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The Book of Imaginari #1
The Folly on the Hill
"Where do our imaginations go?"
Eleanor Fields is leading an ordinary teenage life when her family moves to the small village of Mow Cop. As well as trying to settle into a new school and life, she soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries old battle for the very survival of our world.
Her fate was ordained centuries ago, the world of Imaginari is out there and one of the inhabitants, the Man Of Mow, wants to destroy our world to allow his to thrive.
Eleanor is the only one who can stop him, her destiny will push her strength to its very limits as she fights for us.
Imaginari has always been there.
It exists because we exist.
Imaginari is coming.
Eleanor Fields is leading an ordinary teenage life when her family moves to the small village of Mow Cop. As well as trying to settle into a new school and life, she soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries old battle for the very survival of our world.
Her fate was ordained centuries ago, the world of Imaginari is out there and one of the inhabitants, the Man Of Mow, wants to destroy our world to allow his to thrive.
Eleanor is the only one who can stop him, her destiny will push her strength to its very limits as she fights for us.
Imaginari has always been there.
It exists because we exist.
Imaginari is coming.
- GenresFantasy
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2021
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hayden
3 books10 followersAt the time of writing The Book Of Imaginari (it began in 2019), Richard lived in the village of Mow Cop where it is set. He would often visit the folly and look out over the surrounding areas - it is this that led him to the inspiration for Imaginari.
Part one - The Folly On The Hill - took around four months from concept to first draft, with parts two and three taking a similar amount of time afterwards, parts two (The Statue Of Mow) and three (The Guardians Of Imaginari) are also available.
The book was written for pleasure, creating it would fill his spare time and this opportunity was increased massively during the pandemic of 2020 - the goal being to create something that at least one person would find and enjoy reading it.
Let him know what you think of Imaginari, he can be contacted on Twitter and Instagram (@R_C_Hayden) and on Facebook (Richard Hayden Author, @rchaydenauthor), he would love to hear what you think of the story.
Part one - The Folly On The Hill - took around four months from concept to first draft, with parts two and three taking a similar amount of time afterwards, parts two (The Statue Of Mow) and three (The Guardians Of Imaginari) are also available.
The book was written for pleasure, creating it would fill his spare time and this opportunity was increased massively during the pandemic of 2020 - the goal being to create something that at least one person would find and enjoy reading it.
Let him know what you think of Imaginari, he can be contacted on Twitter and Instagram (@R_C_Hayden) and on Facebook (Richard Hayden Author, @rchaydenauthor), he would love to hear what you think of the story.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 10, 2021
An unforgettable tale with all kinds of unexpected personalities and plot twists. Curiosity draws you in, but it's the mystery behind it all that makes you stay. That, and this insanely natural connection you develop with all of the characters. Especially Ellie who starts out your average teen girl and ends up being the descendant chosen to fulfill a prophecy she was not prepared for. Definitely worth a read, and hell...a film if I do say so myself.
I loved the visual flow to the story that kept everything in motion. To be honest, I've never read a writing style quite like this, so I'm not sure how to explain it. But that's how it felt. The story was always visually in motion. I was able to see every scene and every character throughout the book as it was happening, and it felt a lot less like reading and a lot more like watching. From the action scenes that were verb-driven to the simpler scenes where Ellie is going to class or stitching in her bedroom, I was able to see all of it as it played out in words on the page.
By the end of the first chapter, I knew I was going to love this story. By the end of the book, I knew everyone else would too.
I loved the visual flow to the story that kept everything in motion. To be honest, I've never read a writing style quite like this, so I'm not sure how to explain it. But that's how it felt. The story was always visually in motion. I was able to see every scene and every character throughout the book as it was happening, and it felt a lot less like reading and a lot more like watching. From the action scenes that were verb-driven to the simpler scenes where Ellie is going to class or stitching in her bedroom, I was able to see all of it as it played out in words on the page.
By the end of the first chapter, I knew I was going to love this story. By the end of the book, I knew everyone else would too.
July 17, 2021
An unusual choice for me, would be a great story for my granddaughter. However, I enjoyed it and thought the imagination that the author has to create a link from this world through an actual stone monument to another world is very clever
June 10, 2021
Beautiful work from a new author.
It sits perfectly on the line between fantasy and contemporary, allowing just that whisper of thought that what you're reading could in fact be the hint of magic you're looking for in the world. I've been lucky enough to visit and stay in Mow Cop, the beautiful village that creates the backdrop for this piece and you can genuinely look up at the folly on the hill and believe that it is part of some wider magical purpose.
Can't wait for the next instalment of the trilogy!
It sits perfectly on the line between fantasy and contemporary, allowing just that whisper of thought that what you're reading could in fact be the hint of magic you're looking for in the world. I've been lucky enough to visit and stay in Mow Cop, the beautiful village that creates the backdrop for this piece and you can genuinely look up at the folly on the hill and believe that it is part of some wider magical purpose.
Can't wait for the next instalment of the trilogy!
December 12, 2021
Ellie moves from London to a house in the country at Mow Cop. On the hill near her house is a strange-shaped Folly. As she settles down in a new school, making new friends, she is recruited by the 'Council', a mysterious group of villagers who talk about keys and a lock and the need to protect the world from strange forces.
The pacing of the plot was perfectly in line with the four-part model of narrative with major turning points at the 25%, 50% and 75% marks.
A novel dealing with strange happenings needs to ground itself in normality in order to add verisimilitude. This novel does this by juxtaposing Ellie's everyday life with the weird members of the Council and the subsequent dreams and peculiar weather. A particular strength of this part of the narrative was the way in which Ellie and her family mocked the members of the Council behind their back. One of my favourite lines was "Can we talk about something other than the crazy guy telling me I need to save the world? I have enough trouble with maths homework never mind that as well.” (C 11). The difficulty is that then 'normal' characters have to be able to make the transition from the normal world to the other world; in character terms they have to transition from robust scepticism to open-mouthed gullibility. The weirdness has to be so impressive that the reader has to become sufficiently convinced that they are prepared to suspend their disbelief. I felt this wasn't quite achieved.
The text is written, mostly, in long sentences; this gave a feel of fluency. But sometimes the sentences are fragmented and jumbled up. For example: "Covered in shadow of the trees but with a clear pale face, it is always hard to tell in photos, but Ellie was sure that the figure was staring at the group." (C 3). Each clause appears to have a separate structure. It is an interesting attempt to mimic consciousness, combining the reality of a muddle of competing thoughts with the appearance of a flowing stream.
I look forward to reading the sequel.
The pacing of the plot was perfectly in line with the four-part model of narrative with major turning points at the 25%, 50% and 75% marks.
A novel dealing with strange happenings needs to ground itself in normality in order to add verisimilitude. This novel does this by juxtaposing Ellie's everyday life with the weird members of the Council and the subsequent dreams and peculiar weather. A particular strength of this part of the narrative was the way in which Ellie and her family mocked the members of the Council behind their back. One of my favourite lines was "Can we talk about something other than the crazy guy telling me I need to save the world? I have enough trouble with maths homework never mind that as well.” (C 11). The difficulty is that then 'normal' characters have to be able to make the transition from the normal world to the other world; in character terms they have to transition from robust scepticism to open-mouthed gullibility. The weirdness has to be so impressive that the reader has to become sufficiently convinced that they are prepared to suspend their disbelief. I felt this wasn't quite achieved.
The text is written, mostly, in long sentences; this gave a feel of fluency. But sometimes the sentences are fragmented and jumbled up. For example: "Covered in shadow of the trees but with a clear pale face, it is always hard to tell in photos, but Ellie was sure that the figure was staring at the group." (C 3). Each clause appears to have a separate structure. It is an interesting attempt to mimic consciousness, combining the reality of a muddle of competing thoughts with the appearance of a flowing stream.
I look forward to reading the sequel.
February 28, 2022
I enjoyed the mystery of the story that was built up from the first paged of the book. The author did a great work using a physical object (the folly) as a connection between two worlds. The location and the setting of the books are unique, with a small village and its hill being the key place for all the events.
The reason it is not five stars for me is that I couldn’t find a connection with characters. Especially MC’s mum, who seemed to be at some points trusting her teenage daughter no matter what. They were not badly written, but for me, they lacked reasoning for certain actions they took.
That said, the book should be still a great read for those who enjoy mystery YA fantasy.
The reason it is not five stars for me is that I couldn’t find a connection with characters. Especially MC’s mum, who seemed to be at some points trusting her teenage daughter no matter what. They were not badly written, but for me, they lacked reasoning for certain actions they took.
That said, the book should be still a great read for those who enjoy mystery YA fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews