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Quiznot
"Haven’t you noticed something funny about this place? How beautiful they all are? How they don’t care about the world outside Smithson?"
"So they’re pretty and into the school. It’s an expensive prep school that attracts good-looking kids."
"No, it’s different. It’s like they’re all members of some club we can never join."
___
The Smithson School was supposed to help Timothy Starr control his dangerous affliction.
"What a wonderfully crafted story! I was pretty much hooked from the start." - Catherine Rose Putsche Book Blog
But the few students he meets with unusual gifts like his are shunned by a student body of oddly perfect kids obsessed with finding something called a quiznot.
"And WOW!! I don't know how else to explain this book. It has hit the Bethanie's Fave list." - Bethanie's Books
After one of the gifted kids is attacked, she whispers to Timothy: "don’t let them take it from us."
"Blends elements of The Last Starfighter and X-Men and a little bit of the sadly canceled TV show Tower Prep...a hero’s quest mixed with teen-outsider melodrama. Its new characters and new story will remind you of classic stuff." - Joe Crowe, revolutionsf.com
The race is on to figure out what she means...before he becomes the next victim.
Read this book and unravel the mystery of Quiznot!
"So they’re pretty and into the school. It’s an expensive prep school that attracts good-looking kids."
"No, it’s different. It’s like they’re all members of some club we can never join."
___
The Smithson School was supposed to help Timothy Starr control his dangerous affliction.
"What a wonderfully crafted story! I was pretty much hooked from the start." - Catherine Rose Putsche Book Blog
But the few students he meets with unusual gifts like his are shunned by a student body of oddly perfect kids obsessed with finding something called a quiznot.
"And WOW!! I don't know how else to explain this book. It has hit the Bethanie's Fave list." - Bethanie's Books
After one of the gifted kids is attacked, she whispers to Timothy: "don’t let them take it from us."
"Blends elements of The Last Starfighter and X-Men and a little bit of the sadly canceled TV show Tower Prep...a hero’s quest mixed with teen-outsider melodrama. Its new characters and new story will remind you of classic stuff." - Joe Crowe, revolutionsf.com
The race is on to figure out what she means...before he becomes the next victim.
Read this book and unravel the mystery of Quiznot!
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
224 pages, ebook
First published September 25, 2014
14 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Russell Stoll
2 books2 followersRussell Stoll took a circuitous path to writing. After earning degrees from Columbia University, he worked in a neurobiology laboratory, as an English teacher in Japan, and as a web developer. For seven years, he built online communities for the LEGO Company, helping launch the LEGO Mindstorms and Bionicle sets.
He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and three kids.
** For a sneak peek at new novels, free stories, and more, join his email list at: russellstoll.net/contact/
He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and three kids.
** For a sneak peek at new novels, free stories, and more, join his email list at: russellstoll.net/contact/
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 18, 2015
Just how bad can a kid’s life get? When 13-year-old Timothy Star discovers his dad is running a campaign to be mayor of New York City and planning to marry a woman called Jessie while his mother is locked away in a mental institution with a severe neurological condition that he is in fear of inheriting. He also has a chance encounter with a beautiful teenage girl, only to discover that since the strange concurrence he has developed some freaky powers triggered by anger that results in his suspension from Van Dorn High School after he sets a girls hair on fire, burns down one of the science labs and tampers with the stands in the Gym that lead to many students being injured. Although Timothy has no recollection of the events, he does experience nausea and the strange smell of cleaning fluid before each attack.
Timothy is given the option of either going to jail or a special school called Smithson and reluctantly decides the latter of the two options as his father’s lawyer and Dr Thorn convince him that the school will help him to control his new freaky powers. Timothy soon discovers all is not what it seems at Smithson and many of the students are low-grade junkies, as they are prescribed pills by Dr Thorn to keep them all mellowed out. When Timothy hears that the school is built over tunnels of an old missile base, he goes on a mission to explore the base and finds much to his surprise it is still in use and hosts pathways to galaxies of other worlds beyond earth that he had no clue existed. As Timothy tries to unravel the mystery of what really goes on in the missile base, strange things start to happen, a pupil gets bitten by a strange creature, another pupil gets attacked by a throwing star and the detective who is called in to investigate gets killed in a car crash. Timothy does his best to try to piece all the unusual events together, but nothing prepares him for the next set of events where he has to fight for his survival against alien monsters and other creatures he has never seen before, unaware of a powerful being called a Quiznot that plans to rise on planet earth and take control of it.
Will Timothy’s new powers be enough to save his life and if so at what cost? Or will his new powers shape his future in a way he never envisaged?
What a wonderfully crafted story! I was pretty much hooked from the start and look forward to reading more books in this planned trilogy. Russell Stoll has successfully created a thrilling young adult/sci-fi/fantasy book with a likable heroine that the reader can get behind and root for as he is strong, brave and loyal. The only disappointment I had is that I must wait to hear more of Timothy’s adventures and can’t wait to see what they entail. I expect an exciting epic to be awaiting this heroine.
My Ranking: 4.5 Stars
My Review Sites:
https://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/
http://catherineroseputsche.webs.com/
http://t.co/G0ExZgmlwc
https://twitter.com/Putsche73
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Amazon.com/UK
Timothy is given the option of either going to jail or a special school called Smithson and reluctantly decides the latter of the two options as his father’s lawyer and Dr Thorn convince him that the school will help him to control his new freaky powers. Timothy soon discovers all is not what it seems at Smithson and many of the students are low-grade junkies, as they are prescribed pills by Dr Thorn to keep them all mellowed out. When Timothy hears that the school is built over tunnels of an old missile base, he goes on a mission to explore the base and finds much to his surprise it is still in use and hosts pathways to galaxies of other worlds beyond earth that he had no clue existed. As Timothy tries to unravel the mystery of what really goes on in the missile base, strange things start to happen, a pupil gets bitten by a strange creature, another pupil gets attacked by a throwing star and the detective who is called in to investigate gets killed in a car crash. Timothy does his best to try to piece all the unusual events together, but nothing prepares him for the next set of events where he has to fight for his survival against alien monsters and other creatures he has never seen before, unaware of a powerful being called a Quiznot that plans to rise on planet earth and take control of it.
Will Timothy’s new powers be enough to save his life and if so at what cost? Or will his new powers shape his future in a way he never envisaged?
What a wonderfully crafted story! I was pretty much hooked from the start and look forward to reading more books in this planned trilogy. Russell Stoll has successfully created a thrilling young adult/sci-fi/fantasy book with a likable heroine that the reader can get behind and root for as he is strong, brave and loyal. The only disappointment I had is that I must wait to hear more of Timothy’s adventures and can’t wait to see what they entail. I expect an exciting epic to be awaiting this heroine.
My Ranking: 4.5 Stars
My Review Sites:
https://walkerputsche.wordpress.com/
http://catherineroseputsche.webs.com/
http://t.co/G0ExZgmlwc
https://twitter.com/Putsche73
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Amazon.com/UK
January 8, 2015
Quiznot by Russell Stoll
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
And WOW!! I don’t know how else to explain this book. It has hit the Bethanie’s Fave list. I immensely enjoyed this book. Each page I turned I had no idea what would happen next. It was extremely unpredictable and I loved it! Most of the time I like predictability, but this time it didn’t happen. I was just fine with that.
I still wonder what happened to a certain character in this book, but luckily this is only Book One. I am so excited that I have more to look forward to, and will hopefully have my question answered. Now, I will have to say this. The way the book started off, I thought it was just going to be another boring book about people doing strange things. I was SOOOO happy to find out that I was completely wrong!
Oh my goodness! This book had a huge mixture of things to it. It reminded me of X-Men meet the Stepford Wives. When I said that to my husband he imitated his mind being blown–Ha Ha! He is not an avid reader like me. I was able to get him into reading at one point and every-once-in-a-while I can do it again. I am going to try with this book. I think he would enjoy it.
Mr. Stoll has written a great Sci-Fi book that I would recommend for any age from about 13 and up. It is definitely a young adult novel. What a grand adventure awaits the reader who chooses this book!
WRITING AND STORYLINE
The writing I only found a few mistakes in, but the storyline was impressive. Mr. Stoll wove so much into this book sometimes it was hard to keep up with until you read a few pages in and suddenly realize what has happened. That was the only part that kind of threw me. But once I figured it out, it made every bit of sense. In my opinion it connected the aspects of the book.
