Victor and the Sun Orb
Amy Nielsen
978-0595512126
iUniverse (2008)

Sun fairies both good and evil, monstrous creatures, adventure, magic, a talking strawberry bush, ant royalty, and an epic battle for the freedom of an entire world are in store in the wonderful young adult fantasy Victor and the Sun Orb by Amy Nielsen.

The book captivates from the Prologue. On Solandia, another dimension of Earth, a mythical sphere called the Sun Orb gives the fairies their magical powers. Without the Orb the entire world will become dark and magic-less. The book opens at the trial of Thorkel, the brother of King Godfred, a short time after Thorkel’s capture for stealing the Sun Orb. Under Solandian law, Thorkel is sentenced by Queen Magenta to life imprisonment for his crime.

Some 500 years later, Queen Magenta has given birth to a son, Prince Victor. Not long after his birth it is learned that he has been cursed to become human on his 13th birthday. Humans cannot survive in the fairy world of Solandia and so upon turning the fateful age, Victor must leave his family to live with humans. The King and Queen search the entire Kingdom for the person responsible for Victor’s mortality curse.

Victor’s parents take the curse very seriously and decide to prepare Victor for life with the humans. Victor begins training with a fairy Master Tyrus. For three hours a day, Victor is trained in magic, history, geography, self-defense, and human lifestyles. Victor doesn’t take to his studies right away, but in time he becomes a proficient student.

Despite an intense, decade-long search, the curse is not broken. Victor leaves home to live on Earth as a human after his thirteenth birthday. Meanwhile, the Sun Orb is stolen and the fairies’ magic instantly begins to weaken. It is believed that Narcissa, a once banished terrorist fairy, or even Thorkel, may be responsible for the theft. Magenta and Godfred assemble an army and travel to a place called Fallen Island to find the Sun Orb. On Earth, Victor’s human friend, Annika, has been kidnapped and evidence is found of evil fairy magic. Victor must use all he has learned from Master Tyrus to travel to Fallen Island to save her.

Amy Nielsen has created a universe with loveable creatures, horrible monsters, and mythical magic, effectively keeping readers of all ages entertained from cover to cover. Nielsen steadily builds the momentum over the first 100 pages. Then she throws us onto a thrill ride of twists and turns in the closing chapters, as the armies of Magenta/Godfred and Narcissa/Thorkel’s evil Croogs meet in a heroic battle to save or enslave all Solandia.

Highly recommended for readers 8-13, with a caution of some mild course language.

Reviewed by William Potter for Reader’s Choice Book Reviews.

Amy Nielsen was raised in the Philippines and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Louis University, Baguio City. She worked in a youth center in different capacities giving her national and international experiences with young people, before working as Executive Staff in an importer/distributor company in Manila. She lives in Denmark with her Danish husband and is writing sequel to Victor and the Sun Orb while working full-time at Novo Nordisk

George Wilhite writes supernatural fiction and dark fantasy in the tradition of Poe and Lovecraft. His first book, On the Verge of Madness (June 2008, Lulu), is a short story collection that has been praised by readers and critics alike.

He is now working on his first full length novel that will further the story arc of Victor Chaldean and the Portal, the acclaimed novella from Madness. His second short story compilation, Silhouette of Darkness, is due by the end of 2010 from Spinetinglers Publishing.

According to the limited edition preview publication of Silhouette of Darkness, the new offering will include Part III of the Raven Chronicles, another novella called A Cup of Tea, and several shorter stories revolving around the theme of “Restless Spirits and Haunted Places.”

Two of the shorts were included in the preview, The Blues in A Minor and Belong.

The Blues In A Minor
Mona is a successful music agent. Her life has been turned upside down as she must now deal with a disorder that has her waking up from a spell with no idea where she is or how she got there. One of these spells takes her to the home of Zack. Zack is a teenage blues guitarist with a talent beyond his years. The spell ends in another period of lost time with no memory of how she found the musician. These strange spells have left Mona unable to function or keep her job. She sets out to find Zack and his haunting music and the results is a twist ending you won’t soon forget.

Belong
Ian is a pathetic loner with no friends struggling to get through his last years of High School. He becomes obsessed with a bathroom’s graffiti and a powerful and seductive entity he finds there. She gives him love and acceptance. However, the price of the deal is much more than he bargained for as he begins to see his new existence is more of a nightmare than the original he longed to escape.

If these two shorts are any indication of the quality of fiction to be found in Silhouette of Darkness then Wilhite’s fans are in for a dark treat. Suspense fear and the authors own brand of creepiness make this a can’t miss collection.

George Wilhite

About the Author.

I have been an aficionado of the horror genre most of my life. The fascination began as a child, staying up late and watching “Creature Features” late at night with my father. I grew up in one of the golden eras of horror films–Hammer Horror was in full swing and as I grew older the iconoclasts came on the scene–Carpenter, Craven and Argento. Weekends at the drive-ins (often the only venues that would show these features) were a mainstay of my early adult life.
Meanwhile, I was reading constantly (as I still do) all the masters of horror, working my way through the entire canon of Poe and Lovecraft multiple times. Harlan Ellison and EC Comics, and later Stephen King were also a main ingredient of my literary diet. I was introduced to Tolkien and Stephen R. Donaldson at an early age as well and also enjoy Epic Fantasy.
In college, I was a scholar of both literature and film studies, and my master’s thesis was a study of the psychological state of the horror film spectator and horror novel reader.
Though I still am required to maintain full-time employment, I spend most of my spare time writing short stories, novellas and screenplays.
A Review for On The Verge of Madness.
On the Verge of Madness by author George Wilhite is like a perfectly cooked steak…dark on the outside and a little bloody in the middle. This collection of fiction features eight very different stories, each showcasing Wilhite’s considerable talent and vast knowledge of the horror genre. His work has already drawn comparison to Poe and Lovecraft. But let me tell you, Wilhite’s own twisted style and warped voice is evident on every page.

The opening novella, Victor Chaldean and the Portal is worth the price of admission. Victor is desperate to solve the disappearance of his wife. After he begins to have strange visions, he seeks help from a psychologist studying the paranormal. An experimental drug takes Victor into a fractured realm, into a place trapped between life and death where he struggles to find his lost wife and each day is more convinced he is insane.

Next up is Murmurers. I settled in for a great read as Wilhite hooked me quickly with a story of an Earth all but stripped of human life. A former combat soldier and a teenage girl find a special bond after he saves her life. To survive they must trust each other and keep moving to avoid the mysterious Murmurers. The only problem for me was how quickly this one ended.

In Checks and Balances, alcoholic John breezes through the first of the twelve steps to recovery. It is step Eight – making amends with those he has hurt – with which he struggles the most. If only he could make a trade, a deal, to skip this step. But who or what would make such a bargain?

Lars kills for money. He is very good at what he does. When it comes to clothes, only the very best will do for Lars. In The Gangster’s New Clothes, Wilhite attempts a short in the style of the old Twilight Zone TV show. The result is a fun, frightening tale. A second after Lars puts on his handmade suit, he finds himself facing his checkered past and, step by step, is pushed closer to insanity.

Wilhite then gives us two amazing examples of the old adage: less is more. A Plea From the Cradle and Cast of Characters are “flash fiction” at its finest. Not a word is wasted – both of these tales will quickly put a shiver up your spine if not a smile on your face.

All good things must end, and I believe Wilhite saved the best for last. A Tale of Two Moons is a Werewolf classic and could possibly explain the origin of these legendary monsters.

Masque Profane takes us beyond the “Verge of Madness,” delving straight into full blown insanity. Rhonda and Jeff are happy newlyweds…or are they? Rhonda becomes obsessed with the fact that Jeff has never spent a Halloween night with her in their time together. This fixation takes Rhonda to the gathering place of a strange ritual one Halloween night. Her experience there, and later the birth of her child would one day take her to madness and a horrific murder.

In all eight of these stories, whether novella or short, the author’s skill at character development, crisp dialogue and page turning suspense is forefront. He captivates the reader with intriguing characters and fine plotting without the pointless brutal violence and gratuitous sex that has become so common in horror today. I highly recommend On the Verge of Madness and I look forward to the follow up, Silhouette of Darkness. I doubt that it will be long before a major publisher signs Wilhite, as his work deserves to be on shelves next to the likes of Peter Straub and Thomas F. Monteleone. 5 Stars

152 pages
Publisher: Lulu.com (June, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-1435719651

On The Verge Of Madness

Review by William R. Potter

by Jeffrey B. Allen

The dust jacket text for Gone Away Into the Land promises an epic fantasy adventure. I can tell you that this is one novel that exceeds expectations. Author Jeffrey B. Allen takes the reader on an adventure that will leave you thinking about the story long after you close the final page.

We meet our protagonist, twelve-year-old John Gerber. John’s life is not that of an average pre-teen-not even close. John, his mother Ellie, and his sister Marny live in constant, paralyzing fear of John’s father, Daniel. Daniel, or the beast as John calls him, is an extremely volatile man whose rage could explode on his family at any moment-and explode it does. John dreams of ending the beast’s reign of terror, of taking his family away before it is too late. The first fifty pages of Part 1 are no fantasy as the author describes in vivid, shocking detail Daniel’s unpredictable fury and a horrible example of violent abuse, as the beast leaves John and Ellie beaten and bloodied and kidnaps six-year-old Marny.

With the help of a mysterious taxi driver, John and Ellie begin their search for Marny. This is where the fantasy starts as it is believed that Marny is somewhere in the candy factory where Daniel was employed. Soon John and his mother are aboard a train in an amazing land called ZingZongLand. ZZL is a place that is all about creating the best tasting candy. The leader of the land is called KyaSiftar. The Siftar’s main rival is the minister of Southland province named Mengus. Desperate for power, Mengus has his sights set on dominating the land and controlling the new flavor creations. Mengus recruits the beast to aid in his conquest of the Land. He believes that gaining control in the Land is the key to overthrowing the World as well.

Jeffrey B. Allen showcases his considerable imagination and writing talent in creating an entire universe. His lead is a believable, lovable character with which readers young and old will quickly bond. The villains are wonderfully horrible and easy to loathe, without overshadowing the hero. The secondary characters are interesting, fresh and well drawn. The dialogue is crisp and clear and well suited to the vast variety of creatures and peoples. Allen slowly reveals his characters’ secrets along the way, keeping the reader captivated throughout. He wastes none of these nearly 500 pages, using suspense and vibrant description to keep the pages turning. He brings all the players together in a David versus Goliath-type showdown for the ages that will have you rooting for John to the end.

Gone Away is building momentum, was recently picked up by a major publisher and was accepted in several school libraries. I believe it will become the next time-tested classic fantasy tale, universally adored and mentioned in the same breath as The Wizard of Oz, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Lord of The Rings. I highly recommend this thought-provoking, entertaining read.

Gone Away Into The Land

Strategic Book Publishing (October 1, 2009)
978-1608608591
Gone Away Into The Land
Jeffrey B. Allen

By William R. Potter for Readers’ Choice Reviews