Despite some nice moments of suspense and adventure, this underdeveloped novel is hampered by clunky prose, a sketchily...
Two friends embark on an adventure to save their family and their world in this Christian fantasy.
Noni and Beeheart, two adolescent Gomis, have lived their whole lives in the quiet village of Gratville in Inod, far away from the dangerous lands of Sur. Though there are rumors of an encroaching threat from the evil Surlis, stirrings of discord already exist between the small, peaceful Gomis and the larger, bureaucratic Krochits. People have started mysteriously disappearing, including Noni’s parents and Beeheart’s mother, but the friends aren’t moved to act until the Surli kidnap Beeheart’s sister, Ranni. To save her, the boys embark on a journey that takes them far from home, where they discover the truth of the nefarious plot: The Surli want to take Inod and its plentiful resources for themselves. Standing in the Surlis’ way are the just, godlike being Ameno and his followers, the only ones who can end the invasion for good. What started for Noni and Beeheart as a simple quest becomes a mission to save the world. Novelist Beutel (Flora’s Story, 2014) clearly found inspiration for this novel in the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The setup of the epic journey and a number of action scenes (including pursuits, a capture and an escape) are strong. However, they are slightly derivative. Problems also arise in the novel’s unnatural dialogue (“A couple of years ago, my father disappeared mysteriously….This made me very sad, since he was the only parent I ever knew and we were very close”), flat characterization, and worldbuilding that piles on information but lacks imagination; for example, many fantastical creatures are barely altered from their real-world equivalents. There are also some uncomfortably stitched-in Christian elements, which appear as constant Biblical quotes and extended lectures, although the messages of love and responsibility are positive ones. The addition of a Jesus analogue in the all-powerful Ameno, though, creates story problems, as it becomes easy for readers to wonder why he doesn’t just fix everything with a wave of his hand.
Despite some nice moments of suspense and adventure, this underdeveloped novel is hampered by clunky prose, a sketchily drawn world and didactic religious lessons.Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2014
ISBN: 978-1490456126
Page Count: 306
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Great for a middle- or high-school audience looking for some fun.
Comedy and suspense dominate this imaginative twist on the Dracula legend.
Harnissey, Dracula’s vampire nephew, and his companion, the ancient spider Morleaux, arrive at the old homestead for a visit when Dracula leaves for London. Harnissey, innocent, well-meaning and constantly bumbling, is attacked by the vampire sisters in residence, who intend to take over the castle while the Master is away. He and his intelligent spider sidekick eventually form an alliance with Dracula’s undead butler, a nicely drawn character always surrounded by a halo of buzzing flies, and a kingly, sinister cat, to do battle against a centuries-old vampire sorceress who’s arrived holding a grudge, along with her skeleton army. Bayne has a flair for droll comedy. His monstrous characters stand out clearly and distinctly as individuals, and the author’s clever focus on the other side of Bram Stoker’s novel helps fill out the story. The humorous undead protagonists, who are afraid of ghosts, add plenty of flavor to the story, as does the author’s incorporation of historical detail. The only flaw is Bayne’s tendency toward too-flippant dialogue, which is clearly designed to appeal to adolescents, but is inconsistent with the more sophisticated style used in the narration. Still, this is an entertaining romp that displays originality and inventiveness.
Great for a middle- or high-school audience looking for some fun. (Fiction. YA)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-40242-9
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Envisioning a nightmarish future in which children deemed small or otherwise defective are worked to death breaking rocks, and the constant rain is so acid it raises blisters, Rapp (Buffalo Tree, 1997) crafts another lurid shocker. Learning that the coffin maker who has housed her is about to sell her off, 11-year-old Whensday, also known as “33” for the tattoo on her arm, sneaks away. Cataloging the disease, excrement, blood, vomit, mutations, slime, and general filth with matter-of-fact bluntness, she takes temporary shelter from the rain with Honeycut, a huge, dimwitted teenager; tries to escape with another fugitive who dies of ebola-like Blackfrost; is raped by an officer of the brutal local militia; and sees Honeycut stoned to death for killing the man. Whensday tells her tale in a colorful idiolect, mixing dreams and scatological exchanges with Oakley, a tough-talking younger friend. Certain she’s about to die since she can’t stop vomiting, Whensday is rescued by a hidden community of women who clean her up and tell her she’s pregnant—a happy ending, under the circumstances. Often gripping, sometimes blackly funny in a squalid way, this will remind readers of Russell Hoban’s Ridley Walker (1980) and other tales of post-apocalyptic devastation. (Fiction. 13-15)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 1999
ISBN: 1-886910-42-1
Page Count: 250
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