One other thing. Some readers care and others don’t. There are very few expletives in this book, I only remember about two. They are very lite.
I don’t ever give much up about a story, because I don’t want to spoil it for another reader. It is kind of like a movie that you want to see and you don’t want anyone to tell you anything about it. You want to find the surprises yourself. This book is full of them. You will enjoy it! By the way, my favorite character was Max. :)
Happy reading!
~Bethanie
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary exchange was made.
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
And WOW!! I don’t know how else to explain this book. It has hit the Bethanie’s Fave list. I immensely enjoyed this book. Each page I turned I had no idea what would happen next. It was extremely unpredictable and I loved it! Most of the time I like predictability, but this time it didn’t happen. I was just fine with that.
I still wonder what happened to a certain character in this book, but luckily this is only Book One. I am so excited that I have more to look forward to, and will hopefully have my question answered. Now, I will have to say this. The way the book started off, I thought it was just going to be another boring book about people doing strange things. I was SOOOO happy to find out that I was completely wrong!
Oh my goodness! This book had a huge mixture of things to it. It reminded me of X-Men meet the Stepford Wives. When I said that to my husband he imitated his mind being blown–Ha Ha! He is not an avid reader like me. I was able to get him into reading at one point and every-once-in-a-while I can do it again. I am going to try with this book. I think he would enjoy it.
Mr. Stoll has written a great Sci-Fi book that I would recommend for any age from about 13 and up. It is definitely a young adult novel. What a grand adventure awaits the reader who chooses this book!
WRITING AND STORYLINE
The writing I only found a few mistakes in, but the storyline was impressive. Mr. Stoll wove so much into this book sometimes it was hard to keep up with until you read a few pages in and suddenly realize what has happened. That was the only part that kind of threw me. But once I figured it out, it made every bit of sense. In my opinion it connected the aspects of the book.
One other thing. Some readers care and others don’t. There are very few expletives in this book, I only remember about two. They are very lite.
I don’t ever give much up about a story, because I don’t want to spoil it for another reader. It is kind of like a movie that you want to see and you don’t want anyone to tell you anything about it. You want to find the surprises yourself. This book is full of them. You will enjoy it! By the way, my favorite character was Max. :)
Happy reading!
~Bethanie
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary exchange was made.
November 13, 2014
In the world of YA fantasy book world we have books that are written with perfection, those that are somewhat confusing, to say the least, and those that are just downright poorly written. And if I read this book correctly, from cover to cover, I would have to say that this book falls between perfection and just poorly written work. It wasn't poorly written! I'm not saying that at all. Although it could have been more in depth on highlighting the plot and conflict sooner.
Timothy Starr has an almost perfect life, you could say. He has money, the perfect girlfriend, and a father who is equivalent to being a well-known politician. What people don't know particularly is that his mom is a tad bit psycho. And Timothy Starr is about to find out just how alike he is to his mother. He develops these strange "powers" that enable him to do freaky things.
Overall I liked the book as a whole. It isn't my go-to book for the genre of fantasy, but it wasn't bad either. A light read, honestly. I picked it up on one day and finished it on the same day. You can't go wrong with a 200 page fantasy novel. And surprisingly, the author was able to fit everything in 224 pages! If the author would've extended the book, I'm sure we would have been able to read more into the world of Timothy Starr. For that minuscule amount of pages I would have expected the author to pull us straight into the conflict and, but to my disappointment, we were not. It was definitely something different for me, as a fast-paced reader of high fantasy and paranormal romance. In this book, I was just "taking it slow".
A second installment. I knew there had to be some kind of sequel or novella following this book. It feels incomplete to me, and I'm glad there is going to be a second book. Maybe I can get some justice with this ending because right now, I feel so cold and lost (like a starving child).
This is a definitely a book worth checking out. I haven't gathered enough thoughts to compile in a final conclusion, but I did nod my head from time to time while reading this book. That's showing a good sign! The cover is also pretty amazing and something I'm proud to have in my bookshelf.
Timothy Starr has an almost perfect life, you could say. He has money, the perfect girlfriend, and a father who is equivalent to being a well-known politician. What people don't know particularly is that his mom is a tad bit psycho. And Timothy Starr is about to find out just how alike he is to his mother. He develops these strange "powers" that enable him to do freaky things.
Overall I liked the book as a whole. It isn't my go-to book for the genre of fantasy, but it wasn't bad either. A light read, honestly. I picked it up on one day and finished it on the same day. You can't go wrong with a 200 page fantasy novel. And surprisingly, the author was able to fit everything in 224 pages! If the author would've extended the book, I'm sure we would have been able to read more into the world of Timothy Starr. For that minuscule amount of pages I would have expected the author to pull us straight into the conflict and, but to my disappointment, we were not. It was definitely something different for me, as a fast-paced reader of high fantasy and paranormal romance. In this book, I was just "taking it slow".
A second installment. I knew there had to be some kind of sequel or novella following this book. It feels incomplete to me, and I'm glad there is going to be a second book. Maybe I can get some justice with this ending because right now, I feel so cold and lost (like a starving child).
This is a definitely a book worth checking out. I haven't gathered enough thoughts to compile in a final conclusion, but I did nod my head from time to time while reading this book. That's showing a good sign! The cover is also pretty amazing and something I'm proud to have in my bookshelf.
Read
September 4, 2015Originally published at Novel Escapism
Aside from a few minor typing errors, Quiznot was an impressive story. It was unlike any other book I’ve read and thoroughly engrossing. After several unexplained accidents, Timothy Starr is given the option of going to jail or a special school called Smithson. But when he arrives at Smithson, something feels off and he is thrust into an out-of-this-world adventure. Imaginative and engaging, Quiznot is a fun YA sci-fi novel. Mr. Stoll has a gift for world-building and a knack for creating complex characters. The story builds through a steady course, using drama and plot in a balanced way. Throughout the book, I was felt both on the verge of discovering the over-arching mystery and lost in the utter uniqueness of the narrative. I recommend Quiznot as one of the best independent books I have read.
*Disclosure: I was provided a free copy of this novel with a request for an honest review.*
Aside from a few minor typing errors, Quiznot was an impressive story. It was unlike any other book I’ve read and thoroughly engrossing. After several unexplained accidents, Timothy Starr is given the option of going to jail or a special school called Smithson. But when he arrives at Smithson, something feels off and he is thrust into an out-of-this-world adventure. Imaginative and engaging, Quiznot is a fun YA sci-fi novel. Mr. Stoll has a gift for world-building and a knack for creating complex characters. The story builds through a steady course, using drama and plot in a balanced way. Throughout the book, I was felt both on the verge of discovering the over-arching mystery and lost in the utter uniqueness of the narrative. I recommend Quiznot as one of the best independent books I have read.
*Disclosure: I was provided a free copy of this novel with a request for an honest review.*
May 6, 2015
Quiznot blends elements of The Last Starfighter and X-Men and a little bit of the sadly canceled TV show Tower Prep. It’s about a kid who discovers he has powers, and enigmatic people at a mysterious school with kids who also have strange stuff. The whole product is just enjoyable, a hero’s quest mixed with teen-outsider melodrama.
Give this one a shot. It’s new characters and a new story that will remind you of classic stuff. It’s an all-ages story with a creature that reminds me of Lockheed from X-Men. So that’s a few bonus points right there.
Joe Crowe, http://www.revolutionsf.com, http://www.twitter.com/revolutionsf
October 2, 2014
Great read! Fun, compelling, creative and original. At 46 I'm probably not the target demographic but this was a fun romp from Manhattan to a New Hampshire boarding school to nuclear silos, aliens and other planets. What a great time! I'm giving it to my 10 year old daughter next.
October 22, 2014
This book is SOOOOOO GOOD!!!! This book was written by my dad's college friend(Im 10)
May 18, 2015
Not my normal type of book and a lot of buildup but I would consider reading the next book in the series.
September 22, 2015
This was a different read. It was good in its own way.
Again I wish it had illustrations of the different
characters. Kind of hard picturing them in your head.
When is the next book coming out?
Again I wish it had illustrations of the different
characters. Kind of hard picturing them in your head.
When is the next book coming out?
April 11, 2016
Excellent story
I chow this rating because the storyline was new and refreshing, not a stale rehash of another old plot. Good job.
I chow this rating because the storyline was new and refreshing, not a stale rehash of another old plot. Good job.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews