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The Prince of Earth
In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.
The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life – phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.
As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived temporality or reality of each period.
The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life – phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.
As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived temporality or reality of each period.
182 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2012
176 people want to read
About the author
Mike Robinson
11 books69 followersAuthor of:
THE ENIGMA OF TWILIGHT FALLS TRILOGY:
"The Green-Eyed Monster"
"Negative Space"
"Waking Gods"
"Dreamshores: Monster Island"
"Skunk Ape Semester"
"The Atheist"
"The Prince of Earth"
"Too Much Dark Matter, Too Little Gray: A Collection of Weird Fiction"
----------------------------------------------
Screenwriter/Producer:
"Blood Corral" (feature)
"Chrysaline" (short)
THE ENIGMA OF TWILIGHT FALLS TRILOGY:
"The Green-Eyed Monster"
"Negative Space"
"Waking Gods"
"Dreamshores: Monster Island"
"Skunk Ape Semester"
"The Atheist"
"The Prince of Earth"
"Too Much Dark Matter, Too Little Gray: A Collection of Weird Fiction"
----------------------------------------------
Screenwriter/Producer:
"Blood Corral" (feature)
"Chrysaline" (short)
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 10, 2013
Book Info: Genre: Dark fiction
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: People who like to read things that twist their brain
Trigger Warnings: sexual assault
My Thoughts:
Beautifully written book. If you like stories that will twist your brain and make you question everything you think you know, then you really need to check out this book.
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.
The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life—phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.
As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived temporality or reality of each period.
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: People who like to read things that twist their brain
Trigger Warnings: sexual assault
My Thoughts:
“...But sometimes freakish things just happen. A synapse misfires and suddenly it's a week later and you're naked in mud surrounded by cops.”So, is this a story about a woman who has an experience with a horrible unknown creature, or is this a story about a woman going mad? I really can't say, there are arguments either way. What I can say is that I just loved this mind-twisting story. I may not have completely understood what was going on, but I certainly enjoyed reading it. I also loved the beautiful descriptions of the Cairngorns in Scotland, although after reading this book I might not be so interested in actually going there for fear something like this might happen to me!
“That's just college.”
Beautifully written book. If you like stories that will twist your brain and make you question everything you think you know, then you really need to check out this book.
Disclosure: I received an e-book copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.
The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life—phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.
As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived temporality or reality of each period.
April 13, 2013
I really liked Mike Robinson's previous work: "The Green-Eyed Monster" for its originality. The story I had read continued to haunt me for several days and that is why I was delighted to get my hands on his new novel.
Do not be fooled by the cover that reflects a childish picture. The story is not a fairy tale, or a story to help children sleep... Quite the contrary!
Immediately, from the early chapters, the author took me by surprise. I was destabilized. I found myself rubbing my eyes or coming back to the previous paragraph, thinking I have skipped something important ... I was confused. Then, I realized that I had been caught in the nets of its history. This is beautifully done by the author!
In fact, Mike Robinson puts the plot in two crucial moments of Quincy Redding's life. First in 2008, depicturing a married woman, with one child, who has a successful but stressful career. A stress that playing tricks on her. At least, this is the first logical explanation she draws.
Regularly, to understand the woman she became, the reader dives in the past. More accurately in 1988, during a trip to Scotland that Quincy made in her youth, while touring Europe. An experience particularly difficult emotionally and mentally, since she disappeared for several days without explanations.
A brillant temporal alternance, studded with details, imaginated to manipulate the reader into drawing conclusions by trying to unravel the mystery.
For the reader, looking for a logical explanation it's a good way to reassure itself, when Mike Robinson's tale takes on a rather creepy slope.
Once started this novel, you want to know! Is it an acid trip? A fantasy novel ? Will there be dramas, blood? Have you been embedded on a time travel machine or thrown back in the middle of a trip to hell ... You just want to know ... And you keep turning, turning pages.
Be careful, this is not a novel full of big explosions. It's much worse...Everything will be played in your mind.
Disturbing, frightening ... A marvel!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
Do not be fooled by the cover that reflects a childish picture. The story is not a fairy tale, or a story to help children sleep... Quite the contrary!
Immediately, from the early chapters, the author took me by surprise. I was destabilized. I found myself rubbing my eyes or coming back to the previous paragraph, thinking I have skipped something important ... I was confused. Then, I realized that I had been caught in the nets of its history. This is beautifully done by the author!
In fact, Mike Robinson puts the plot in two crucial moments of Quincy Redding's life. First in 2008, depicturing a married woman, with one child, who has a successful but stressful career. A stress that playing tricks on her. At least, this is the first logical explanation she draws.
Regularly, to understand the woman she became, the reader dives in the past. More accurately in 1988, during a trip to Scotland that Quincy made in her youth, while touring Europe. An experience particularly difficult emotionally and mentally, since she disappeared for several days without explanations.
A brillant temporal alternance, studded with details, imaginated to manipulate the reader into drawing conclusions by trying to unravel the mystery.
For the reader, looking for a logical explanation it's a good way to reassure itself, when Mike Robinson's tale takes on a rather creepy slope.
Once started this novel, you want to know! Is it an acid trip? A fantasy novel ? Will there be dramas, blood? Have you been embedded on a time travel machine or thrown back in the middle of a trip to hell ... You just want to know ... And you keep turning, turning pages.
Be careful, this is not a novel full of big explosions. It's much worse...Everything will be played in your mind.
Disturbing, frightening ... A marvel!
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
February 18, 2017
Not my favorite of Robinson's books, only because he's set such a consistently high standard that even a slight stumble stands out. Ironically enough, the fact that I was familiar with his body of work led me to a deeper appreciation than I might have had otherwise. It feels like Robinson is in the process of crafting something of a horror-themed multiverse. So while Prince of Earth won't be my favorite, it could very well be a vital link in a collected body of works that is undeniably fascinating and unsettlingly seductive.
March 9, 2013
My Review of The Prince of Earth:
1. This book had great use of language, great story, ripe little nuggets of wisdom (did I mention this book has substance), and lots of creepy!! I give it five out of five stars.
2. I really enjoyed this book. Once, while having a bout of insomnia, I sat on my couch; it was about three am (prime time to read horror). I remember thinking: that’s creepy, poor Quincy, wow that’s messed up… and then all of a sudden the book took me somewhere even darker than I’d expected. I became paralyzed on my couch, thinking: if I get up the Prince will find me. That was also the exact moment my enormous German Shepherd decided to bark at an empty corner (which gave me a nice little panic attack).
What the hell, Mike Robinson? A little, “this book is going to mess you up,” warning would have been nice. :)
3. This book hooked me from the beginning. I repeated the phrase, “I’m reading,” so often that after a while I think the person or persons who disturbed me heard another phrase, one that sounded a lot like “piss-off” or something to that effect. Good job, Mike!
1. This book had great use of language, great story, ripe little nuggets of wisdom (did I mention this book has substance), and lots of creepy!! I give it five out of five stars.
2. I really enjoyed this book. Once, while having a bout of insomnia, I sat on my couch; it was about three am (prime time to read horror). I remember thinking: that’s creepy, poor Quincy, wow that’s messed up… and then all of a sudden the book took me somewhere even darker than I’d expected. I became paralyzed on my couch, thinking: if I get up the Prince will find me. That was also the exact moment my enormous German Shepherd decided to bark at an empty corner (which gave me a nice little panic attack).
What the hell, Mike Robinson? A little, “this book is going to mess you up,” warning would have been nice. :)
3. This book hooked me from the beginning. I repeated the phrase, “I’m reading,” so often that after a while I think the person or persons who disturbed me heard another phrase, one that sounded a lot like “piss-off” or something to that effect. Good job, Mike!
March 4, 2013
Quincy found things went missing from her life. Sometimes even people. She remembers them perfectly, while everybody around her has completely forgotten. These disturbing events send her mind back to events that happened ten years earlier, things she’d hoped to forget.
With amazing prose and emotional imagery, The Prince of Earth really speaks to something primal inside all of us. Jumping back and forth between two critical times in the main character’s life, the narrative is at once compelling and haunting. Set against a mysterious and picturesque mountain in Scotland and touching on the human condition in a dark and beautiful way, Mike Robinson’s book construction is masterful. The ideas and images continue to echo in my mind.
I wouldn’t think I could still be scared by a book until this one reached into my psyche.
With amazing prose and emotional imagery, The Prince of Earth really speaks to something primal inside all of us. Jumping back and forth between two critical times in the main character’s life, the narrative is at once compelling and haunting. Set against a mysterious and picturesque mountain in Scotland and touching on the human condition in a dark and beautiful way, Mike Robinson’s book construction is masterful. The ideas and images continue to echo in my mind.
I wouldn’t think I could still be scared by a book until this one reached into my psyche.
June 28, 2018
The author gives you a page turn that keeps you hooked from the beginning with a complex story that holds your attention. As your mind spins you are pushed to turn the page to see what the author has in store for you next. I have not read anything by this author and was pleased at how well he pulled me with a well written story of one woman and her family over many years as their lives go on from day to day and things start changing. At first, I thought it is due to stress but it isn’t long before we find it is so much more. It is fast pace with lots of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next shoe to drop. It is so complex I found I had to go back and read things again a few times. This isn’t a book you want to start if you have other issues going on, it is a book you need to give your full attention to or you will become very confused.
I liked the suspenseful mystery, the thrills and the chills. It really is one heck of a ride that you must pick up when you have time to really give the book the time it needs. The characters are good but very complex. Quincy is so different from how she was twenty years ago when she was care free, now she is a wife and mother working a very stressful job. At first, I thought her job is the reason things are getting weird, she has panic attacks, weird dreams and the list goes on. As you travel down the road she is on you have to wonder what in the heck is going on. I had to wonder right along with her are the dreams real, is she even real, where are the people she has come to love and who is the Prince of Earth? So many questions and just a wild ride that holds you in its hand at times leaving you with your mouth open and other times your mind just goes wild and crazy.
It was an enjoyable ride with some wild interesting writing. It is one that I will read again, I feel like I am still missing some important parts. Is it worth your time yes but only if you have time to give it your full mind.
***************
I liked the suspenseful mystery, the thrills and the chills. It really is one heck of a ride that you must pick up when you have time to really give the book the time it needs. The characters are good but very complex. Quincy is so different from how she was twenty years ago when she was care free, now she is a wife and mother working a very stressful job. At first, I thought her job is the reason things are getting weird, she has panic attacks, weird dreams and the list goes on. As you travel down the road she is on you have to wonder what in the heck is going on. I had to wonder right along with her are the dreams real, is she even real, where are the people she has come to love and who is the Prince of Earth? So many questions and just a wild ride that holds you in its hand at times leaving you with your mouth open and other times your mind just goes wild and crazy.
It was an enjoyable ride with some wild interesting writing. It is one that I will read again, I feel like I am still missing some important parts. Is it worth your time yes but only if you have time to give it your full mind.
***************
June 21, 2018
This is the first book I have by this author and I must say it was a page turner . I had to find out what was going on . Let me introduce you to Quincy a young woman who in 1988 suffered a serious trauma while in Scotland . The book spans twenty years of Quincy's life . She is trying to figure out what is going on . What is happening to her and her family and is it connected to what happened on the mountain in Scotland so many years ago .
This book is such a complex book Quincy is such a complex character . When we see her in 1988. She is care free and taking the world by the horns . When we see her in 2008 she is really kind of a shell of what she was 20 year early . She is a married woman with a son and a very stressful job. So when we see her starting to go through the abnormal things at the beginning of the book we just say its the stress of her job . She is just stressed out . But how things change as we see she is caught between her life and the memories of what happened 20 years earlier .
This book is not a fairytale , there is no prince to rescue the damsel in distress. This is a on the edge of your seat read that will keep you reading . I read this book in an evening I was totally engrossed. I had to figure out what the heck was going on . I liked that the author had both 1988 and 2008 in each chapter . I really kept us on our toes . There were twists and turns all the way through out the story . There were just a couple of times I had to go back and reread a paragraph because I was confused . Over all I truly enjoyed this book and will be looking into more books by this author. So if you want a book that will keep you reading and go wow at the ending check it out .
This book is such a complex book Quincy is such a complex character . When we see her in 1988. She is care free and taking the world by the horns . When we see her in 2008 she is really kind of a shell of what she was 20 year early . She is a married woman with a son and a very stressful job. So when we see her starting to go through the abnormal things at the beginning of the book we just say its the stress of her job . She is just stressed out . But how things change as we see she is caught between her life and the memories of what happened 20 years earlier .
This book is not a fairytale , there is no prince to rescue the damsel in distress. This is a on the edge of your seat read that will keep you reading . I read this book in an evening I was totally engrossed. I had to figure out what the heck was going on . I liked that the author had both 1988 and 2008 in each chapter . I really kept us on our toes . There were twists and turns all the way through out the story . There were just a couple of times I had to go back and reread a paragraph because I was confused . Over all I truly enjoyed this book and will be looking into more books by this author. So if you want a book that will keep you reading and go wow at the ending check it out .
October 18, 2020
When it comes to The Prince of Earth, I'm really torn on how I should rate the book.
Do I rate it on the authors ability to bend the readers mind and leave them reeling from trying to make sense on everything?
Do I rate on my personal preferences?
The Prince of Earth is a mind bending read for sure. We follow along with Quincy as she is trying to manage life in the "present" time as well as travel back in time 20 years before to when Quincy life changed completely during a backpacking trip across Europe.
This one did take a little bit for me to get into. It was a very different kind of reading experience that has you wondering is someone trying to control Quincy after years of her seeming to have a normal life? Or is Quincy going through a mental break that may have been hereditary and everything she thought she knew was just a made up life in her head?
I didn't really care for the back and forth time switches. It also seemed that the author switched between 2nd and 3rd person narrations which also lent to confusing me a bit.
But I think in the end, the author may have achieved his goal in making the readers really think about Quincy's battle for sanity and even has the reader questioning what is real and made-up.
Do I rate it on the authors ability to bend the readers mind and leave them reeling from trying to make sense on everything?
Do I rate on my personal preferences?
The Prince of Earth is a mind bending read for sure. We follow along with Quincy as she is trying to manage life in the "present" time as well as travel back in time 20 years before to when Quincy life changed completely during a backpacking trip across Europe.
This one did take a little bit for me to get into. It was a very different kind of reading experience that has you wondering is someone trying to control Quincy after years of her seeming to have a normal life? Or is Quincy going through a mental break that may have been hereditary and everything she thought she knew was just a made up life in her head?
I didn't really care for the back and forth time switches. It also seemed that the author switched between 2nd and 3rd person narrations which also lent to confusing me a bit.
But I think in the end, the author may have achieved his goal in making the readers really think about Quincy's battle for sanity and even has the reader questioning what is real and made-up.
October 21, 2020
Welcome to Quincy's life , in 1988 she travels Scotland, over the highlands and finds something she never in the world thought happen. This story takes us back and forth in her life from 1988 to 2008, where all that she went through. Never have I read anything like this, All that she has gone through is now showing it's effects when married, with a child, husband and they know something is wrong. I had to go back and re-read several pages as I wanted to make sure what I was reading. My mind was blown with what she had and is happening to her, then and now. This is not a quick read, I wanted to make sure I understand everything. Some things were shocking, confusing, terrifying and more.
June 25, 2018
New author for me and not really a new genre for me but its one I dont delve into very often. I might read 2-3 books of this genre a year. There was nothing wrong with the story. I just didnt get it. I was confused a lot of the time. It was very difficult for me to get into it. It seems from the other reviews I've read its common they were confused too but they enjoyed the book as well. Just a real mind bender. I have to agree! I had to go back a lot to re-read some pages...I was like wait..what did I just read and I had to go back. So, I dont think this is the story for me. Ha. Good writing but I dont think I could grasp it very well.
June 28, 2018
Wow-my mind is definitely blown away. This story "put us into the mind" of Quincy in 1988 as a young determined girl and of Quincy in 2008, an adult who is losing her grasp on reality. It was well written, twisted and a page turner. I had a hard time determining what/who was real and what/who was all in Quincy's head, but I think that was the point. A haunting read that gave me nightmares. If dark psychological thrillers are your thing-or even, if like me, take you out of your comfort zone- this story around Quincy's encounter with The Prince of Earth is a must read.
June 26, 2018
This is a psychological thriller, no heroes are coming in to rescue the damsel in distress. It takes place over 20 years. Quincy has a traumatic experience in 1988 and then this is the next 20 years of her life that pretty much started with that first event. It all ties together. It is a suspenseful mystery so I can't give anything away. If you like this genre then you will definitely like this book. Great twists and turns with an exciting ending.
September 5, 2022
The Prince of Earth is a fascinating and disorienting journey that’s well worth taking. Robinson repeatedly transports the reader across decades, switching from the protagonist’s eerie mountain trek in 1988 Scotland to her quickly unraveling life in 2008 LA. Robinson knows how to unsettle us while stirring deeper thoughts and emotions. This novel offers top-quality prose and a perfect pace. A beautifully uncanny puzzle.
June 27, 2018
This book was hard for me to get into at first, but then I couldn't put it down as I got further in. It seems to me there are alternate possible realities to Quincy's life. Did she experience the events in 1988? Was 2008 her reality or just what she hoped for? Was now a result of 1988's events affecting her mind? I guess that's up to each reader.
June 21, 2018
Honestly I’m not sure how to take this book. It was definitely twisted and psychological. I had a hard time getting into the story and found myself confused often. Definitely a mind bender for sure.
January 4, 2014
“You are in a nightmare not even yours.”
Reading this book has been a journey in itself. I started reading in April and read it on and off until I finally finished it last week. It was a lack of organization, not a lack of interest, believe me; this man knows how to haunt his readers. I read Green Eyed Monster by Mike Robinson last year and fell in love with his prose and this book was no different. It was haunting and poetic and a little bizarre at times – most of the time – like every phrase, every moment in time was its own story.
Poor Quincy has these voices in her head that aren’t really on her side but follow her through past, present and future. Like maybe this whole story is just in her head. Or maybe it’s all in the reader’s head and we’re just crazy. That’s what he does to you. It’s not the plot. It’s the words. The images. The little snapshots of Quincy’s life that we see fading away with each page turn.
“…and then she was there staring at Quincy from a jawless and balding cranium, from which hung the decrepit stalactites of her teeth over loose tendons draped down her neck. Her skin was clammy and death-white, though still burning far in her eyes was a waning candle of consciousness.”
See what I mean? It’s 184 pages of THIS. Of terrifyingly morbid scenes and mysterious metaphorical meanings – with less alliteration – that take the laws of reality and chuck them out the window. It’s awesome. There are no scenes out of place which may seem odd with all the time jumps and flashbacks but everything falls into place…until I got to the ending. Then I was just dazed and confused.
The Prince is this mythological super villain type character that just rips everything to shreds – including sanity – and it almost seemed liked it was all about to click into the rest of the puzzle and then it…didn’t. I had to stop after I finished the last page and go “what. Just. Happened?” Really I should have seen the ending coming but I didn’t so I was blown away.
Gushing aside, I’m constantly amazed at Mike Robinson’s ability to create haunting prose and incredibly terrifying stories. It’s a must read for paranormal lovers.
February 22, 2013
The reader is taken on a journey starting twenty years ago in the lonely and mist shrouded Scottish Highlands. Something happened there while hiking up a mountain alone that is coming back to mentally haunt Quincy today. Once a young, independent and adventurous woman who involved herself in life on the outside edges, not really connecting with others on a personal level, Quincy is losing herself, or maybe it’s just her mind?
Today, she is a successful businesswoman, wife and mother, but her solo trip around Europe changed her forever. She has panic attacks, lucid dreams, and is unable to detect fact from fantasy. Paranoia has her tightly in its clutches.
Twenty years ago, Quincy had been lost for several days in the Scottish Highlands, alone, living in the nightmare of the legendary Gray Man. Had it been a nightmare? Had she crossed to another realm? Why were people she had known and loved now non-existent? Who is the Prince of Earth? Why does he show up? For that matter, who is Quincy? Did she really exist in the world she thought she knew?
I won’t go on, this is a trip through a surreal world, blurry and dark. This is not a fast read, it is intense, and over-stuffed with detail. Picture Alice In Wonderland on steroids!
Is it for everyone? No, but for those who wish a long journey into the world of dark fantasy, I highly recommend it, just be prepared to try to discern reality from fantasy!
This edition was provided by NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my honest review.
Today, she is a successful businesswoman, wife and mother, but her solo trip around Europe changed her forever. She has panic attacks, lucid dreams, and is unable to detect fact from fantasy. Paranoia has her tightly in its clutches.
Twenty years ago, Quincy had been lost for several days in the Scottish Highlands, alone, living in the nightmare of the legendary Gray Man. Had it been a nightmare? Had she crossed to another realm? Why were people she had known and loved now non-existent? Who is the Prince of Earth? Why does he show up? For that matter, who is Quincy? Did she really exist in the world she thought she knew?
I won’t go on, this is a trip through a surreal world, blurry and dark. This is not a fast read, it is intense, and over-stuffed with detail. Picture Alice In Wonderland on steroids!
Is it for everyone? No, but for those who wish a long journey into the world of dark fantasy, I highly recommend it, just be prepared to try to discern reality from fantasy!
This edition was provided by NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for my honest review.
March 6, 2013
Mike Robinson's "The Prince of Earth" really surprised and in many ways delighted me. While this is not a terribly fast moving book, it is one of the most complex and deeply psychological novels I have read. The intensity of the main character pulls you in to the story and has a relentless grasp.
I was excited when I realized just within the first couple of paragraphs that this author uses incredible language in his work. The imagery he has produced in this book is some of the most vibrant and colorful in recent memory. Through his words you are able to paint a glorious picture in your mind.
The setting was interesting and I felt it added to the mysterious ambiance of this title. There is a dark, somewhat Gothic feel to this book overall and Scotland worked well with that. While I am certain that this book will not be for everyone, for those who enjoy a mystery that requires concentration and consideration this will be a fantastic journey that you will not soon forget. I found this to be one of those books where hours after you are done reading it, you suddenly sit up in bed and go "Oh! I get it."
This story raises a lot of questions, but they are all answered in the end. I would recommend this better than average book to others who like to stay intrigued from beginning to end.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.
I was excited when I realized just within the first couple of paragraphs that this author uses incredible language in his work. The imagery he has produced in this book is some of the most vibrant and colorful in recent memory. Through his words you are able to paint a glorious picture in your mind.
The setting was interesting and I felt it added to the mysterious ambiance of this title. There is a dark, somewhat Gothic feel to this book overall and Scotland worked well with that. While I am certain that this book will not be for everyone, for those who enjoy a mystery that requires concentration and consideration this will be a fantastic journey that you will not soon forget. I found this to be one of those books where hours after you are done reading it, you suddenly sit up in bed and go "Oh! I get it."
This story raises a lot of questions, but they are all answered in the end. I would recommend this better than average book to others who like to stay intrigued from beginning to end.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.
April 20, 2013
A five star review for "The Prince of Earth" by Mike Robinson
In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.
The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life – phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.
As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived reality of each period.
Dear Readers: "The Prince of Earth" is as good as any you're going to find; a page-turner, an electron burner! The book really surprised me and in many ways delighted me. It is one of the most complex and deeply psychological novels I have read. The intensity of the main character pulls you in to the story and has a relentless grasp. I'm going to go back and read the book again, just to enjoy every nuance of Mike Robinson's excellent writing.
In 1988, young American traveler Quincy Redding is trekking across the misty terrain of the Scottish Highlands. She is destined for the infamous peak Ben MacDui, the summit of which soon finds her inexplicably debilitated and at the mercy of a malevolent entity.
The book spans twenty years, alternately following Quincy in her 1988 ordeal in Scotland as well as Quincy in 2008, when, as an adult, she begins experiencing abnormalities that threaten her family and her life – phenomena that may be related to what happened all those years ago.
As both older and younger Quincy learn more of their situation, and as their worlds further entwine, she becomes increasingly uncertain of the perceived reality of each period.
Dear Readers: "The Prince of Earth" is as good as any you're going to find; a page-turner, an electron burner! The book really surprised me and in many ways delighted me. It is one of the most complex and deeply psychological novels I have read. The intensity of the main character pulls you in to the story and has a relentless grasp. I'm going to go back and read the book again, just to enjoy every nuance of Mike Robinson's excellent writing.
May 13, 2013
The Prince of the Earth, by Mike Robinson, is a unique read, jumping back and forwards in time to tell the life story of Quincy Redding. It travels back and forth from her present life, where she is a Computer Game Developer, to the period she travelled, as a young independent student, on her own across Europe and Scotland, it also entwines memories from her childhood.
This unusual tale is not an ordinary life story, big chunks of what Quincy believes are her memories disappear, along with objects and people from her past, even family members. It may be an hallucination, it also could be memory loss, but did some type of paranormal experience happen in the Scottish highlands when Quincy was camping alone on the mountain top, in the fog?
Mike Robinson has put together a very well written, adult read, filled with suspense and a twist of horror in which readers are kept guessing.
This unusual tale is not an ordinary life story, big chunks of what Quincy believes are her memories disappear, along with objects and people from her past, even family members. It may be an hallucination, it also could be memory loss, but did some type of paranormal experience happen in the Scottish highlands when Quincy was camping alone on the mountain top, in the fog?
Mike Robinson has put together a very well written, adult read, filled with suspense and a twist of horror in which readers are kept guessing.
April 17, 2013
This book was written beautifully. I was expecting something a bit different based on the intro on the back of the book and was jazzed to find out just how deep and twisted (at times) the story became. I was never quite sure just what was real and unreal. I loved it, I ranted a bit at it and I was surprised by it. A great read.
June 7, 2014
Really liked this book. Great plot, grabbed me from the start and held me tight all the way to the end.
I picked this book up at BayCon 2013, and the author signed it for me. We also spent some time talking at the hotel bar one afternoon. Super nice fellow and I'll be looking him up again in 2015, ready to read more of his work.
I picked this book up at BayCon 2013, and the author signed it for me. We also spent some time talking at the hotel bar one afternoon. Super nice fellow and I'll be looking him up again in 2015, ready to read more of his work.
June 27, 2018
Very unsettling view into a broken mind.
Where does one turn when all that you believe real seems to fade? How does one find reality? Was it ever really there? Was it just a comfortable creation to sooth a troubled mind?
Where does one turn when all that you believe real seems to fade? How does one find reality? Was it ever really there? Was it just a comfortable creation to sooth a troubled mind?
September 21, 2013
2.5 stars. Just didn't love it. I'm not sure what was real and what wasn't. I believe that was part of the purpose, but it left me feeling like maybe I just didn't get it instead.
May 7, 2013
I had a hard time following this book, though the story is good. It bounces back and forth between times and places.
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