Playing with Fire

The Keeper Chronicles #1

by J.R. Vikse

Under the guidance and protection of the Keepers, the world of Tranthaea has been at peace for five hundred years. But all of that is about to change, thanks to two visitors from another world... ours.
Feeling ignored and unappreciated are not unique sensations for Callum Swift and Jingwei Li. Callum – a 15-year-old pickpocket in Victorian London – wants nothing more than to survive until tomorrow, while Jingwei – a 16-year-old budding environmentalist in modern Los Angeles – just wishes she could make a difference in the world. Every day, each of them wonders what it would feel like to be wanted. That is, until the day they discover they may have unexpectedly developed powerful new abilities.
Suddenly transported to the strange and unfamiliar land of Tranthaea, Jingwei and Callum struggle to come to terms with their astonishing powers while trying to prevent a devastating war from destroying the world. With help from the Keepers – the guardians of Tranthaea – these two teens must decide whether or not to accept their new destinies.
Tested by shifting allegiances, incredible creatures, and formidable enemies, Callum and Jingwei find themselves faced with impossible decisions in a world on the brink of destruction. But can they shoulder their new responsibilities or will their powers be too much for them to handle? Will they learn to stand together or will they watch Tranthaea burn?

Genres: Fantasy

462 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

J.R. Vikse is a Canadian author, who, after years of imagining stories using nothing but his brain and a superfluous pile of Lego, finally decided to try his hand at writing them down. Whether it works out or not is up to you. He was an early reader, since there wasn't ever much else to do during Canadian winters, but he didn't get into serious writing until his 20s. Jason wrote his first short story in 2008, and has pecked away at the keyboard ever since. He published his first book, The Lazy Postman, in May of 2012, and always has more projects on the go than he probably should.
When he isn't writing, which isn't often, he can be found onstage, where he employs other forms of story-telling as a director and actor, mostly in the genre of musical theatre. He has directed or performed in seventeen productions in three countries over the last nine years.
He currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Reviews

[Magik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some rough spots but the world building is great

To start, I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. Now there were a couple of times when I almost DNFd this book. Many times it felt like the book was talking down to me and I know this is intended for younger audiences but I read a lot of YA and even still the occasional MG novel. This problem did get batter half way through but there was a significant amount of the book that was too much tell and not enough show and sometimes it just dragged on. And now you are probably wondering why did I keep reading it? Why have I given it 4 stars? I really really liked the world building. I wanted to learn more about the unique peoples of Tranthaea. I wanted to learn more about their cultures and customs. It's so different from other fantasy. There are no tall willow elves and short hairy dorms. Instead there are multi limbed bug people that have 4 genders and a multitude of mating pairings and weird fleshy balls with bone propellers that are total dicks and their naked painted scaly slave counterparts that are humanoid beings with wings and how in the world did they get stuck with the lumpy helicopter dudes? I want to read more about this world.

[Donna Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed several books by this author which led me to order all of his books. I started reading Playing with Fire today and am captivated by this amazing world and its inhabitants. I left the book at work to read on my lunch tomorrow but now regret that decision. I need to know what's happening! The best part is that once I am done with this one I don't have to wait for him to write the next since I have them all. Mr. Vikse is so detailed with his descriptions of the people and places you will find yourself swept up in this amazing world. I highly recommend.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy from 1880s England and a girl for 2010s America are both hit by lightning and sent to a strange new world of magic and power. Thrust from home and placed into danger, will these kids survive in this dangerous place?

This is a good book - the story was fine and the writing was good. There were a coupla of rough patches in the story, but overall a good book.

*I got this book through GoodRead's Giveaways - an excellent source of interesting books!

[Julia Theim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little rough to start but once in Teranthaea the story really gets into its groove. I loved reading about the land and citizens of Teranthaea. I also loved seeing how important the environment plays into the story. It fits in well with the climate change issues we have faced in 2021.

Very well done! Definitely recommend!

[Caleb]

An interesting read for anyone looking for a fresh adventure in an unfamiliar world!