E-Books for Eragon Fans (Andre Norton, Neil Ostroff, Katie W. Stewart)

SC Poe's Indie E-Book Sampler, #6


Christopher Paolini put dragons in the limelight this month with his release of Inheritance. Lest we forget, Paolini's smash series began with a self-published book. Therefore, here be more dragons, self-pubbed (and, in one happy instance, reissued).

In fact, there be a multitude of indie e-[pen]dragons stalking Middle Graders these days. So Poe will devote a second sampler to dragons (and Middle Graders) in the near future.


Insectland

By Neil Ostroff
Self-published: September, 2011
Poe thinks this is MG and younger YA satirical sci-fi/fantasy

First sentences: “Stop!” Dan Larson heard the tiny shout as the rolled up Car and Driver Magazine he was wielding slammed down and squashed the fly that had landed on his night table.

What if humans were the pests, and insect-sized dragons started to swat back? What if the only thing standing between the tiny dragons and total world domination is—Dan Larson? (Though he's not quite alone. He's been recruited by a team of insect robots called the Defenders.)

Why is this high school sophomore the Chosen One? What can he do to save humankind? Poe wants the answers to all these questions.

Neil Ostroff has a young sensibility and a strong sense of humor. When the Defenders shrink Dan to insect size, a side-effect is to heal Dan's acne.

Ostroff classes this book as "teen/YA." But this adventure, with a plot reminiscent of those found in 1950's peril-of-the-earth movies, seems skewed to MG sensibilities. If there's any content-based reason to keep this book out of younger hands, it's not evident from the sample.

NOTE: small but distracting editorial bugs (punctuation and usage errors, typos) become more numerous as the sample continues. Editorial glitches can keep an otherwise admirable title out of the school ebook collection.

That would be a shame, because Poe thinks kids, and librarians, will like Ostroff's stories.

Queued for future reading.



The Dragon Box

By Katie W. Stewart
Self-published in 2011
Poe thinks this is MG fantasy/sci fi

First sentence: James crept up the path to Mr McKenzie's front door, his legs trembling.


Mr McKenzie, we shortly learn, is a "cat zapper." Possibly a mad scientist. Definitely a tease. His house is a junk-pile of lab paraphernalia, computers, and goofy inventions. James, although initially suspicious, is soon fascinated by "Mack" and his geeky Wonderland.

The sample ends just as we start to suspect the peril of Mr McKenzie's most fascinating contraption. "Beware your own thoughts," the Dragon Box warns. It seems clear that this fantasy will be firmly grounded in psychological realism.

A sprinkling of Aussie vocabulary might slow some readers down a bit.

NOTE: Stewart has also published Treespeaker, advertised as a fantasy geared to older readers.

Queued for future reading.


Dragon Magic
(The Magic Books #4)

By Andre Norton
Reissued by Starscape (Macmillan) in 2010 (originally published in 1972)

Poe thinks this is older MG coming-of-age mythological fantasy

First sentence: Sig Dortmund kicked at a pile of leaves in the gutter, watched [sic] the crowd at the school bus stop.

Today's dragon theme offers the perfect forum to mention that Starscape seems to be in the process of reissuing Norton's entire classic Magic Sequence. In these stories, Fantasy's Grande Dame transforms a series of modern* coming-of-age struggles into heroic mythical-fantasy quests.

This volume introduces four middle-grade boys who discover a magic bridge to their diverse ethnic/mythic pasts (represented by four dragons—Scandinavian, Welsh, African, and Chinese).

*Poe uses the word modern, but the series was penned during the Vietnam War era. So the contemporary scenes have a historical feel, particularly when focused on African-American George, who has just changed his name to Ras ("Prince").

If Rick Riordan isn't publishing stories often enough to satisfy you, you definitely should get to know Andre Norton's Magic.


Poe's Rating System:

• S for snapped up (Poe has already purchased the full)
• Q for queued (the book is on Poe's to-be-read-someday list)
• U for underwhelming (Poe will always explain the reason)
• I for If/then (not Poe's cuppa, but perhaps it's yours)
• R for rejected (Poe will always explain the reason)
• E for editorially challenged (Poe will not mince words)

Caveat Emptor Internexi: Poe's samples are intended to provide a springboard for further browsing. Genre and age classifications are Poe's guesses based on short samples, and may or may not accord with the classifications suggested by authors, publishers, or anybody else. The buyer is always responsible for deciding whether the book as a whole is appropriate for the intended reader's age, interests, and reading level.

