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The Eye-Dancers
Seventh-grader Mitchell Brant and three of his classmates inexplicably wake up at the back edge of a softball field to the sounds of a game, the cheering of the crowd. None of them remembers coming here. And as they soon learn, “here” is like no place they’ve ever seen. Cars resemble antiques from the 1950s. There are no cell phones, no PCs. Even the spelling of words is slightly off.
A compulsive liar, constantly telling fantastic stories to garner attention and approval, Mitchell can only wish this were just one more of his tall tales. But it isn’t. It’s all too real. Together, as they confront unexpected and life-threatening dangers, Mitchell and his friends must overcome their bickering and insecurities to learn what happened, where they are, and how to get back home.
The answers can be found only in the mysterious little girl with the blue, hypnotic eyes. The one they had each dreamed of three nights in a row before arriving here. She is their only hope. And, as they eventually discover, they are her only hope.
And time is running out.
A compulsive liar, constantly telling fantastic stories to garner attention and approval, Mitchell can only wish this were just one more of his tall tales. But it isn’t. It’s all too real. Together, as they confront unexpected and life-threatening dangers, Mitchell and his friends must overcome their bickering and insecurities to learn what happened, where they are, and how to get back home.
The answers can be found only in the mysterious little girl with the blue, hypnotic eyes. The one they had each dreamed of three nights in a row before arriving here. She is their only hope. And, as they eventually discover, they are her only hope.
And time is running out.
- GenresFantasy
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2012
3 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Michael S. Fedison
2 books35 followersMichael S. Fedison was born in Rochester, New York, and now lives with his wife, Sarah, and regal cat, Luke, in the green hills of central Vermont. Michael has been writing creatively for as long as he can remember, and has had short fiction published in several literary magazines, including "Iconoclast" and "The Written Word." He has several "day jobs," including working as a technical writer, a professional writing tutor, and as a freelance proofreader and copy editor for a variety of book publishers.
Michael has been a lover of imaginative stories his entire life. He enjoys any story that takes you by the hand, lifts you up, and transports you to another place, a new and creative way of looking at the world around us.
Michael has been a lover of imaginative stories his entire life. He enjoys any story that takes you by the hand, lifts you up, and transports you to another place, a new and creative way of looking at the world around us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 4, 2019
(possible spoilers, though I tried not to reveal too much)
I like to think that I haven't forgotten, even after all these years, what it was to be a kid.
The world--my world--was a confusing, ugly, terrifying place back even way back when, when I was a kid.
And in the The Eye-Dancers, things haven't changed much, in that aspect, in either of the book's two worlds.
But the kids in Michael S. Fedison's book? They don't wait for grown-ups to listen. They act when they are suddenly thrust in a scary situation. They not only cope, but they keep fighting, although the odds are against them. They do this by joining forces, by combining their strengths, and forging bonds with those they wouldn't ordinarily be friends with, as a way to navigate the challenges they face. Challenges that could be very real for many children today, but one that Fedison handles with appropriate discretion for the kids he's writing for.
Could it be a Goonies-like book for young people of this generation? I don't know. I don't even know if I'm reading into the book's premise too much with my grown-up mind, but I would love to have kids reading something that shows young people they can have agency, that they can make things better, that they can change worlds with their actions. That they can still be heroes even if they're scared and confused and unsure of themselves, and their place in the world. That within all of this coming-of-age madness, there can be moments of hope that will carry them through the darkness of life's changes. And that, as I think Fedison's character Mitchell Brant realizes, are the things that can make reality as wonderful and sustaining as our youthful dreams (referenced from pages 317-320).
My hope is that books like this are enough to carry them into finding their dreams as they move into adulthood. And I hope that adulthood doesn't come too calling too soon for them--that they still have a chance to be kids no matter how the world changes around them.
I like to think that I haven't forgotten, even after all these years, what it was to be a kid.
The world--my world--was a confusing, ugly, terrifying place back even way back when, when I was a kid.
And in the The Eye-Dancers, things haven't changed much, in that aspect, in either of the book's two worlds.
But the kids in Michael S. Fedison's book? They don't wait for grown-ups to listen. They act when they are suddenly thrust in a scary situation. They not only cope, but they keep fighting, although the odds are against them. They do this by joining forces, by combining their strengths, and forging bonds with those they wouldn't ordinarily be friends with, as a way to navigate the challenges they face. Challenges that could be very real for many children today, but one that Fedison handles with appropriate discretion for the kids he's writing for.
Could it be a Goonies-like book for young people of this generation? I don't know. I don't even know if I'm reading into the book's premise too much with my grown-up mind, but I would love to have kids reading something that shows young people they can have agency, that they can make things better, that they can change worlds with their actions. That they can still be heroes even if they're scared and confused and unsure of themselves, and their place in the world. That within all of this coming-of-age madness, there can be moments of hope that will carry them through the darkness of life's changes. And that, as I think Fedison's character Mitchell Brant realizes, are the things that can make reality as wonderful and sustaining as our youthful dreams (referenced from pages 317-320).
My hope is that books like this are enough to carry them into finding their dreams as they move into adulthood. And I hope that adulthood doesn't come too calling too soon for them--that they still have a chance to be kids no matter how the world changes around them.
June 7, 2016
When I started this book, I admit I wasn’t sure what to expect as the title made me wonder, “Why are they dancing around an eyeball?” But as it was a book in the science fiction genre, I knew better than to be too inquisitive. Instead, I opened myself up to the storyline and found myself thoroughly enjoying the read by the third chapter. Yes, I was hooked!
The characters of Mitchell, Joe, Ryan, Marc, and the “ghost girl” were all very well described, and they had significant differences in personality, which made them more realistic. While there were several characters to keep track of, I did not find it difficult to do so because author Fedison had clearly defined them from the start of the book.
I found myself trying to figure out where exactly the teenagers had been transported to… Was it an alternative universe? Had they travelled through an “eye”? Also, I wanted to know if they could save the kidnapped girl and, if so, how exactly it would happen. All of these questions ran through my mind, and so I held onto every word that was written by Fedison.
I also want to say that the ending was well done. Sometimes I have been let down by the abrupt endings of books but not this time. The loose ends were wrapped up well in the conclusion of The Eye-Dancers. I recommend this read for both teens and adults!
The characters of Mitchell, Joe, Ryan, Marc, and the “ghost girl” were all very well described, and they had significant differences in personality, which made them more realistic. While there were several characters to keep track of, I did not find it difficult to do so because author Fedison had clearly defined them from the start of the book.
I found myself trying to figure out where exactly the teenagers had been transported to… Was it an alternative universe? Had they travelled through an “eye”? Also, I wanted to know if they could save the kidnapped girl and, if so, how exactly it would happen. All of these questions ran through my mind, and so I held onto every word that was written by Fedison.
I also want to say that the ending was well done. Sometimes I have been let down by the abrupt endings of books but not this time. The loose ends were wrapped up well in the conclusion of The Eye-Dancers. I recommend this read for both teens and adults!
July 28, 2015
Let me preface this by saying, I'm not usually much of a fan of YA fiction. Especially this young.
That being said, I loved this book.
Four 12 year old boys - Mitchell, Joe, Ryan, and Marc - come together after three of them begin having the same nightmare about a young girl. They don't know what she wants or why she is haunting them, they only know that she seems to want to take them somewhere. When Mitchell, Joe, and Ryan approach the class brainiac, Marc, he is more than skeptical and tells them it's just a weird dream, but he agrees to go along with their plan to figure out if the dream is real. And when he finds out, all four get a lot more than they bargained for.
I don't want to post any spoilers here, so I'll leave my summary at that.
Now on to what I thought: The writing was excellent. The story flowed seamlessly from one element to another, and the characters were well fleshed-out. I could easily tell which character was in the lead, even without reading the names, which is no small feat when there are four main characters involved. The plot was interesting - not so involved that a child wouldn't understand it and not so simple that an adult would get bored. A hard path to tread. I highly recommend you pick this one up and give it a go. You won't be sorry.
That being said, I loved this book.
Four 12 year old boys - Mitchell, Joe, Ryan, and Marc - come together after three of them begin having the same nightmare about a young girl. They don't know what she wants or why she is haunting them, they only know that she seems to want to take them somewhere. When Mitchell, Joe, and Ryan approach the class brainiac, Marc, he is more than skeptical and tells them it's just a weird dream, but he agrees to go along with their plan to figure out if the dream is real. And when he finds out, all four get a lot more than they bargained for.
I don't want to post any spoilers here, so I'll leave my summary at that.
Now on to what I thought: The writing was excellent. The story flowed seamlessly from one element to another, and the characters were well fleshed-out. I could easily tell which character was in the lead, even without reading the names, which is no small feat when there are four main characters involved. The plot was interesting - not so involved that a child wouldn't understand it and not so simple that an adult would get bored. A hard path to tread. I highly recommend you pick this one up and give it a go. You won't be sorry.
March 8, 2015
The Eye-Dancers, by newer author Michael S. Fedison turned out to be quite the fun, YA fantasy read.
Mitchell Brant, one of the stories main protagonists, is a loner of sorts – not because he wants to be, but because he just can't seem to fit in with any of the school's ‘cool’ crowds. It also doesn't help that he’s gained schoolyard infamy as a liar. This isn't the ‘who’ that he wanted to be – he only wanted to be interesting enough to merit the respect of his classmates. Of course, once
Mitchell started down that slippery slope of lies, he seemed to be permanently stuck there – simply to maintain his previous untruths.
When the reader meets Mitchell, it’s the middle of the night. He has barely managed to awaken from a dream that seemed more real than imaginary. Now sporting a knee injury, (a result of said dream) Mitchell wonders if ghosts are actually real. It sure seemed to him as if the ghost of a young girl was trying to suck him into a different dimension.
Unfortunately, that's not even the problem anymore – the real issue is who is going to believe that his weird and crazy dream actually happened? And, unbeknownst to Mitchell, in another part of the neighborhood – two more boys are having his exact same ghost-filled dream.
With that said, I don't want to give much more of the story away – but what would you do if you went to sleep one evening only to wake up in a different decade? At a point in time that doesn't match your own? A dimension where every aspect of your town’s history is different than what you know. Where do you go? Whom do you ask for help? More importantly, how do you return to the space and time you originated from? I guess you’ll need to get your own copy of The Eye-Dancers to have those questions answered.
In summary, The Eye-Dancers had quite the unique premise, and will certainly be a fun read for all YA fantasy readers. It’s an interesting book and I appreciate that it was very well-written. Last, but not least, Fedison did a fantastic job of making all characters, scenes, dialogues and locations (both past or present) feel very realistic and believable. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in future.
Mitchell Brant, one of the stories main protagonists, is a loner of sorts – not because he wants to be, but because he just can't seem to fit in with any of the school's ‘cool’ crowds. It also doesn't help that he’s gained schoolyard infamy as a liar. This isn't the ‘who’ that he wanted to be – he only wanted to be interesting enough to merit the respect of his classmates. Of course, once
Mitchell started down that slippery slope of lies, he seemed to be permanently stuck there – simply to maintain his previous untruths.
When the reader meets Mitchell, it’s the middle of the night. He has barely managed to awaken from a dream that seemed more real than imaginary. Now sporting a knee injury, (a result of said dream) Mitchell wonders if ghosts are actually real. It sure seemed to him as if the ghost of a young girl was trying to suck him into a different dimension.
Unfortunately, that's not even the problem anymore – the real issue is who is going to believe that his weird and crazy dream actually happened? And, unbeknownst to Mitchell, in another part of the neighborhood – two more boys are having his exact same ghost-filled dream.
With that said, I don't want to give much more of the story away – but what would you do if you went to sleep one evening only to wake up in a different decade? At a point in time that doesn't match your own? A dimension where every aspect of your town’s history is different than what you know. Where do you go? Whom do you ask for help? More importantly, how do you return to the space and time you originated from? I guess you’ll need to get your own copy of The Eye-Dancers to have those questions answered.
In summary, The Eye-Dancers had quite the unique premise, and will certainly be a fun read for all YA fantasy readers. It’s an interesting book and I appreciate that it was very well-written. Last, but not least, Fedison did a fantastic job of making all characters, scenes, dialogues and locations (both past or present) feel very realistic and believable. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in future.
May 30, 2013
The story begins with a 12 year old boy, Mitchell, who has bad dreams and one night, it manifests into something more. He confides in his only friend Joe, a swarthy hot-tempered boy. The two realise they are having the same dream and about ‘ghost girl’. A third boy, Ryan is also experiencing the dream. The three decide to have a sleep over to find out what is going on and enlist the help of the class genius Marc. He however, is sceptical and thinks there is a plausible and scientific reason behind what is happening to them. What happens next, catapults the boys into a world in a parallel universe.
I like the way the author has created an alternate world, familiar yet very different. The story told by each of the characters’ point of view was an interesting choice as it allowed the reader to follow the rollercoaster ride each boy experienced. This is a journey of self-discovery and growth as much as it is about adventure and mystery. Woven neatly into the storyline is friendship and accepting the differences in people.
It was enjoyable and easy to read. Boys and girls who like science fiction/fantasy/adventure will enjoy The Eye-Dancers and will relate to the characters in the story.
I like the way the author has created an alternate world, familiar yet very different. The story told by each of the characters’ point of view was an interesting choice as it allowed the reader to follow the rollercoaster ride each boy experienced. This is a journey of self-discovery and growth as much as it is about adventure and mystery. Woven neatly into the storyline is friendship and accepting the differences in people.
It was enjoyable and easy to read. Boys and girls who like science fiction/fantasy/adventure will enjoy The Eye-Dancers and will relate to the characters in the story.
February 6, 2014
This is a really good story of some young boys who get pulled into an alternate universe. The start was very intriguing. The concept was something new and unique. It was like they were pulled back in time except the date was the same but the setting was like it was in a time warp from the 50's. Very likeable and engaging characters that go on an amazing journey, only they have no idea what it is. All they know is that a young girl was able to pull them through time to her world. They soon learn though that she's been kidnapped. In true boy fashion they argue about everything and what's true and what's not. An engaging, interesting story. Well written.
November 14, 2013
An excellent story. Gripping for youth and adults alike. Michael has a way of pulling you into the story and leaving you not wanting to leave until you know how it all ends. I highly recommend this book for 13+!
December 24, 2017
I don't normally read YA, but I do enjoy time travel-type books and movies. So I thought I would give this one a try. I rated it a 5-star because 'it was amazing' since it was well-written, very thought-provoking, and well-researched. That is saying a lot after some of the books I've read lately with the head-hopping, plot holes, etc. The author didn't 'dumb-down' the characters as I've seen so many times in YA. The author also nailed the teen years of angst and thought patterns. It made me think of my own years and the struggles I experienced and felt. And somehow, the author made this story feel as though it could really happen...which is fantastic in my mind, considering the plot! It is what I loved about the Time Traveler's Wife and Somewhere In Time. I read the books behind those movies, and I loved the books even more. Thank you for a very good read!
February 14, 2023
Although fantasy genre does not appeal to me, I read a significant portion of this book because I follow Fedison's blog, and I am enamored with his writing and artwork. The "Eye-Dancers" is a pleasure to read because it is so well written. I admire Fedison's word choices, sentence structure, and plot deveopment. He knows how to write suspense and keep the reader guessing.
February 5, 2018
As many of you know, Michael Fedison is our flagship independent author, and has been since long before we launched black CATastrophy. Naturally, we’re proud of the work we’ve done with him, and how much we’ve contributed to spreading the awareness of his brand and his books.
So since a review from us would likely be overwhelmingly biased in his favor, we decided to take a different approach from the 1 – 5 star setup. We’re sharing five of the toughest lessons you’ll come across in his debut novel, The Eye-Dancers.
Let’s see how well we can pull this off without giving too much away!
1. Dogs are Loyal… But to Whom?
In The Eye-Dancers, there are two main canine characters. The first one we’re introduced to is Dusty, Joe Marma’s golden retriever. When he is transported to a parallel universe by the mysterious young girl with the swirling blue eyes, we are introduced to the second dog to win his heart, Duss.
Joe, usually the unpredictable firecracker of the book, has a surprising soft spot for animals, and rescues Duss from a group of bullies the only one way he knows how — fighting. Thereafter, Duss faithfully follows him around and plays an instrumental role in keeping the boys together, and saving their lives.
But, while the old saying goes that dog is man’s best friend, when the mystery is solved and the problems resolved, Duss chooses a new master, leaving Joe out in the cold. Joe is forced to accept that the dog he loved and rescued, now belongs to someone else.
2. Marriage is Hard Work
In the start of The Eye-Dancers, Mitchell struggles to understand and come to grips with his parents’ failing marriage. Not only does the idea of a divorce fill him with dread, but all the many loud and angry fights leading up to it, is a source of constant embarrassment.
Later on in the book, after the boys are transported to Monica’s world, they meet another couple struggling to overcome the loss of their child. Their grief at first unites the couple in common cause to commit an atrocious act, but later pits one against the other, when the wife’s conscience awakens, and they no longer see eye-to-eye.
3. Self-Acceptance is the First Step to Self-Improvement
The Eye-Dancers is peppered with the common feelings of self-deprecation teenagers often berate themselves with.
Ryan struggles with his desire to please, and his unwillingness to ruffle feathers.
Joe battles with his Napoleon Complex, and the desire to mash everyone’s face in.
Marc is forced to accept that his know-it-all attitude is what has cost him friends all his life.
And Mitchell must overcome his tendency to invent tall-tales, meant to impress and wow others.
While the road to self-improvement is long and treacherous, each character must first come to terms with their vices, before they are in any place to move forward. Their ability to do so inevitably decides the fate of not just each other, but the young damsel in distress they must rescue.
4. Respect is Earned, not Given
The need to be loved and impressive and admired throughout the book is closely tied with a desire to be respected. Ryan and Marc especially, must learn that respect is earned, not given.
In order to gain respect from his peers, and respect for his theories, Marc must first learn humility and accept that science — or at least, what he knows of it — cannot explain everything.
Ryan also only learns to respect himself, and gains the respect of Joe, after he finally finds the strength to stand up to his friend. Despite Joe’s initial anger with him for preventing the fight, and the bite of embarrassment from walking away, he nonetheless respects that for the first time, Ryan isn’t just content with being the yes-man.
5. Sometimes Villainy is Born from Desperation, not Evil
When the ghost girl with the swirling blue eyes transports the four boys to her world, they are faced with the task of finding and rescuing her. Something local law enforcement, and neighbors have been unable to do. They, however, can communicate with her.
When Monica is eventually found, the boys are faced with something they had not prepared for. Her kidnappers were not evil, but desperate, depressed, and delusional. They come to not only forgive the kidnappers, but also to sympathize with their cause.
Nevertheless, Monica’s rightful place is with her parents, and the boys’ place is back in their own world. And so, they must bring the little girl home, in order to find home, themselves.
—
Despite being intended for younger audiences, The Eye-Dancers tackles bigger issues that outlive and outlast the middle school era. It does so in a way that — while compelling children (and adults!) to ask the bigger questions — is still written without the unnecessary complexity that often follows.
Have you read The Eye-Dancers?
So since a review from us would likely be overwhelmingly biased in his favor, we decided to take a different approach from the 1 – 5 star setup. We’re sharing five of the toughest lessons you’ll come across in his debut novel, The Eye-Dancers.
Let’s see how well we can pull this off without giving too much away!
1. Dogs are Loyal… But to Whom?
In The Eye-Dancers, there are two main canine characters. The first one we’re introduced to is Dusty, Joe Marma’s golden retriever. When he is transported to a parallel universe by the mysterious young girl with the swirling blue eyes, we are introduced to the second dog to win his heart, Duss.
Joe, usually the unpredictable firecracker of the book, has a surprising soft spot for animals, and rescues Duss from a group of bullies the only one way he knows how — fighting. Thereafter, Duss faithfully follows him around and plays an instrumental role in keeping the boys together, and saving their lives.
But, while the old saying goes that dog is man’s best friend, when the mystery is solved and the problems resolved, Duss chooses a new master, leaving Joe out in the cold. Joe is forced to accept that the dog he loved and rescued, now belongs to someone else.
2. Marriage is Hard Work
In the start of The Eye-Dancers, Mitchell struggles to understand and come to grips with his parents’ failing marriage. Not only does the idea of a divorce fill him with dread, but all the many loud and angry fights leading up to it, is a source of constant embarrassment.
Later on in the book, after the boys are transported to Monica’s world, they meet another couple struggling to overcome the loss of their child. Their grief at first unites the couple in common cause to commit an atrocious act, but later pits one against the other, when the wife’s conscience awakens, and they no longer see eye-to-eye.
3. Self-Acceptance is the First Step to Self-Improvement
The Eye-Dancers is peppered with the common feelings of self-deprecation teenagers often berate themselves with.
Ryan struggles with his desire to please, and his unwillingness to ruffle feathers.
Joe battles with his Napoleon Complex, and the desire to mash everyone’s face in.
Marc is forced to accept that his know-it-all attitude is what has cost him friends all his life.
And Mitchell must overcome his tendency to invent tall-tales, meant to impress and wow others.
While the road to self-improvement is long and treacherous, each character must first come to terms with their vices, before they are in any place to move forward. Their ability to do so inevitably decides the fate of not just each other, but the young damsel in distress they must rescue.
4. Respect is Earned, not Given
The need to be loved and impressive and admired throughout the book is closely tied with a desire to be respected. Ryan and Marc especially, must learn that respect is earned, not given.
In order to gain respect from his peers, and respect for his theories, Marc must first learn humility and accept that science — or at least, what he knows of it — cannot explain everything.
Ryan also only learns to respect himself, and gains the respect of Joe, after he finally finds the strength to stand up to his friend. Despite Joe’s initial anger with him for preventing the fight, and the bite of embarrassment from walking away, he nonetheless respects that for the first time, Ryan isn’t just content with being the yes-man.
5. Sometimes Villainy is Born from Desperation, not Evil
When the ghost girl with the swirling blue eyes transports the four boys to her world, they are faced with the task of finding and rescuing her. Something local law enforcement, and neighbors have been unable to do. They, however, can communicate with her.
When Monica is eventually found, the boys are faced with something they had not prepared for. Her kidnappers were not evil, but desperate, depressed, and delusional. They come to not only forgive the kidnappers, but also to sympathize with their cause.
Nevertheless, Monica’s rightful place is with her parents, and the boys’ place is back in their own world. And so, they must bring the little girl home, in order to find home, themselves.
—
Despite being intended for younger audiences, The Eye-Dancers tackles bigger issues that outlive and outlast the middle school era. It does so in a way that — while compelling children (and adults!) to ask the bigger questions — is still written without the unnecessary complexity that often follows.
Have you read The Eye-Dancers?
December 15, 2012
The Eye-Dancers is a self-published novel by American author Michael S. Fedison. It’s a young adult sci-fi story, which the author claims to be inspired by his childhood years spent in Western New York State. Aside from being a story about teenagers (the main characters are about 12 years-old), it also gives a new (both for kids and adults) look on the concept of “reality” and its immensity, but put in a very simple and easy may making it approachable and entertaining both for kids and adults.
The novel centers on 4 boys, who are classmates but not actually a friendly group. Having finished the sixth grade they are eager of having fun during their summer vacation, But the citation they find themselves in exactly resembles the one from the movie The Nightmare on Elm Street, though without streams of blood and murders, of course. Mind you, this is no horror story.
The boys are very much shattered and confused when they learn that the 3 of them – Mitchell, Joe and Ryan – have been seeing the same dream for three nights in a row. They didn’t see Freddy Krueger, but a little, apparently 7 years-old, girl with a very strange pair of spinning blue eyes. The girl makes it a habit to appear in their dreams standing in the street outside their houses and asking them to come help her.
Having no idea why they were having this dream or how to get rid of it, the boys decide to follow the girl in their dreams and see what would happen. They ask their classmate Marc Kuslanski, who is the school’s geek and know-it-all, to watch them while they sleep, just to be sure.
And so the boys dream of getting closer to the girl and taking her hand, looking deeply into her eyes. As a result all for of them, including Kuslanski, wake up on an unknown ball field without any notion where they are and why everything around them seems outdated, like they traveled back in the past.
The things they eventually learn about this new world they found themselves in are that it’s not simply resembles the past, but it seems like from another universe. Their library history books give account to very different historical events, there is no technical progress we are used to in out world. And the town itself turns out to be the copy of their hometown but founded by another person and thus named differently.
So the boys have to face not only the challenge of finding the girl but also understanding where they are and who they are as persons.
There are a lot of aspects of the book to be interested in. Personally, I was very intrigued by the concept of the universe and reality. It’s really intimidating to imagine that the universe contains layers upon layers of different worlds each overlapping each other, thus creating different realities. In some of this reality you may be a single child having your parents on a brink of divorce, and in another one you have a sister and a very happy family. You can’t help thinking about your other self in another world. What is he or she up to? What does his or her life look like?
The author created a very eventful and unpredictable plot, there wasn’t a moment while reading the book that I could predict what would happen next. But I also liked that being a sci-fi story it wasn’t overly informative. It’s definitely a book first of all meant for teenagers and that’s why the content is very light and understandable. Author explains everything perfectly, though he keeps reminding that not in the real world not everything can be explained, sometimes you just have to take the world as it is.
The ending was very peaceful comparing to the whole story, but it summed the story up and I liked the fact that the boys not only learned the necessary life lessons about friendship, courage, hope and mostly about themselves. It’s great that in the end having lived through such an experience they became true friends, especially with them being such different personalities.
The book is a nice read, especially worth reading for teenagers, I’m sure they would really get into it, what with all its twisted plot and mysteries. As for me I was pleased with the story. I haven’t read much sci-fi books in my life, but I wanted to try this genre for a long time. This book is a great start for me.
The novel centers on 4 boys, who are classmates but not actually a friendly group. Having finished the sixth grade they are eager of having fun during their summer vacation, But the citation they find themselves in exactly resembles the one from the movie The Nightmare on Elm Street, though without streams of blood and murders, of course. Mind you, this is no horror story.
The boys are very much shattered and confused when they learn that the 3 of them – Mitchell, Joe and Ryan – have been seeing the same dream for three nights in a row. They didn’t see Freddy Krueger, but a little, apparently 7 years-old, girl with a very strange pair of spinning blue eyes. The girl makes it a habit to appear in their dreams standing in the street outside their houses and asking them to come help her.
Having no idea why they were having this dream or how to get rid of it, the boys decide to follow the girl in their dreams and see what would happen. They ask their classmate Marc Kuslanski, who is the school’s geek and know-it-all, to watch them while they sleep, just to be sure.
And so the boys dream of getting closer to the girl and taking her hand, looking deeply into her eyes. As a result all for of them, including Kuslanski, wake up on an unknown ball field without any notion where they are and why everything around them seems outdated, like they traveled back in the past.
The things they eventually learn about this new world they found themselves in are that it’s not simply resembles the past, but it seems like from another universe. Their library history books give account to very different historical events, there is no technical progress we are used to in out world. And the town itself turns out to be the copy of their hometown but founded by another person and thus named differently.
So the boys have to face not only the challenge of finding the girl but also understanding where they are and who they are as persons.
There are a lot of aspects of the book to be interested in. Personally, I was very intrigued by the concept of the universe and reality. It’s really intimidating to imagine that the universe contains layers upon layers of different worlds each overlapping each other, thus creating different realities. In some of this reality you may be a single child having your parents on a brink of divorce, and in another one you have a sister and a very happy family. You can’t help thinking about your other self in another world. What is he or she up to? What does his or her life look like?
The author created a very eventful and unpredictable plot, there wasn’t a moment while reading the book that I could predict what would happen next. But I also liked that being a sci-fi story it wasn’t overly informative. It’s definitely a book first of all meant for teenagers and that’s why the content is very light and understandable. Author explains everything perfectly, though he keeps reminding that not in the real world not everything can be explained, sometimes you just have to take the world as it is.
The ending was very peaceful comparing to the whole story, but it summed the story up and I liked the fact that the boys not only learned the necessary life lessons about friendship, courage, hope and mostly about themselves. It’s great that in the end having lived through such an experience they became true friends, especially with them being such different personalities.
The book is a nice read, especially worth reading for teenagers, I’m sure they would really get into it, what with all its twisted plot and mysteries. As for me I was pleased with the story. I haven’t read much sci-fi books in my life, but I wanted to try this genre for a long time. This book is a great start for me.
January 16, 2014
I had already gathered, from following the author’s blog that, although the boys who feature in this story are quite young, this wasn’t going to be a straightforward comic book adventure. In fact, the action is secondary to a thoughtful exploration of the individual motivations, personal problems and anxieties of the characters.
Using the vehicle of solving a kidnapping mystery, each of the boys takes a burden of small personal dramas with him into a parallel universe, which becomes more a setting for their voyage of self-discovery rather than the whole point of the story. They all have problems that are part of growing up, dealing with family tensions, and coping with social and physical stigmas. The boys don’t behave as a pack, and I think the author has very cleverly chosen a disparate group of not really close friends. Each character is essentially alone with his anxieties, and only at the end of the story, by learning to overcome these anxieties does each one discover the true meaning of friendship.
The pace of the story is always measured; the first part especially, which describes each boy’s home background, is slow to gain momentum. Throughout, to show character growth, each of the boys spends much of his time alone in introspection. Although this slows the action, the end result is a more satisfying read.
The characters themselves are likeable, touching even, though in some aspects they come closer to metaphor than flesh and blood. There’s the ‘Brains’ who nobody likes, the aggressive one who has trouble controlling his violent streak, the joker who just wants to be liked, and Mitchell who is lumbered not only with rowing parents but a speech impediment.
Given the subject, the whole story could have been rather preachy, as each boy faces his personal demons and overcomes them. But the tone is not at all moralising, and the author has a light touch with the theme of growing up. Joe, the aggressive one, for example learns to control himself, not by having the daylights beaten out of him, but by understanding Ryan’s quiet courage. Brainy Marc learns the limitations of his rational explanations, not by having stronger intellectual arguments thrown at him, but by accepting Mitchell’s simple statement that you can’t explain everything with handy theories. The boys learn a lot about one another and themselves, and all four appear at the end as more likeable, balanced human beings.
The least convincing aspect was the mystery of the ‘ghost girl,’ which to my mind leaves a lot of loose ends. The girl herself understands an awful lot about the paranormal, psychic messaging, and the workings of parallel universes for a seven-year-old, but is surprisingly inept when it comes to conveying vital but very simple information to the boys trying to rescue her.
But that aspect of the story is almost incidental. The real story is about self-discovery, growing up, and learning how to be a friend. This is a book any parent would be happy to have their child read. Unlike many books with a ‘message’ aimed at the young teen age group, this one takes the subject of friendship, unhitches it from any religious connotations or motivations, and goes right to the heart of the notions of tolerance, selflessness and responsibility.
Using the vehicle of solving a kidnapping mystery, each of the boys takes a burden of small personal dramas with him into a parallel universe, which becomes more a setting for their voyage of self-discovery rather than the whole point of the story. They all have problems that are part of growing up, dealing with family tensions, and coping with social and physical stigmas. The boys don’t behave as a pack, and I think the author has very cleverly chosen a disparate group of not really close friends. Each character is essentially alone with his anxieties, and only at the end of the story, by learning to overcome these anxieties does each one discover the true meaning of friendship.
The pace of the story is always measured; the first part especially, which describes each boy’s home background, is slow to gain momentum. Throughout, to show character growth, each of the boys spends much of his time alone in introspection. Although this slows the action, the end result is a more satisfying read.
The characters themselves are likeable, touching even, though in some aspects they come closer to metaphor than flesh and blood. There’s the ‘Brains’ who nobody likes, the aggressive one who has trouble controlling his violent streak, the joker who just wants to be liked, and Mitchell who is lumbered not only with rowing parents but a speech impediment.
Given the subject, the whole story could have been rather preachy, as each boy faces his personal demons and overcomes them. But the tone is not at all moralising, and the author has a light touch with the theme of growing up. Joe, the aggressive one, for example learns to control himself, not by having the daylights beaten out of him, but by understanding Ryan’s quiet courage. Brainy Marc learns the limitations of his rational explanations, not by having stronger intellectual arguments thrown at him, but by accepting Mitchell’s simple statement that you can’t explain everything with handy theories. The boys learn a lot about one another and themselves, and all four appear at the end as more likeable, balanced human beings.
The least convincing aspect was the mystery of the ‘ghost girl,’ which to my mind leaves a lot of loose ends. The girl herself understands an awful lot about the paranormal, psychic messaging, and the workings of parallel universes for a seven-year-old, but is surprisingly inept when it comes to conveying vital but very simple information to the boys trying to rescue her.
But that aspect of the story is almost incidental. The real story is about self-discovery, growing up, and learning how to be a friend. This is a book any parent would be happy to have their child read. Unlike many books with a ‘message’ aimed at the young teen age group, this one takes the subject of friendship, unhitches it from any religious connotations or motivations, and goes right to the heart of the notions of tolerance, selflessness and responsibility.
June 3, 2013
Twelve year old Mitchell Brant can’t sleep. A seven-year-old “ghost girl” haunts his dreams and begs for help. Soon he learns his friends, Joe and Ryan, are having the same dream. But for the three, what they see in sleep seems much more than a dream. When they wake up, the scraped knee is still scraped, the hurt wrist still hurts.
They turn to their friend Marc, who scoffs at their belief in the reality of the supernatural. He takes it upon himself to watch over Mitchell, Joe, and Ryan as they sleep in Mitchell’s basement. Only that night, the four wake up in an entirely different world. Cars, money, food, history are eerily the same but different. And the “ghost girl’s” picture is all over town; she’s Monica Tisdale and she’s been kidnapped. She has brought them to her world to be her rescuers.
As the boys work to solve the mystery of their new surroundings and to figure out how to help their new friend, each is faced with his own personal challenges and lessons. For Marc, the rationalist, the challenge is to accept the unexplainable. For Mitchell, his family problems and speech difficulties present hurdles. For Joe, his unstable temper is his enemy. Ryan realizes what his social isolation costs him.
The Eye-Dancers taps into the best and most entertaining archetypes of Young Adult Fiction. Like the Wizard of Oz, the four heroes are suddenly transported to a strange land and presented with a villain who must be stopped. Like Dorothy and her friends, each main character emerges transformed by his experiences. And like Dorothy and Toto, the four heroes of Eye Dancers long for home and wonder if they will ever return.
Michael Fedison has lovingly crafted a Young Adult sci-fic/fantasy/mystery novel with wide appeal. His prose is thoughtful and elegant. Not only will young readers, middle school and older, love this book, but adults will enjoy it, too. In her bestselling book, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin talks about her love for juvenile literature; and she forms a book club with some adult friends to read and discuss juvenile fiction. The Eye-Dancers would be just the book for them. It keeps you on the edge of your seat as you root for Ryan, Mitchell, Joe, and Marc. Will they save Monica? Will they return home? But, at the same time, The Eye-Dancers also poses some deeper and very satisfying philosophical questions. What role do our thoughts play in creating our world? Can everything be explained? I highly recommend it.
They turn to their friend Marc, who scoffs at their belief in the reality of the supernatural. He takes it upon himself to watch over Mitchell, Joe, and Ryan as they sleep in Mitchell’s basement. Only that night, the four wake up in an entirely different world. Cars, money, food, history are eerily the same but different. And the “ghost girl’s” picture is all over town; she’s Monica Tisdale and she’s been kidnapped. She has brought them to her world to be her rescuers.
As the boys work to solve the mystery of their new surroundings and to figure out how to help their new friend, each is faced with his own personal challenges and lessons. For Marc, the rationalist, the challenge is to accept the unexplainable. For Mitchell, his family problems and speech difficulties present hurdles. For Joe, his unstable temper is his enemy. Ryan realizes what his social isolation costs him.
The Eye-Dancers taps into the best and most entertaining archetypes of Young Adult Fiction. Like the Wizard of Oz, the four heroes are suddenly transported to a strange land and presented with a villain who must be stopped. Like Dorothy and her friends, each main character emerges transformed by his experiences. And like Dorothy and Toto, the four heroes of Eye Dancers long for home and wonder if they will ever return.
Michael Fedison has lovingly crafted a Young Adult sci-fic/fantasy/mystery novel with wide appeal. His prose is thoughtful and elegant. Not only will young readers, middle school and older, love this book, but adults will enjoy it, too. In her bestselling book, The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin talks about her love for juvenile literature; and she forms a book club with some adult friends to read and discuss juvenile fiction. The Eye-Dancers would be just the book for them. It keeps you on the edge of your seat as you root for Ryan, Mitchell, Joe, and Marc. Will they save Monica? Will they return home? But, at the same time, The Eye-Dancers also poses some deeper and very satisfying philosophical questions. What role do our thoughts play in creating our world? Can everything be explained? I highly recommend it.
January 25, 2015
Meet the "Eye-Dancers" crew:
1. Mitchell Brant-incredibly imaginative with a penchant for story-telling. He enjoys reading comic books. He has a little sister named Stephanie, both of whom are upset by their parents' increasing marital conflicts.
2. Ryan Swinton-a conflict avoider who enjoys telling jokes. He often uses levity to diffuse tense situations. He has a little brother named Tyler.
3. Joe Marma-a vertically-challenged dog whisperer who enjoys a good fist fight. He loves justice, and will not hesitate to stand up and dish out a butt-whipping to a bully or abuser. He calls everyone "bud."
4. Marc Kuslanski-a geeky, scientifically-minded and somewhat arrogant only child who escapes his loneliness in studying. He longs for a sibling.
When Mitchell, Ryan, and Joe, three sixth-graders) each have the same horrific lucid dream about a young girl with swirling blue eyes three nights in a row, they enlist the help of Marc to help them figure out just what is going on. As a result, all four boys are sucked into an alternate universe where their home town is called Colbyville (instead of Bedford), technology is behind the times, history seems to have been completely rewritten, and even the English language has been altered. The girl in their dreams is calling-begging-for them to save her, but will they get to her in time? Will she be able to help them get back to their own universe?
Laced with adolescent sarcasm and boyish antics, "The Eye-Dancers" is a fun, easy read. It contains elements of fantasy, science fiction, and enough humor to go around. The experience challenges everything that each of the boys thought they firmly believed, and the reader will enjoy watching them grow and change in profound ways. Fedison explores the "butterfly effect" theme (such as what would happen if another person had founded your town), but also tackles themes that are identifiable to Fedison's targeted age group. These themes include family conflict, loneliness, the desire to fit in, the desire for peer approval, and, ultimately, finding out who you are and accepting yourself as is. I would like to see this book on middle schools' reading list. This is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale that young people will delight in (and will encourage reading, which has been a challenge for educators all over the country). Readers will LOVE the ending.
1. Mitchell Brant-incredibly imaginative with a penchant for story-telling. He enjoys reading comic books. He has a little sister named Stephanie, both of whom are upset by their parents' increasing marital conflicts.
2. Ryan Swinton-a conflict avoider who enjoys telling jokes. He often uses levity to diffuse tense situations. He has a little brother named Tyler.
3. Joe Marma-a vertically-challenged dog whisperer who enjoys a good fist fight. He loves justice, and will not hesitate to stand up and dish out a butt-whipping to a bully or abuser. He calls everyone "bud."
4. Marc Kuslanski-a geeky, scientifically-minded and somewhat arrogant only child who escapes his loneliness in studying. He longs for a sibling.
When Mitchell, Ryan, and Joe, three sixth-graders) each have the same horrific lucid dream about a young girl with swirling blue eyes three nights in a row, they enlist the help of Marc to help them figure out just what is going on. As a result, all four boys are sucked into an alternate universe where their home town is called Colbyville (instead of Bedford), technology is behind the times, history seems to have been completely rewritten, and even the English language has been altered. The girl in their dreams is calling-begging-for them to save her, but will they get to her in time? Will she be able to help them get back to their own universe?
Laced with adolescent sarcasm and boyish antics, "The Eye-Dancers" is a fun, easy read. It contains elements of fantasy, science fiction, and enough humor to go around. The experience challenges everything that each of the boys thought they firmly believed, and the reader will enjoy watching them grow and change in profound ways. Fedison explores the "butterfly effect" theme (such as what would happen if another person had founded your town), but also tackles themes that are identifiable to Fedison's targeted age group. These themes include family conflict, loneliness, the desire to fit in, the desire for peer approval, and, ultimately, finding out who you are and accepting yourself as is. I would like to see this book on middle schools' reading list. This is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale that young people will delight in (and will encourage reading, which has been a challenge for educators all over the country). Readers will LOVE the ending.
February 9, 2015
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Despite not really being one for middlegrade novels I ended up really enjoying The Eye-Dancers. Fedison is a great author, capturing the mentality and language of four seventh grade boys perfectly. With awesome writing, an interesting plot, and unique characters this novel held my interest and made for a great read!
Each of the four boys had a distinct personality paired with a distinct flaw, which they learned to control through their time in the alternate reality. Mitchell struggled with his parents growing arguments, his speech impediment, and his need to tell lies to impress others. Joe was selfish and constantly resorted to violence whenever he felt angry or frustrated. Ryan could never make decisions and allowed himself to be led wherever the others went. Marc had a constant need to be right, never allowing anyone to offer other ideas or solutions.
During their time in Colbyville, the parallel version of their home Bedford, the four boys learn a lot about themselves and learn to control their flaws while the work together to search for Monica. With so many different personalities it was easy to relate to at least one of the characters and understand the trials they were going through. Each of them had their little quirks, such as Joe’s overwhelming use of the word “bud” or Mitchell’s tendency to lie to make himself sound more impressive.
While the kidnapping aspect of the plot had a lot of potential the conclusion fell a little flat. Most of the clues leading to Monica fell straight into the boy’s laps and yet the struggled to see what was right in front of them. I really enjoyed the idea of the boys discovering how to improve their flaws and work together but I felt like the kidnapping was a weaker aspect of the novel.
The Eye-Dancers is a great first novel; fantastic writing paired with an interesting story this book definitely caught me off guard. Perfect for middle schoolers who enjoy a good science fiction story with a little mystery thrown in this novel will definitely encourage reluctant readers and entertain those who love to read!
Despite not really being one for middlegrade novels I ended up really enjoying The Eye-Dancers. Fedison is a great author, capturing the mentality and language of four seventh grade boys perfectly. With awesome writing, an interesting plot, and unique characters this novel held my interest and made for a great read!
Each of the four boys had a distinct personality paired with a distinct flaw, which they learned to control through their time in the alternate reality. Mitchell struggled with his parents growing arguments, his speech impediment, and his need to tell lies to impress others. Joe was selfish and constantly resorted to violence whenever he felt angry or frustrated. Ryan could never make decisions and allowed himself to be led wherever the others went. Marc had a constant need to be right, never allowing anyone to offer other ideas or solutions.
During their time in Colbyville, the parallel version of their home Bedford, the four boys learn a lot about themselves and learn to control their flaws while the work together to search for Monica. With so many different personalities it was easy to relate to at least one of the characters and understand the trials they were going through. Each of them had their little quirks, such as Joe’s overwhelming use of the word “bud” or Mitchell’s tendency to lie to make himself sound more impressive.
While the kidnapping aspect of the plot had a lot of potential the conclusion fell a little flat. Most of the clues leading to Monica fell straight into the boy’s laps and yet the struggled to see what was right in front of them. I really enjoyed the idea of the boys discovering how to improve their flaws and work together but I felt like the kidnapping was a weaker aspect of the novel.
The Eye-Dancers is a great first novel; fantastic writing paired with an interesting story this book definitely caught me off guard. Perfect for middle schoolers who enjoy a good science fiction story with a little mystery thrown in this novel will definitely encourage reluctant readers and entertain those who love to read!
January 20, 2013
Reading a novel is to willingly enter the writer's imagination and imaginary world. It is at once an invitation and a relationship based on mutually agreed-upon terms, which can be briefly summarized in two questions: One, Is the story interesting? Two, does it keep me turning pages with interest?
Michael Fedison's first novel, "The Eye-Dancers," satisfies both of these questions for me. I've never read a YA novel before, but I've sure seen enough coming-of-age movies to know it's a viable genre. Probably because it's a stage of life we have all experienced. This, in itself, is interesting, because we can compare, contrast, identify with the issues and problems of youthful characters. But is that interesting enough to hold our attention for the duration of a novel?
Fedison pulls it off, first by creating an interesting plot: four young boys attempting to come to the rescue of a seven-year-old damsel in distress who lives in another dimension. To accomplish that, they have to travel from their own parallel life-space to hers. That's pretty cool, and Fedison pulls it off without it seeming like a deus ex machina. I disagree with a few other reviewers who characterized the book as science-fiction. IMO, it is not. It is time-and space-travel, but it is not sci-fi. It's better than that: Fedison's time/space shift affords a perspective on youth and allows the characters to learn and grow and change, which satisfies my second requirement. If the four main characters did not encounter situations which offered opportunities to change, the book would not have kept me turning pages [OK, swishing screens on my Kindle!].
As an author myself, I can see Michael Fedison working on this novel, crafting it, shaping it, helping his characters change and grow within the novel's leitmotif. He's done a fine job of honing his story, his characters and the outcome, keeping it honest and not lapsing into corniness or saccharine-ness, to the point where I, an older adult [OA], can enjoy it as much as a young adult [YA] might. I look forward to reading the author's next work.
Michael Fedison's first novel, "The Eye-Dancers," satisfies both of these questions for me. I've never read a YA novel before, but I've sure seen enough coming-of-age movies to know it's a viable genre. Probably because it's a stage of life we have all experienced. This, in itself, is interesting, because we can compare, contrast, identify with the issues and problems of youthful characters. But is that interesting enough to hold our attention for the duration of a novel?
Fedison pulls it off, first by creating an interesting plot: four young boys attempting to come to the rescue of a seven-year-old damsel in distress who lives in another dimension. To accomplish that, they have to travel from their own parallel life-space to hers. That's pretty cool, and Fedison pulls it off without it seeming like a deus ex machina. I disagree with a few other reviewers who characterized the book as science-fiction. IMO, it is not. It is time-and space-travel, but it is not sci-fi. It's better than that: Fedison's time/space shift affords a perspective on youth and allows the characters to learn and grow and change, which satisfies my second requirement. If the four main characters did not encounter situations which offered opportunities to change, the book would not have kept me turning pages [OK, swishing screens on my Kindle!].
As an author myself, I can see Michael Fedison working on this novel, crafting it, shaping it, helping his characters change and grow within the novel's leitmotif. He's done a fine job of honing his story, his characters and the outcome, keeping it honest and not lapsing into corniness or saccharine-ness, to the point where I, an older adult [OA], can enjoy it as much as a young adult [YA] might. I look forward to reading the author's next work.
November 13, 2014
This book was totally outside my comfort zone of reading material. I have delved a little into fantasy but never contemplated enjoying a YA novel. I was enticed into picking it up since I have been following Michael S Fedison’s blog for about two years and have always wanted to try his book. The genre made me think the book would be geared to younger folks and as a sophisticated reader would be bored. I was totally wrong and wished I had picked this one up earlier.
The story is about four twelve year old boys who manage to get themselves transported to another world that resembled their own except for some details which seemed like they were back in time. They were in a parallel word that occupied the same time currently. The town was laid out like their own so they were pretty sure they were not on another planet or at least they hoped so.
They were summoned by a little girl who occupied three of the boy’s dreams for three days prior to the transport. The forth boy was an intellect who refused to believe the others when they told him of their dreams. It really didn’t matter what he thought since he was swept up in the transport as well.
As you can see this story was exceptionally well developed with many twists and some real exciting times when the boys finally were confronted by the bad guy. The interesting thing about Mr. Fedison’s work to me is the fact the story itself is a metaphor for how kids can think and behave when they are relocated to a new life in other than their comfortable neighborhood. We all know it happens as families are continually being mobilized in search of better pay and position. The reactions of the kids in the new place were completely legitimate and in character. They also were able to make new friends once they relaxed their old standards. It occurred to me that such transformations are a lot of work. If I were a kid being transferred to a new place I would want to read this book. In addition, I would recommend this book to anyone. The writing is extremely tight and dialog right on point. The situations are well thought out and the solutions to issues are in keeping with the time, place and age of the characters. A fine read.
The story is about four twelve year old boys who manage to get themselves transported to another world that resembled their own except for some details which seemed like they were back in time. They were in a parallel word that occupied the same time currently. The town was laid out like their own so they were pretty sure they were not on another planet or at least they hoped so.
They were summoned by a little girl who occupied three of the boy’s dreams for three days prior to the transport. The forth boy was an intellect who refused to believe the others when they told him of their dreams. It really didn’t matter what he thought since he was swept up in the transport as well.
As you can see this story was exceptionally well developed with many twists and some real exciting times when the boys finally were confronted by the bad guy. The interesting thing about Mr. Fedison’s work to me is the fact the story itself is a metaphor for how kids can think and behave when they are relocated to a new life in other than their comfortable neighborhood. We all know it happens as families are continually being mobilized in search of better pay and position. The reactions of the kids in the new place were completely legitimate and in character. They also were able to make new friends once they relaxed their old standards. It occurred to me that such transformations are a lot of work. If I were a kid being transferred to a new place I would want to read this book. In addition, I would recommend this book to anyone. The writing is extremely tight and dialog right on point. The situations are well thought out and the solutions to issues are in keeping with the time, place and age of the characters. A fine read.
April 18, 2013
This was an interesting read in many ways. The author has created very compelling characters who speak to you. Each one is unique and the author has managed to create a way of expression and a language which is different for each character carrying the point of view. I liked this, because you could recognize whose point of view it was simply by the language the character used. Also there were no silly descriptions of looks or environments, but everything in that department was placed carefully into the text in the appropriate place. The consequence was that there wasn’t a lot of description, especially not of how people looked, but that wasn’t necessary either. You got a hint, and could imagine the rest yourself.
The story line was interesting, and it was fun to see how the author has played with the thought of parallel universes using quantum physics. I’m a bit tired of all theories we can’t yet understand to be explained away with the usage of quantum physics – just slather it on and it can explain almost anything. I guess that it is our era’s equivalent to magic spells. However, those are just my personal feelings. As a way to carry the plot forward it was a clever solution.
I did feel the climax of the story to be lacking a little bit. The story itself ambles along in its own time, because it contains a lot of the characters’ thoughts and emotions on their situation. Sometimes I felt there was a bit too much of this, but at other times not so I think my general opinion is that in this particular story the characters’ opinions matter. Then the crescendo happens and I got the feeling of ‘Oh, was that all?’. I had wanted more of a build-up and release. However, there was a clear story-line which was always kept on track without being all over the place.
The world the characters went to was also interesting and to be honest I wanted to know more about that. Part of me wished that they could have remained there but then again I have a love for the kind of era the world reminded me of.
All in all this was a good read and well executed.
The story line was interesting, and it was fun to see how the author has played with the thought of parallel universes using quantum physics. I’m a bit tired of all theories we can’t yet understand to be explained away with the usage of quantum physics – just slather it on and it can explain almost anything. I guess that it is our era’s equivalent to magic spells. However, those are just my personal feelings. As a way to carry the plot forward it was a clever solution.
I did feel the climax of the story to be lacking a little bit. The story itself ambles along in its own time, because it contains a lot of the characters’ thoughts and emotions on their situation. Sometimes I felt there was a bit too much of this, but at other times not so I think my general opinion is that in this particular story the characters’ opinions matter. Then the crescendo happens and I got the feeling of ‘Oh, was that all?’. I had wanted more of a build-up and release. However, there was a clear story-line which was always kept on track without being all over the place.
The world the characters went to was also interesting and to be honest I wanted to know more about that. Part of me wished that they could have remained there but then again I have a love for the kind of era the world reminded me of.
All in all this was a good read and well executed.
February 10, 2013
Mitchell Brant, Joe Marma and Ryan Swinton are three very different boys who just finished sixth grade and are ready to start their summer vacation. Unfortunately for them, they each have been having a terrifying nightmare about a young ghost-like girl. After the third nightmare in a row, they meet up and learn that they have been having the same nightmare! With the help of the class genius, Marc Kuslanski, they hold a sleepover to find a way to solve their dreams. While they are sleeping, Marc watches over them and slowly the four boys begin to disappear, only to land in a strange new world. The cars and technology seem ancient, the town seems familiar, but the posters around town are real and frightening. A young girl has been kidnapped and is missing, except she is the same girl from Mitchell’s, Joe’s and Ryan’s dreams. Will the four boys be able to set aside their differences and rescue this young girl, while figuring out a way to get back to their reality?
Fedison has created a world filled with relatable characters that are transported into a fascinating world filled with new possibilities. Each of these boys demonstrates a strength and weakness, while each crave something that is missing from their home life. Once they are transported into this new world, they are filled with the dilemmas that face every child as they begin to mature. Learning how to accept themselves and others while learning how to do the right thing, makes this book an intriguing coming of age story. Young adults, especially boys, will enjoy this action packed adventure story filled with comic book references.
Notes:
A copy of this book was provided to me by the author for me to review. To learn more about this author and this book, please visit his website: http://www.eyedancers.wordpress.com
This review was originally posted on my website, Ariesgrl Book Reviews. To learn more about my reviews please visit my website at http://ariesgrlreview.com
Fedison has created a world filled with relatable characters that are transported into a fascinating world filled with new possibilities. Each of these boys demonstrates a strength and weakness, while each crave something that is missing from their home life. Once they are transported into this new world, they are filled with the dilemmas that face every child as they begin to mature. Learning how to accept themselves and others while learning how to do the right thing, makes this book an intriguing coming of age story. Young adults, especially boys, will enjoy this action packed adventure story filled with comic book references.
Notes:
A copy of this book was provided to me by the author for me to review. To learn more about this author and this book, please visit his website: http://www.eyedancers.wordpress.com
This review was originally posted on my website, Ariesgrl Book Reviews. To learn more about my reviews please visit my website at http://ariesgrlreview.com
November 21, 2013
I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.
Firstly I would like to thank Michael S. Fedison, author of The Eye-Dancers, for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this fabulous book.
A totally new and fresh story regarding travelling to a parallel universe! This story was a new and interesting read for me because I haven’t read any other similar stories before this. I liked the concept very much where we meet a 12 year old boy named Mitchell who and some of his friends dreams about a 9 year old girl whom they think as a ghost but the most disturbing thing about the dream is that the boys are finding their bodies to be injured in the same manner as in the dreams and it scares them so they decide to have a sleepover and then they travel to a weird place that is unknown to them. What is this place? Who is the girl from their dreams and what does she want? Will the boys be able to discover the truth and return back to their home?
I really think that this story is engaging and intriguing. I loved the writing style of the author and the developed characters were a treat to read about and the whole plot is well planned out and the dialogues are crisp and perfect. The vivid descriptions of the 1950’s surroundings made the read believable and we get to know many more things about that era. It is full of suspense and mystery which kept me hooked in.
The separate POV of all the boys gave a new life to the story and we get to experience the situation from various perspectives and enter the mind of each of the buys which I felt very interesting. A great read and I would recommend it to the readers of all ages; especially children will enjoy it very much. I liked the cool and funky cover as well and it’s so colourful!!! Happy reading!!!
Firstly I would like to thank Michael S. Fedison, author of The Eye-Dancers, for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this fabulous book.
A totally new and fresh story regarding travelling to a parallel universe! This story was a new and interesting read for me because I haven’t read any other similar stories before this. I liked the concept very much where we meet a 12 year old boy named Mitchell who and some of his friends dreams about a 9 year old girl whom they think as a ghost but the most disturbing thing about the dream is that the boys are finding their bodies to be injured in the same manner as in the dreams and it scares them so they decide to have a sleepover and then they travel to a weird place that is unknown to them. What is this place? Who is the girl from their dreams and what does she want? Will the boys be able to discover the truth and return back to their home?
I really think that this story is engaging and intriguing. I loved the writing style of the author and the developed characters were a treat to read about and the whole plot is well planned out and the dialogues are crisp and perfect. The vivid descriptions of the 1950’s surroundings made the read believable and we get to know many more things about that era. It is full of suspense and mystery which kept me hooked in.
The separate POV of all the boys gave a new life to the story and we get to experience the situation from various perspectives and enter the mind of each of the buys which I felt very interesting. A great read and I would recommend it to the readers of all ages; especially children will enjoy it very much. I liked the cool and funky cover as well and it’s so colourful!!! Happy reading!!!
January 30, 2015
The Eye-dancers by Michael S Fedison is unlike any story I’ve ever read. I don’t usually restrict myself to reading just one genre or age group for that matter, and thought by this time I’d read it all, but this middle grade novel still managed to surprise me.
The story starts with a group of friends all having the same dream, or perhaps rather nightmare, of a young girl pleading for help. After confessing the dreams to each other they discover the similarities and set about finding out how this situation came about.
What I liked about the book
The author took great effort in developing realistic characters with everyday struggles. Mitchell, Joe, Ryan and Marc all go through life facing their challenges on a daily basis and have each found their own way of dealing with them.
The story line is interesting and action packed. I couldn’t help but wonder what the little girl wanted, and why she was haunting their dreams. As the story progressed, my concern for the girl grew. She was obviously in some kind of trouble and had called upon the boys to help, but how were they going to help her? The intrigue was fascinating and made this a real page turner.
As expected when placed in extraordinary situations, the characters started to develop, question and grow. I enjoyed watching them go through different stages of development.
What I didn’t enjoy that much
I really didn’t like Joe. Even as his character developed and matured, I still found myself disliking him. This wasn’t a biggie, and other readers might well love him.
Final thoughts
I read this book quickly as I thoroughly enjoyed the world the author created. I wanted to know what happened next, and often read well into the night. This was a very good read indeed.
STAR RATING: 5 STARS
This review will also be posted on my blog:
https://jackiegmills.wordpress.com/
The story starts with a group of friends all having the same dream, or perhaps rather nightmare, of a young girl pleading for help. After confessing the dreams to each other they discover the similarities and set about finding out how this situation came about.
What I liked about the book
The author took great effort in developing realistic characters with everyday struggles. Mitchell, Joe, Ryan and Marc all go through life facing their challenges on a daily basis and have each found their own way of dealing with them.
The story line is interesting and action packed. I couldn’t help but wonder what the little girl wanted, and why she was haunting their dreams. As the story progressed, my concern for the girl grew. She was obviously in some kind of trouble and had called upon the boys to help, but how were they going to help her? The intrigue was fascinating and made this a real page turner.
As expected when placed in extraordinary situations, the characters started to develop, question and grow. I enjoyed watching them go through different stages of development.
What I didn’t enjoy that much
I really didn’t like Joe. Even as his character developed and matured, I still found myself disliking him. This wasn’t a biggie, and other readers might well love him.
Final thoughts
I read this book quickly as I thoroughly enjoyed the world the author created. I wanted to know what happened next, and often read well into the night. This was a very good read indeed.
STAR RATING: 5 STARS
This review will also be posted on my blog:
https://jackiegmills.wordpress.com/
August 30, 2013
Review by: Kimberly @ http://www.AMomsPointOfView.com
Book Title: The Eye Dancers
Author: Michael Fedison
Book Price: $2.99
Note: I received this book from the Author Michael Fedison with no expectation of a positive review.
A 12 year old boy named Mitchell dreams he saw a 7 year old girl outside his window, he awakes and believes she was a ghost. Mitchell can’t shake the fact that he woke with his knee injured just like in his dream. When Mitchell finds out his friends are having the same dream, he wonders if it was really a dream at all.
Mitchell Brant is the main character in the story. His friends Ryan, Marc, and Joe complement him well in the story. The interaction between the characters keeps you engaged in the story.
The Eye Dancers has a syfy element to the story where the boys find themselves in an alternate reality. Each of the boys must overcome an obstacle. With the introduction of the ghost girl Monica, many conflicts arise.
I would suggest this book for a child between the ages of 11-13.
The setting of an alternate dimension in the 1950’s is very important to the story. In this alternate dimension the boys meet Monica, and learn that she is a missing girl believed to be kidnapped.
The author Michael Fedison was born in New York and now lives in Vermont with his wife and son. Michael has had several short stories published in magazines such as lconoclast and The Written Word. Michael currently works as a freelance proof reader and copy editor when he isn't working as a technical writer.
Visit www.eyedancers.wordpress.com
Book Title: The Eye Dancers
Author: Michael Fedison
Book Price: $2.99
Note: I received this book from the Author Michael Fedison with no expectation of a positive review.
A 12 year old boy named Mitchell dreams he saw a 7 year old girl outside his window, he awakes and believes she was a ghost. Mitchell can’t shake the fact that he woke with his knee injured just like in his dream. When Mitchell finds out his friends are having the same dream, he wonders if it was really a dream at all.
Mitchell Brant is the main character in the story. His friends Ryan, Marc, and Joe complement him well in the story. The interaction between the characters keeps you engaged in the story.
The Eye Dancers has a syfy element to the story where the boys find themselves in an alternate reality. Each of the boys must overcome an obstacle. With the introduction of the ghost girl Monica, many conflicts arise.
I would suggest this book for a child between the ages of 11-13.
The setting of an alternate dimension in the 1950’s is very important to the story. In this alternate dimension the boys meet Monica, and learn that she is a missing girl believed to be kidnapped.
The author Michael Fedison was born in New York and now lives in Vermont with his wife and son. Michael has had several short stories published in magazines such as lconoclast and The Written Word. Michael currently works as a freelance proof reader and copy editor when he isn't working as a technical writer.
Visit www.eyedancers.wordpress.com
December 10, 2015
Michael S. Fedison and I both write novels, and we've recently found each other's blogs. So we exchanged copies of our books. Here's my review of The Eye-Dancers. Don't worry - no spoilers below.
During a muggy summer between sixth and seventh grade, three friends all have the same strange dream three nights in a row - a nightmare where a ghost-girl begs them for help and compels them to follow her. They enlist the class geek to watch over them as, this time in their sleep, they'll go with her. So begins the four boys' journey to a world like their own, but different - a parallel world where microwaves and cell phones haven't been invented yet and all the cars are classics.
As they try to figure out what's happening to them, where the ghost-girl is, and why she needs help, the boys deal with their own insecurities and flaws, from nail-biting, to anger, to stammering to... girls!
Aimed at young readers, this book offers kids who can solve their own problems, deal with other kids as well as adults, and find strengths they didn't know they had. The mystery of eye-dancing is explored by the geek (is it quantum mechanics?) but doesn't bog down the action. I'm an engineer myself and identify with the geek - I like that one of the first things he does in the new world is go to the public library. I suspect each reader will find something in one of the boys to identify with.
One little quibble: An epilogue that ties up the loose ends may feel a little heavy-handed after the fun of the story.
Gift a copy of this book to a youngster on your list and I bet you'll get many thanks.
During a muggy summer between sixth and seventh grade, three friends all have the same strange dream three nights in a row - a nightmare where a ghost-girl begs them for help and compels them to follow her. They enlist the class geek to watch over them as, this time in their sleep, they'll go with her. So begins the four boys' journey to a world like their own, but different - a parallel world where microwaves and cell phones haven't been invented yet and all the cars are classics.
As they try to figure out what's happening to them, where the ghost-girl is, and why she needs help, the boys deal with their own insecurities and flaws, from nail-biting, to anger, to stammering to... girls!
Aimed at young readers, this book offers kids who can solve their own problems, deal with other kids as well as adults, and find strengths they didn't know they had. The mystery of eye-dancing is explored by the geek (is it quantum mechanics?) but doesn't bog down the action. I'm an engineer myself and identify with the geek - I like that one of the first things he does in the new world is go to the public library. I suspect each reader will find something in one of the boys to identify with.
One little quibble: An epilogue that ties up the loose ends may feel a little heavy-handed after the fun of the story.
Gift a copy of this book to a youngster on your list and I bet you'll get many thanks.
June 10, 2014
A tough but lovable gang of characters carries this adventure
I like the characters’ style, with baseball-league-meets-Bugsy-Malone vocabulary; when they’re together, they form a little club. They wear their accents and bravado like they’re trying to be much older than they are, but they’re also pretty tough for their age. This all creates an impression of youth that has just the right amount of realism and theatrics, so that the reader is drawn in and at the same time, relates to the characters.
I particularly like the character of Kuslanski, who, despite being a little stereotypically nerdy (complete with a habit of pushing up the bridge of his glasses), brings a philosophical and quirky personality to the gang. Perhaps it’s because of how defined Kuslanski’s characteristics are, but the other boys seemed less definite in my mind. Some consistent visual descriptors attached to their names might help. At times, I also worried that the ages of the boys were unclear but actually I don’t think that matters by the end; readers of the story will be able to imagine the boys as whatever age they relate to more.
Fedison does a good job of setting the scene, with subtle characteristics so that even when presented with the challenge of describing a parallel universe, scarcely different from the boys’ home, he is able to employ details ominously and make the reader aware of the two separate worlds...
Read the full review here: http://www.towerbabel.com/library/116...
I like the characters’ style, with baseball-league-meets-Bugsy-Malone vocabulary; when they’re together, they form a little club. They wear their accents and bravado like they’re trying to be much older than they are, but they’re also pretty tough for their age. This all creates an impression of youth that has just the right amount of realism and theatrics, so that the reader is drawn in and at the same time, relates to the characters.
I particularly like the character of Kuslanski, who, despite being a little stereotypically nerdy (complete with a habit of pushing up the bridge of his glasses), brings a philosophical and quirky personality to the gang. Perhaps it’s because of how defined Kuslanski’s characteristics are, but the other boys seemed less definite in my mind. Some consistent visual descriptors attached to their names might help. At times, I also worried that the ages of the boys were unclear but actually I don’t think that matters by the end; readers of the story will be able to imagine the boys as whatever age they relate to more.
Fedison does a good job of setting the scene, with subtle characteristics so that even when presented with the challenge of describing a parallel universe, scarcely different from the boys’ home, he is able to employ details ominously and make the reader aware of the two separate worlds...
Read the full review here: http://www.towerbabel.com/library/116...
February 4, 2014
This was a highly original story which showcased the author's vivid imagination. When four friends, Mitchell Brant, Joe Marma, Ryan Swinton, start having dreams about a strange little girl who wants them to come with her to help her, they enlist the help of their disbelieving friend Marc Kuslanski to see what happens when they fall asleep and dream together.
When that happens Marc, although not asleep, is sucked in along with them across the void to another parallel universe. It's America and yet it's not. They don't know where they are but they know they're no longer at home. So ensues an exciting tale of how the four friends fare in this place which is just a little unreal and what happens to the little girl in trouble.
I thought this was an interesting and innovative tale. The world created by the author felt new and alien to me, which I guess was the intention and it worked. The characters of the four boys were realistic and likeable and by the end I felt as though I knew them.
However, I thought the story took a while to get going and could have done with having a faster pace. Similarly the ending was a bit drawn out and I feel the author could have made it a bit shorter without detracting from the overall story he wanted to convey.
Having said that, it was an enjoyable novel to read and I would recommend it to both young adults and older adults.
When that happens Marc, although not asleep, is sucked in along with them across the void to another parallel universe. It's America and yet it's not. They don't know where they are but they know they're no longer at home. So ensues an exciting tale of how the four friends fare in this place which is just a little unreal and what happens to the little girl in trouble.
I thought this was an interesting and innovative tale. The world created by the author felt new and alien to me, which I guess was the intention and it worked. The characters of the four boys were realistic and likeable and by the end I felt as though I knew them.
However, I thought the story took a while to get going and could have done with having a faster pace. Similarly the ending was a bit drawn out and I feel the author could have made it a bit shorter without detracting from the overall story he wanted to convey.
Having said that, it was an enjoyable novel to read and I would recommend it to both young adults and older adults.
March 10, 2014
Shinning blue eyes from another dimension.
I liked this story straight away; it was a modern version of Enid Blyton Adventure books I'd loved as a child (must admit to reading them even now). True the characters are very different and the ideas have changed but the premise is the same; except we add a dose of science to the mix and a wormhole, how times have changed.
The four friends complement each other; the odd one out, not really part of the group is Marc, or Kuslanski as they call him, further alienating him; he is a bit too tightly wired for his own good. Mitchell, who first sees the blue eyes in his dreams, is very awkward and shy especially with girls, Joe has a bad temper and wants to resolve everything with a punch. Ryan is the total opposite he likes to talk his way out of a situation. They work together very well, although it would have been better to have girls amongst them, just as Enid did, for a more interesting mix of characters. There are girls of course, it is a little girl calling them and Mitchell does meet one he likes, but they are satellites. I don't know if I would have been so keen on Enid as a child if it were just boys having the big adventure.
I don't want to give the story away so I'll just add, It is well written, modern but thankfully not idiomatic which is very hard to read and I usually give up on. A fast read that keeps you interested.
I liked this story straight away; it was a modern version of Enid Blyton Adventure books I'd loved as a child (must admit to reading them even now). True the characters are very different and the ideas have changed but the premise is the same; except we add a dose of science to the mix and a wormhole, how times have changed.
The four friends complement each other; the odd one out, not really part of the group is Marc, or Kuslanski as they call him, further alienating him; he is a bit too tightly wired for his own good. Mitchell, who first sees the blue eyes in his dreams, is very awkward and shy especially with girls, Joe has a bad temper and wants to resolve everything with a punch. Ryan is the total opposite he likes to talk his way out of a situation. They work together very well, although it would have been better to have girls amongst them, just as Enid did, for a more interesting mix of characters. There are girls of course, it is a little girl calling them and Mitchell does meet one he likes, but they are satellites. I don't know if I would have been so keen on Enid as a child if it were just boys having the big adventure.
I don't want to give the story away so I'll just add, It is well written, modern but thankfully not idiomatic which is very hard to read and I usually give up on. A fast read that keeps you interested.
May 19, 2014
The Eye-Dancers is a truly wonderful story, and it is heart-warming, if only because of the emotional journey and friendship the four main characters go through together. The interaction of the characters flowed effortlessly and had me smiling many times, and they are believable and likeable, for they each have their own flaws and inhibitions, as well as their own strengths. As the story progressed, I found my opinion constantly changing about these four main characters, but only because it is through the progression of the story that you see them grow as people. You see them grow up.
One of the things I liked most about The Eye-Dancers was the writing style, for Fedison manages to make the inner thoughts of the characters run smoothly with the dialogue, and I felt it really reflected the minds of the boys. It works very well. The plot itself was ever engaging and at times I found myself so desperate to find out what was going to happen.
This story is one of fantasy and reality, of questions and answers, of friendship and growth. All that combined gives a brilliant piece of literature. This book is imaginative and original, and I would recommend it to anyone - the 'growing up' and friendship themes make it identifiable to all, but there is almost something subtly deeper running throughout it, and that makes it poignant and beautiful.
One of the things I liked most about The Eye-Dancers was the writing style, for Fedison manages to make the inner thoughts of the characters run smoothly with the dialogue, and I felt it really reflected the minds of the boys. It works very well. The plot itself was ever engaging and at times I found myself so desperate to find out what was going to happen.
This story is one of fantasy and reality, of questions and answers, of friendship and growth. All that combined gives a brilliant piece of literature. This book is imaginative and original, and I would recommend it to anyone - the 'growing up' and friendship themes make it identifiable to all, but there is almost something subtly deeper running throughout it, and that makes it poignant and beautiful.
May 6, 2013
The Eye Dancers is a very enjoyable YA read, with a well-paced plot, a satisfying storyline and an excellent group of viewpoint characters. I have a liking for character driven stories, and the contrasting viewpoints of the four main characters works very well here.
Mike Fedison sets up an intriguing ghost mystery, with a simultaneous visitation by what appears to be the ghost of a small girl into the minds of four boys, that then turns into a parallel universe/time travel/kidnap drama. Its strength lies in the very different perceptions and reactions of the four protagonists throughout. Each character has their own set of ‘issues’, and they all gain new insights into themselves and their co-adventurers as the story progresses, with a little touch of young love for one of the four, and a social breakthrough for the scientific brainiac of the crew, who serves to introduce the concepts of parallel universes, wormholes and quantum physics, without overdoing it. Psychological effects of a marriage breakdown, the need for social approval, anger management and social isolation are well handled and developed through each of the four main characters.
I would totally recommend The Eye Dancers for middle grade to young adult readers.
Mike Fedison sets up an intriguing ghost mystery, with a simultaneous visitation by what appears to be the ghost of a small girl into the minds of four boys, that then turns into a parallel universe/time travel/kidnap drama. Its strength lies in the very different perceptions and reactions of the four protagonists throughout. Each character has their own set of ‘issues’, and they all gain new insights into themselves and their co-adventurers as the story progresses, with a little touch of young love for one of the four, and a social breakthrough for the scientific brainiac of the crew, who serves to introduce the concepts of parallel universes, wormholes and quantum physics, without overdoing it. Psychological effects of a marriage breakdown, the need for social approval, anger management and social isolation are well handled and developed through each of the four main characters.
I would totally recommend The Eye Dancers for middle grade to young adult readers.
February 12, 2014
Ah, to be back in junior high school! The loneliness, the angst, the debilitating shyness, the budding teenage romance… Reading the Eye-Dancers was like a trip back in time for me as the four main characters struggled with growing up, each in their own way, in a strange and exciting setting.
Joe has a chip on his shoulder about being short for his age. Ryan just wants to make everyone laugh to bolster his self-esteem. Marc is a nerdy kid who wants to feel accepted, and Mitchell is a dreamer and compulsive stretcher of the truth. Together, they make up an interesting if somewhat dysfunctional team, and readers will cheer them on even as they recognize aspects of their younger selves.
I knew from the book’s description that the four boys are going to be whisked away to a fantasy world, and I was expecting something like Narnia, but actually it’s more like a subtly different parallel universe in which they must rescue a mysterious psychic girl... that is, if they don't kill each other first. Okay, it's actually not a Lord of the Flies kind of situation, but tempers flare and friendships get tested.
I’m always intrigued by weird psychic powers, parallel universes and alternative history, so I really enjoyed the ride!
April 16, 2014
I wasn't sure if I could get into the mindset of an adolescent boy...but I really enjoyed this book. I loved how there was a journey for each of the characters involved, how they all changed as part of their experience. I had to suspend my disbelief of how it all worked with the mysterious little girl, but otherwise, it was a fun adventure.
Fedison really explores the fears and triumphs of an age when you're on the cusp of adulthood, and I appreciated his honesty in exploring the emotions of the kids. At first, I thought he was emulating Stephen King a la 11/22/63, but it had less of a time travel component than I expected. Nonetheless, it was interesting to delve into another reality (note to Fedison: it's spelled "Schrodinger's cat").
Sometimes I thought the pacing was a little slow; I wanted the boys to keep moving forward with their search, but I also liked hanging out in their heads. I must admit that I didn't like Joe too much; he seemed a bit mean for my taste, and he had some annoying phrases (the way he structured his sentences and his overuse of "bud").
Overall, though, I enjoyed this coming-of-age book with a science fiction twist. Also, since I read the color version, I really liked the orange headings and the pictures between the different sections.
Fedison really explores the fears and triumphs of an age when you're on the cusp of adulthood, and I appreciated his honesty in exploring the emotions of the kids. At first, I thought he was emulating Stephen King a la 11/22/63, but it had less of a time travel component than I expected. Nonetheless, it was interesting to delve into another reality (note to Fedison: it's spelled "Schrodinger's cat").
Sometimes I thought the pacing was a little slow; I wanted the boys to keep moving forward with their search, but I also liked hanging out in their heads. I must admit that I didn't like Joe too much; he seemed a bit mean for my taste, and he had some annoying phrases (the way he structured his sentences and his overuse of "bud").
Overall, though, I enjoyed this coming-of-age book with a science fiction twist. Also, since I read the color version, I really liked the orange headings and the pictures between the different sections.
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