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Crystal Vision
Scotland, 1342. The Great Plague ravages the countryside. In its wake the body of a beautiful, young noble is laid to rest on a funeral pyre. Her fiancé begs a sorcerer to use his magic to summon a demon and bring the young woman back to life in exchange for his own.
Fast Forward to:
America, Present. Fourteen year old Jeremy McKee attends a fantasy workshop which is run by a young woman named Ariella. One afternoon, an old vagrant on the street offers Jeremy a small crystal which produces visions of a young woman resurrected from death hundreds of years ago. Slowly, the truth begins to reveal itself. The woman in the vision and the one running the workshop are one in the same. The vagrant is the sorcerer, Armand. He explains that Jeremy’s ancestor, D’Arcy, offered his soul for the life of his betrothed but reneged at the last minute. Now the demon has returned for payment and is prepared to unleash the Black Plague if he doesn’t get what he he is owed.
Fast Forward to:
America, Present. Fourteen year old Jeremy McKee attends a fantasy workshop which is run by a young woman named Ariella. One afternoon, an old vagrant on the street offers Jeremy a small crystal which produces visions of a young woman resurrected from death hundreds of years ago. Slowly, the truth begins to reveal itself. The woman in the vision and the one running the workshop are one in the same. The vagrant is the sorcerer, Armand. He explains that Jeremy’s ancestor, D’Arcy, offered his soul for the life of his betrothed but reneged at the last minute. Now the demon has returned for payment and is prepared to unleash the Black Plague if he doesn’t get what he he is owed.
Kindle Edition
First published January 9, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 1, 2022
I just finished Larry Radness’ third book Crystal Vision. It was an unexpected read. It typified one of the things that I like most about Rodness, all of his books are very different from his other books. That difference was one of the things that I most I liked about Stephen King. The books follow the same genre, but they are so different.
In Crystal Vision, a group of ‘fantasy gamers’ are thrust into a situation where they must fight the forces of evil (but in IRL) to save one of their own, the owner of the fantasy shop, Ariella. True to the style of Rodness, Ariella is not all that she seems. There is a reason that the demon wants her. What better group to battle a real demon than a bunch of ‘fantasy gamers?’ Game on. The group’s leader, Jeremy, has a plan.
Of course, they have a plan What could go wrong. Well just about everything. This is a great YA, light horror story, good for 12 and up. I’m 75 and I enjoyed the read. There is some very mild violence and language but no sexual connotation. I can see a mass appeal to a huge segment of the reading public, case in point, the Harry Potter series.
For me, five stars once again for Larry Rodness and for Crystal Vision. Jeff Bailey, author of the conspiracy thriller Not On My Watch.
In Crystal Vision, a group of ‘fantasy gamers’ are thrust into a situation where they must fight the forces of evil (but in IRL) to save one of their own, the owner of the fantasy shop, Ariella. True to the style of Rodness, Ariella is not all that she seems. There is a reason that the demon wants her. What better group to battle a real demon than a bunch of ‘fantasy gamers?’ Game on. The group’s leader, Jeremy, has a plan.
Of course, they have a plan What could go wrong. Well just about everything. This is a great YA, light horror story, good for 12 and up. I’m 75 and I enjoyed the read. There is some very mild violence and language but no sexual connotation. I can see a mass appeal to a huge segment of the reading public, case in point, the Harry Potter series.
For me, five stars once again for Larry Rodness and for Crystal Vision. Jeff Bailey, author of the conspiracy thriller Not On My Watch.
August 18, 2022
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions in this review are my own.
Crystal Vision is set mostly in modern times with flashbacks to the medieval times and follows a group of “fantasy gamers” as they fight the forces of evil in order to save Ariella, the mysterious owner of the fantasy shop, who has an ancient secret.
Ariella Lewelland, the owner of The Ages Olde Work Shoppe first appears as a charming and cheerful young woman, looking to be in her early twenties. Ariella was instantly by far my favourite character. She had an air of mystery about her that had me turning the pages wanting to know more about her.
This is a wonderfully imaginative and fast-paced story that is very entertaining and definitely fun to read. The story has a good flow to it, I was never bored for even a moment. This is a fun and intriguing story that was easy to follow, with plenty of action and mystery. It combines history, ancient curses, demons, and magic with modern day characters. The story was intriguing all throughout and wrapped up nicely.
Crystal Vision is set mostly in modern times with flashbacks to the medieval times and follows a group of “fantasy gamers” as they fight the forces of evil in order to save Ariella, the mysterious owner of the fantasy shop, who has an ancient secret.
Ariella Lewelland, the owner of The Ages Olde Work Shoppe first appears as a charming and cheerful young woman, looking to be in her early twenties. Ariella was instantly by far my favourite character. She had an air of mystery about her that had me turning the pages wanting to know more about her.
This is a wonderfully imaginative and fast-paced story that is very entertaining and definitely fun to read. The story has a good flow to it, I was never bored for even a moment. This is a fun and intriguing story that was easy to follow, with plenty of action and mystery. It combines history, ancient curses, demons, and magic with modern day characters. The story was intriguing all throughout and wrapped up nicely.
April 28, 2022
~About
Crystal Vision is mainly set in the modern day, with references to past eras.
Fourteen year old Jeremy McKee frequents The Ages Olde Work Shoppe, where mysterious owner Ariella hides an ancient secret. One day, she gives Jeremy a peculiar looking coin. Soon after, he encounters a strange old man (Armand) who shows him a vision by placing a special crystal to his forehead. Eventually, Jeremy also encounters a dark, demonic creature, who is after Ariella.
Somehow, Ariella and Jeremy’s ancestor’s pasts are connected. Now, Jeremy and his allies must work together to bring down the demonic entity which is willing to do anything to get what it wants, even going as far as to resurrect an ancient plague.
~Characters
Throughout the story, six leading characters caught my attention and had – in my opinion – the most impact on the turn of events.
Fourteen year old Jeremy McKee has recently been struggling due to his father having separated from his mother and moved out of the family home. As such, Jeremy seeks an escape from his real life in the form of old school fantasy table-top games. While Jeremy initially appeared to be childish in some ways, over the course of the story, he proves himself to be curious, courageous, and highly honourable, doing all he could to try and help the woman he adored. I found it easy to relate to Jeremy, per his fantasy-related interests, and per his struggles with his broken family arrangement. As such, it was relatively easy to root for him to succeed in all his endeavours.
Jeremy’s father, Brian McKee runs an antique store known as McKee and Sons, which has been passed down through four generations of their family. Although business has not been going too well lately, Brian is proud of his ancestry and his store. Although often preoccupied with his work, Brian does his best to be a good father, although it was his work which led to the subsequent fallout of his marriage. At best, Brian has a tenuous relationship with his own father, whose debt he hopes to pay off. As the story progressed, we see Brian go from being somewhat of a coward who runs away from his problems, to a man who is willing to risk his very life for a promise made by his ancestors centuries ago.
Ariella Lewelland, the owner of The Ages Olde Work Shoppe first appeared as a charming and cheerful young woman, looking to be in her early twenties. She showed herself to be helpful and compassionate, looking after the young teenagers who frequented her store to relax and game. There was also an air of mystery about her character: we honestly don’t learn much about her until far later in the story. I found myself repeatedly wondering what her past had been like and if she hid any particular struggles which she refused to show to the outside world. Over time, I learned that – for various reasons – she had to harden herself to the world to survive, something which I found very relatable. With all Ariella has endured, she made for a highly admirable character, whose welfare I came to care a great deal about.
Next, we have Stony, a tough looking street youth whose six foot plus frame would be intimidating to most. He is referred to by Ariella as ‘The Overlord,’ a title which immediately demands respect and furthers his sense of intimidation over others. Stony seemed overly cocky and far too sure of himself, both traits which I find unpleasant to be around. However, despite all of his faults- and there are many- he was willing to protect Ariella at all costs. He seemed to be a man ‘out of sync’ with his time, as one of the characters later suggests: he looks for any battle to fight because that is his nature and what he had become accustomed to in the distant past. Overall, he wasn’t as bad as he is first made out to be. In fact, I eventually began to warm to him toward the end of the story.
Armand is first introduced to us as a mysterious old man selling crystals and gemstones. At first, Ariella appears to hate him, calling him ‘sorcerer.’ It is clear that Armand quickly takes an interest in Jeremy, as if he’s planning to train him to become a hero. As a character, Armand is far more noble than we are first led to believe. He acts as a peacekeeper of sorts between characters over time, diffusing tension wherever he can. I quickly came to like Armand, despite some of the character’s earlier misgivings about him.
Finally, we come to the demonic entity which stands as the story’s primary antagonist. The demon first appears with the horns of a goat and the ears of a donkey, appearing at random moments to antagonise Ariella in particular. However, over time, the demon is also sneaky and takes on different forms in order to trick the would-be heroes of the story. Said demon stalks Ariella and other key characters throughout the story, trying to maim them, or otherwise wreck their lives. This demon proves to be cruel, bloodthirsty, and ultimately, relentless in his pursuit of what he believes to be rightfully his.
~Positive Aspects
There were many positive aspects to this story, which I have included in a handy bulleted list below:
-The story opens to an immediately atmospheric and gripping scene with the funeral of an important young noble-woman: this scene made me wonder who she was and how she died, drawing me into the story at large.
-The shifting third-person point of views between fourteen year old Jeremy, his father Brian, and Ariella widened the overall scope of the story, revealing their different problems and motivations in life.
-The author steadily revealed more of Ariella’s past life through flashbacks/interludes, providing additional context to the overall story, as seen through unique ‘crystal visions,’ after which the story is named.
-I liked how the tension built up gradually, with the severity of the character’s problems escalating more and more, making it hard to put the book down for long.
-The story was intriguing throughout and the author wrapped it up nicely toward the end, resolving all issues in a satisfactory way.
~Memorable Quotes
Throughout the story, I picked up on several memorable quotes which had a profound effect on me. There were so many good ones to choose from, but in the end, I managed to settle on the following six.
1) ‘Sometimes, problems can affect a relationship just like a bug or a sickness- you have to identify the issues first- both partners need to commit to fixing them.’
2) ‘And it’s part of life’s journey one must make to come to one’s own decision- my advice to you- go out into the world, learn, and seek your own answers.’
3) ‘A hero is one who dedicates himself to do the right thing, which sometimes goes against what’s safe or convenient, or what his friends think.’
4) ‘We’re born to believe- it’s disbelief we’re taught.’
5) ‘Whatever you may or may not believe doesn’t alter the truth. Ultimately, the one you have to trust is yourself.’
6) ‘The only way to defeat the thing is to learn more about it.’
~Overview
Overall, Crystal Vision was a wonderful, magical story about an old Scottish family who had yet to keep a centuries old promise. Themes of ancestry, the supernatural, and the power of belief featured heavily throughout.
My Rating: 5 stars. I honestly couldn’t put this book down. I loved every single moment.
Recommended to: lovers of young adult novels, with a mix of fantasy, the supernatural, and history blended in.
February 25, 2022
Young Adult fantasy has been a hit-or-miss genre for me in the past, but lately, I seem to have been hitting a gold mine with this genre. Crystal Vision is a hit for me. It appealed to the nerd in me (a role-playing fan here), and it was a book that I could see my 14-year-old son reading. So, yes, I am thrilled that I read this book.
Crystal Vision had a fascinating plotline. Jeremy is 14 years old, and he has spent his summer role-playing at a fantasy workshop run by the beautiful Ariella. But, on the last days of his summer vacation, Jeremy’s life is turned upside down when a vagrant named Armand presses a crystal to his forehead, and Jeremy sees a vision with Ariella in it. Armand reveals himself to be a sorcerer and tells Jeremy a story about true love, cowardice, bravery, demons, and immortality. What is Jeremy’s role in that story? Does he have what it takes to do the right thing, even when he doesn’t want to? And can he take on a demon who is determined to get the girl?
Crystal Vision had a medium-paced plotline. It slowed down during certain parts of the book and sped up during other parts. I had no issue with the changing pacing and thought it suited the book perfectly. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (when Jeremy and his friends were trying to track down the dagger), but it didn’t affect how I liked the book.
I liked how the teenagers were portrayed in Crystal Vision. They acted their ages!! I know that most of you are going, “Well, that’s not special,” but in this case, it is. They didn’t have powers or unlimited resources. They had limitations and were treated like regular kids. Heck, there was even a lice outbreak towards the beginning of the book. I enjoyed it. It made me connect with Jeremy on a level that I wasn’t expecting. The mother in me was internally yelling because of some of his stuff. But the gamer/fantasy love in me was also urging him on.
The fantasy angle of Crystal Vision was well written. I liked that the author chose to omit specific facts from Ariella’s resurrection and then gradually added them into the plotline. Put it this way; I was 100% behind her when she was freaking out on Armand because of what the author chose to reveal. But, when she had her vision, the author showed the missing pieces. I did a huge “AHA” at that.
The adults in this book (minus Armand and Ariella) did disappoint me. Jeremy’s father came across as weak during various parts of the book. Spike (the Overlord) and his gang were cruel and did many unnecessary things to Jeremy and his father during the first half of the book. Jeremy’s mother was petty (to Jeremy’s father). It didn’t ruin the book, though. Instead, the adults were a perfect foil for Jeremy and his friends.
I loved that the author chose to incorporate role-playing games into the plotline. The game the kids were playing reminded me of Dungeon and Dragons. I wish the author had gotten more into the game’s mechanics (it would have come in handy during a specific fight scene), but that was a minor annoyance. I was more thrilled about RP getting shown in a positive light!!
The pandemic angle did rub me the wrong way, but (and I stress but) I liked how the author chose to revive a previous pandemic. So, instead of it being a COVID-like pandemic, it was something else. And actually, it was something that I could see happening under the right circumstances.
The end of Crystal Vision was interesting. The author did wrap everything up in a way that made me happy. I did feel for Jeremy when he realized what had to happen to banish the demon (and I will never look at donkey-eared beings the same way again).
I would recommend Crystal Vision to anyone over 13. There is mild violence, mild language, and no sexual situations.
Crystal Vision had a fascinating plotline. Jeremy is 14 years old, and he has spent his summer role-playing at a fantasy workshop run by the beautiful Ariella. But, on the last days of his summer vacation, Jeremy’s life is turned upside down when a vagrant named Armand presses a crystal to his forehead, and Jeremy sees a vision with Ariella in it. Armand reveals himself to be a sorcerer and tells Jeremy a story about true love, cowardice, bravery, demons, and immortality. What is Jeremy’s role in that story? Does he have what it takes to do the right thing, even when he doesn’t want to? And can he take on a demon who is determined to get the girl?
Crystal Vision had a medium-paced plotline. It slowed down during certain parts of the book and sped up during other parts. I had no issue with the changing pacing and thought it suited the book perfectly. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (when Jeremy and his friends were trying to track down the dagger), but it didn’t affect how I liked the book.
I liked how the teenagers were portrayed in Crystal Vision. They acted their ages!! I know that most of you are going, “Well, that’s not special,” but in this case, it is. They didn’t have powers or unlimited resources. They had limitations and were treated like regular kids. Heck, there was even a lice outbreak towards the beginning of the book. I enjoyed it. It made me connect with Jeremy on a level that I wasn’t expecting. The mother in me was internally yelling because of some of his stuff. But the gamer/fantasy love in me was also urging him on.
The fantasy angle of Crystal Vision was well written. I liked that the author chose to omit specific facts from Ariella’s resurrection and then gradually added them into the plotline. Put it this way; I was 100% behind her when she was freaking out on Armand because of what the author chose to reveal. But, when she had her vision, the author showed the missing pieces. I did a huge “AHA” at that.
The adults in this book (minus Armand and Ariella) did disappoint me. Jeremy’s father came across as weak during various parts of the book. Spike (the Overlord) and his gang were cruel and did many unnecessary things to Jeremy and his father during the first half of the book. Jeremy’s mother was petty (to Jeremy’s father). It didn’t ruin the book, though. Instead, the adults were a perfect foil for Jeremy and his friends.
I loved that the author chose to incorporate role-playing games into the plotline. The game the kids were playing reminded me of Dungeon and Dragons. I wish the author had gotten more into the game’s mechanics (it would have come in handy during a specific fight scene), but that was a minor annoyance. I was more thrilled about RP getting shown in a positive light!!
The pandemic angle did rub me the wrong way, but (and I stress but) I liked how the author chose to revive a previous pandemic. So, instead of it being a COVID-like pandemic, it was something else. And actually, it was something that I could see happening under the right circumstances.
The end of Crystal Vision was interesting. The author did wrap everything up in a way that made me happy. I did feel for Jeremy when he realized what had to happen to banish the demon (and I will never look at donkey-eared beings the same way again).
I would recommend Crystal Vision to anyone over 13. There is mild violence, mild language, and no sexual situations.
February 12, 2022
This YA fantasy book is set mostly in modern time with flash backs to Scotland in medieval times.
People who don't like books based on games probably wouldn't enjoy this as it has a role play gaming element to it running throughout the story.
Trying to avoid spoilers I can say the characters are partly human and partly mystical with a touch of magic and monsters.
This is definately for the younger end of the teen readers, the story is easy to follow with more simplified language. Very much like the swashbuckling adventures of old but set in a city in modern times.
An enjoyable read.
People who don't like books based on games probably wouldn't enjoy this as it has a role play gaming element to it running throughout the story.
Trying to avoid spoilers I can say the characters are partly human and partly mystical with a touch of magic and monsters.
This is definately for the younger end of the teen readers, the story is easy to follow with more simplified language. Very much like the swashbuckling adventures of old but set in a city in modern times.
An enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews