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Three Imaginary Boys
When handsome jock Drew Thor agrees to help intellectual loner Logan Kotaro with an after school assignment, he has no idea what he’s getting into. What begins as a simple drama class project—two guys in a room doing a scene about two guys in a room—soon spirals into a nightmare scenario, where fantasy and reality intersect, and a dark force that has slumbered for nearly seven years begins to stir.
182 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
6 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
J.T. Holden
13 books24 followersJ.T. Holden is the author of three books of rhyming poetry: Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland ("A compilation of masterful original poetry" —The Children's Book Review), Twilight Tales: A Collection of Chilling Poems ("Filled with atmospheric rhymes...vivid images and palpable tension" —Foreword Reviews), and O The Dark Things You'll See! ("A delightfully dark sendup to Dr. Seuss's Oh The Places You'll Go!" —Teen Reader Review). J.T.'s novels include: The Boys From Manchester ("A richly textured and atmospheric coming-of-age/fantasy tale...hauntingly beautiful and starkly realistic...with an explosive, action-packed finale." —The Midwest Book Review), Three Imaginary Boys ("One of the best Halloween reads I've come across in quite a while" —Goodreads Reviewer), and JB: Or The Unexpected Virtue of Being Swaggy ("This splendid satire is a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down!" —Teen Reader Review).
On his work:
I love coming up with new and different stories to tell. It makes it a little harder (on marketing) when all of your books don't fall into a simple and easily labeled category, but my tastes have always run a bit eclectic (as anyone who has read Twilight Tales can tell you). The one constant, or linking factor, would be that all of my novels center on teenage boys coming-of-age, so there's always a good deal of me in at least one of the main characters. The other constant is that there is never a 'bad guy' in my novels -- at least not in the willful or wanton sense. Even the 'villains' in Manchester and Three Imaginary Boys are not wholly villainous; each has his or her own demons to contend with, forces beyond their control, or comprehension, that made them the way they are. For me, the villain with no redeeming qualities is like the hero with no flaws: bland and uninteresting.
On superpowers in his books:
I've only written two novels that don't feature any characters with superpowers (both set for release in 2016), and though I'm proud of both, I'd have to say that I prefer writing stories about teens with superpowers. But as anyone who has read my books knows, I strive for a more realistic take on the subject. I grew up on DC comics and still love them to this day, but I'm wise enough to recognize that I do not possess the sort of flare it takes for that style of writing. Instead, I do what I do best: telling stories of teens in the early development of their special powers -- which is why there will never be a sequel to The Boys From Manchester. Not because there isn't more to tell, but because I've already told the best part of it. I'll leave it up to the imagination of the readers to decide what happens with Daniel and Brandon and Cody in the future when they're grown up and have realized the full potential of their powers. In experience, the origin story is usually the best, and often the only one worth writing or reading.
On reviews:
Though I've received extremely positive reviews from Foreword, The Midwest Book Review, and The Children's Book Review, my two favourite reviews came not from professional critics but from regular readers. The first came from an Amazon customer named John whose entire review of Manchester consisted of two sentences: "Innovative storytelling, epic story of super powers, great gay romance. Not what I expected in terms of typical gay fiction." The second review was for JB and came from Gayle Slagle on Goodreads, a longer review that she summed up with this statement: "The heart of the book lies in the inner battle between JB and his id, Kid Swaggy; it is the classic battle between good and evil that is waged within each of us on a daily basis."
What I love about these two reviews is that they came from readers who didn't just enjoy my books but truly understood what they were about.
On his work:
I love coming up with new and different stories to tell. It makes it a little harder (on marketing) when all of your books don't fall into a simple and easily labeled category, but my tastes have always run a bit eclectic (as anyone who has read Twilight Tales can tell you). The one constant, or linking factor, would be that all of my novels center on teenage boys coming-of-age, so there's always a good deal of me in at least one of the main characters. The other constant is that there is never a 'bad guy' in my novels -- at least not in the willful or wanton sense. Even the 'villains' in Manchester and Three Imaginary Boys are not wholly villainous; each has his or her own demons to contend with, forces beyond their control, or comprehension, that made them the way they are. For me, the villain with no redeeming qualities is like the hero with no flaws: bland and uninteresting.
On superpowers in his books:
I've only written two novels that don't feature any characters with superpowers (both set for release in 2016), and though I'm proud of both, I'd have to say that I prefer writing stories about teens with superpowers. But as anyone who has read my books knows, I strive for a more realistic take on the subject. I grew up on DC comics and still love them to this day, but I'm wise enough to recognize that I do not possess the sort of flare it takes for that style of writing. Instead, I do what I do best: telling stories of teens in the early development of their special powers -- which is why there will never be a sequel to The Boys From Manchester. Not because there isn't more to tell, but because I've already told the best part of it. I'll leave it up to the imagination of the readers to decide what happens with Daniel and Brandon and Cody in the future when they're grown up and have realized the full potential of their powers. In experience, the origin story is usually the best, and often the only one worth writing or reading.
On reviews:
Though I've received extremely positive reviews from Foreword, The Midwest Book Review, and The Children's Book Review, my two favourite reviews came not from professional critics but from regular readers. The first came from an Amazon customer named John whose entire review of Manchester consisted of two sentences: "Innovative storytelling, epic story of super powers, great gay romance. Not what I expected in terms of typical gay fiction." The second review was for JB and came from Gayle Slagle on Goodreads, a longer review that she summed up with this statement: "The heart of the book lies in the inner battle between JB and his id, Kid Swaggy; it is the classic battle between good and evil that is waged within each of us on a daily basis."
What I love about these two reviews is that they came from readers who didn't just enjoy my books but truly understood what they were about.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 29, 2015
Got the ARC yesterday afternoon and read it a single sitting today. The story is divided into three parts, or acts, which I would categorize as follows:
Act One - Psychological Thriller, with a hint of the supernatural creeping in near the end.
Act Two - Mystery/Suspense, with a harrowing midpoint climax and thought-provoking bridge into the final act.
Act Three - Supernatural Horror, with a truly spooky climax and shocking twist.
An unexpected and extremely engrossing story from the author of Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland, yet not so unexpected from the author who also wrote Twilight Tales: A Collection of Chilling Poems. Loaded with atmosphere and grounded by three memorable lead characters, if you like a good Halloween-style story, Three Imaginary Boys is for you.
I will definitely be rereading this one come October.
Act One - Psychological Thriller, with a hint of the supernatural creeping in near the end.
Act Two - Mystery/Suspense, with a harrowing midpoint climax and thought-provoking bridge into the final act.
Act Three - Supernatural Horror, with a truly spooky climax and shocking twist.
An unexpected and extremely engrossing story from the author of Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland, yet not so unexpected from the author who also wrote Twilight Tales: A Collection of Chilling Poems. Loaded with atmosphere and grounded by three memorable lead characters, if you like a good Halloween-style story, Three Imaginary Boys is for you.
I will definitely be rereading this one come October.
November 27, 2015
I really enjoyed this novel. It was a fun, easy read that I was throughly entertained with. For me, it was a quick read, but it didn't feel rushed or inconclusive. I loved the plot, it was really unique and unlike anything I've ever read, which is always amazing to find in a book. It's so hard to keep my full attention with certain books, but this book I didn't have a problem with that.
Drew and Logan are such interesting characters. Both so different, but alike in certain aspects. It was fun to see such different characters side by side. I really connected with some traits of both characters, which I enjoyed. All in all, it was a great book! I really recommend it to readers.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Drew and Logan are such interesting characters. Both so different, but alike in certain aspects. It was fun to see such different characters side by side. I really connected with some traits of both characters, which I enjoyed. All in all, it was a great book! I really recommend it to readers.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 11, 2015
I picked up this one because I loved The Boys From Manchester, which is by the same author.
A true Halloween story in every sense, it features: a haunted house (which doesn't come into full play until part three, but it's definitely worth the wait), the brutal murder of a babysitter in classic Michael Myers fashion on Halloween night seven years before the start of the main story, ghosts that aren't just there for a cheap scare, and three great leading characters whose motives kept me guessing right up until the complete truth came out in the climax.
A true Halloween story in every sense, it features: a haunted house (which doesn't come into full play until part three, but it's definitely worth the wait), the brutal murder of a babysitter in classic Michael Myers fashion on Halloween night seven years before the start of the main story, ghosts that aren't just there for a cheap scare, and three great leading characters whose motives kept me guessing right up until the complete truth came out in the climax.
August 10, 2024
This book is crazy good! I’m sad it’s not more popular because after deleting it once I had read it on my kindle I couldn’t seem to find it again until it popped up in my recommended section. I can’t stress this enough you NEED to read this book, it’s such an intelligent and interesting concept for a novel and I would love to find more books like it. This book truly had me on the edge of my seat, it felt so real even though it’s such an unlikely situation! I do feel that the characters were a little cliche though and I felt that the way they got into the scenario of act one would never happen in real life. Overall a fantastic book and a thrilling read!
November 3, 2018
I’m not sure how I felt about this book. It wasn’t badly written, that’s for sure. I just don’t like books with unreliable narrators. The ending felt like a gut punch because of that. And while not all books have to have a happy ending, this one was just bleak. Again, not a bad book per say, just not what I’m into.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2018
Great ghost story with unexpected twists and turns throughout and a climax that scared the living #*@% out of me! The little kid, L, steals the show in the second part. They need to make a movie of this one. Perfect Halloween time read.
February 8, 2016
I did enjoy this book! If you like horror, I recommend it!!
The first chapter was phycological thriller.
To be honest, first few pages made me think what the main character Logan was talking about didn't make sense, and I was afraid that such scene would drag on for pages. However, I eventually understood that the author had written such a conversation on purpose.
I got into a state like when I watched my favorite French phycological thriller movie.
The second and third chapter were creepy ghost story like Japanese horror. Their atmosphere was different from the first chapter, but the story was naturally shifted to the second chapter from the first.
The plot was very unique and interesting. Since some songs were mentioned in the second chapter, I played them when I was reading this book and it made me more excited.
(I received this book for an honest review.)
The first chapter was phycological thriller.
To be honest, first few pages made me think what the main character Logan was talking about didn't make sense, and I was afraid that such scene would drag on for pages. However, I eventually understood that the author had written such a conversation on purpose.
I got into a state like when I watched my favorite French phycological thriller movie.
The second and third chapter were creepy ghost story like Japanese horror. Their atmosphere was different from the first chapter, but the story was naturally shifted to the second chapter from the first.
The plot was very unique and interesting. Since some songs were mentioned in the second chapter, I played them when I was reading this book and it made me more excited.
(I received this book for an honest review.)
September 2, 2015
Best Halloween-themed story since, well, Halloween, this one has got everything a scary book should have: Characters that you genuinely grow to care about, a flawlessly structured plot that logically builds mystery and suspense, unexpected twists and turns along the way, a classic midpoint crisis (that took me completely by surprise and had my heart literally racing), and a truly spooky and shocking climax. I could not recommend a better read for the season. It's a shorter book (same trim size as Perks of Being a Wallflower) and it moves at a swift but comfortable pace, so if you're like me, you could easily read it in a single sitting. Five stars. Can't wait for the movie!
October 14, 2015
This book was pretty good. It's not often I read anything that could be considered horror, but this was one of those few books I've tried to read in the genre that kept me reading until the end (even if it did take me a while to get it finished). Everything was there for a reason, even if it wasn't immediately apparent. I think this book is worth reading if you're interested in the genre. I also think this is one of the best Halloween reads I've come across in quite a while.
*won on GoodReads First Reads*
*won on GoodReads First Reads*
March 17, 2016
Part psychological thriller, part horror story, part paranormal chiller, all rolled into an atmospheric Halloween tale that keeps you guessing right up to the shocking climax. I couldn’t put it down until I finished.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews