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Cloaks #1
Cloaks
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Some doors are better left unopened....
All Bess Nyland wanted to find was a different way out of Mr. Heldrick's basement.
She didn't expect the door she opened to lead into another world. She didn't realize that, within minutes, she'd be running for her life from cloaked, knife-wielding riders. And she never dreamed that, in her struggle to return home, she would receive the most help from a dark and sinister character out of legend.
If she had, she would have taken the stairs....
All Bess Nyland wanted to find was a different way out of Mr. Heldrick's basement.
She didn't expect the door she opened to lead into another world. She didn't realize that, within minutes, she'd be running for her life from cloaked, knife-wielding riders. And she never dreamed that, in her struggle to return home, she would receive the most help from a dark and sinister character out of legend.
If she had, she would have taken the stairs....
456 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 19, 2016
65 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
F.A. Fisher
6 books9 followersThe course of F. A. FISHER’s life was set in utero, as he was introduced to science fiction and fantasy while his mother was reading THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA to his older sister. Though he grew up among the first generation where television was commonplace, he was of a contrary nature and spent most of his time reading. That contrariness continued in college, where he ignored his adviser and chose an area major, which allowed him to take whatever he wanted, with the result that his degree didn’t prepare him for any job whatsoever—except perhaps writing.
He was raised in an era without computers or even hand calculators, so naturally he got his first master’s degree in Computer Science. And though he loved learning he always hated school, so of course he got his second master’s in Education. He’d wanted to become a writer from an early age, so it followed that he went through several other jobs, including two self-start companies, before putting out his first book.
Somewhere along the way he developed a deep and abiding hatred for typos. Fortunately, by this time his contrariness has abated, so if you find any typos in any of his books, let him know, and he’ll fix them.
His books so far are all in the Cloaks trilogy: CLOAKS, PANDIR DECLOAKED, and THE GIRL IN THE CLOAK.
He was raised in an era without computers or even hand calculators, so naturally he got his first master’s degree in Computer Science. And though he loved learning he always hated school, so of course he got his second master’s in Education. He’d wanted to become a writer from an early age, so it followed that he went through several other jobs, including two self-start companies, before putting out his first book.
Somewhere along the way he developed a deep and abiding hatred for typos. Fortunately, by this time his contrariness has abated, so if you find any typos in any of his books, let him know, and he’ll fix them.
His books so far are all in the Cloaks trilogy: CLOAKS, PANDIR DECLOAKED, and THE GIRL IN THE CLOAK.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 16, 2018
Fun y.a. story written in a fresh, engaging style with lots of action. I especially like that it was a clean read and had virtuous characters. However, it went on a bit long for me and after awhile I felt like it was dragging. Having said that, I have to confess that I almost never read fantasy, so I'm not used to the genre. Perhaps for fantasy-lovers the length is perfect, but for me, my enthusiasm really waned about half way through. I plan to give it to my teenage kids to read, as it certainly is much better than a lot of teen books out there.
January 28, 2017
Cloaks reads to me sort of like a middle grade adventure tale-- albeit with slightly more graphic knife fights and oblique references to a harem.
Bess goes after a lost baseball into a reclusive neighbor's basement and finds a portal to another world-- pseudo medieval European world with the added bonus of a ruling society of faster, stronger, humans who were created by a race of people who came there from yet another portal and then disappeared, leaving their soldier-creations to a brutal reign of the indigenous people. They steal daughters, stuff them into harems in fortified Citadels, and basically have the power to kill anyone they want with no repercussions.
So Bess gets into trouble right away with the quistrils (the soldiers) and ends up being tossed in dungeons and plotting to escape.
The first half of the book was quite fun-- I really like Bess' POV and adventures when she first goes to the Otherworld, figures out their weird English accent, gets tossed in the dungeon and escapes . Despite her somewhat "older" and "boyish" feeling for me, as a pure adventure tale it was fun.
The other half of the book, more or less concentrating on the quistrils and their politics and how they deal with Bess' shenanigans was a bit more tangled and less satisfying as an adventure tale. There's a lot of plotting and re-plotting which isn't my cup of tea. And while the end put a focus on Bess' emotional attachment to a new friend, it fell a little flat for me. I lay thinking about why after I finished the book, and I guess it was because I knew so little of Bess' and the other persons' emotional holes that I couldn't quite conceive of how they were filling in the emotional needs of the other person.
Still, as a straight-up adventure tale featuring a world ruled by men and boys in their own special solider club fraternity, very fun. Just be aware the knife fighting is a tad graphic at times, although I thought that made the action more startling real-- might be more than startling for a middle grade reader.
Bess goes after a lost baseball into a reclusive neighbor's basement and finds a portal to another world-- pseudo medieval European world with the added bonus of a ruling society of faster, stronger, humans who were created by a race of people who came there from yet another portal and then disappeared, leaving their soldier-creations to a brutal reign of the indigenous people. They steal daughters, stuff them into harems in fortified Citadels, and basically have the power to kill anyone they want with no repercussions.
So Bess gets into trouble right away with the quistrils (the soldiers) and ends up being tossed in dungeons and plotting to escape.
The first half of the book was quite fun-- I really like Bess' POV and adventures when she first goes to the Otherworld, figures out their weird English accent, gets tossed in the dungeon and escapes . Despite her somewhat "older" and "boyish" feeling for me, as a pure adventure tale it was fun.
The other half of the book, more or less concentrating on the quistrils and their politics and how they deal with Bess' shenanigans was a bit more tangled and less satisfying as an adventure tale. There's a lot of plotting and re-plotting which isn't my cup of tea. And while the end put a focus on Bess' emotional attachment to a new friend, it fell a little flat for me. I lay thinking about why after I finished the book, and I guess it was because I knew so little of Bess' and the other persons' emotional holes that I couldn't quite conceive of how they were filling in the emotional needs of the other person.
Still, as a straight-up adventure tale featuring a world ruled by men and boys in their own special solider club fraternity, very fun. Just be aware the knife fighting is a tad graphic at times, although I thought that made the action more startling real-- might be more than startling for a middle grade reader.
January 30, 2017
While this is fairly well written I didn't like the semi-mix of sci-fi and fantasy. It didn't seem a very good blend. The main character also happens to continuously have incredible luck, so much so that it doesn't seem anything could happen without it.
March 12, 2018
Good YA read with some heartening principles woven throughout. Fisher's style of writing was clean and fast-paced & fresh. I enjoyed the angle from which he wrote.
I got confused a lot with the plethora of characters with odd names--I had a hard time keeping them straight, as I don't think almost any of them ever got a physical description that set them apart from each other in terms of physical attributes, haha. But about 3/4 of the way through I started getting the dozen or so characters a bit more familiar in my mind's eye.
Although the plot maintained a fast-ish pace throughout, I felt it lagged a bit after the first third of the book. I don't know how that can happen when things were still progressing semi-quickly, but it felt (to me) like it lagged a bit.
I'm not big into sci-fi/fantasy books, but this one was entertaining, fresh and not too intense.
I got confused a lot with the plethora of characters with odd names--I had a hard time keeping them straight, as I don't think almost any of them ever got a physical description that set them apart from each other in terms of physical attributes, haha. But about 3/4 of the way through I started getting the dozen or so characters a bit more familiar in my mind's eye.
Although the plot maintained a fast-ish pace throughout, I felt it lagged a bit after the first third of the book. I don't know how that can happen when things were still progressing semi-quickly, but it felt (to me) like it lagged a bit.
I'm not big into sci-fi/fantasy books, but this one was entertaining, fresh and not too intense.
November 28, 2017
Grade B. This is a YA novel all the way. The action and pacing were quick and nimble and the world was well described and imaginative. Bess stumbles into a dangerous universe via a portal door inside a basement versus a wardrobe. There is a steep learning curve and the jump from action to action was sometimes a little too breakneck but kept your interest. A couple of things were distracting and somewhat lowered the grade.
The sheer number of characters was sometimes overwhelming and there was a bit of backtracking to keep them straight. The character bouncing caused a bit of choppiness in the narrative. The main female character was 15 but repeatedly enforced that she looked 12. The main male character was described as possibly 30 years of age. There was no romance in the story but the subtle relationship between the two was definitely NOT a father/daughter one. This was a creep factor that a younger reader would probably overlook. An older heroine would have worked even better.
The sheer number of characters was sometimes overwhelming and there was a bit of backtracking to keep them straight. The character bouncing caused a bit of choppiness in the narrative. The main female character was 15 but repeatedly enforced that she looked 12. The main male character was described as possibly 30 years of age. There was no romance in the story but the subtle relationship between the two was definitely NOT a father/daughter one. This was a creep factor that a younger reader would probably overlook. An older heroine would have worked even better.
July 9, 2016
I have a soft-spot for portal stories and Cloaks is a shining example of the genre. 15-year-old Bess accidentally discovers a doorway to another world: a dangerous world of quistrils and cadrils. Her confusion swiftly shifts to horror as she realises that she can't just click her heels and end up safe at home. The portal-world is lethal and unfortunately, her existence in it is of great interest to the Citadel. This fast-paced novel ramps up the tension as Bess tries to understand this strange new world she is in and, more importantly, tries to learn how to escape it.
April 16, 2018
If you enjoy the type of book that has someone from our world cross over into a new fantastic one, then read this one. It's full of action and the protagonist, Bess, finds herself in a world that's well thought-out and defined. It's not a particularly nice place, this new world, but it does have its redeeming qualities and characters.
Cloaks is a well-written, pulse-pounding adventure that will leave you wanting more. Good thing there's a sequel!
Cloaks is a well-written, pulse-pounding adventure that will leave you wanting more. Good thing there's a sequel!
July 21, 2017
In the summer many of us change our reading habits, hence the term "beach reads". I enjoy quick reads with a lighter storyline in the summer but couldn't stand the typical summer romances. Not my style. This summer my reading list includes a lot of sci-fi and mysteries that are less than 500 pages, including many YA novels, part of my teaching area. "Cloaks" by F. A. Fisher fits my criteria and was very engaging.
"Cloaks" begins in current time with a small midwestern town setting. Bess, age 15, tries to retrieve a baseball her brother has lost by crawling through the basement window of a neighbor. Mr. Heldrick is rumored to be scary and mean and is often seen sharpening a large knife, so she attempts a quick in-and-out.
A door which appears to lead to the outside takes Bess to an alternate world, instead. Two types of people populate the area. Cadrils are humans who have a poor, agrarian lifestyle and are often taken as slaves or disappear mysteriously. This male dominated militaristic society is run by soldiers called Quistrils. Their main responsibility is to ensure that portals to the other world remain sealed.
Bess is hunted by the Quistrils but she finds allies in a local family of Cadrils putting them in danger as well. Mr. Heldrick turns out to be a renegade Quistril who is fighting against the status quo. He passes through the portal to take her home. It isn't as easy as it sounds. Time passes at different speeds on each side of the portal. An additional danger is that the portal used by Mr. Heldrick and Bess is collapsing naturally while the group attempts their escape.
Readers of my reviews know that I am not willing to give too many details. I don't want to take away the readers sense of discovery. Like many YA novels, I think many adults will enjoy this book as well. I recommend it highly for teens who live alternative worlds, portal scenarios, and stories depicting the clash between good and evil. Some of the violence may not be appropriate for young or highly sensitive teens.
"Cloaks" begins in current time with a small midwestern town setting. Bess, age 15, tries to retrieve a baseball her brother has lost by crawling through the basement window of a neighbor. Mr. Heldrick is rumored to be scary and mean and is often seen sharpening a large knife, so she attempts a quick in-and-out.
A door which appears to lead to the outside takes Bess to an alternate world, instead. Two types of people populate the area. Cadrils are humans who have a poor, agrarian lifestyle and are often taken as slaves or disappear mysteriously. This male dominated militaristic society is run by soldiers called Quistrils. Their main responsibility is to ensure that portals to the other world remain sealed.
Bess is hunted by the Quistrils but she finds allies in a local family of Cadrils putting them in danger as well. Mr. Heldrick turns out to be a renegade Quistril who is fighting against the status quo. He passes through the portal to take her home. It isn't as easy as it sounds. Time passes at different speeds on each side of the portal. An additional danger is that the portal used by Mr. Heldrick and Bess is collapsing naturally while the group attempts their escape.
Readers of my reviews know that I am not willing to give too many details. I don't want to take away the readers sense of discovery. Like many YA novels, I think many adults will enjoy this book as well. I recommend it highly for teens who live alternative worlds, portal scenarios, and stories depicting the clash between good and evil. Some of the violence may not be appropriate for young or highly sensitive teens.
January 22, 2017
I loved this story! It was a refreshing take on the old "here's a strange door leading to a whole other world" idea. Bess is trapped in the basement and escapes through a strange door in the wall that leads her to a world vastly unlike the the one of traffic and cell phones and lots of people she is used to. She has escaped from the man with a shotgun in her world to be chased by men on horseback with swords and a bad attitude toward strangers. And then things get really weird.
September 24, 2017
I loved this so much from the very first chapter and continued to fall in love with it over the course of the book. Such good writing, such amazing characters.
November 23, 2017
Cloaks
I recommend this book to young readers. Courage is not bound up in age but in how you conduct your life.
I recommend this book to young readers. Courage is not bound up in age but in how you conduct your life.
December 1, 2017
Fast paced story fit for middle to high school readers. Lots of twists and turns in the story and the MC is smart and a good problem solver. I enjoyed the imaginative world through the "mousehole".
September 2, 2018
I wanted to like this book more but all the characters seemed very undeveloped. Partly because of their ages and partly the culture. They were all very simple and one dimensional.
July 4, 2025
Poorly written with unclear grammar. How F.A Fischer talks of women is upsetting and portrays his stance on how he views women in real life. If you appreciate women’s dignity don’t buy this book.
June 29, 2016
Fearful young brother Jeff has hit a ball close to the Heldrik house. Older sister Bess volunteers to get it back. The ball landed close to a basement window of the Heldrik house. Attempting to grab it, Bess caused it to go through the window into the basement. She felt obligated to go into the basement, get the ball, and escape without being discovered by Heldrik. It did not work out because once in the basement she was unable to climb back up to the window; it was too high. OK, plan B.
Quietly find a door and sneak out through the house. She found such a door, but instead of opening into the rest of the house, there was a mirror. There was not much time for reflection as curmudgeon Heldrik appeared and seemingly threatened her with a shotgun. So, through the looking glass and into an existence that had the countryside appearance of a feudal agrarian society.
It was not a welcoming world. First she was captured by a guy on horseback wearing a cloak. He was not alone; things looked grim. Then a mysterious rescuer appeared who shot an arrow into the neck of her would be captor, giving Bess a chance to flee. Success in this effort was negated by a near poisonous fruit she ate which rendered her unconscious. But not before she found a barn where she went into a semi-coma. Found and almost adopted by the farmer family that owned the barn; she stayed with them long enough to become minimally fluent in the language of this new world.
This new world was divided into several classes. The farmer family where Bess stayed was of the lowest class, the cadril. They were oppressed by a ruling class, Quistrils, divided into several levels, from Novice to Ascendant. Think of country folk and city folk but separated by a lot of malice and ill will. Bess had no place in this world, one that was connected to the “real” world by a portal or “conjunction.” The portal was unstable and subject to a degrading that would end in destruction. The rulers of this world knew about the conjunction, inhabitants of the real world did not. Rulers in this world feared invasion from the real world; the appearance of someone like Bess, a marginal, was a threat. A solution was for the Quistrils to capture Bess, discover the location of the “conjunction”, and destroy it. Because the Quistrils were absolutely authoritarian and all the citizenry, Quistrils and cadrils, had a duty to report strangers such as Bess; it was just a matter of time before she would be discovered.
She was discovered during her lengthy stay with the farm family by a Quistril, who turned out to be Heldrik. He appeared in a guise several years younger than his real world existence. Although a Quistril, he despised the social injustices perpetrated by the Quistril system. He had followed Bess through the conjunction with the aim of rescuing her and returning her to her real world family. The rest of the novel will be a series of chase scenes as Heldrik and Bess attempt to return through the portal/mouse hole/conjunction, all names for the same thing. All of the incidents and conflicts will play out in a background of Quistil political differences that mirror the conflicts in GoT.
The writing is generally fast paced and entertaining. It only lags in the very detailed descriptions of the labyrinths that make up the Citadel, the headquarters compound of the Quistrils. I found myself trying to draw a map so I could keep up with where characters were at various points in their stories.
Although I will read more from this author, I did not read the preview following this novel. I just don’t like to read previews.
Quietly find a door and sneak out through the house. She found such a door, but instead of opening into the rest of the house, there was a mirror. There was not much time for reflection as curmudgeon Heldrik appeared and seemingly threatened her with a shotgun. So, through the looking glass and into an existence that had the countryside appearance of a feudal agrarian society.
It was not a welcoming world. First she was captured by a guy on horseback wearing a cloak. He was not alone; things looked grim. Then a mysterious rescuer appeared who shot an arrow into the neck of her would be captor, giving Bess a chance to flee. Success in this effort was negated by a near poisonous fruit she ate which rendered her unconscious. But not before she found a barn where she went into a semi-coma. Found and almost adopted by the farmer family that owned the barn; she stayed with them long enough to become minimally fluent in the language of this new world.
This new world was divided into several classes. The farmer family where Bess stayed was of the lowest class, the cadril. They were oppressed by a ruling class, Quistrils, divided into several levels, from Novice to Ascendant. Think of country folk and city folk but separated by a lot of malice and ill will. Bess had no place in this world, one that was connected to the “real” world by a portal or “conjunction.” The portal was unstable and subject to a degrading that would end in destruction. The rulers of this world knew about the conjunction, inhabitants of the real world did not. Rulers in this world feared invasion from the real world; the appearance of someone like Bess, a marginal, was a threat. A solution was for the Quistrils to capture Bess, discover the location of the “conjunction”, and destroy it. Because the Quistrils were absolutely authoritarian and all the citizenry, Quistrils and cadrils, had a duty to report strangers such as Bess; it was just a matter of time before she would be discovered.
She was discovered during her lengthy stay with the farm family by a Quistril, who turned out to be Heldrik. He appeared in a guise several years younger than his real world existence. Although a Quistril, he despised the social injustices perpetrated by the Quistril system. He had followed Bess through the conjunction with the aim of rescuing her and returning her to her real world family. The rest of the novel will be a series of chase scenes as Heldrik and Bess attempt to return through the portal/mouse hole/conjunction, all names for the same thing. All of the incidents and conflicts will play out in a background of Quistil political differences that mirror the conflicts in GoT.
The writing is generally fast paced and entertaining. It only lags in the very detailed descriptions of the labyrinths that make up the Citadel, the headquarters compound of the Quistrils. I found myself trying to draw a map so I could keep up with where characters were at various points in their stories.
Although I will read more from this author, I did not read the preview following this novel. I just don’t like to read previews.
January 22, 2017
Cloaks was an amazing book! It caught my attention from the first line, as my initial thought was “What am I getting myself into!” The characters were extraordinary, but not unbelievable. Bess showed courage and spunk, but also a goodness that inspired others. Her adventure was compelling as she learned to trust others, was driven to repay the kindnesses shown her, and took enormous risks as a result of both. Heldrick was the perfect mysterious character, absolutely amazing! Their adventure was exciting and suspenseful. The interaction between the two worlds was also delightful. And the ending made me cry, as I was incredibly moved by the friendship that had been built between the main characters, and the ways that friendship had changed them both for the better. I recommend this book to teens and adults, or anyone who loves a good and honorable adventure.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2017
This is an excellent story about a girl who walks through a portal to another world. She doesn’t realize what has happened until she gets herself into trouble. She develops relationships with many different people on her journey to find her way home. This story shows the best and worst about humanity. It also leaves you hoping for more. This book was a great read. I couldn’t put it down once I started it. I can’t wait for the next installment.
February 7, 2017
Well-written, fast-paced book for teens. If you like non-stop action and a strong female lead character, you should enjoy Cloaks.
Want to read
June 14, 2016* e-Arc provided by author via LibraryThing *
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