Shadowzone

by Simon Rose

While watching intense flashes of lightning during a violent storm, Ben experiences mysterious and disturbing visions of another world, one very different from his own. In the chain of events that follow, Ben encounters Charlie, a girl from a dark version of Earth, a planet doomed by the effects of environmental catastrophe, where the leaders will stop at nothing to complete their deadly mission.


The Shadowzone Series of science fiction and fantasy novels involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions.


What they're saying about the Shadowzone Series.


"Shadowzone is the first book in a series and I guarantee you will be racing towards the second. An excellent read!"


"Packed with non-stop action and cliff hangers, Rose does an excellent job at leaving the reader wanting more."


"Into the Web is the second book in the Shadowzone series. Like the first it is action packed and will leave the reader wanting more."


"Black Dawn is the third book in the ShadowZone series and it lives up to the previous two. Once again Simon Rose carries interesting characters through an action packed story. Readers will love this instalment as much as the two earlier books."

Genres: Young Adult

ebook

Published July 27, 2017

About the author

I am the author of The Alchemist's Portrait, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, The Clone Conspiracy, The Emerald Curse, The Heretic's Tomb, The Doomsday Mask, The Time Camera, The Sphere of Septimus, Flashback, Future Imperfect, the Flashback series, the Shadowzone series, The Stone of the Seer series, and An Untimely Death. I'm also the author of eight guides for writers, including The Time Traveler's Guide, The Children's Writer's Guide, The Working Writer's Guide, and The Social Media Writer's Guide, more than a hundred non-fiction books, and many articles on a wide range of topics. I offer a number of services for writers, including editing, coaching, mentoring, consulting, and writing workshops, as well as copywriting services for the business community. I also offer a wide variety of presentations, workshops and author in residence programs for schools and libraries, am an instructor for adults with the University of Calgary and offer a variety of online workshops for both children and adults.

www.simon-rose.com

Reviews

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Reviewed by Julie on www.whisperingstories.com

The aptly-named ‘Shadowzone’ is the first in a series by American author, Simon Rose. We see the action primarily through the eyes of Charlie, a girl who lives on a dystopic earth and Ben, a boy who inhabits a far more pleasant place, environmentally akin to the world we know.

As we join the story, the two parallel universes look destined to merge as the barrier between them becomes weakened. The framework for the plot is conveniently explained with some useful backstory, courtesy of an inquisitive Charlie.

I found the early chapters are a little disjointed as we moved between the two threads but I settled into the story after the main characters made contact. We find out quickly that Ben and Charlie are of school age but I’m not sure we’re actually told how old they are, unless I missed it. However in view of their general levels of intelligence and abilities, I would assume they are supposed to be at least twelve.

Most of the action takes place on Charlie’s home planet which is reeling from the after-effects of a natural disaster. The author has painted a very atmospheric picture of the destruction and decay of this bleak, pollution-filled world which is potentially heading for oblivion and this provides an excellent backdrop. Most of the population are controlled via a variety of unpleasant means and we experience a sense of foreboding for their future.

I think the characters could do with a little more depth but as this is the first in a series, there is time for them to develop. Several aspects of the plot are rather contrived but if the audience doesn’t overthink it, the tale is a fun read with some interesting ideas and it will appeal to pre-teens or teenagers who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi.

I have an eight year old bookworm who liked the concept and coped well with the prose but struggled a bit with some of the plot. I’m sure the novel is aimed at slightly older readers but nonetheless, he is looking forward to another instalment.

At 168 pages, the author has delivered an action-packed adventure which is quite short and straightforward. Parents need not be concerned regarding content as, whilst there are moments of heightened suspense, there is little overt violence and no adult themes.

There are clearly more adventures ahead for Ben and Charlie and if Simon Rose can maintain this standard, I think his target audience will thoroughly enjoy finding out what happens next. I award ‘Shadowzone’ four stars.

[Lauren Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the government found another world, a parallel Earth, would you support them in exploring all they could about it without question? We would probably have TONS of questions!! A question that would seem likely would be, do I have another one of me on the other side? What if it was inhabitable? No water, no food? What if it was a better world than the one that we live in today? All of these concepts are really interesting to think about right?! Rose has some original twists on the science fiction genre with Shadowzone, the first installment in the Shadowzone Series.

Charlotte and Charlie have lived alone for about a year now, after losing James—a beloved father and husband. Charlotte, a highly authorized researcher for the Ministry, has been tasked with working on a virus. Not only have they been working on a virus, but they have a way to get into a parallel Earth, which will allow them to inject the virus into the inhabitants there. This plan warrants the deaths of millions of people on this new Earth, just so they can take over. Charlie, Charlotte’s daughter, learns of what the Ministry is up to and makes it her mission to save the boy who they are planning to infect. With Charlotte being the one assigned to go through the gateway and infect the boy, she has plans of her own which don’t include any deaths on her hands. Unfortunately, nothing is ever as it seems. The gateway starts malfunctioning and both Charlotte and the boy are transported back to their Earth, but now Charlotte is in danger of being outed for a traitor! She never wanted to hurt anyone, least of all the boy who she was supposed to infect, but in this world, she knows that Ben is in real danger. With the help of friends from an environmental group known as the Greens, can Charlotte, Charlie, and Ben find somewhere safe to hide until they can figure out how to stop the Ministry—or is it too much to ask for—to save their world from complete destruction?

Rose has an interesting story with some original and creative concepts about a parallel Earth. With the world ending as they know it, everyone is in full panic and Rose conveys this sense of urgency fairly well. In Shadowzone, the characters are all thrown together, meaning that most of the characters didn’t really have a back-story. Since this is a short installment, the first few chapters were off to a little bit of a rocky start, but as soon as both main characters were introduced to each other—everything started to fall into place quite nicely. The pace is fast and steady, allowing the book to be an easy page turner and the cover also draws attention to the relevance of the story-line. Although, there are some spelling errors and a few credibility concerns, this is a complete work of fiction and shouldn’t hinder the enjoyment of the novel. If you are a reader of science fiction, action and adventure, and young adult dystopian fiction, you may thoroughly enjoy this light read. Shadowzone is the first in the Shadowzone Series; therefore, the reader is able to dive right in.

A copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by the author and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a four-star rating to Shadowzone by Simon Rose.

[USOM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly plot/action oriented and had to do with parallel worlds. It was an entertaining read and it felt a bit familiar in that it had many other plot twists/aspects from other YA post-apocalyptic SF books. That being said, it was an entertaining read and great for people who are looking for something in those genres.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author

[Sylvia Mcgrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of a series by one of my favorite authors. Although at first, I found the book a little slow to get into, once the first couple of chapters were read, I found the usual exciting story that I could not put down until it was finished. The ending left me ready to read the next book titled “Into the Web.”

[Lyndi Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Shadowzone, the first book in the Shadowzone series, Rose sets up the tension in this parallel Earth story in which a virus is unleashed and affects one Earth but not the other.

The alternating point of view characters from both Earths provide insight into what’s occurring. The reader has a fuller picture than the characters. And yet there is enough hidden for the reader to keep reading to find out what happens.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, perhaps a little predictable but I still enjoyed it. It came off as a conspiracy theorist's worst nightmare whenever the alternate Earth was described. It skirts around being too political by blaming the problems on an astroid instead of humans disregard for the planet they live on. It was a really quick read and it is a bit of a page-turner. Definitely worth reading.

[Julie Haiselden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently received a free copy of this YA novel as part of the Whispering Stories team and my review can be read by following the link below:

http://whisperingstories.com/shadowzo...

I awarded 'Shadowzone' 4 stars.