Irving Wishbutton and the Revision Ravine

Irving Wishbutton #2

by Brian Clopper

Irving and Roon brave the wilds outside of the Questing Academy as they seek to rescue her brother from Revision Ravine.

Their adventure finds unlikely alliances forged with Druthers the wish dragon, along with Knarl and his sharp-edged wife, Lady Edith. As the pair delve deeper into Revision Ravine, they learn more than they bargain for about Dean Harmstrike's sinister reach and his foul plans.

Can Roon and Irving escape the Machine and the dark hold the ravine has on trespassers? Find out in the second book of the Irving Wishbutton saga.

Kindle Edition

First published April 26, 2014

Reviews

[Sharon Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in the Irving Wishbutton series

I enjoyed this book with plenty the vivid details of the creatures and other characters Irving encounters on his journey to help his friend.

[Rue'TheDay Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, the only thing I did not like about the book is that it ended.
I found myself drawn into the book, more specifically the characters. I wanted to know what they would do next, how they would survive, what was the author up to? So many questions and I got a lot of them answered, but am left with so many more. I can't say much without giving away the story so I will leave it up any readers to get there with me.
I thoroughly enjoy reading the tidbits of the story Irving's author is penning while simultaneously watching the path Irving and his party are going down. There is so much I want to say, but I think that is best saved for a book party or something as I don't want to give out any spoilers.
There is a great range of emotions gone through when reading this, elation, worry, fear, etc. that makes this book well worth the read.
I love where the story is going with all the characters and I can't wait to see where the next leg of this adventure takes them.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get ready for another Irving Wishbutton adventure in the land of book characters being created by authors in “the real world.” The Revision Ravine by Brian Clopper follows a new adventure for Irving and his friend Roon as they set out to find her missing brother, who has disappeared from the academy for characters and may be at the Revision Ravine where unused characters are sent. Danger lurks from these quirky characters that have been set aside until needed, as Irving and his group enters the Revision Ravine. There is something peculiar about the way the characters are acting. Something that even Irving can feel, but who or what is behind it? Will they find Roon’s brother?

When I find an author who pours his heart and soul into his books and directs them at younger readers, he becomes my hero. Not only is Brian Clopper opening the wonder of reading to a younger generation, but he does it with a flare and sense of excitement that is contagious! Fast, frantic and furious best describes the pace he has set, as he skillfully tosses in “vocabulary” words and we all know reading expands a child’s vocabulary, right? His characters come alive with the same insecurities and fears of the unknown that children often feel, because, really don’t we all go through “revisions” in our lives that lead us down an unknown path?

Most important, Brian Clopper knows his audience and gets right in the thick of things with ease. If ever there were an advocate for encouraging children to read who turns his words into actions, it’s Brian Clopper. Perfect reading for the summertime when things get “boring” at home! For you real world authors or future authors - Brian Clopper and Irving have addressed some writing issues I’m sure you can relate to!

Series: Irving Wishbutton - Book 2
Publication Date: April 26, 2014
Publisher: Behemoth Books
Genre: Middlegrade Fantasy
Print Length: 208 pages
Available from: Amazon

[Keith Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

IRVING WISHBUTTON 2: THE REVISION RAVINE is, like the first book in the series, chock-full of ideas that will appeal to writers as well as readers.

The first book featured a health dose of "author segments" (at the beginning of each chapter) where Irving's creator was trying to build his character and fit him into a story, rather like a rough, faintly-penciled stick man in a comic book walking around having adventures even while the artist (in the real word) is busy working out details. In that first book, Irving was an undeveloped smudge, slowly fleshing out as he got to grips with "life" in a world of characters waiting to be novelized.

The second book cuts down on those author sections because Irving is, by this time, already fleshed out and enjoying adventures of his own. In fact, his adventures are beginning to impact his creator's thoughts in a startling twist.

There's clearly a long game planned with this richly populated series. In the sequel, Irving heads to the Revision Ravine where unused characters reside. These poor people have been discarded as non-starters or simply revised out of their individual stories. Some even have "echoes," where a character or monster is altered several times. What happens to older incarnations of the final published characters we know and love? They end up in Revision Ravine. It's not surprising, then, that the ravine is full of colorful creations with attitude.

This is a shorter book than the first one, and the author segments are cut back to every three chapters. It all moves along at a nice clip, and there are some very clever revelations and ideas. One in particular made me slap my head and think, "Of course!" I don't want to give away spoilers, but I can't wait for this to play out in a later book.

I had the pleasure of reading a beta copy of this book. Apart from the usual occasional typos, there was very little to change. The author is on top of his game here. But it made me wonder: if Brian Clopper had revised any of the characters in his book, what would have happened to those older versions...?

[Tyerone Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

The second entry in Brian Clopper’s meta fantasy series finds Irving and zombie-turned-vampire Roon reaching Revision Ravine and learning more about Dean Harmstrike and the Questing Academy.

Let me start by saying I had low expectations going into this book as the first book failed to tie up many loose ends, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I shouldn’t have.

All the issues from the first book are present here and turned up to eleven. Irving and the other characters are never in any danger, as either Irving’s wish jacket or his author save the day.

Moreover, this book, like the first, failed to tell a self-contained story. Instead, what you get is an incomplete story and you come away feeling like you only got the second act of a book. The books don’t make sense narratively when separated as they are.

My other issue is with Irving himself; he’s the definition of mediocre and lacks any distinct personality and is little more than a plot device to experience the world. The other characters don’t fare much better. While Roon is slightly more developed than Irving, she's still very generic. Knarl and his axe wife were so one note they were completely forgettable, and I felt the same about the denizens of Revision Ravine.

I could have forgiven all this had Clopper answered more questions than he raised in this book. Unfortunately, that is not the case. While we get a few more tidbits about Dean Harmstrike and the world of the Questing Academy, we’re left with far too many loose threads to justify slogging through the rest of the series.

I won’t bother with the other books in the series and will just look up the ending online.
I give Irving Wishbutton and the Revision Ravine 2.0 out of 5.0 stars and don’t recommend it. Either look up the ending online or skip it altogether.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.