Kirjailijakuva

Tyler Scott Hess

Teoksen The Treasure Map tekijä

4 teosta 11 jäsentä 5 arvostelua

Tekijän teokset

The Treasure Map (2019) 4 kappaletta
The Dream (2013) 2 kappaletta

Merkitty avainsanalla

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Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

When a bad report card leads to Jack spending Christmas vacation cleaning out the attic, the last thing he expected to find was a map and letters that magically whisked him away to another place and time. Suddenly he's seeing events through the eyes of Niko, a young man who lives in a time when the Faithful are persecuted and even publicly executed in an annual celebration. Niko miraculously escapes this execution and then joins a group of rebels who are determined to expose the evils of the State.

I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this novella and found that I quite enjoyed it. By the time Jack had visited the other world twice, I was hooked and really wanted to know what would happen. I can't say the characters were all that engaging, but to be honest, I didn't really notice while I was reading it. It was a quick, enjoyable read.

By comparison, the "real world" became a bit dull and monotonous. Jack's plight to clean out the attic was only made slightly more interesting by his inventiveness as he tried to get through it more quickly. But even that didn't bother me too much, so it must have been less dull than reading about cleaning an attic sounds like it would be. I think the shorter length of the story might have helped with that.

On the other hand, the story in the other world became a bit rushed and muddled in the last quarter or so, so I think in that area, more pages would have helped. It lost a bit of its excitement for me because of this. And the ending was a little confusing.

I'll just say a few things about the style and editing, which I don't generally let affect my rating with a self-published book. I'm not saying that there is no burden of responsibility here, but it's harder for self-published authors. There were some grammar issues, but for me, this area really came down to narration and tense. The first chapter reads like standard fiction--3rd person, past tense, seemingly limited to Jack. Then at the end, it becomes more omniscient, conversational. This crops up again one other place, but I think it would have been better if it had been more consistent. And in the other world, the writing is 1st person and present tense. But at some point in the second half of the book, I began to notice areas where it slipped into past tense. All of these things, and some of what I mentioned above, tell me that the book could have used a bit more editing.

None of that detracted enough from the book for me to not enjoy it overall, though. It was a real adventure and a cautionary tale. My guess is that the "Faithful" are meant to be Christians, but to be honest, the Christianity in the book is incredibly light. You could almost insert any real or fictional religion. And one more thing--before Jack even went to the other world for the first time, I noticed a couple of references to Calvin & Hobbes, in that Jack's little brother's name was Calvin, and there was a girl Jack's age named Susie that was only really in the story to be the Susie Derkins of this book. I made a note to watch out for any hint of a tiger, to verify that it wasn't a coincidence, and then it turned out there was a character later named Hobbes! (I thought it was great, by the way.) I would recommend this for fans of Christian fantasy & adventure books.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
Kristi_D | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Sep 22, 2023 |
(2.5 / 5)

It’s been a year since Jack’s unexpected adventure in the mind of Niko Monroe some time in the future, with no new rumblings from the map and letters that sucked him in. When new markings appear on the papers, he’s not prepared for what happens next to Niko and his friends, for whom a year has also passed.

Though I enjoyed the book that preceded this one, I had some difficulties with both storylines of book 2. There are basically two different stories being told—that of Jack in present time, hoping to complete a group social studies project in time for Christmas Eve and that of Niko dealing with a future where a specific group of people are heavily persecuted for their beliefs. In the present time, Jack and his friends are 11 years old working on a project where they’re supposed to create a people group complete with culture, language, etc. While it makes some sense for Jack’s glimpses into Niko’s life and the future world to influence his work on this project, it doesn’t influence him in ways that make much of sense to me. In fact, the kids’ discussion of the project doesn’t always make sense to me in general, and they seem to go around in circles a lot. These kids also talk and act far older than 11, and one of them is way too quick to resort to violence in response to even mild joking. Along with some other issues I had, it all led to me feeling really disconnected from this side of the story.

Unfortunately, I also felt pretty disconnected from the other side of the story too. Niko spends all of his time either in prison (sometimes the prison is plush, but it’s still prison) or on the run. But his counterparts spend a lot of time learning, doing, and acting. Then Niko hears about it after the fact in very vague snippets, as they are always hesitant to give him any real information. So the reader doesn’t really know anything either, until things are revealed near the end, which are too little, too late. It all felt a little too contrived to provide suspense, but mostly I just felt left out. And on that note, I was really hoping that the Maiden would not turn out to be who she ended up turning out to be, because it seems too cliche and I don’t really get it.

I think what I was really missing, though, was the “why.” I mentioned in my review of the first book that the beliefs the persecuted people are following is probably meant to be Christianity, but it’s not stated all that clearly. They reference the “King” a lot, but there weren’t even any references to God in this book, while the previous book had at least a few. In fact, the one thing from the previous book that had seemed to be God intervening turns out to have been an act of man! Essentially, the people in this book are being persecuted for not falling in line with the government more than anything else. They even state themselves that what they most want is just to be left alone, to be free. It’s usually a secondary statement that they would also want to share their beliefs with others. But what beliefs? Because I really don’t know what they believe other than that “the King” will guide their paths, even though it seems more like it’s the Maiden who’s been guiding their paths.

As is the case with so many reviews I write, it’s clear that there are plenty of other people who really enjoyed this book, so please be sure to check out their reviews at the link below if the book is of interest to you.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
Kristi_D | 1 muu arvostelu | Sep 22, 2023 |
There's something about a group of people with different personalities, many quirks, and various skill sets banding together with a common goal. There's bound to be tension, and sometimes even traitors, but there's also a bond that only comes from putting one's life on the line for each other, and this camaraderie enabled the fugitives who have a leading role in this book to take on what seemed nearly impossible to accomplish. I loved the message of teamwork, and that everyone has unique abilities to contribute.

However, their faith, which was what united them, seemed more like a label than something that defined their lives. They made references to luck and 'If it's meant to be, it will be,' but praying to The King was only mentioned when Niko found himself 'too distracted by my thoughts to focus my prayers on the mission.'

And there is apparently going to be a sequel! More of Felicity, Rafe, Niko, Maia, and Wiley, and their adventures that are sometimes due to Wiley's fascination with everything that goes "boom." I can't wait.

I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an objective review.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
Marypo | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | May 21, 2021 |
The Compass balances the life-or-death suspense and high stakes of the dystopian storyline with the lighthearted adventures of the protagonist in the modern storyline.

Hobbes' bluntness and leadership, Felicity's speed, Rafe's technical knowledge, Wiley's fascination with things that go 'boom', Maia's doggedness and cheerful dose of reality, and Niko's devotion and determination all combine to create a memorable force that represented a people beaten down but never without hope, The Faithful. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story and how the characters leaned on each other. The quest was intriguing, and the characters were multi-dimensional and had unique personalities and perspectives.

There were first-person to omniscient POV switches and a few other things, but other than that it was smooth. The conversations between the kids and some of Jack's internal dialogue in the modern storyline seemed a bit too "adult" at times, but they were balanced with witty banter and silly shenanigans.

If you're looking for a book with snowball fights, sledding, Christmas cookies, and a thrilling dystopian adventure, you've found it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. A positive review was not required.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
Marypo | 1 muu arvostelu | May 21, 2021 |

Tilastot

Teokset
4
Jäseniä
11
Suosituimmuussija
#857,862
Arvio (tähdet)
3.8
Kirja-arvosteluja
5
ISBN:t
2