What do you think?
Rate this book
The Conservancy
A school where the teachers don’t teach, the students are prisoners and the walls house a sinister secret.
When Josh is invited to attend class at the Conservancy, it looks like the perfect school. You can study any subject. You can read books or watch movies. There are no tests or homework. You are free to spend your time doing anything you want.
Unless you want to leave.
Trapped in a surreal world with time constantly shifting around him, Josh desperately searches for a way out.
What he finds could change the world forever.
When Josh is invited to attend class at the Conservancy, it looks like the perfect school. You can study any subject. You can read books or watch movies. There are no tests or homework. You are free to spend your time doing anything you want.
Unless you want to leave.
Trapped in a surreal world with time constantly shifting around him, Josh desperately searches for a way out.
What he finds could change the world forever.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
T.T. Escurel
8 books18 followersScience Fiction/Fantasy writer in Southern California where the sun shines, the waves roll in and the roads become a backdrop for an apocalypse movie every time the word "precipitation" is mentioned.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 29, 2013
I sat down to read just a couple of chapters of this, with the intention of then doing something else. A couple of hours later and a cold mug of tea sat in front of me, I finished it off. Sucked in, definitely.
I'm not sure whether you could class this as fantasy or science fiction. It's kind of one foot in each—there's time travel, and future tech, but there's also a sort of fantasy unreality to it. Josh is specially selected to attend the Conservancy, which sounds like the ideal school. You can do whatever you like, whenever you like, write your own curriculum, pick your own subjects for study, do whatever you like as a sport. The only thing you can't do is leave. Josh and his mother go to visit, and Josh decides that, although there's a perfect half-pipe for his beloved skateboarding, there's something not quite right and so he won't attend. He's kind of surprised when he wakes up the next morning in his own room in the school. And as he learns more about the Conservancy, he decides it's his obligation to get out and make his way home, though that's easier said than done.
T.T. Escurel has written another fast-paced, humourous adventure novel suitable for young adults upwards. There's plenty going on, the characters are fantastic and leave you either caring about them or waiting to greet their comeuppance with glee. The plot twists around like a live thing, letting you learn more as Josh does, and the story is self-contained and finishes up nicely with no unanswered questions. Lots of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm not sure whether you could class this as fantasy or science fiction. It's kind of one foot in each—there's time travel, and future tech, but there's also a sort of fantasy unreality to it. Josh is specially selected to attend the Conservancy, which sounds like the ideal school. You can do whatever you like, whenever you like, write your own curriculum, pick your own subjects for study, do whatever you like as a sport. The only thing you can't do is leave. Josh and his mother go to visit, and Josh decides that, although there's a perfect half-pipe for his beloved skateboarding, there's something not quite right and so he won't attend. He's kind of surprised when he wakes up the next morning in his own room in the school. And as he learns more about the Conservancy, he decides it's his obligation to get out and make his way home, though that's easier said than done.
T.T. Escurel has written another fast-paced, humourous adventure novel suitable for young adults upwards. There's plenty going on, the characters are fantastic and leave you either caring about them or waiting to greet their comeuppance with glee. The plot twists around like a live thing, letting you learn more as Josh does, and the story is self-contained and finishes up nicely with no unanswered questions. Lots of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 20, 2013
Science fiction isn't my usual go-to genre. However, a friend recommended The Conservancy to me, and I decided to give it a shot.
I LOVED this book. It basically strained everything I don't care for in "standard" sci-fi out of the picture (i.e. -- long, full-of-themselves descriptions of barren landscapes and machines, a droning and overbearing tone of apocalyptic doom, etc.), and kept all the things that make the genre fun and compelling -- then added in elements that made it BETTER. The story deals with time travel, which I normally find off-putting because it's rarely explained well. Not only did I understand it in this book, I truly appreciated the ingenious way the author used it to create a plot that genuinely keeps you guessing from start to finish. It's set in the present with elements of other time periods cleverly woven in, so you never have a hard time grasping the ground beneath your feet. Furthermore, unlike other sci-fi I've read, this book actually embraces humor and uses it to create a really great balance with the suspense, the latter of which never lags for a second. The narrator is both unique and down-to-earth, and I was completely invested in him by the end of the book. All in all, it was incredibly refreshing.
I honestly can't believe someone gave this three stars. I literally could not stop turning pages, and I was actually laughing out loud in places. I was genuinely disappointed when I turned the last page and it was the end of the book, which doesn't happen to me often. I say read it while it's still $2.99 -- Escurel is going to be picked up by traditional publishers before long. Highly recommended!
I LOVED this book. It basically strained everything I don't care for in "standard" sci-fi out of the picture (i.e. -- long, full-of-themselves descriptions of barren landscapes and machines, a droning and overbearing tone of apocalyptic doom, etc.), and kept all the things that make the genre fun and compelling -- then added in elements that made it BETTER. The story deals with time travel, which I normally find off-putting because it's rarely explained well. Not only did I understand it in this book, I truly appreciated the ingenious way the author used it to create a plot that genuinely keeps you guessing from start to finish. It's set in the present with elements of other time periods cleverly woven in, so you never have a hard time grasping the ground beneath your feet. Furthermore, unlike other sci-fi I've read, this book actually embraces humor and uses it to create a really great balance with the suspense, the latter of which never lags for a second. The narrator is both unique and down-to-earth, and I was completely invested in him by the end of the book. All in all, it was incredibly refreshing.
I honestly can't believe someone gave this three stars. I literally could not stop turning pages, and I was actually laughing out loud in places. I was genuinely disappointed when I turned the last page and it was the end of the book, which doesn't happen to me often. I say read it while it's still $2.99 -- Escurel is going to be picked up by traditional publishers before long. Highly recommended!
September 14, 2013
I enjoyed this quick little read. The plot was interesting and fast moving. I liked that not all of the characters were clear-cut on the good to bad spectrum. The time changing element certainly made things more interesting to follow but didn't get to the point where it was hard to follow what was going on. Overall a good read for younger or older readers.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I received this book as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
August 13, 2013
An entertaining read. I read it in a single sitting, and it kept me turning the pages. It's true science fiction, old-style, with a fresh take on its premise. Good characters, satisfying conclusion.
January 5, 2014
A great little short read!
Sci fi usually isn't my thing but the story grabbed my attention and held it through to the end
Sci fi usually isn't my thing but the story grabbed my attention and held it through to the end
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews