Petrified

The Keeper Chronicles #1

by Ben Meeks

Thera, the Earth Mother, is under siege. Demons from other worlds sneak through magical portals and wreak havoc on earth. In response, she created the Keepers, a group of shapeshifters made from the world’s most skilled predators, to protect her, and us. The fate of North Georgia hangs in the balance when an unknown menace with a new magic threatens to bring the Keepers to their knees. It’s up to Obie, the Keeper of North Georgia, and some unlikely allies to put an end to the destruction before it’s too late. What will happen when the hunter becomes the hunted?

About the Author:
Ben is a North Georgia native, and world traveler, who prides himself on using real world experiences to add realism to his fiction. He was a medal winner in a martial arts competition, been in a high speed car chase, had a late night phone call from the secret service, who he hung up on, and been shot. When not writing about himself in the third person he is hard at work writing Contemporary Fantasy and Science Fiction. You can connect with Ben on his website at www.authorbenmeeks.com or follow him on Instagram or Facebook, user authorbenmeeks.

Genres: Shapeshifters

232 pages, ebook

Published August 30, 2018

Reviews

[Alexander Nader · Rating 5 out of 5]

high stakes and a heart of gold

This book was a blast from start to finish. High stakes and a lightning quick plot kept me flipping through pages. I’m a huge fan of rural fantasy and props to the author for picking a shape shifting character that isn’t just a wolf. Petrified was a great book and I can’t wait to see what Meeks has in store for book 2!

[Alfred Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great first book in a trilogy. Unique idea of a wereotter and a cast of various were creatures. The worl Meeks puts together is fascinating in its rules and politics. Supernatural forces abound in the fast pace tale of love and duty. The blend of Urban Fantasy mixed with a little detective style story telling and a good ole fashion western showdown kept me turning the page. A must read.

[Claudette Bigby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting

I loved the fast pace of this book. Anxious to see what sort of creature was going to show up next. I really liked the way most of them worked together. Great idea to make the bear shifters a motorcycle gang that helped everyone, we'll except those evil Elves. An otter seems an odd choice for the main character & hero but your shoot writing brought even this guy through.
Thanks for a great read. I really enjoyed your book.

[Kim Megahee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just get lucky with a book. I met Ben Meeks, the author of “Petrified”, at a book event and saw that the protagonist was a were-otter. A what, I thought? Think werewolf except with an otter rather than a wolf and think thoughtful rather than mindless. My curiosity got the better of me and I bought the book. It was a few days before I started it because of commitments. But once I did, I couldn’t put it down. What I didn’t expect (but absolutely loved) was the “jaded detective” style narration by the protagonist, much in the style of the Maltese Falcon or Bladerunner. It’s like fantasy meets Sam Spade. Meeks built an alternate world that lives side-by-side with our North Georgia world, and it works well. I thoroughly enjoyed “Petrified” and I’ll bet you will, too. I’m looking forward this author’s next effort.

[Peter Last · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Petrified" wants to feel important. Its setting and characters practically beg the reader to take it seriously. This was a tough review for me because upon completing the book, I didn’t really know what to make of it. I already knew I was prejudiced from the start when the author went after the clergy, making its representative dumb, illogical, hypocritical, and generally a slob. Recognizing my prejudice, I took a step back to analyze the novel from a more objective stance, and this is where the problem arose. It has a number of things going for it: an expansive urban fantasy world, shape shifters, demons, and an engaging storyline with traces of action, detective work, and spy-thriller vibes. And yet, something unexplained stopped me from wholeheartedly giving this book a 4-star rating and, because I could not settle on a rating, delayed my review. This sat on the back burner for a while, and I even began reading another book. Then, while driving home from work one day, I attacked the problem again, this time comparing it to a book I had read recently and which had similar problems but which easily earned 4 stars. The difference? Characters and message. To address both, "Petrified" is a mostly plot driven story with less emphasis on characters and message. Moving from one action or intrigue sequence to the next in quick succession keeps the pace fast, but it also doesn’t leave much time to marinate in the actions, intentions, or lessons learned. Consequently, it feels more like a simple series of events with no real lessons to be gleaned and practically no message to speak of, unless you count “demons bad, earth goddess good.” The messages which Mr. Meeks attempts to shoehorn in fall flat due to lack of support or buildup. The more troubling issue is the characters who, due to the aforementioned story structure, are not given ample time to develop into 3-dimensional people with depth and consistency. In fact, this rabbit hole showed me that consistency in characters is pretty lacking which makes them hard to sympathize with or care about in any way. All these issues combined with gratuitous, graphic violence and a few instances of strong obscenities mean I advise against anyone below the age of 17 reading this book. For adults, it’s not terrible, but maybe wait until you’ve finished your reading list before giving this one a go.

[Jennifer M. Zeiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a unique spin on shapeshifters. I greatly enjoyed reading it and found it to be a fast paced adventure woven into the cities and forests of Northern Georgia.

One small aside, the story does contain some strong violence. It’s blended in with a wry humor and since I don’t mind the occasional dark fantasy, it didn’t turn me off to the story, but thought I should mention it.

Overall, the mix of motorcycle gang werebears, feisty nymphs, haughty elves, and the all-important Keepers—shapeshifters who protect the earth—make for an exciting urban fantasy story.

[K.J. Fieler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear your calendar. Once you start book one, you'll be hooked. Intended to read this on the fly, but Meeks had other plans. I started and then couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day. I have the whole series, but I'm carving out a couple of days for book two, because I'm sure this one will be the same experience. Things to look for: pixie dust (not what you're expecting); ultra natural vs supernatural and why that's important. Definitely and out-of-the-box Urban Fantasy, very unique, clever, a real page-turner. Well done! Highly recommended.

[shelly north · Rating 5 out of 5]

Except for the were otter thing it’s a good book

I am just not sure about the were otter. I can’t even visualize what that would look like. I keep flashing back to the movie “Zombeavers” and that’s not a good look for anyone. Other than that great plot, storyline.

[Kelsey Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I like the idea of the keepers. The mysteryI kth aspects of this book was also good. Oby was an interesting character. And I also liked how they incorporated medusa in the book.

[Jarod Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! It keeps my attention which has always been a difficult task for me. This is one of those you're going to want to immerse yourself in over and over.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

TWO WORDS "WERE OTTER"

that was all i needed to be hooked and finish the first two books in the series in a couple of days.

[A Salty Crafter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The artwork is what grabbed my attention, but once I read it I was pleasantly surprised. It's a unique concept that had me powering through it! Looking forward to more work from this author!