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Prodigy Quest
A flood of two-hundred-year-old memories from a past life knocks boy-genius Tris right off his stool at the quiz show he was winning. Then a letter arrives from a fifty-year-old time capsule that sends him on a quest to find a book of wisdom his karmic ancestors have been compiling for centuries. Really? Sure, he's smarter than all the adults around him, but how's he supposed to navigate an interstate scavenger hunt and elude a group of fanatic lowlifes? Tris has to grow into someone beyond his years to get the job done. He learns the hard way that the smartest boy in the world…isn't.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2021
2 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Verlin Darrow
8 books18 followersVerlin Darrow is currently a psychotherapist who lives with his psychotherapist wife in the woods near the Monterey Bay in northern California. They diagnose each other as necessary. Verlin is a former professional volleyball player, country-western singer/songwriter, import store owner, and assistant guru in a small, benign cult, from which he graduated everyone when he left.
Before bowing to the need for higher education, a much younger Verlin ran a punch press in a sheetmetal factory, drove a taxi, worked as a night janitor, shoveled asphalt on a road crew, and installed wood floors. He barely missed being blown up by Mt. St. Helens, survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and (so far) he’s successfully weathered his own internal disasters.
Verlin is the author of a psycho-spiritual mystery - Blood and Wisdom, as well as a fantasy thriller - Coattail Karma.
He encourages readers to visit his website or email him to find out more: verlindarrow.com or verlindarrow@gmail.com
Before bowing to the need for higher education, a much younger Verlin ran a punch press in a sheetmetal factory, drove a taxi, worked as a night janitor, shoveled asphalt on a road crew, and installed wood floors. He barely missed being blown up by Mt. St. Helens, survived the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and (so far) he’s successfully weathered his own internal disasters.
Verlin is the author of a psycho-spiritual mystery - Blood and Wisdom, as well as a fantasy thriller - Coattail Karma.
He encourages readers to visit his website or email him to find out more: verlindarrow.com or verlindarrow@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 23, 2021
thank you netgalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
just- wow. the kid is hella smart and he f-cking owns that crap. anyone who questions him often gets hit with the you're-talking-to-the-smartest-boy-in-the-world face and that's the end of it.
but let's be honest; if any of us spoke to out parents (biological or not), we'd be six feet under by now. i don't know about you but if i dared yell at one of my parents to shut up in public, that's the last time humanity will ever see me.
overall good book it's just the annoying protagonist, who is way way way smarter than me, pissing me off 🔪🙂
just- wow. the kid is hella smart and he f-cking owns that crap. anyone who questions him often gets hit with the you're-talking-to-the-smartest-boy-in-the-world face and that's the end of it.
but let's be honest; if any of us spoke to out parents (biological or not), we'd be six feet under by now. i don't know about you but if i dared yell at one of my parents to shut up in public, that's the last time humanity will ever see me.
overall good book it's just the annoying protagonist, who is way way way smarter than me, pissing me off 🔪🙂
October 25, 2021
What worked:
The story is based on the concept of reincarnation, as Tris has a dream message from his soul’s former host, a woman named Susan Granger. His soul was also hosted by Merriweather Lewis, of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition, and Tris experiences memories from past moments in history. The memories and guidance from these past hosts create a mystery adventure to resolve.
The focus of the quest is to find and publish a book that will bring wisdom to the entire world. That’s all the description given, so the details surrounding the book remain unknown. What are the actual contents of the book, and what makes this book different from other attempts to spread knowledge? The plot focuses on locating the book, but the book’s potential impact and influence on the world remain uncertain. As the story moves along, secret cult groups appear that try to find the book first, and one of the groups is willing to resort to violence. The hunt for the book and the threatening mysterious cults create the two main conflicts in the book. The author utilizes some trickery and misdirection to present complications. Rest assured, Prodigy Quest includes an appendix at the end with a synopsis of the book of wisdom.
Marc is Tris’s psychiatrist and guardian during the adventure, and he presents a steadying influence. Tris lacks social skills due to his absence of empathy, and Marc’s influence helps Tris transform into a more “normal” human. Tris learns to reflect on his own behaviors and emotions, as he analyzes himself and practices interacting with others. He dramatically transforms into an emotional young boy and grows to appreciate people for who they are, not who he wants them to be. He’s still the smartest kid in the world, but he discovers there’s more to being smart than having answers to all of the questions.
What didn’t work as well:
Tris is arrogant and has little tolerance for others who don’t meet his high standards, so he’s not a very likable main character. His personality makes it difficult to make connections with his character, so making an emotional commitment to the story is more challenging. Tris’s fame from a popular quiz show labels him as the smartest kid in the world. He’s often recognized in public, and these interactions create amusing moments in the story as well as useful tools to gain information toward the quest. Tris’s self-reflection throughout the story smooths some rough edges around his character. It becomes easier to have feelings for Tris, and readers may even learn to like him.
The final verdict:
The book of wisdom doesn’t have all the answers. The early chapters don’t construct an easily engaging story, as the dialogue is fairly objective and unemotional due to Tris’s character. However, the adventure slowly becomes more intriguing and exciting, as the characters collect clues. Overall, this book offers a thought-provoking drama for young adult readers.
The story is based on the concept of reincarnation, as Tris has a dream message from his soul’s former host, a woman named Susan Granger. His soul was also hosted by Merriweather Lewis, of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition, and Tris experiences memories from past moments in history. The memories and guidance from these past hosts create a mystery adventure to resolve.
The focus of the quest is to find and publish a book that will bring wisdom to the entire world. That’s all the description given, so the details surrounding the book remain unknown. What are the actual contents of the book, and what makes this book different from other attempts to spread knowledge? The plot focuses on locating the book, but the book’s potential impact and influence on the world remain uncertain. As the story moves along, secret cult groups appear that try to find the book first, and one of the groups is willing to resort to violence. The hunt for the book and the threatening mysterious cults create the two main conflicts in the book. The author utilizes some trickery and misdirection to present complications. Rest assured, Prodigy Quest includes an appendix at the end with a synopsis of the book of wisdom.
Marc is Tris’s psychiatrist and guardian during the adventure, and he presents a steadying influence. Tris lacks social skills due to his absence of empathy, and Marc’s influence helps Tris transform into a more “normal” human. Tris learns to reflect on his own behaviors and emotions, as he analyzes himself and practices interacting with others. He dramatically transforms into an emotional young boy and grows to appreciate people for who they are, not who he wants them to be. He’s still the smartest kid in the world, but he discovers there’s more to being smart than having answers to all of the questions.
What didn’t work as well:
Tris is arrogant and has little tolerance for others who don’t meet his high standards, so he’s not a very likable main character. His personality makes it difficult to make connections with his character, so making an emotional commitment to the story is more challenging. Tris’s fame from a popular quiz show labels him as the smartest kid in the world. He’s often recognized in public, and these interactions create amusing moments in the story as well as useful tools to gain information toward the quest. Tris’s self-reflection throughout the story smooths some rough edges around his character. It becomes easier to have feelings for Tris, and readers may even learn to like him.
The final verdict:
The book of wisdom doesn’t have all the answers. The early chapters don’t construct an easily engaging story, as the dialogue is fairly objective and unemotional due to Tris’s character. However, the adventure slowly becomes more intriguing and exciting, as the characters collect clues. Overall, this book offers a thought-provoking drama for young adult readers.
August 29, 2021
Disclaimer:
This is a bilingual review.
Aviso:
Esta es una reseña bilingüe.
English:
First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Prodigy Quest by Verlin Darrow, is about a genious ten-year-old boy named Tris Healey. He and his therapist Marc Dalcour go on a quest to find a wisdom book written by the previous encarnations of Tris. All this while being chased by a religious group that wants the book for themselves.
Prodigy Quest is, in my opinion, a very interesting book. There is depth in the characters, and the plot is quite entertaining. Also, the book gives very helpful advise about challenges that we might encounter in our lives.
So, I would recommend you this book specially if you like mystery books and speculative fiction.
Español:
Primero que todo, me gustaría agradecer a NetGalley y a la editorial por proveerme una copia de este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Prodigy Quest de Verlin Darrow (Búsqueda de Prodigios en español), trata sobre un niño genio de diez años llamado Tris Healey. Él y su terapeuta Marc Dalcour emprenden una búsqueda para encontrar un libro de sabiduría escrito por las encarnaciones anteriores de Tris. Todo esto mientras son perseguidos por un grupo religioso que quiere el libro para ellos.
Prodigy Quest es, en mi opinión, un libro muy interesante. Hay profundidad en los personajes y la trama es bastante entretenida. Además, el libro brinda consejos muy útiles sobre los desafíos que podríamos encontrar en nuestras vidas.
Te recomendaría este libro especialmente si te gustan los libros de misterio y la ficción especulativa.
This is a bilingual review.
Aviso:
Esta es una reseña bilingüe.
English:
First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Prodigy Quest by Verlin Darrow, is about a genious ten-year-old boy named Tris Healey. He and his therapist Marc Dalcour go on a quest to find a wisdom book written by the previous encarnations of Tris. All this while being chased by a religious group that wants the book for themselves.
Prodigy Quest is, in my opinion, a very interesting book. There is depth in the characters, and the plot is quite entertaining. Also, the book gives very helpful advise about challenges that we might encounter in our lives.
So, I would recommend you this book specially if you like mystery books and speculative fiction.
Español:
Primero que todo, me gustaría agradecer a NetGalley y a la editorial por proveerme una copia de este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Prodigy Quest de Verlin Darrow (Búsqueda de Prodigios en español), trata sobre un niño genio de diez años llamado Tris Healey. Él y su terapeuta Marc Dalcour emprenden una búsqueda para encontrar un libro de sabiduría escrito por las encarnaciones anteriores de Tris. Todo esto mientras son perseguidos por un grupo religioso que quiere el libro para ellos.
Prodigy Quest es, en mi opinión, un libro muy interesante. Hay profundidad en los personajes y la trama es bastante entretenida. Además, el libro brinda consejos muy útiles sobre los desafíos que podríamos encontrar en nuestras vidas.
Te recomendaría este libro especialmente si te gustan los libros de misterio y la ficción especulativa.
February 14, 2022
I was absolutely sure that I was going to hate this book, especially in the first few chapters because of how arrogant and rude the main character was. I almost stopped reading, but I'm glad I didn't. I eventually started being comfortable with, and maybe liking, Tris, the smartest boy in the world. It was downright painful sometimes, but it did play a part in the plot. I could even relate to him, especially with his and his family's relationship. It seems very realistic.
I loved Marc's character. He is Tris's therapist/ friend/ mentor. I loved the way he was so gentle and calm, and especially appreciated his relationship with Tris. And admittedly, Tris being arrogant does lead to some very funny interactions. I also adored Theodore and Ophelia, literally the sweetest and cutest characters.
I enjoyed the plot a lot. The cults, the villians, the parents, everything was so fun! The sub-plot that stayed with me was the relationship between Mildred and Tris. Mildred is a very cute dog, and Tris becomes very attached to Mildred, very quickly. This is the point where I started liking Tris's character and it was largely because of how gentle, loving and amazing he was towards Mildred, and as someone who loves animals, relatable.
There were parts in the book though which I found weird, like Tris sometimes asking people to do something and them just........ obeying this kid's orders? I also didn't see why the actual book they were fighting for was so important. You get to read some of it, and in my opinion, it reads like any other self help book. Maybe I'm just not smart enough.
Overall, it was a very fun and light book to read, extremely enjoyable. If you're into fun, adventure, and like kid characters, I'd definitely recommend you read this!
I loved Marc's character. He is Tris's therapist/ friend/ mentor. I loved the way he was so gentle and calm, and especially appreciated his relationship with Tris. And admittedly, Tris being arrogant does lead to some very funny interactions. I also adored Theodore and Ophelia, literally the sweetest and cutest characters.
I enjoyed the plot a lot. The cults, the villians, the parents, everything was so fun! The sub-plot that stayed with me was the relationship between Mildred and Tris. Mildred is a very cute dog, and Tris becomes very attached to Mildred, very quickly. This is the point where I started liking Tris's character and it was largely because of how gentle, loving and amazing he was towards Mildred, and as someone who loves animals, relatable.
There were parts in the book though which I found weird, like Tris sometimes asking people to do something and them just........ obeying this kid's orders? I also didn't see why the actual book they were fighting for was so important. You get to read some of it, and in my opinion, it reads like any other self help book. Maybe I'm just not smart enough.
Overall, it was a very fun and light book to read, extremely enjoyable. If you're into fun, adventure, and like kid characters, I'd definitely recommend you read this!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews