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Dreamslinger
UFOs. Unsolved mysteries. Artifacts from ancient astronauts. The future begins now. And everything changes.After six years away, Alex McCray returns to his hometown, Onyx, California, bearing an unusual, mystical stone. A camping trip comes to a brutal conclusion when Rupert Kline, a madman with almost limitless resources, murders Alex’s father to seize the stone.Alex swears revenge and plans to bring the killer to justice. But Kline kidnaps Alex’s former fiancée to help him recover the remaining stones. In response, Alex assembles a team of friends and experts for an all-out crusade. He soon realizes there is much more at stake than he realized. The quest for the stones is a quest for the power of ancient gods—the power to shape the future of humanity.Dreamslinger is the first book in an epic saga filled with adventure, heroism, and surprises. If you like driven characters, roller-coaster plots, and breathless adventure, you’ll love Dreamslinger.
291 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2021
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October 21, 2021(This review initially posted on Reedsy Discovery, from which I recieved an Advanced Release Copy).
There are moments in all of our lives when memorable, some would say magical, things happen that can have a lasting impact. In his book Dreamslinger, R.J. Johnson explores this idea in the extreme, leaving one to ponder on origins, the limits of what is possible, and even the nature of reality itself.
As a child, the main character Alex has an encounter with a stone that hits him in the face, and when he attempts to get rid of it, flies back to him again. He learns of this stone’s amazing power only after his friend Scott has and recovers from a gruesome accident, then leading him to entrust this strange artifact to his father. It is not directly said, but the stone may have played a significant role in Alex’s decision to enter the military, wherein he gets entangled in some covert operations that lead to the needed faking of his death. None of this is spoiler, as it is revealed fairly early in the novel.
From this point, an amazing story unfolds as Alex engages some really bad guys in superhero-type action sequences. But things get especially hairy as he is forced to reconcile with events from his past, and in so doing cause many to question his motives and meanings.
This is ultimately a nice, almost brotherly story. I enjoy the portrayal of a friendship so powerful and deep that it can be picked up from it’s last point, albeit with some bumpiness because of the person involved having felt as if he had been shirked for unknown reasons, and thrive. In the end, Scott is delighted to be able to use his vast technological knowledge and far-reaching capabilities derived from the work that he does to help solve the problems resulting from the stone.
And speaking of futuristic, let’s just say extraterrestrial things, it is also fun to watch the future collide with the past. I think the reader will enjoy meeting Siobhan and hearing the harrowing story she has to tell about how she arrived in the 21st Century, and the ways in which this proved relevant to Alex and Scott’s predicament.
So while full of almost unending, belief-stretching action scenes, anyone should find that the roots of this story hit home. That there is power out there which surpasses our understanding, and power within that can be found in true friendships where we forgive people of their flaws. I think that’s a sequence to which we can all relate.
There are moments in all of our lives when memorable, some would say magical, things happen that can have a lasting impact. In his book Dreamslinger, R.J. Johnson explores this idea in the extreme, leaving one to ponder on origins, the limits of what is possible, and even the nature of reality itself.
As a child, the main character Alex has an encounter with a stone that hits him in the face, and when he attempts to get rid of it, flies back to him again. He learns of this stone’s amazing power only after his friend Scott has and recovers from a gruesome accident, then leading him to entrust this strange artifact to his father. It is not directly said, but the stone may have played a significant role in Alex’s decision to enter the military, wherein he gets entangled in some covert operations that lead to the needed faking of his death. None of this is spoiler, as it is revealed fairly early in the novel.
From this point, an amazing story unfolds as Alex engages some really bad guys in superhero-type action sequences. But things get especially hairy as he is forced to reconcile with events from his past, and in so doing cause many to question his motives and meanings.
This is ultimately a nice, almost brotherly story. I enjoy the portrayal of a friendship so powerful and deep that it can be picked up from it’s last point, albeit with some bumpiness because of the person involved having felt as if he had been shirked for unknown reasons, and thrive. In the end, Scott is delighted to be able to use his vast technological knowledge and far-reaching capabilities derived from the work that he does to help solve the problems resulting from the stone.
And speaking of futuristic, let’s just say extraterrestrial things, it is also fun to watch the future collide with the past. I think the reader will enjoy meeting Siobhan and hearing the harrowing story she has to tell about how she arrived in the 21st Century, and the ways in which this proved relevant to Alex and Scott’s predicament.
So while full of almost unending, belief-stretching action scenes, anyone should find that the roots of this story hit home. That there is power out there which surpasses our understanding, and power within that can be found in true friendships where we forgive people of their flaws. I think that’s a sequence to which we can all relate.
November 3, 2021
R. J. Johnson creates compelling characters and action scenes that gripped me and kept my eyes to the page.
To his family, friends and fiancée, Alex McCray was reported to have been killed in action. Six years pass and then one day he shows up at his dad's house where the two have an emotional reunion. The two then decide to embark on a rock climbing camping trip. During the trip Alex's father hands over a stone necklace which Alex remembers from his youth. As he remembers it, the stone had mystical powers which miraculously healed his best friend's injuries after a bad fall. He had somehow forgot about the incident but while holding the stone, it brought back the memory in vivid detail. Unknown to the two, another man, Rupert Kline, has evil intentions and limitless resources. Kline seeks out the two, kills Alex's father in an effort to gain possession of the mystically powerful stone.
Alex vows to avenge the death of his father and enters into a quest with his best friend to hunt down Kline. He soon learns that his stone isn't the only one in existence and that the powers contained within them could change the world. It becomes apparent that the stones may have originated from an alien civilization and Alex, his fiancée and their pursuers will have to come to grips with that very real and humanity changing possibility.
R. J. Johnson creates compelling characters and action scenes that gripped me and kept my eyes to the page. The Rupert Kline character is as diabolical and evilly addicting as any ever written. The pace of the story flows nicely and the surprise at the end will ensure that I will continue reading this series. The humor that is injected into the action scenes was also very entertaining; especially between Alex and his best friend. If you're into UFOs and those kind of mysteries, you'll love this one!
To his family, friends and fiancée, Alex McCray was reported to have been killed in action. Six years pass and then one day he shows up at his dad's house where the two have an emotional reunion. The two then decide to embark on a rock climbing camping trip. During the trip Alex's father hands over a stone necklace which Alex remembers from his youth. As he remembers it, the stone had mystical powers which miraculously healed his best friend's injuries after a bad fall. He had somehow forgot about the incident but while holding the stone, it brought back the memory in vivid detail. Unknown to the two, another man, Rupert Kline, has evil intentions and limitless resources. Kline seeks out the two, kills Alex's father in an effort to gain possession of the mystically powerful stone.
Alex vows to avenge the death of his father and enters into a quest with his best friend to hunt down Kline. He soon learns that his stone isn't the only one in existence and that the powers contained within them could change the world. It becomes apparent that the stones may have originated from an alien civilization and Alex, his fiancée and their pursuers will have to come to grips with that very real and humanity changing possibility.
R. J. Johnson creates compelling characters and action scenes that gripped me and kept my eyes to the page. The Rupert Kline character is as diabolical and evilly addicting as any ever written. The pace of the story flows nicely and the surprise at the end will ensure that I will continue reading this series. The humor that is injected into the action scenes was also very entertaining; especially between Alex and his best friend. If you're into UFOs and those kind of mysteries, you'll love this one!
October 20, 2022
TL;DR: Not a bad book. I recieved a free copy of this novel and was pleasantly surprised. It is usually a gamble with self-published writers and this time Im glad to report that I won.
In essence, this was a good book. The ending needed love. It kind of felt like the writer had too much to write and just hacked the manuscript into multiple sections so that readers could pick up in the next book. Overall, I was impressed with the descriptive pictures that were painted with words and the characters were decently likeable which was a big deal for me as characters can really make or break a book.
The missing star was for the ending and the lack of imaginative dialogue
In essence, this was a good book. The ending needed love. It kind of felt like the writer had too much to write and just hacked the manuscript into multiple sections so that readers could pick up in the next book. Overall, I was impressed with the descriptive pictures that were painted with words and the characters were decently likeable which was a big deal for me as characters can really make or break a book.
The missing star was for the ending and the lack of imaginative dialogue
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews