Gaia Wars: Your world is in danger, how hard do you fight?

Heart-Pounding Pace 

Even if this book does not seem to fit your usual choice of genre, you will not be disappointed if you pick it up. Quite the opposite, in fact. From the beginning, you are hooked into this engrossing world. It starts with a suspenseful, heart pounding pace that doesn’t let up. It will have your breath quickening right along with that of the main character.

It starts out seeming like the everyday (although exciting) life of a young boy, Warren,  who loves adventure. He is playing a seemingly harmless prank on his hated neighbors. It might turn out not to be so harmless after all, as Warren quickly discovers. He is whisked away on an enthralling and risky adventure. It all starts with a skeleton he finds on a trail. Suddenly he is thrown into a new type of world where mind-boggling things happen that he has no answers for.

Everyday life is now a thing of the past. He sees things that no one would believe could be real. People seem to be interested in him or concerned for him that were not before. He isn’t sure who to trust. Even those closest to him don’t seem to be as trustworthy as they once were.

Reader is pulled into this strange, new world

When he had first found the skeleton in the woods, he had also discovered a medallion which he soon learns can do more than you would think. It is the start of a lesson in strangeness. However, everything builds up and it is presented in a natural way, through an exciting flow of events. The reader is pulled in and truly believes in this world, however crazy sounding it may be. We experience all of the shock and newness of everything with Warren.

Interesting questions are raised as well between the non stop action of this fast paced adventure. Are people evil? How do people react to certain situations? The story leads you to delve into the exploration of evil and what is required for someone to become totally evil or not.

It is funny how you may believe a certain thing about a person, only to have all of your suspicions turned completely around. Even the main character has to wrestle with the question of evil within and what this means.

How far off the edge?

The story ends leaving you wondering what will happen next and also gives you a taste of what is to come in the next book of the series, Battle for Cascadia.

Overall, this is a very gripping story that truly pulls you in and you will not be able to stop reading. The chapters are short and deadly fast paced, full of action. It doesn’t leave you hanging right on the edge of the cliff about to fall off, but it does leave you hanging on pretty close to the edge so that you can hear the next word when the action continues. Definitely recommended for your next read, as I was pulled right in and could not stop reading!

Click below to go to the Amazon page for the paperback, also available on Kindle. I am looking forward to what comes next, so be sure to stay tuned for the next review! Please sign up for email updates at the top right of the page to hear the latest.

Have you heard? Transmedia Story-telling here to stay (will not be Gone)

The New Form(s) of Story-telling

 

Gone is now here and everywhere

For fans of Michael Grant’s Gone series (which you must read! Here’s why) there is an exciting announcement- the story gets bigger and better as it is becoming “transmedia”- meaning it is going across different forms of media- (internet, blog, book, ARG (alternate reality game) and even a new app!) so it will be told in different ways and you will be able to experience the story hands on, in a way. It is something that takes place, as Grant says, “in a world that you’re not going to expect. It’s a world where if you make a false move, you’re going to lose your mind.”

Muppet Babies and Ninja Turtles? Say what?

Still not sure what this means? You may have heard it before (as it is all the rage) but for those who need a refresher course, here it is. Transmedia storytelling is described by Henry Jenkins, who reintroduced the term, (after it was first used by Marsha Kinder to describe many different media franchises, including the Muppet Babies and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles): “as storytelling across multiple forms of media with each element making distinctive contributions to a fan’s understanding of the story world. By using different media formats, transmedia create “entry points” through which consumers can become immersed in a story world.”

Transmedia is a way to experience the story not just in many different ways, but on your own terms. Just like those choose your own adventure books (although on a much grander scale) you can make the story your own each time and you can determine how far you want to go and how much you want to know about the story.

The World of Gone: better than ever

The Gone series so far has been one of those stories that completely takes you into the world of the characters with the books alone, so I cannot even imagine what this will mean for the series and for all of us as we embark on this new multifaceted adventure that is sure to be the new way to enhance and experience a story to the fullest.

Caution Ahead: Dangerous, Risky Unpaved Life-Threatening Roads

Grant speculates that this may well be the new way that publishing is going. Let’s see where this thrilling new experience takes us and as Grant’s site, gobzrk.com warns: Be careful (or in terms reminiscent of the choose your own adventure books) Proceed at your own risk!

Received information from Grant’s new website (this is where you can join in the fun and expolore this new world!):

Take part in this new world! Join the Fayz

Q&A w/ Michael Grant