Search This Blog

2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


32 / 30 books. 107% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (9)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (2)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (2)
- Georgia (2)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (4)
- Indiana (4)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (3)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri (1)
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada (2)
- New Hampshire (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (9)
- North Carolina (4)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (4)
- Utah (2)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (2)

International:
- Argentina (1)
- Australia (2)
- Bolivia (1)
- Canada (3)
- China (2)
- England (21)
- France (1)
- Ghana (1)
- India (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (4)
- Italy (1)
- Poland (1)
- Russia (1)
- Scotland (3)
- The Netherlands (1)

My Progress:


51 / 51 states. 100% done!

2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


49 / 50 books. 98% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


36 / 50 books. 72% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


50 / 52 books. 96% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


36 / 40 books. 90% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


18 / 40 books. 45% done!

2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


26 / 25 cozies. 104% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

My Progress


22 / 26.2 miles (3rd lap). 84% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


41 / 100 books. 41% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

My Progress:


97 / 109 books. 89% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


52 / 52 books. 100% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

My Progress


130 / 165 books. 79% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


83 / 100 names. 83% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 80 skills. 13% done!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Farworld: The Fate of Two Lands Lie in the Hands of 2 Unlikely Heroes

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Thirteen year-old Marcus Kanenas appears to be the least likely hero in the world. Orphaned and crippled, he has little to rely on, except the wheelchair that helps him get around. Marcus' disabilities make him the target of school bullies who see him only as a freak. What the cruel boys don't realize is that nothing is ever as it seems, including their classmate. Disfigured though he may be, Marcus has unique abilities - he's determined, brave and just a little bit magic. So, when a strange creature disguised as a government agent approaches, Marcus is able to disappear long enough to distract the phony ... at least for a little while. Then, he feels himself being yanked so hard his stomach turns inside out and his whole world changes. He wakes up somewhere far, far away from the Arizona desert he's known all his life.

This, he comes to realize, is Farworld. It's a magical land where trees talk, horses tell corny jokes, lizards fly and wizards shape shift into wolves. Spells and sorcerers abound. Although it's unlike Earth in lots of ways, there's something familiar about it - it's a place Marcus has dreamed of hundreds of times. Has he leapt inside his imagination or, as strange as it seems, has he actually been in Farworld before? When he interrogates his new friend, Kyja, he learns little that makes sense. Only three things are apparent: the pair are connected; their worlds parallel each other somehow; and they must save both Earth and Farworld from the evil that could destroy them both.

Thus begins Farworld: Water Keep, the first in a new YA fantasy series by J. Scott Savage. In this, the debut novel, Marcus discovers that he is the hero of Farworld's legends, the man who allegedly saves the land from the Dark Lord who seeks to rule it. He learns that Master Therapass, a kindly old wizard, swapped Marcus and Kyja at birth in an attempt to hide Marcus from his enemies. Now that the evil ones have found him, they won't stop until they have Marcus in their clutches. As Marcus and Kyja flee from a host of nightmarish creatures, they hatch a crazy plan: If they can reach each of the Elementals - beings representing fire, water, land and air - they can open a rift between their worlds, return Kyja to her proper home, and save both their worlds. The problem? Elementals can be a little ... uncooperative. Still, it's their only chance.

Their first objective: Convince the rulers of Water Keep to aid them in their quest. Easier said than done. Their journey takes them past a sinister Summoner, into a forest full of trees with uncertain motives, to an underground prison, into the talons of an enormous ice dragon and into an icy wonderland where humans are decidedly unwelcome. It's a harrowing journey that will try Marcus and Kyja to the very core of their beings. Along the way, they will make important discoveries about themselves, each other, and the true nature of magic. Oh yeah, and they will jump back and forth between worlds with dizzying frequency, take on some truly sinister beings, and fight for justice in two increasingly apathetic worlds.

Although Farworld: Water Keep packs plenty of action into its pages, I had a bit of trouble getting into it. I found the beginning a little disparate and confusing. By about Chapter 5, however, I was completely hooked. The characters don't exactly leap off the page, but they develop into an interesting and endearing cast. Archetypal characters border on cliche, but Savage also introduces some wholly original creatures. I was especially entranced with Water Keep - I loved the descriptions of the city as well as those of its residents and rulers. The writing could have been tighter and I would have liked better character development, but all in all, I enjoyed this fun romp through a fantastical world full of twists, turns and (mostly) delightful surprises. Savage is no J.K. Rowling or C.S. Lewis, but he's not bad. Not bad at all.

Grade: B+

1 comment:

  1. I couldn't get into this one at all... maybe I needed to give it to Chapter 5!

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin


Reading

<i>Reading</i>
Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie

Listening

<i>Listening</i>
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth



Followin' with Bloglovin'

Follow

Followin' with Feedly

follow us in feedly



Grab my Button!


Blog Design by:


Blog Archive



2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Susan has read 0 books toward her goal of 200 books.
hide

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2023 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2022 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction