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Chalk
Catholic schoolgirl Raven Mistcreek has no memory. Her family is missing, her home is gone, and she is being hunted by monsters.
Why do demonic forces want her dead?
Is her family still alive?
And why do her chalk drawings become real?
Across the Qualitative Continuum, levels of reality are sinking lower.
A colossal terror lies sleeping. Waiting.
Why do demonic forces want her dead?
Is her family still alive?
And why do her chalk drawings become real?
Across the Qualitative Continuum, levels of reality are sinking lower.
A colossal terror lies sleeping. Waiting.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2020
7 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
N.R. LaPoint
18 books4 followersN.R. LaPoint is a lover of pulp stories filled with aspirational heroes, bizarre worlds, and terrible creatures. He lives deep within the Great Wisconsin Wilderness with his family, numerous musical instruments, and a large personal library.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 13, 2020
Warning: Do Not Take At Bedtime
This book will not cure insomnia. It will in no way help you sleep. If you are in need of full, restful nights' sleep, do not pick the book up after supper. If you require an early wake-up, interrupt your reading by 8 pm. 9 pm. 9:30.
10:45
1 am.
4 am? You may as well put the coffee on now and finish it up before work. It's that sort of book.
This book will not cure insomnia. It will in no way help you sleep. If you are in need of full, restful nights' sleep, do not pick the book up after supper. If you require an early wake-up, interrupt your reading by 8 pm. 9 pm. 9:30.
10:45
1 am.
4 am? You may as well put the coffee on now and finish it up before work. It's that sort of book.
March 7, 2024
This is the third novel and fourth story I have read by LaPoint. With each I am more impressed with his style, skills, and range. I had not read the description before picking this up. I picked up all his available books wile in the middle of reading the last one I read.
The description of this volume is:
“Catholic schoolgirl Raven Mistcreek has no memory. Her family is missing, her home is gone, and she is being hunted by monsters. Why do demonic forces want her dead? Is her family still alive? And why do her chalk drawings become real? Across the Qualitative Continuum, levels of reality are sinking lower. A colossal terror lies sleeping. Waiting.”
It is rare for me to highlight in a novel but I did two passages in this work. They are:
““There isn’t much else t'tell,” he said. “The world is more complicated than my intellect can convey. I guess you could put it this way: You ever feel like you’ve forgotten something but there really wasn’t anything t'forget?”
And
“I had imagined the golem as obstinate and inhumanly strong. Some of my own personality must have sunk in. I guess it's hard for an artist to not put bits of themselves into their work. August lashed out when he got annoyed. I could reign myself in most of the time. August did not.”
The story reads like a mash up of Madeleine L’Engle’s Kairos stories, with Frank Peretti’s novels, with a dash of Declan Finn smattered in. And it works perfectly. This wok is very different than either of the other novels I have read from LaPoint’s pen. I love the concept, and the execution is perfect.
The characters are wonderfully written. Our heroine Raven Mistcreek is a force to be reckoned with. She may be a Catholic school girl, but she has deep faith, and trusts in God’s leadings. She can also draw things with chalk and then pull out the object and use it.
Kasumi is a kimono wearing fox girl who can shape shift to human but prefers the fox girl shape with it's three tails. She also wields a sentient katana, but we do not find out much about it in this volume.
Damian, a knight a warrior and a man of faith, also Raven's older brother.
Percival, seems like a bit of a ronin, but one with great faith, skills, and an interest in Raven, also close friends to Damian.
Lord Spencer Blackwood a magician who resembles a floating cuttlefish ... will leave the rest for you to figure out.
Hellhounds, The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse and various other monsters, creatures and baddies.
To say nothing of warhorses or battle unicorns. And a Golem that someone is specifically proud and fond of.
The story moves at a quick pace. The whole adventure takes place over just a few days. But it travels through realms up and down the continuum. Ther is actions, battles, and some dark scarry parts. There is also humour, fun and friendship. I can’t quite describe it as a buddle book, but it is close.
This was a wonderful read. I am excited to share it with my youngest two children and hope my niece and her brothers love it as well. Before I had even finished it I sent a copy to my nice as a birthday present and she is very excited about the book and series. I cannot wait to dig into the next volume. A great book in what is shaping up to be an epic series!
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
The description of this volume is:
“Catholic schoolgirl Raven Mistcreek has no memory. Her family is missing, her home is gone, and she is being hunted by monsters. Why do demonic forces want her dead? Is her family still alive? And why do her chalk drawings become real? Across the Qualitative Continuum, levels of reality are sinking lower. A colossal terror lies sleeping. Waiting.”
It is rare for me to highlight in a novel but I did two passages in this work. They are:
““There isn’t much else t'tell,” he said. “The world is more complicated than my intellect can convey. I guess you could put it this way: You ever feel like you’ve forgotten something but there really wasn’t anything t'forget?”
And
“I had imagined the golem as obstinate and inhumanly strong. Some of my own personality must have sunk in. I guess it's hard for an artist to not put bits of themselves into their work. August lashed out when he got annoyed. I could reign myself in most of the time. August did not.”
The story reads like a mash up of Madeleine L’Engle’s Kairos stories, with Frank Peretti’s novels, with a dash of Declan Finn smattered in. And it works perfectly. This wok is very different than either of the other novels I have read from LaPoint’s pen. I love the concept, and the execution is perfect.
The characters are wonderfully written. Our heroine Raven Mistcreek is a force to be reckoned with. She may be a Catholic school girl, but she has deep faith, and trusts in God’s leadings. She can also draw things with chalk and then pull out the object and use it.
Kasumi is a kimono wearing fox girl who can shape shift to human but prefers the fox girl shape with it's three tails. She also wields a sentient katana, but we do not find out much about it in this volume.
Damian, a knight a warrior and a man of faith, also Raven's older brother.
Percival, seems like a bit of a ronin, but one with great faith, skills, and an interest in Raven, also close friends to Damian.
Lord Spencer Blackwood a magician who resembles a floating cuttlefish ... will leave the rest for you to figure out.
Hellhounds, The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse and various other monsters, creatures and baddies.
To say nothing of warhorses or battle unicorns. And a Golem that someone is specifically proud and fond of.
The story moves at a quick pace. The whole adventure takes place over just a few days. But it travels through realms up and down the continuum. Ther is actions, battles, and some dark scarry parts. There is also humour, fun and friendship. I can’t quite describe it as a buddle book, but it is close.
This was a wonderful read. I am excited to share it with my youngest two children and hope my niece and her brothers love it as well. Before I had even finished it I sent a copy to my nice as a birthday present and she is very excited about the book and series. I cannot wait to dig into the next volume. A great book in what is shaping up to be an epic series!
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
January 24, 2026
Raven Mistcreek is a seemingly normal Catholic schoolgirl returning home from school, only to discover not only her home gone, but her family as well. Large chunks of her memory is also missing. Monsters wearing the skins of her neighbours dogs are pursuing her, and her only help is a floating cuttlefish with a top hat and an Irish accent. That, and her ability to make her chalk drawings come to life.
Chalk is a fun romp of a read that mixes cosmic horror, anime elements and high fantasy in a very peculiar but enjoyable way. It's surreal, atmospheric but also a very freewheeling plot that delves into some interesting world-building. Raven and her companions must travel through several layers or reality. It draws from a lot of Christian medieval imagery and symbolism to create a distinct and interesting adventure. And a lot of it is hard to summarize without spoiling some of its fun but left-field aspects. This is a story that wants to be hard to predict, and it's probably not something to spoil.
In terms of action, this is a story that barely stops to breath, as there is always some cosmic threat around every corner, waiting for Raven and her companions. Some may not always enjoy it's kitchen-sink approach, but I generally liked it.
The setting somewhat reminded me of James Stoddard's HIgh House series, about nobile lines guarding a house pitched between time and space that works as a mechanism to keep the cosmos running, a series that is filled with a lot of Christian, Biblical and mythical imagery.
I will probably look up the sequels at a later date, but I enjoyed this book a lot.
Chalk is a fun romp of a read that mixes cosmic horror, anime elements and high fantasy in a very peculiar but enjoyable way. It's surreal, atmospheric but also a very freewheeling plot that delves into some interesting world-building. Raven and her companions must travel through several layers or reality. It draws from a lot of Christian medieval imagery and symbolism to create a distinct and interesting adventure. And a lot of it is hard to summarize without spoiling some of its fun but left-field aspects. This is a story that wants to be hard to predict, and it's probably not something to spoil.
In terms of action, this is a story that barely stops to breath, as there is always some cosmic threat around every corner, waiting for Raven and her companions. Some may not always enjoy it's kitchen-sink approach, but I generally liked it.
The setting somewhat reminded me of James Stoddard's HIgh House series, about nobile lines guarding a house pitched between time and space that works as a mechanism to keep the cosmos running, a series that is filled with a lot of Christian, Biblical and mythical imagery.
I will probably look up the sequels at a later date, but I enjoyed this book a lot.
July 15, 2023
Chainsaws. Shotguns. Battle Unicorns. Velociraptors with miniguns
Kitchen sink fantasy books often promise much but deliver little. That's definitely not the case here. Nate LaPoint delivers a youngish adult fantasy that reminded me family of a "grown up" Marymae and the Nightmare Man (another book you should read for littles), with a refreshingly heroic cast. The monsters are Lovecraftian with a strong dash of D&D and a final battle that reminded me of The House on the Borderland and the entities of the Night Land of William Hope Hodgson. If you're a fan of John C. Wright and Declan Finn's brand of Catholic fantasy, horror, and action adventure, you will enjoy this.
Kitchen sink fantasy books often promise much but deliver little. That's definitely not the case here. Nate LaPoint delivers a youngish adult fantasy that reminded me family of a "grown up" Marymae and the Nightmare Man (another book you should read for littles), with a refreshingly heroic cast. The monsters are Lovecraftian with a strong dash of D&D and a final battle that reminded me of The House on the Borderland and the entities of the Night Land of William Hope Hodgson. If you're a fan of John C. Wright and Declan Finn's brand of Catholic fantasy, horror, and action adventure, you will enjoy this.
August 11, 2020
N.R. LaPoint's second novel, Chalk, was an entertaining read, full of creepy, gruesome monsters and some pretty intense fight scenes. The horror element was lightened by some good laugh-out-loud moments and some particularly likeable secondary characters including a Kitsune warrior with a katana (named Katana) and a floating, talking cuttlefish. I stayed up late to find out how this story ended! :)
March 17, 2021
Wonderful story
I think the author brings a lot of fresh air to a wonderful fantasy story. Absolutely appropriate for both youth and old men like me. I really enjoyed every page. Surprising, fun, adventure story with a young girl being attacked by the horsemen of the apocalypse. You will love it, I did.
I think the author brings a lot of fresh air to a wonderful fantasy story. Absolutely appropriate for both youth and old men like me. I really enjoyed every page. Surprising, fun, adventure story with a young girl being attacked by the horsemen of the apocalypse. You will love it, I did.
July 7, 2021
A fun and energetic fantasy romp featuring multiple layers of reality, a sword-wielding foxmaiden, a flying cuttlefish with an Irish accent, magical chalk drawings that come to life, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, numerous inventive monsters, a cute romance, and lots of action. The characters are both likeable and engaging. Definitely worth a read.
July 16, 2022
Very good, nice world view
I liked the story, especially appreciated the Christian aspects. Interesting that the author, a male, writes first person, from a 16 year old girl's perspective.
I liked the story, especially appreciated the Christian aspects. Interesting that the author, a male, writes first person, from a 16 year old girl's perspective.
March 23, 2024
Raven Mistcreek arrives home from school to find her family—and all her memories--missing, while horrific demon dogs roam her ravaged neighborhood.
Raven soon discovers an amazing magical talent (her chalk drawings can come to life), and is aided at first in her battle against an increasing demon horde by an occasionally invisible, floating and sentient cuttlefish (yes, you read that correctly), and a Kitsune fox-maiden.
As she recovers her memories and some of her missing family, she is swept into a much larger war that tests the bounds of interdimensional reality.
First, what I didn't care for: To my mind, the heroine comes off as too similar to characters in many other modern books. While we know she attends a Catholic school, and comes from a very conservative, aristocratic background, she presents as not that much different than the typical wise-cracking teen in any mainstream YA novel. To me, this approach reduces the emotional weight of the scenes where she faces such powerful beings of cosmic horror and evil.
Another thing I wasn't thrilled with was the way the characters rarely got a chance to rest or eat or reflect on what they had just experienced. In other words, the action is non-stop!
What I liked: Good prose, good dialogue, imaginative, vivid world-building and fun characters. The budding romance between Raven and Percival added a lot to the enjoyment. Overall, it's very well-written and engaging. Certainly a worthy read for fans of super fast-paced tales of heroic schoolgirls and magical knights battling slavering hordes of demons!
Raven soon discovers an amazing magical talent (her chalk drawings can come to life), and is aided at first in her battle against an increasing demon horde by an occasionally invisible, floating and sentient cuttlefish (yes, you read that correctly), and a Kitsune fox-maiden.
As she recovers her memories and some of her missing family, she is swept into a much larger war that tests the bounds of interdimensional reality.
First, what I didn't care for: To my mind, the heroine comes off as too similar to characters in many other modern books. While we know she attends a Catholic school, and comes from a very conservative, aristocratic background, she presents as not that much different than the typical wise-cracking teen in any mainstream YA novel. To me, this approach reduces the emotional weight of the scenes where she faces such powerful beings of cosmic horror and evil.
Another thing I wasn't thrilled with was the way the characters rarely got a chance to rest or eat or reflect on what they had just experienced. In other words, the action is non-stop!
What I liked: Good prose, good dialogue, imaginative, vivid world-building and fun characters. The budding romance between Raven and Percival added a lot to the enjoyment. Overall, it's very well-written and engaging. Certainly a worthy read for fans of super fast-paced tales of heroic schoolgirls and magical knights battling slavering hordes of demons!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews