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Josh Anvil #3
Josh Anvil and the Gathering Storm
Back on Earth, Josh faces a global interview disaster, demanding FBI agents, and dangerous teacher clones. Wasn't life supposed to get easier?
Unknown Binding
First published March 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 4, 2015
This is the third Josh Anvil adventure I am reading so this makes my quite a fan of Mr. Arrington's work. As with the previous chapters of this saga, the world is populated with all matter of despicable creatures and fantastic beasts (now you know where you can find them :)). It is also populated with very believable human characters lovingly brought to life in their age of innocence. So that even when the world is about to end and all matter of brown substance hits the prodigious fan, you can still preserve the air of optimism and adventure most people lose when they get their license to drive and to drink. Good job Mr. Arrington!
April 30, 2015
A naive teenager with god-like powers interacts with aliens, clones, the FBI, mythical creatures, and his classmates as an evil enemy prepares to decimate the population of Earth.
The good: The book is very well edited and cleanly formatted. The cover is nice. The world is boldly imaginative; no sci-fi or fantasy power or being is off limits.
The not-so-good: My main gripes were with the main characters and with believability. There were also some inconsistencies in tone.
The characters: Some children's books give kids too much credit for maturity and intellect (Ender's Game, Artemis Fowl, etc.), but this book gives them less. The main character (Josh) is 14, but he acts much younger than his age. This is true for most of his peers as well... the speed with which they fly into rages/depressions/ecstasy remind me more of 9-year-olds than of high-schoolers. Their airheadedness and lack of focus makes it frustrating to root for them. Josh in particular seems to spend most of the story in a state of cluelesness, reacting to antagonists when he encounters them but otherwise basically ignoring the impending doom of the earth.
Believability: (warning, mild spoilers ahead) The problem with god-like powers is that it's usually easy to see how a character could have solved all their problems in five minutes if they'd just stopped to think. While Josh starts the book off without his powers, he quickly regains them and finds that he can make anything (as long as its alive, which isn't really a limitation since he can make "living" parachutes, laser-shields, etc.). And yet, even with this power, he doesn't send a virus or invisible dragon or living sleeping potion to take out his enemy. He doesn't even send a swarm of space-faring spies to find out what his enemy is doing. He allows an unarmed adult to bully him until he cries, and ultimately faces his main enemy with almost complete helplessness.
I also had trouble believing in some of the characters' motivations... especially in the climax, when .
Tone: in general, the book's tone is firmly middle-grade, with puns and silliness that would appeal to a very young audience (“Because we are going to the Great Barrier Reef.” “Great burrito what?”), but there are a fair number of snippets that would generally be reserved for a more adult audience ("Briefly he looked over part of Rockhampton; this was a new experience even for Josh and there seemed little else pragmatic that one could do when so indisposed.").
Overall, I give Josh Anvil #3 an "it was OK" rating. It was very readable and fairly engaging, but, for my taste anyway, it didn't have enough meat/depth.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
Disclaimer 2: I have not read the first two books of this series, and although the author was kind enough to fill me in on the main events of the first two books, it is possible that I would feel differently about this book if I had read the first two. Therefore, all my criticism should be taken with a heavy grain of salt.
The good: The book is very well edited and cleanly formatted. The cover is nice. The world is boldly imaginative; no sci-fi or fantasy power or being is off limits.
The not-so-good: My main gripes were with the main characters and with believability. There were also some inconsistencies in tone.
The characters: Some children's books give kids too much credit for maturity and intellect (Ender's Game, Artemis Fowl, etc.), but this book gives them less. The main character (Josh) is 14, but he acts much younger than his age. This is true for most of his peers as well... the speed with which they fly into rages/depressions/ecstasy remind me more of 9-year-olds than of high-schoolers. Their airheadedness and lack of focus makes it frustrating to root for them. Josh in particular seems to spend most of the story in a state of cluelesness, reacting to antagonists when he encounters them but otherwise basically ignoring the impending doom of the earth.
Believability: (warning, mild spoilers ahead) The problem with god-like powers is that it's usually easy to see how a character could have solved all their problems in five minutes if they'd just stopped to think. While Josh starts the book off without his powers, he quickly regains them and finds that he can make anything (as long as its alive, which isn't really a limitation since he can make "living" parachutes, laser-shields, etc.). And yet, even with this power, he doesn't send a virus or invisible dragon or living sleeping potion to take out his enemy. He doesn't even send a swarm of space-faring spies to find out what his enemy is doing. He allows an unarmed adult to bully him until he cries, and ultimately faces his main enemy with almost complete helplessness.
I also had trouble believing in some of the characters' motivations... especially in the climax, when .
Tone: in general, the book's tone is firmly middle-grade, with puns and silliness that would appeal to a very young audience (“Because we are going to the Great Barrier Reef.” “Great burrito what?”), but there are a fair number of snippets that would generally be reserved for a more adult audience ("Briefly he looked over part of Rockhampton; this was a new experience even for Josh and there seemed little else pragmatic that one could do when so indisposed.").
Overall, I give Josh Anvil #3 an "it was OK" rating. It was very readable and fairly engaging, but, for my taste anyway, it didn't have enough meat/depth.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
Disclaimer 2: I have not read the first two books of this series, and although the author was kind enough to fill me in on the main events of the first two books, it is possible that I would feel differently about this book if I had read the first two. Therefore, all my criticism should be taken with a heavy grain of salt.
July 20, 2015
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
This is the third book in the Josh Anvil Series. I loved it!
Josh Anvil is a fantastic character. I liked him very much from the very first book. He is a smart and curious fourteen (now almost fifteen) year old. Unfortunately, he doesn't see himself the same way. He has low self-esteem, which is caused by his dyslexia and being bullied at school. However, he is an excellent story teller and basketball player, has a vivid imagination and incredible powers thanks to the aliens that saved him after an accident in the swamp where he lives. (Read book 1 to find out how that happens). Now back on Earth after his trip through a portal to alien worlds, he finds himself the subject of ridicule. Will his warning of an alien attack fall on deaf ears?
The story continues from the end of the second book. This story is just as fast paced and exciting as the first two books. There are several twists and turns, and a few surprises that kept me hooked from beginning to end. Josh has grown as a character throughout this series. As well as gaining confidence in himself and his abilities, he has begun to believe in himself too. I have enjoyed watching him gain this confidence and it made me feel proud of him. I also liked meeting his friends Troy, Kodi, Lonnie, Libby, Jana, Axel, Sadie and Marty (the latter seven being humanoid aliens he and Troy had befriended in book 2) again. They each have their own personality, which makes them come alive in the story. We are also introduced to new characters too, such as Josh's new girlfriend, Lisa. I thought that they made a cute couple.
There is action, adventure and danger aplenty in this story and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat during some scenes. I did feel sorry for Josh and Troy during their television interview at the beginning of the story and felt like slapping the presenters for their attitude. However, if I was in their shoes, I'm not sure if I would believe Josh and Troy's story either.
The cafeteria fight scene was intense and I felt like I was there, amongst the action. New enemies are made and old enemies become friends in this story. This book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotion and when I reached the end of the story I felt sad, but this was only because I wanted to keep reading! The story does end in a small cliffhanger, so I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series as soon as possible.
Bruce Arrington has written an exciting fantasy adventure. I love his fast paced writing style and the flow is wonderful. I would definitely read more of his books in the future.
I highly recommend this book to young readers aged 10-18, but I also recommend this book to adults who love to read YA fantasy books filled with action, adventure, danger and aliens. - Lynn Worton
This is the third book in the Josh Anvil Series. I loved it!
Josh Anvil is a fantastic character. I liked him very much from the very first book. He is a smart and curious fourteen (now almost fifteen) year old. Unfortunately, he doesn't see himself the same way. He has low self-esteem, which is caused by his dyslexia and being bullied at school. However, he is an excellent story teller and basketball player, has a vivid imagination and incredible powers thanks to the aliens that saved him after an accident in the swamp where he lives. (Read book 1 to find out how that happens). Now back on Earth after his trip through a portal to alien worlds, he finds himself the subject of ridicule. Will his warning of an alien attack fall on deaf ears?
The story continues from the end of the second book. This story is just as fast paced and exciting as the first two books. There are several twists and turns, and a few surprises that kept me hooked from beginning to end. Josh has grown as a character throughout this series. As well as gaining confidence in himself and his abilities, he has begun to believe in himself too. I have enjoyed watching him gain this confidence and it made me feel proud of him. I also liked meeting his friends Troy, Kodi, Lonnie, Libby, Jana, Axel, Sadie and Marty (the latter seven being humanoid aliens he and Troy had befriended in book 2) again. They each have their own personality, which makes them come alive in the story. We are also introduced to new characters too, such as Josh's new girlfriend, Lisa. I thought that they made a cute couple.
There is action, adventure and danger aplenty in this story and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat during some scenes. I did feel sorry for Josh and Troy during their television interview at the beginning of the story and felt like slapping the presenters for their attitude. However, if I was in their shoes, I'm not sure if I would believe Josh and Troy's story either.
The cafeteria fight scene was intense and I felt like I was there, amongst the action. New enemies are made and old enemies become friends in this story. This book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotion and when I reached the end of the story I felt sad, but this was only because I wanted to keep reading! The story does end in a small cliffhanger, so I am now looking forward to reading the next book in the series as soon as possible.
Bruce Arrington has written an exciting fantasy adventure. I love his fast paced writing style and the flow is wonderful. I would definitely read more of his books in the future.
I highly recommend this book to young readers aged 10-18, but I also recommend this book to adults who love to read YA fantasy books filled with action, adventure, danger and aliens. - Lynn Worton
March 5, 2016
Josh Anvil is ba-ack! Oh really. Which kind of reflects his not so heroic welcome back to planet Earth... and all the mundane problems of a very different teenager among his peers. To which, since this is Josh we're talking about, we must add a few little issues looming with his alien friends, the FBI, and some extraterrestrial nasties. Not to mention how helpless he feels against the powers that be, since when he returns he is lacking any of his special abilities.
This is the third book in the Josh Anvil series, and true to form offers swift action, great middle-grader entertainment, and some thoughtful consideration of ethics as interpreted by Josh, who is refreshingly slow at times, not to mention as self-absorbed and impulsive as most fourteen year-old boys. Oh, and romance seems to be blossoming... no wait-a-sec? No spoilers, you'll have to read it for yourself!
I received a free copy of this book for an objective and non-reciprocal review.
3.5 stars from me, rounded up because I'm a long, long way past fourteen :)
This is the third book in the Josh Anvil series, and true to form offers swift action, great middle-grader entertainment, and some thoughtful consideration of ethics as interpreted by Josh, who is refreshingly slow at times, not to mention as self-absorbed and impulsive as most fourteen year-old boys. Oh, and romance seems to be blossoming... no wait-a-sec? No spoilers, you'll have to read it for yourself!
I received a free copy of this book for an objective and non-reciprocal review.
3.5 stars from me, rounded up because I'm a long, long way past fourteen :)
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