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The Tower
"A choice to be made, and a price to be paid."
Sometimes, doing the right thing means paying the ultimate price.
Linden Lampkin, fifteen, ignored by an uncaring father, bullied and harassed by his peers, almost meets his end one night in an alleyway. The victim of a random mugging, he enters a portal into a parallel universe, a universe very much like ours.
Linden ends up at the Tower, a hangout where a group of very unusual people—the Ultras—live and work. With advanced technology and medicine, they heal his injuries. The procedure ages him to that of someone almost twenty years old, and he begins a new life working with his mentors, a group of enhanced individuals who help out those on Earth whenever help is needed.
Fitting in is difficult at first, but through hard work, Linden copes, succeeds, finds a girlfriend, and thinks he’s found happiness. However, a chance meeting with someone on Earth leads him to think that the Ultras aren’t really who they say they are.
His search also pits him against a super-villain who has no qualms about killing, and when Linden finally learns the truth about who he’s been living with, he also has to make the choice between saving his life and doing the right thing.
Sometimes, doing the right thing means paying the ultimate price.
Linden Lampkin, fifteen, ignored by an uncaring father, bullied and harassed by his peers, almost meets his end one night in an alleyway. The victim of a random mugging, he enters a portal into a parallel universe, a universe very much like ours.
Linden ends up at the Tower, a hangout where a group of very unusual people—the Ultras—live and work. With advanced technology and medicine, they heal his injuries. The procedure ages him to that of someone almost twenty years old, and he begins a new life working with his mentors, a group of enhanced individuals who help out those on Earth whenever help is needed.
Fitting in is difficult at first, but through hard work, Linden copes, succeeds, finds a girlfriend, and thinks he’s found happiness. However, a chance meeting with someone on Earth leads him to think that the Ultras aren’t really who they say they are.
His search also pits him against a super-villain who has no qualms about killing, and when Linden finally learns the truth about who he’s been living with, he also has to make the choice between saving his life and doing the right thing.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2011
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
J.S. Frankel
93 books237 followersJ.S. Frankel was born in Toronto, Canada, many moons ago and managed to scrape through high school and university, earning a BA in English Literature and leaving no book unopened during his time at the University of Toronto. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Japan in order to teach English to the hapless residents of whichever city he happened to be living at the time.
In 1997, he married the charming Akiko Koike and their union produced two rather interesting children. Frankel and his family make their home in Osaka where he teaches during the day and attempts to write YA fiction at night.
In 1997, he married the charming Akiko Koike and their union produced two rather interesting children. Frankel and his family make their home in Osaka where he teaches during the day and attempts to write YA fiction at night.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 7, 2011
What if you were a 13 year old boy, diagnosed with leukemia, abandoned to die by your neglectful father in the children's ward of a hospital? Taking refuge in comic books, only to stumble through a portal into a parallel world where super heroes and magic actually exist? Pretty cool, right? William Lampkin thinks so, especially when the Ultras (the superheroes) save his life! Sure, part of the cure aged him several years, but at least he's healthy again!
Really enjoyed this story! Will develops a serious case of hero worship, settles into his new life, finds that he enjoys his job, and even starts dating one of the Ultras! A perfect new life for a boy who never caught a break until now! Or is it?
Will starts noticing that things are not quite as they seem, and starts digging for answers. Will he be happy with what he finds, or will it jeopardize his new life and love? Sounds a little like a soap opera when put like that, but it's actually a fun story with a great main character! I really enjoyed watching Will grow up and mature from a sickly child to a confident young man.
Telling his own story, Will has a sly sense of humor and isn't afraid to lay it on the line, even when it doesn't present him in the best light. He breaks the "fourth wall" and addresses the reader directly, which I really enjoy when done right. This one does it right!
Looking forward to reading more by this author, as he's a talented writer with a good imagination and a great sense of humor! I'm a sucker for a sense of humor. :)
Really enjoyed this story! Will develops a serious case of hero worship, settles into his new life, finds that he enjoys his job, and even starts dating one of the Ultras! A perfect new life for a boy who never caught a break until now! Or is it?
Will starts noticing that things are not quite as they seem, and starts digging for answers. Will he be happy with what he finds, or will it jeopardize his new life and love? Sounds a little like a soap opera when put like that, but it's actually a fun story with a great main character! I really enjoyed watching Will grow up and mature from a sickly child to a confident young man.
Telling his own story, Will has a sly sense of humor and isn't afraid to lay it on the line, even when it doesn't present him in the best light. He breaks the "fourth wall" and addresses the reader directly, which I really enjoy when done right. This one does it right!
Looking forward to reading more by this author, as he's a talented writer with a good imagination and a great sense of humor! I'm a sucker for a sense of humor. :)
January 24, 2022
This is an early Frankel and since I love all his stuff, why not start from the beginning? This is a solid read, with an MC you can’t help but root for, a badass female love interest who holds her own and is a complex character as well. The plot goes fast and there are lots of twists and turns. The plot twist to this one is probably the most surprising I’ve read so far. This is the kind of book that begs a re-read now that I know the twist so I can fully pick appreciate all the hints and clues he sprinkles through the narrative.
The Tower is the story of an ordinary guy who has been dealt a bum hand in a lot of ways, who ends up as a cook in a superhero-run complex called The Tower. The story is told from his POV and it’s refreshing and interesting to see things through his eyes. The story is a good length, includes lots of follow-up and overall a satisfying read.
I really like how Frankel writes MF relationships, with equality and respect with imperfect MCs who sometime screw up but ultimately bring out the best in each other.
Recommended for the new take on the classic superhero story, the fresh narration, and of course the cracking good story.
My rating: five stars
The Tower is the story of an ordinary guy who has been dealt a bum hand in a lot of ways, who ends up as a cook in a superhero-run complex called The Tower. The story is told from his POV and it’s refreshing and interesting to see things through his eyes. The story is a good length, includes lots of follow-up and overall a satisfying read.
I really like how Frankel writes MF relationships, with equality and respect with imperfect MCs who sometime screw up but ultimately bring out the best in each other.
Recommended for the new take on the classic superhero story, the fresh narration, and of course the cracking good story.
My rating: five stars
December 19, 2020
Superbly & Sublimely Heroic!
I think that I shall never see/ A poem as lovely as a tree. (from ‘Trees’ by Joyce Kilmer).
Should you acquire ‘The Tower’ by J.S. Frankel, and I urge you to do so, the quote will take on a life of its own, as do the characters in this well-written and heart-wrenching novel.
Not the first book I’ve chosen to read by this author, in my mind, each subsequent read is better than the previous—and they’re all great!
True to the author’s signature main characters, the protagonist is one of society’s marginalized: Fifteen-year-old Linden Marshall Lampkin’s life sucks. His mother died of leukemia, and as a result, his father becomes a heavy drinker who neglects him. He’s constantly bullied at school and has no friends. Life takes a drastic turn when he sets off for the seedy side of town to purchase liquor for his dad. Beaten and left for dead in an alleyway, he unwittingly enters a portal to a parallel universe manned by superheroes.
I’ll leave the rest for potential readers to enter ‘The Tower’ and become an eye witness to Linden’s noble transformation.
Superbly and sublimely heroic, the author brilliantly bridges Actu-uran fantasy and earthly reality with time-honored tenets from which the protagonists pivots:
*We are willing to jeopardize our well-being for the greater good.
* Light is what guides us, heals us, and protects us. It’s part of our psyche, our being.
*Sometimes hope is all a person has to sustain them.
I highly recommend this enthralling read infused with superheroes and soulful warmth.
I think that I shall never see/ A poem as lovely as a tree. (from ‘Trees’ by Joyce Kilmer).
Should you acquire ‘The Tower’ by J.S. Frankel, and I urge you to do so, the quote will take on a life of its own, as do the characters in this well-written and heart-wrenching novel.
Not the first book I’ve chosen to read by this author, in my mind, each subsequent read is better than the previous—and they’re all great!
True to the author’s signature main characters, the protagonist is one of society’s marginalized: Fifteen-year-old Linden Marshall Lampkin’s life sucks. His mother died of leukemia, and as a result, his father becomes a heavy drinker who neglects him. He’s constantly bullied at school and has no friends. Life takes a drastic turn when he sets off for the seedy side of town to purchase liquor for his dad. Beaten and left for dead in an alleyway, he unwittingly enters a portal to a parallel universe manned by superheroes.
I’ll leave the rest for potential readers to enter ‘The Tower’ and become an eye witness to Linden’s noble transformation.
Superbly and sublimely heroic, the author brilliantly bridges Actu-uran fantasy and earthly reality with time-honored tenets from which the protagonists pivots:
*We are willing to jeopardize our well-being for the greater good.
* Light is what guides us, heals us, and protects us. It’s part of our psyche, our being.
*Sometimes hope is all a person has to sustain them.
I highly recommend this enthralling read infused with superheroes and soulful warmth.
December 15, 2012
The beginning is great, the middle slows a little. For a while I was wondering if a real plot was going to form, but then it picks up. Hang in there! Its worth it.
May 6, 2021
Very well written and engaging book. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author! It was not at all what I expected it to be!
August 18, 2022
Wow, and another amazing story by Jesse Frankel. That is now book 20 - I think - I have read. Each book has its own imagination and charm. this one has lots of twists and turns. You think you know where it will go, but surprize, it's just going somewhere else. I recommend it to everyone, not only for children - I am not one.
May 26, 2023
Fun superhero book. I enjoyed the story, and I liked the characters. Linden had to grow up fast after what happened at the beginning of the book, and he spends much of the time studying and finding ways to improve himself. His relationship with the ultras is interesting, and I liked how it wrapped up.
November 6, 2020
This is not a review so much; it's more of an explanation. About nine years ago, I wrote The Tower. That was my first novel, and if you check around on Goodreads, you'll see another copy of it.
What happened, you may ask. To be honest, the original was far too long and it wasn't properly edited or that well written. Over the years, as I gained more experience in writing and editing, I thought that if only I had the chance, I'd rewrite it and see where it went.
Well, about six months ago, I got the rights returned to me. I chopped and changed and rewrote many scenes, made it shorter and tighter, and I turned it into a two-part, three-act type of deal that, IMO, works far better than the original did. My publisher, Devine Destinies, agreed to accept it and gave it a new cover plus more editing.
This is the result. It's not my intention to mislead anyone, which is why I'm penning this explanation. I hope you'll take a chance on it. For me, it was truly a labor of love.
--Jess (J.S.) Frankel
What happened, you may ask. To be honest, the original was far too long and it wasn't properly edited or that well written. Over the years, as I gained more experience in writing and editing, I thought that if only I had the chance, I'd rewrite it and see where it went.
Well, about six months ago, I got the rights returned to me. I chopped and changed and rewrote many scenes, made it shorter and tighter, and I turned it into a two-part, three-act type of deal that, IMO, works far better than the original did. My publisher, Devine Destinies, agreed to accept it and gave it a new cover plus more editing.
This is the result. It's not my intention to mislead anyone, which is why I'm penning this explanation. I hope you'll take a chance on it. For me, it was truly a labor of love.
--Jess (J.S.) Frankel
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews