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Billy Jones #1
Billy: Messenger of Powers
"BILLY WAS ONLY THIRTEEN YEARS OLD THE FIRST TIME HE DIED."
And with those words the saga of Billy Jones begins with BILLY: MESSENGER OF POWERS.
Billy, like many of us, leads what he believes is a fairly normal life: trying to get through school, trying to deal with his first crush, and trying to avoid the bullies who seem intent on trying to prove he can be flushed down a toilet. But all that changes (or at least some of it) when Billy discovers that Powers walk among us.
These Powers (what you or I would call witches or warlocks) have divided into two camps: the Dawnwalkers, dedicated to the protection of humanity and the secrecy of the world of the Powers; and the Darksiders, who want nothing more or less than complete control of the world and the enslavement of all humanity.
For years the Darksiders and Dawnwalkers have lived in a state of uneasy truce: ever since the last War of the Powers, when the evil Darksider Wolfen was defeated and banished, cast out of the world of the Powers and ordered never to return.
But now there are whispers. There are stirrings. Portents.
Wolfen has returned.
The Darksiders are on the rise.
And Billy is the only one who can save the world.
And with those words the saga of Billy Jones begins with BILLY: MESSENGER OF POWERS.
Billy, like many of us, leads what he believes is a fairly normal life: trying to get through school, trying to deal with his first crush, and trying to avoid the bullies who seem intent on trying to prove he can be flushed down a toilet. But all that changes (or at least some of it) when Billy discovers that Powers walk among us.
These Powers (what you or I would call witches or warlocks) have divided into two camps: the Dawnwalkers, dedicated to the protection of humanity and the secrecy of the world of the Powers; and the Darksiders, who want nothing more or less than complete control of the world and the enslavement of all humanity.
For years the Darksiders and Dawnwalkers have lived in a state of uneasy truce: ever since the last War of the Powers, when the evil Darksider Wolfen was defeated and banished, cast out of the world of the Powers and ordered never to return.
But now there are whispers. There are stirrings. Portents.
Wolfen has returned.
The Darksiders are on the rise.
And Billy is the only one who can save the world.
- GenresFantasyYoung AdultMagic
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Michaelbrent Collings
94 books660 followersOne of the most versatile writers around, Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally bestselling novelist, produced screenwriter, and multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist. While he is best known for horror (and is one of the most successful indie horror authors in the United States), he has also written bestselling thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, young adult, and middle grade works, and Western Romance.
In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, a RONE Award, and a Whitney award: and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. He is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, and Writing Excuses.
Find more about him at his website, WrittenInsomnia.com, or sign up for his mailing list (and get a free book!) at http://writteninsomnia.com/michaelbre....
In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, a RONE Award, and a Whitney award: and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. He is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, and Writing Excuses.
Find more about him at his website, WrittenInsomnia.com, or sign up for his mailing list (and get a free book!) at http://writteninsomnia.com/michaelbre....
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 22, 2012
The character growth and building was more than I expected for a childrens’ book, and one of the reasons I think many adults would enjoy this novel. The worldbuilding was shown to the reader in pieces, words, and actions, allowing you to step into it as Billy Jones did, bumbling around with him, putting the clues together, occasionally feeling a little lost, but also gaping at the wonder of rock giants, unicorns, the inside of a whale, and moving through the earth on a magical rock chair.
While the book starts off a little slow, the pace quickly picks up once a frog gets involved. And yes, there are several times where some magical person or being swoops down from on high and saves Billy or one of his friends. Despite these small criticisms, they did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. *Just a little more gushing* – There were talking hot dogs! Strange, very strange. But the things they said resulted in snort laughter, which had my man quirking an eyebrow in my direction wondering what was so funny.
While the book starts off a little slow, the pace quickly picks up once a frog gets involved. And yes, there are several times where some magical person or being swoops down from on high and saves Billy or one of his friends. Despite these small criticisms, they did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. *Just a little more gushing* – There were talking hot dogs! Strange, very strange. But the things they said resulted in snort laughter, which had my man quirking an eyebrow in my direction wondering what was so funny.
November 11, 2019
This book is appropriate for teens & young adults … and exceptional writing begs adult enjoyment
Michaelbrent Collings' works are new to me: I recently read "This Darkness Light", and within a week or so I changed on a promotion of "The Ridealong". I found each to be exceptional, yet very different both in topic and presentation. When an opportunity to preview "Scavenger Hunt" occurred I lept at the chance and was fortunate to be given a pre-publication version. It was even more different from the other two, and even more egaging. I found myself with another author I esteemed as much as Koontz, Connolly, and
Enchanted by the quality of his writing and skillful narrative, I wanted to discover how his work had evolved over his career so I looked at his first book, "Billy: Messenger of Powers".
I was taken aback: it seems that Collings ("MbC" among his fond followers) sprung onto the novelist platform with skills already surpassing other authors having decades of experience. (He may have had an unfair advantage: we'll look at this in a moment.)
I've digressed into my enthrallment with MbC to provide a context for my comments about "Billy: Messenger of Powers": the book is in all ways a YA novel, and is so we'll written that it should be read by young people so they will be initiated by excellence rather than dross and pap.
However, adults will find surprising nuances and subltities and can appreciate how MbC can create impossible situations and ease the reader through a scenario that is clever, consistent with the situation, and very satisfying. He does this several times in the yarn, yet so infrequently that they are delightful surprises.
He also crafts scenarios that prompt an, "Aw, c'mon!" negative reaction, such as when Billy, one of the many heroes of the book is bullied on his first day at his "new" school. Another is when he accidentally hits a bully and puts him out of action. I made the mistake of assuming that I needed to suspend disbelief and just overlook such implausible actions. MbC sets such scenes then at some future point dogs into the foundation of the puzzling behavior and lets the reader understand how fitting the behavior was. (Fortunately I wasn't prepared to record those instances so I can honestly say I got caught a number of times without having to say how huge that number was.)
I experienced a realization partway through "Billy" of two things that had escaped my notice: that scenarios that seemed haphazard and cobbled together to avoid a blind alleys or sudden-ends were actually cleverly constructed to appear hopeless; and that some (many, perhaps) of the scenarios had characteristics similar to some legends and sometimes reflecting a bit of some religious beliefs–all done so subtly that I missed much of the association.
To say more about the, "Aw, c'mon!"; the seemingly-blind-alleys; or the similarities to legends and such would involve giving spoilers (and make this already too-long review into a rehashing); I'll leave it to you to experience the subtleties yourself.
Michaelbrent Collings' works are new to me: I recently read "This Darkness Light", and within a week or so I changed on a promotion of "The Ridealong". I found each to be exceptional, yet very different both in topic and presentation. When an opportunity to preview "Scavenger Hunt" occurred I lept at the chance and was fortunate to be given a pre-publication version. It was even more different from the other two, and even more egaging. I found myself with another author I esteemed as much as Koontz, Connolly, and
Enchanted by the quality of his writing and skillful narrative, I wanted to discover how his work had evolved over his career so I looked at his first book, "Billy: Messenger of Powers".
I was taken aback: it seems that Collings ("MbC" among his fond followers) sprung onto the novelist platform with skills already surpassing other authors having decades of experience. (He may have had an unfair advantage: we'll look at this in a moment.)
I've digressed into my enthrallment with MbC to provide a context for my comments about "Billy: Messenger of Powers": the book is in all ways a YA novel, and is so we'll written that it should be read by young people so they will be initiated by excellence rather than dross and pap.
However, adults will find surprising nuances and subltities and can appreciate how MbC can create impossible situations and ease the reader through a scenario that is clever, consistent with the situation, and very satisfying. He does this several times in the yarn, yet so infrequently that they are delightful surprises.
He also crafts scenarios that prompt an, "Aw, c'mon!" negative reaction, such as when Billy, one of the many heroes of the book is bullied on his first day at his "new" school. Another is when he accidentally hits a bully and puts him out of action. I made the mistake of assuming that I needed to suspend disbelief and just overlook such implausible actions. MbC sets such scenes then at some future point dogs into the foundation of the puzzling behavior and lets the reader understand how fitting the behavior was. (Fortunately I wasn't prepared to record those instances so I can honestly say I got caught a number of times without having to say how huge that number was.)
I experienced a realization partway through "Billy" of two things that had escaped my notice: that scenarios that seemed haphazard and cobbled together to avoid a blind alleys or sudden-ends were actually cleverly constructed to appear hopeless; and that some (many, perhaps) of the scenarios had characteristics similar to some legends and sometimes reflecting a bit of some religious beliefs–all done so subtly that I missed much of the association.
To say more about the, "Aw, c'mon!"; the seemingly-blind-alleys; or the similarities to legends and such would involve giving spoilers (and make this already too-long review into a rehashing); I'll leave it to you to experience the subtleties yourself.
November 25, 2023
Ok, I gave it a 5 because I don't believe it deserves a 3.7! Yes, I wish the system would allow us to divide stars into tenths. If so, I would have probably leaned closer to 4.3. In the whole magical youth genre, this story is exceptionally unique. Billy is swept into a magical existence where everyone has magical abilities except him and to make matters worse that existence is in the middle of a war. Take time to read this. Push through the few slow spots because it always gets better soon.
March 23, 2012
Collings stays true to his action and excitement writing roots, and here delivers for kids. Billy starts high school low on the food chain, immediately making enemies of bigger and cooler kids, but things turn around when he sees -- of all things -- a talking frog. Soon he discovers that he is no ordinary kid, but maybe someone with great magical powers, maybe a herald-prophet whose appearance on the scene is to start the war among the Powers, and certainly a kid in whom lots of dangerous people and creatures suddenly take an interest. Billy faces off against dragons, comet-riding scorpions, zombies, and bigger, older kids... with evil magic powers... as he struggles to survive his testing and find out if he is indeed the precursor to the return of the White King.
Great for middle readers and young YA readers (aged 7 to 14, I'd say). Action, fantasy, go!
Great for middle readers and young YA readers (aged 7 to 14, I'd say). Action, fantasy, go!
Read
November 19, 2010My, what an interesting read.
I chose to read this book as I read some recs in the Amazon Forums, and decided to give it a go. A slightly different take on the world of magic, or, erm... magiq. It was a nice read. Hilarious, too, and I just felt Billy was leading a similar life as mine, as, the light at the end of the tunnel is really just an oncoming train (ha!)
Bit of spoilers:
I got slightly confused by Blue's action, and, well, Eva Black has left some open ends that needs to be closed. So... what's with the deal with the city of the sky or land in the sky or whatever it is in the sky? Will there be other beings like Blue in the next book? I'm eagerly awaiting for it!
I chose to read this book as I read some recs in the Amazon Forums, and decided to give it a go. A slightly different take on the world of magic, or, erm... magiq. It was a nice read. Hilarious, too, and I just felt Billy was leading a similar life as mine, as, the light at the end of the tunnel is really just an oncoming train (ha!)
Bit of spoilers:
I got slightly confused by Blue's action, and, well, Eva Black has left some open ends that needs to be closed. So... what's with the deal with the city of the sky or land in the sky or whatever it is in the sky? Will there be other beings like Blue in the next book? I'm eagerly awaiting for it!
February 16, 2012
i have been a reader of fantasy fiction all my life. this author has such a brilliant imagination. i did not want to put this book down. there were twists and turns enough to keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat the whole time. i can not wait for the sequel "Seeker of Powers" to come out so i can find out what happens next. there is a major twist and reference at the end which i will not give away that makes this even more exciting. you'll just have to read to find out.
June 4, 2012
I think the book wasn't that good at all. It was very annoying to read the same thing over and over and I think the plot wasn't good. At the beggining it starts OK but after reading like 20% of it, I was bored to death and I couldn't think about anything else than finishing the book to read a better one. I read a lot of good comments about this book but personaly I wouldn't recommend this book, I just read it because of the good reviews and because it was for free with Amazon Prime.
June 10, 2012
Fun middle grade book.
Sucked me in on the first line.
The prose flows well for the most part, although there are some rough parts. The only thing that really threw me off were the zombies. I do wish Mrs. Black's character had been developed just a little more so she had a few shades of gray instead of being pure evil.
Sucked me in on the first line.
The prose flows well for the most part, although there are some rough parts. The only thing that really threw me off were the zombies. I do wish Mrs. Black's character had been developed just a little more so she had a few shades of gray instead of being pure evil.
July 19, 2012
This is a wild, crazy adventure in which Billy becomes aware of his destiny. Makes friends with the weirdest assortment of people and things you could imagine. There is great mysteries to be solved, fantastic battles to be fought. So a kind of kitchen sink fantasy if you will. A very enjoyable ride, don't miss this one.
September 3, 2012
This book started off slow, with Billy's first couple of days as a bullied high school student. But once the main story line got underway - stemming from the magical powers his social studies teacher seems to possess. Billy enters a strange magical world and becomes instrumental in saving both it and the normal world. It was a fun summer read, and it's just begging for a sequel.
May 6, 2011
This book was so dull I couldn't even finish it - and I can ALWAYS finish books! It really just kept stretching on and on. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore and I put it down... still don't know how it ends. Don't really care.
November 3, 2009
Cool book, it actually took Harry potter off my top spot!
November 1, 2011
I read this awhile ago, but I remember liking it alright.
May 4, 2013
The book was entertaining and a quick read. It was not very insightful or thought provoking but it was fun.
August 28, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, it hooked me with it's first words and I couldn't wait to read the next one, the flow of words and the fast pace action was nice.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews