Serendipity

Changels #1

by Peter King

In March 2009 a mansion on remote Aotea Island off Auckland New Zealand burned down. Twenty people were missing and only one, 14-year-old Sam Kahu, was found. Detective Sue Williams soon discovers Sam is unusual. He tells her he's psychic. Then, slowly, he proves it. But he also tells her he has his own UFO...

A Multicultural, Science fiction, Thriller.
Reader age 13+ deals with family violence, suicide and crime

NB: This book is no longer in print. It was split into Initiation and The Weaving.

510 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2012

About the author

I write books I like to read. First and most important are characters. I won't spend time with book characters if there isn't something interesting (and likeable) about them. I want to see their strengths, their weaknesses and their mistakes. I want to understand their lives. I hate cardboard cut-out characters. I especially love a complex and well developed baddy. As a young person I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi but as I've aged I've discovered planet Earth is a million times more jaw-dropping. I'm fascinated by the future and the possibilities science and technology open, especially in the biological sciences and physics. I used to like the poetry of writing but increasingly I see the need for contrast. A diet of cream is self indulgent. There are many other fascinating flavours in the English language universe.

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The creation of this book was really remarkable. Most of it was written on a cell phone with a slide out keyboard while King was commuting– talk about making the most of every waking moment!

& if the frontispiece hadn't said Peter King Publishing, I wouldn't have guessed it was self published! This book looks really professional from the eye catching cover to the paper chosen. It was a soft buff colour. I didn't pick up many typos & none took me out of the moment.

& now the review. Yes. The review. Well...

I enjoyed it very much at the start. Sam & his tragic background were well captured & the developing relationship with policewoman Sue was believable. There are some colloquialisms which help give the dialogue a natural feel. I don't think any would be hard for anyone who wasn't a Kiwi to figure out. Where I felt the story became bogged down was in the background information on the other “Changels” Sure, the stories were moving, but they were too much all at once & the pace started to drag. The pacing was uneven so that when Tabika appeared the book started moving too quickly & I found the ending very abrupt.

[Hellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Serendipity.
There are great characters in a great plot. I could really get to know the characters and I liked them and cared about what happened next.
There is so much information (maybe too much?)in the background that it can get in the way of the action, but it is worth it because both the info and the plot weave together to create a realistic world view...ok with a few science fiction devices. :-)
I would recommend it and can't wait till Metamorphosis comes out.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging fantasy, has practically everything except werewolves (precognition, UFOs, aliens, telepathy, reincarnation, witches, faeries, Russian spies) and raised my curiosity for the next book, but is not a stand alone story in itself, so don't expect to feel complete at the end of book 1. So, on to book #2 Metamorphosis.