In this short story collection, we get a new Eve Dallas story. Not terribly inspired, I think Roberts work is best in full length format. I am never as impressed with her shorter pieces. This one is about a vampire on a killing rampage (but of course he is not really a vampire). The other authors were all ones I was not familiar with and there stories were ok. We had one about time travel, another about a magic carpet ride, and a third one about time travel that is rather dark and disturbing. They were all………fine. I guess what it boils down to is I like full length novels. I always feel like I am not getting the whole story when I read short stories (even when the short stories are 100 pages sometimes). C’est la vie. Luckily it only took me about an hour and a half to read so no great loss.
Review by Allana, regular contributor.
The Book of Time: By Guillaume Prevost is a book that from the fifth page, will suck you in. I read it in one day, and couldn't put it down. From the detailed descriptions of the scenery, to the characters vibrant personalities, this book has more than one reason to dive in. It is the first book of a series, so even when you finish, you'll have more to look forward to after you are done.
This is the story of Sam, a young boy who is sent on a journey of epic proportions. When Sam's father disappears, Sam, who usually lives with his grandparents, goes over to his father's house. But what he finds is more than he is willing to take on. A stone statue in a secret area in his father's basement. The secret of the statue is what sends Sam off on a journey of a lifetime. He learns that with the power of the statue, he can travel through time. With some help from his cousin Lilly, a nagging Aunt, and a few newspaper articles, Sam might just be able to take on his worst fear; A bully named Monk. Whether or not Sam succeeds is for you to find out.
This book is full of suprises, and with throw you for many loops. I loved
The Book of Time and I hope you do too!
Matt Fuller is supposed to make a machine to calibrate electromagnetic forces, but instead he accidentally creates a time machine. He isn’t quite sure how it works, but he knows that each time he resets it, the machine sends you 12 times farther into the future. After doing some testing, Matt is anxious to test it out himself. He is sure that this will make his career. But in the process he accidentally kills someone, almost gets killed himself, finds himself in a world where the 2nd coming has just taken place and then out on the moon. It is a funny book about possibilities of what could happen to the world. IT reminds me a bit of Connie Willis’s work. The cover makes it seem as though it came out a long time ago, but it has in fact been just recently published. A science-fiction book that does not have too much of hte robots trying to take over hte world in it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In her latest Masters of Time book, Joyce introduces Allie Monroe, a young woman of 25 who can heal just about anything. But dark forces want to use her powers for evil and it is up to Royce to stop them. What they didn’t plan on was falling in love. In a tragic accident, Royce is killed and so Allie begs Aidan (another warrior) to take her back to 1430. Royce is none too pleased to see her and Allie will have to use all her wiles to show him she really does love him while staying away from the evil that stalks her. An intriguing look at time travel, this is a new look at historical, fantasy romance.
The first book in a series, this sets the stage for time traveling done by a teenager. Sam’s dad has disappeared and when Sam goes to his bookstore to find out if he left any clues behind, he discovers a hidden room with a statue. Taking a coin and placing it in the center transports him to another time and place. Soon he is hopscotching through history, but still no sign of his dad. Not overly exciting, this is a more current time travel book than has been seen in awhile and so will appeal to kids who like that. I can only hope the next few get better.
The Missing Locket
Book I, Cynthia’s Attic series
By Mary Cunningham
Quake (Echelon Press imprint)
ISBN: 1-59080-441-4
Copyright 2005
Trade Paperback, 152 pages, $9.99
Mystery/Paranormal, Middle Reader
Reviewed by Mayra Calvani
The Missing Locket is a paranormal mystery featuring two lovable young sleuths that girls 9 and up will absolutely love. It is the perfect, darkly atmospheric story for young fans of intrigue and adventure to cuddle up with on those gray, rainy afternoons or read in bed.
It is the summer of 1964 and Gus and Cynthia, two best friends who are very different from each other yet very close, are bored out of their minds. Then they have an idea—why not explore Cynthia’s old and mysterious attic? After all, Cynthia lives in one of those huge mansions with three floors and lots of rooms, the perfect kind of house that stimulates young imaginations. In the attic, among all the antiques, spiders and cobwebs, they discover a huge, dust-covered old trunk.
When they open it, they find an old, dirty, pink ballet costume and slippers, which Cynthia, unable to resist, quickly tries on. Then something very strange happens… Cynthia begins to dance and twirl with the effortless beauty of a ballerina! Stunned, she soon takes it off. As they head towards the door, the unimaginable happens—they’re ‘pulled’ back to the trunk as if by magic, and the attic changes, becoming cold and still when only a moment ago it had been hot and muggy. What’s even more strange, the ballet costume and the trunk now look brand new!
Under the costume, they discover a sailor dress, and this time Gus tries it on, with drastic consequences… she’s whisked in time back to 1914, to the time when their grandmothers were only twelve years old. Of course, later on, Cynthia joins Gus, and together they must help their Aunt Belle and solve the mystery of the missing, bell-shaped locket, an adventure that takes them over on a steamship across the Atlantic and where they make friends with a young boy’s ghost.
Talented author Mary Cunningham has drawn a delightful, intriguing fantasy world that will delight middle readers. Her love for storytelling and for the genre really comes through the pages. The pace is quick and there’s enough twists and turns to keep juvenile fans of mystery guessing. The characters of Gus and Cynthia are sympathetic and interesting and young girls will be able to identify with them. This is the first book in the series and I certainly look forward to read the second book, The Magic Medallion, soon.
I'm hoping (see previous post) to properly start work on my non-Who Time Travel tale next week and I've been thinking about it a good deal in the meantime. The one thing I've been wondering is whether or not to have an object that precipitates Danny's time-travelling. My original idea was that he would not have such an object - no mechanical or magical machine that causes him to time-travel, so no TARDIS ("Doctor Who"), no DeLorean ("Back to the Future"), no Art Deco radio (London Calling), no Rift ("Torchwood"/"Doctor Who"), no bags of Time (Johnny and the Bomb), etc.
But I remembered conversations about Susan Cooper's King of Shadows, in which young Nat Field travels back to 1599 without the use of a particular time-travel device and now I'm wondering which method readers prefer ? If I choose to go for the no device option, how much of an explanation would you want for how Danny manages to travel in time ? Personally I'm quite happy without a detailed explanation (I think part of the reason I love King of Shadows is the mystery that surrounds Nat's time-travelling, but I'm curious to know what others prefer.
Thanks, Mayra, for the wonderful review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the first book, and hope The Magic Medallion is as much fun!
"Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou," will be out in NOV and I believe it's going to be my personal favorite.
Thanks again!
Cheers,
Mary