secrets of Jack's dead dad, and heavy good-vs.-evil breathing. (See King's The Stand as well as lesser Straub.) At the other extreme is a lot of King-style sentimentality and jokey vulgarity—with Jack's mind implausibly embracing four decades of pop-culture allusions.

But, with some gripping sequences along the way and the double-whammy byline, this grandiose, meandering saga—echoing Oz, Alice, and Huck Finn—is sure to reach a massive audience. . . and satisfy about half of it.