Neverland by Douglas Clegg

NOTE: Neverland was a free review copy provided to Luke Reviews by Elena Stokes, Douglas Clegg’s publicist.


Last October Luke Reviews took a look at Douglas Clegg’s novella Isis, which turned out to be a wonderful piece of fiction and a welcome introduction to an author I had never had the opportunity to read before. So when I got Clegg’s upcoming novel in the mail, I couldn’t wait to dive right in.

Beau’s family travels every year to Gull Island, Georgia, for a vacation and to meet up with the extended family. While Beau doesn’t care about the rest of the family, his cousin Sumter is, if not a friend, an entertaining companion. And when Beau follows Sumter into the rundown shack on their grandmother’s property, he enters a world of dark forces and the supernatural, and a power within themselves that could wreak havoc on the whole world.

Clegg’s novel is very much in the southern gothic mode, with a very moody prose that fills every page. He captures the heat, along with the mood of the south. His character interactions are spot on as well, with complex people interacting in just the right way. While this occasionally led me to become a little frustrated with the incessant arguing and non-supernatural meanness and animosity between the adults, it certainly gave a solid reason for the kids to isolate themselves and enter Neverland.

The slow build up, while a little overlong at times to me, was for the most part very well handled. It made the moments of actual supernatural evil all the more powerful. Clegg shows in this novel that he has the ability to leave you with that heavy feeling in your gut of fear. Once the climax is reached, the book hits its full stride, and things come together in a way that is wonderful.

At times I wondered if this story would have worked better at the novella length, cutting out a lot of unnecessary arguing between adults that didn’t do much for the story. The book had the occasional habit of just being too cluttered with things that, while helping with the mood, didn’t add to the plot. Yet, all things considered, this was a good novel that isn’t a bad read, especially for fans of dark southern gothic literature, or a more literary take on the modern horror novel.

8/10

NOTE: For those of you interested in the book, or who read it and loved it, I thought I would pass this along to you, from Elena Stokes: “If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, it is fantastic! You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/douglasclegg and please feel free to point your readers to Doug’s website to join the special Neverland contest and for the chance at the Grand Prize of either a Kindle or a Nook at http://www.douglasclegg.com/ A game based on the novel has also just launched at http://www.differencegames.com/index.php?cmd=viewgame&gameid=68”

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

After the brilliance that was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (the sequel to which, Catching Fire, should be up here sooner rather than later, and the conclusion to the trilogy hits stands in August), I wanted to find another book in that same vein: the science fiction/action-adventure YA novel. And to that end I found The Maze Runner, the first in a series of five books by James Dashner.


Thomas wakes up in an elevator, and remembers almost nothing. However, after a group of boys pull him out, he discovers that he is in the Glade, a square of land in the middle of a complex maze where a group of boys, one new one each month, try to survive and escape. Yet, before Thomas can get used to his new situation, a wrench is thrown in the works by the arrival of the first girl to the Glade and the triggering of an ending sequence. Thomas knows that he knows more about what is going on, and how to save them, if he can only reach the memories in time.

The Maze Runner starts off very slowly. To the point that I was wondering if this was what I wanted to read. But once it gets past that initial hurdle, it draws you into a story that is involved and entertaining. The characters are developed nicely, and the environment is well constructed. As the book progresses, the better it gets, leaving you with an ending that will definitely have this reviewer searching for the sequel.

This book is worth giving it a chance. It succeeds admirably, if not nearly as powerfully as The Hunger Games. Get through the bumpy start, and you will find a book well worth reading, one that flies by.

8/10

The Breach by Patrick Lee

I am always on the lookout for a great new thriller, one that promises to be as entertaining as it is possible to be. I am especially a fan of thrillers that manage to combine the traits of the thriller genre with science fiction or fantasy elements, without crashing on the toes of either genre. Solid contributions to the sub-sub-genre include Temple and the Jack West series by Matthew Reilly, the Atlantis series by Thomas Greanias, the simply brilliant Deep Storm by Lincoln Child (which is one of my all time favorite thrillers), and Steve Alten’s Domain Trilogy. What new author Patrick Lee was presenting seemed to be right up my alley.


Travis Chase enters the Alaskan wilds to escape both the exterior and interior forces that are pushing and prodding at him. Yet, when he discovers a downed 747 that is more than it seems, he is thrust into an adventure that takes him to the edge and back, with an experiment-gone-wrong deep below Wyoming and a villain who knows their every move. Yet what is truly behind all of the danger and violence is even more mysterious.

Patrick Lee plays with some fun tropes, combining the pace of a thriller with the SF-nal element of some type of dimensional tear, with objects falling through from the other side. Travis Chase, along with secret government agent Paige, are fun characters to follow and get to know, even if their eventual role as a couple is a given from the outset.

One problem I had with The Breach was what I felt was a gap in logic. Travis Chase is taken into complete acceptance and confidentiality with little to no effort, on a top secret government project. No way does it work that easily. While I am willing to stretch my suspension of disbelief pretty far, this stretched it past the point that it was credible. Yet, if you get over that gap, a lot of fun can be had.

I won’t point at Patrick Lee’s first novel as the most original or credible of SF/F thrillers, but it isn’t bad.

7/10

Y: The Last Man (Complete Series) by Brian K. Vaughan

Early on in Luke Reviews’ history, I put up reviews of the first couple books in Y: The Last Man, then stopped. I had read through the first five, but for whatever reason never posted reviews. However, over spring break, I sat down and read all ten volumes, and I knew it was time to take a look at the series as a whole.


Y: The Last Man takes a look at a world where all the men are dead. All the men, that is, except Yorick Brown, escape artist and loser, and his pet monkey, Ampersand (i.e. &). As Yorick sets out to find out what happened, he picks up new members to add to his group, including 355, an agent of the Culper Ring, a secret government group, and Dr. Mann, a scientist tasked with creating male clones to let the human race repopulate the world. Travelling first across the country, then around the world, Yorick is on a quest to find his girlfriend, Beth, but has to help Dr. Mann save humanity first.

The series is absolute brilliance. From its early stages with the fights against the Amazons, to the quest to recapture Ampersand, all the way to the final denouement, every single part of this ten-volume saga is excellent. Yorick, along with 355 and Dr. Mann, become incredibly rich characters who show massive amounts of growth as the series progresses. The writing manages to touch on a number of very serious and sensitive subjects, along with hitting deep emotional cords, yet keeps its witty humor throughout.

This is the series for people who don’t read comics or graphic novels. It is the series for people who do. It is a story that, rare in this genre, has an obvious beginning, middle, and end, and fits the 60 chapters of story together in a very tight weave that makes a truly cohesive whole. If you read only one graphic series, read Y: The Last Man.

10/10

The Belgariad: Volume One by David Eddings

Having just taken a look at the first three novels of David Eddings’ classic series, The Belgariad, it is time to look at the first omnibus as a whole. The Belgariad: Volume One contains the first three novels, which have their reviews linked to here:


Pawn of Prophecy


Queen of Sorcery


Magician’s Gambit

It also has a new foreword by David Eddings, which explores part of his reasoning behind writing The Belgariad, and how he feels about it. It is very short, but a nice addition.

Taken as a whole, The Belgariad: Volume One is one of those rare omnibuses that is far more than the sum of its parts. It is very hard to try to find fault. Little bumps are smoothed out, and the epic quest of Garion and his companions takes on a large-scale view that sweeps together. I would go so far as to say that one should read them all in a chunk like this, as it lets the series reach its true potential and sweep you along.

For fans of fantasy, especially classic tales of quests, destiny, adventure, and love, this is a must. Go out and get a copy.

10/10

Magician’s Gambit by David Eddings

Wrapping up my reading of The Belgariad: Volume One, I moved straight into Magician’s Gambit, the final book in the omnibus.


After the events in Nyissa seen last volume, the group moves on, not to follow the stolen artifact, but to answer the call of their patron god, who has called them to his protected area to give them new instructions. After a trip through a land of destruction and death, haunted by the ghosts of those citizens murdered in a raid, they arrive at the Vale of Aldur. After the two sorcerers talk with their god, the group goes to the land of UL, where the misfits not wanted by any of the other gods are kept. Barely escaping, the group has to travel into the land of the enemy, both to try to recover the artifact, and to fulfill a prophecy.

The previous books have always been a third person point of view that is very focused on Garion, with his thoughts, but this one begins with the focus on the princess from the second book, which threw me a bit, and wasn’t totally to my liking. However, the book eventually switches back to Garion, where we find the comfortable niche from the first books. The book flows through the next parts of the story well, including the adventure and almost debacle that was their trip into enemy territory. The characters always stay true to form, and their interactions continue to be one of the pleasures of reading The Belgariad: Volume One.

Things wrap up on far more of a cliffhanger than the first two books did, leaving you wet at the mouth for the fourth novel. While at times this one tripped up a little, it still was a solid addition to the series.

8/10

Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings

Continuing my reading of David Eddings’ omnibus The Belgariad: Volume One, after finishing Pawn of Prophecy, I went straight into the second book in the series, Queen of Sorcery.


After the events of Pawn of Prophecy, Garion and company continue their quest to find the stolen artifact, heading farther south in the Western Kingdoms. Along their travels they gather a few new members, including an archer with an overpowering prejudice against a group of his fellow countrymen, including a knight who also joins the party. And, as they travel through the kingdom of Tolnedra, a spoiled princess sneaks off and joins their group when they are too far away to return her. Meeting a number of different peoples, including an old enemy, they group winds up in Nyissa, the land of the snake-people(as in snake worshipers, as opposed to literal snake-people), who wish to use Garion for their own means.

Eddings strengths of style and character development continue. You get every detail of their plot, which at times might seem too much, but with Eddings at the helm it doesn’t falter, instead making every diversion and step on the path a new adventure to overcome, with repercussion for the rest of the series. There is no meaningless fight or adventure, as each one builds what must follow.

At first I was concerned that the new characters would mess up the chemistry built between the original party, but they instead integrate in time to fit just as well as the original members. Eddings deft hand at characterization made character conflicts realistic and inevitable, but they are all handled with an incredible realism.

As with the first book, Queen of Sorcery takes comfort reading and makes into a brand new thing, with solid literary style and a un-put-downable plot.

9/10