A well-written, high-spirited time-travel novel that offers some thrills but fails to deliver anything startlingly new to...
A Celt from the 10th century C.E. embarks on a quest through time in Gurkovich’s debut book, an energetic fantasy adventure.
One day while out hunting, a young man named Cathal happens upon Crowley, a wise old man of his village, who informs him that he’s been chosen to save the world. Many years ago, gods known as the Greater Beings created the world and continued to rule over it, eventually making shorter-lived beings in their image, namely humans. The most commanding of the gods were the kind, courageous Viktor and the ruthless, malicious Terranos, who eventually attempted to rule all of the Greater Beings. Viktor rose up against Crowley, half of the gods rallying to him and the other half falling in line with Terranos. Ultimately, Viktor’s team, the Elluna, succeeded. However, being gods, Terranos and his people, the Tarnok, couldn’t be defeated altogether; they were simply banished to the stars. Knowing that the Tarnok would one day return, Viktor imbued five mystical stones with the powers needed to save the world, all of which were eventually stolen by human Terranos worshipers known as the Tarnen. To regain the precious stones, Crowley sends Cathal to the different time periods when retrieval is possible. While the novel may not have the most original story, the author plunges the reader into it with vim, vigor, and an excellent knack for pacing, making for an often exciting read with a sense of forward motion and drive. This usually manages to distract attention from the fairly standard characters and their lack of complex development. But while some of the time-travel destinations are inspired, such as Gangland Chicago in the Roaring ’20s, others seem tonally inappropriate. For example, while it’s generally treated respectfully here, the Rape of Nanking feels far too bleak an environment in which to thrust a time traveler, especially when it’s presented as just one in a series of exploits involving magical MacGuffins.
A well-written, high-spirited time-travel novel that offers some thrills but fails to deliver anything startlingly new to the genre.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5170-0077-6
Page Count: 264
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.
This YA SF novel features a teen who must halt a virus that will kill two-thirds of humanity.
In Silver Oak, Maryland, Alice Sherman is a high school junior enjoying lunch near her campus basketball court. With her is Archie, her brother, a senior and science prodigy who likes equations more than his fellow students. Alice has been Archie’s one true friend since their mother left six years ago. Alice is about to catch up with Lalana Bunyasarn, her best friend, when a sudden “streak of electricity zaps through” her head. The agony intensifies until a Voice enters Alice’s mind, asking her, “Do you want this pain to stop?” The Voice then instructs her to go up to Bandit Sakda, a classmate playing basketball, and say that she loves him. Bandit is a beautiful Thai boy who’s talented and arrogant. Strangely, the Voice calls her Malice and says not to fall for him because “it’ll only make what you have to do later harder.” Eventually, Alice learns that the Voice belongs to someone from 10 years in the future who needs help saving humanity. A virus will be created by a person Alice knows that will wipe out two-thirds of the world population. Following the Voice’s directions can save everyone—except the person Alice is ordered to kill. Dunn’s (Star-Crossed, 2018, etc.) latest YA adventure offers increasingly tantalizing twists that gleam in succession like nested matryoshka dolls. Alice will charm readers with her quirks, especially her devotion to Chris Hemsworth of Marvel’s Avengers films. Tension builds as characters in the large cast, including crushworthy Zeke Cain and the brilliant Cristela Ruiz, become potential targets for Alice’s mission. Details about Thai culture add a splendid dimension to the narrative; for example, Bandit is pronounced “bun-dit” and means “one who is wise.” While the notion of a high school killer may not sit well with some, the author doesn’t use the device lightly. Her book takes a strong anti-bullying stance, doing so through an entertaining narrative that doesn’t resort to preaching. The author’s heart and craftiness make a sequel welcome.
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64063-412-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)
A convoluted fantasy offering a series of morals about justice, mercy, human treatment of animals and human treatment of other humans.
A cluster of animals have been educated by a World War II veteran and his activist wife. The animals, a now-vegetarian mix of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, live in harmony on Cloudburst Mountain. Following their scriptures (the Bible, Animal Farm and judgments such as “Humans Are Evil”), they plan for the day when they will kill all the humans and rule the world. The tale follows the adventures of their coyote prophet Justice and human ally Cody as they travel the United States preparing other animals for “The Rebellion.” Though they meet mostly repellent, violent humans and mistreated animals, they also encounter enough well-meaning, victimized humans to make Cody question his alliance with the cause of human genocide. Meanwhile, the grandson of the original human missionaries to the animals threatens the entire endeavor as he plans to mine the mountain for uranium. Ultimately, the animals succeed in murdering the vast majority of the human race, giving them hope for a shining new day. This overly complex tale is dense with purple prose and far too many extraneous characters–for example, Gordon “Raindance” Fell, the Shadow Shaman of the Pokihallah tribe; and Forest Victor, who appears for the first time late in the story, saying of his never-mentioned-before dead wife, “if only her hatred of the evil deeds of the baby seal killers hadn’t drawn her and her cameras into a combative stance.”
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)Pub Date: June 21, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-39274-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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