Poe's opinions do not necessarily reflect those of other members of this blog.

If you'd like SC Poe to sample your ebook on this blog, please follow submission guidelines.

Tasty Leftovers: more titles from Debi Faulkner and Terry Spear

SC Poe's Indie E-Book Sampler, #5



The day after Thanksgiving seemed like a suitable day to browse additional etitles by authors we've sampled in earlier posts. (But no turkey will be served up in this post.)
Summoning
By Debi Faulkner
Self-published in 2010
Poe thinks this is YA historical dark fantasy + romance

First sentences: The smooth iron band felt cold—nothing like the heat it would summon. My hands shook as I placed it on my head.

The hook is strong, the time and settings fresh, the opening plunges us into crisis, and thereafter the pace never flags. Faulkner's scenes spring to life ("The chair dug ruts into the dirt floor. . . ."). And Poe relishes nothing so much as a novel inspired by some obscure bit of history. In this case, the story-starter is an Irish legend about a Vicar who sells his maidservant's soul to the devil.

MC Meredith Pennyfeather is only 7 when the Vicar takes her from her tenant-farming parents in lieu of a year's rent. By 15, she's summoning Legion. Scenes leapfrog forward in time and back again. (Some online volunteer reviewers like this mode of storytelling. Some don't, but the plot is fascinating enough to keep them snagged.)

The sample is generous—about 20% of the whole. NOTE: The story involves elements of dark magic.

If the romantic subplot seems a bit predictable, the main conflict is unique, and you don't have to like history at all to be hooked by this story.
The Dark Fae
By Terry Spear
Self-published in 2011
Poe thinks this is YA urban fantasy romance

First sentence: Alicia hadn't left her girlfriend sunbathing on the South Padre Island beach for more than a few minutes when another hot guy approached Cassie—only this one worried her.

Alicia is a voluble teen whose lonely and perilous gift is to see the fae. At least, she tells us she's in peril. The sample's light tone undercuts whatever darkness may be lurking. Entertaining, slightly suggestive situations (one fae, for example, paws through Alicia's underwear drawer) are treated with gum-snapping chick-lit humor. By sample end, we're still waiting to see some of that darkness. Poe must note some wobbly line-editing, and the narrative voice sometimes reads more like slapdash writing than flippant teen talk.

Poe liked another Spear title, The Trouble With Demons, and showcased its sample last month. Spear has many books traditionally published; Heart of the Wolf was listed among Best Books of 2008 by Publisher's Weekly.

If you can't get enough of contemporary faerie tales, this one looks to be an entertaining variant.



Admittedly, this next title is not a leftover. Let's call it an appetizer, for Poe will sample another book by Neil Ostroff—Insectland—in an upcoming post.
Tim Madison, Galactic Warrior
By Neil Ostroff
Self-published in 2011
Poe thinks this is MG fantasy

First sentences: Something was wrong! The air was too still. The house too quiet. Brady the neighbor’s obnoxious collie wasn’t barking outside.

Sly, guy humor and some unexpected twists enliven what might otherwise be just another ordinary-kid-saves-the-cosmos story. In 33 sentences, Neil Ostroff gives us the whole set-up and plunges Tim into his universe-shaking adventure.

The sample is extremely short, ending just as Tim is told that "The fate of your world, perhaps all worlds, rests on you." Poe expects that the rest of the story will give middle graders a fast (under 34 K words), fun read.

If Klingons and Wookies are your popcorn, then you may find yourself gobbling up this story in one sitting.


Poe's Rating System:

• S for snapped up (Poe has already purchased the full)
• Q for queued (the book is on Poe's to-be-read-someday list)
• U for underwhelming (Poe will always explain the reason)
• I for If/then (not Poe's cuppa, but perhaps it's yours)
• R for rejected (Poe will always explain the reason)
• E for editorially challenged (Poe will not mince words)

Caveat Emptor Internexi: Poe's samples are intended to provide a springboard for further browsing. Genre and age classifications are Poe's guesses based on short samples, and may or may not accord with the classifications suggested by authors, publishers, or anybody else. The buyer is always responsible for deciding whether the book as a whole is appropriate for the intended reader's age, interests, and reading level.

Poe's opinions do not necessarily reflect those of other members of this blog.

If you'd like SC Poe to sample your ebook on this blog, please follow submission guidelines.