Toby Fisher and the Arc-Light

Toby Fisher #1

by Ian McFarlane

When his uncle's life is threatened by a vengeful ghost, Toby is sent to Tintagel, Cornwall; a mysterious village with obvious King Arthur connections. Once there, he discovers that his uncle is bound by many things magical, least of all a dangerously personal connection with the ghost.

During Toby's desperate investigations and with the help of Arty, a half-elven, rambunctious young man, they discover that beneath modern day London are tunnels full of hags, sirens, trolls and other magical creatures with plans that could destroy the known world.

But Toby's careless determination to protect his uncle leaves him in a deadly realm beyond the help of humans and surface dwellers. He has a simple choice: fight or die.

This modern day fantasy novel is the first in the exciting new Toby Fisher series by Ian McFarlane... a celebration of all things magical, Merlin, and King Arthur.

Genres: Fantasy, Witches, Young Adult

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

Ian has been a fan of reading since childhood while sharing his bedroom with elves, orcs and the occasional troll, but writing didn't arrive at his finger tips until much later. It wasn't until 2010 with the global rise of fantasy based movies that Ian rediscovered that desire to write.

And so the Red Dragon series was born, inspired by everything that is fantasy from Tolkien to Potter, including the glue that brought everything together in the Red Dragon series, the legends of King Arthur.

In June 2023, Ian decided to take a year out from his chiropractic career and concentrate on his writing. He bought a ten metre sailboat and is presently travelling around the UK, anchoring in the most stunning locations, and writing … plenty of writing. Follow his adventures on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Ian has a sense of adventure and has ridden a Royal Enfield motorcycle across the Indian Himalayas, back-packed across Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Cuba, and hung out of many trains while travelling across India.

You can catch with or connect with Ian on:
- YouTube https://youtube.com/@livingonasailboa...
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sailinghuffn...
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/livingonasa...

Ian has a masters degree in chiropractic medicine from the AECC in England, and carries the honorary title of Doctor of Chiropractic with great pride

source: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ian-McF...


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many parallels with Harry Potter - a magical train, a magical castle, a magical village and bizarre magical creatures. Through in a Little Mermaid and you have an interesting if familiar story.

I won't be continuing the series.

[Brittania Dancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. The story is well written and humorous. The adventures of a thirteen year old boy often are. The plot flows seamlessly with the story and has turns that you don't see coming. This isn't your typical human, ghost, witches and other story and that is what I liked about it. The story pulls at your imagination with great characters. I would recommend this book and can't wait to read the others in this series.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. I enjoyed following Toby around as he learns about what he is and what he is capable of. The author writes with a lot of imagination. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

A lot of action and intrigue. Worthy adversaries with witches and some Arthurian characters as well. I am enjoying it.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

Toby can fly. He really can. He changes into a falcon and soars. But Toby has a lot of problems. His uncle, who has been like a father to him, had to go into hiding. Toby is being sent away from everything he knows to a very strange place. He must go into hiding, like his uncle. They both must hide from an extremely dangerous ghost.

Once in hiding, at a safe village Toby faces all kinds of new experiences and creatures, including trolls, gnomes, and creatures he had never heard of before. Me either. But they were interesting and fun to learn about. Mr. McFarlane has a vivid imagination and brings his characters to life. Some are enemies, and some are friends. They help him on a quest to find lost pixie gold, while others try to stop him and grab it for themselves.

Toby Fisher is a fun read with humor, adventure and frightening creatures. I look forward to reading more of Toby’s adventures.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ideas of the story are great and there is quite a bit going on in this elaborate and interesting world. I just couldn't get into because it is written using British English and I had to look up a lot of words to understand their meaning. This is something that occasionally happens to me in American English but in this case I couldn't get into the story and let it flow through me or maybe I flow through books. Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone with a bit of understanding of the language or wants to have it and enjoys a romp through an incredible world filled with amazing characters and amazing modes of transportation. Plus, it has ghosts, wizards and many different aliens.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my honest opinion, freely given.

[Mark Lucas-Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ghost’s Revenge

A YA novel, the first in a series, mixing myth and legend with high adventure. If you like your stories mixed with a plethora of mythical creatures, bewildered young heroes and of course seemingly unsurmountable challenges then this series is definitely for you.

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible mashup of fantasy, King Arthur, Sci Fi and a bunch of other cool stuff! Well developed and interesting! I couldn’t put it down! I loved it!

[Freda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book because it was a young adult story and I don’t care for them. The story and writing were fine, it just wasn’t for me.

[Fredd · Rating 1 out of 5]

this reads like it is written for 4th or 5th graders - and maybe it was, but I guess i didn't realize that was the target audience.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

Tobey Fisher and the Arc Light was a good read. A little confusing in spots, but over all worth recommending.

[Vonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. A lot of young boy humor, and more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun but a bit chaotic.

[Hannah Avem Lepus · Rating 4 out of 5]

i will probably read the next in the series sometime, Some things were unexplained, and the story seemed to jump around a little sometimes, like somethings were skipped, but overall it seemed like a good read for an idle day when everything important has been done. But I have some questions; why did the druid lady in the mer-kingdom disappear? And in the beginning, when the general tried to grab him, why did he later end up in such pain? and why did the stuff in the syringe help? I don't mean to sound like I didn't like the book, which I did, but I just got confused sometimes. But other readers didn't seem to feel that way, and I am naturally a very critical person, so forgive me if I sound rude. I really did enjoy the book, and I felt sorry for poor Toby.