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Dillon's Dream: Water & Earth
Rocket scientist and martial arts master Dr. Shawn Phillips launches the first novel of his amazing epic adventure. Dillon was a soon-to-be high school graduate living in California's modern day Antelope Valley until one afternoon his carefree life was torn apart by a near fatal car accident. The driver of the 1998 Honda Accord rushed him back to the Mulshin observation post on the Moon; starting the tailspin of events that thrusts him and his friends into a new reality where futuristic nanotechnology and chi-based magic are the ultimate chess pieces for the domination of two coalescing worlds. Can Dillon and his friends escape a treacherous planet and save Earth from a tug-of-war battle between highly advanced aliens and magical creatures of lore?
290 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2010
13 people want to read
About the author
Shawn H. Phillips
9 books36 followersShawn Phillips wrote his first book, a young-adult fantasy novel titled Dillon’s Dream: Water in Earth (definitely not successul), in 2009 before following it up with his adult paranormal fiction novel, The Doppler Affect (wow, really did great). He will be publishing a new novel Darkened Demigod: Weapon of War on 31 January of 2018.
He spent his younger years living in southern Michigan farming communities before running away to Holland, Michigan to pursue a chemistry degree at Hope College, which he completed in 1992. After migrating to California, he continued his chemistry studies and obtained his doctorate degree in 1997. After a brief yet enjoyable stint at DuPont, he signed on as a civil servant for the United States Air Force. He is currenlty the site director of the AFRL Rocket Lab, having spent nearly twenty years conducting and directing propulsion research for Air Force needs.
He spent his younger years living in southern Michigan farming communities before running away to Holland, Michigan to pursue a chemistry degree at Hope College, which he completed in 1992. After migrating to California, he continued his chemistry studies and obtained his doctorate degree in 1997. After a brief yet enjoyable stint at DuPont, he signed on as a civil servant for the United States Air Force. He is currenlty the site director of the AFRL Rocket Lab, having spent nearly twenty years conducting and directing propulsion research for Air Force needs.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 14, 2012
As my title mentions, this is a clean read, but I can't really recommend the book. If I hadn't agreed to review the book in exchange for a copy it would have been a DNF for me. I appreciate the authors trying to include messages against racism, etc., but feel it's been done much better elsewhere.
From a non-martial art fan stand point, the first 66 pages with the training in martial arts was a big bore and the story would have been better if those pages were used to develop the relationship between the characters so one cared about their quest and what happens to them. I also felt that such smart kids would have questioned what was happening to them more.
Several things happen without us learning how. Why did the 4 other kids agree to this plan? They just allow their parents to presume them dead and we don't get any insight into how and why they made this decision? One character ends up pregnant. How since no sexual activity occurs or is even really alluded to? (Two wake up next to each other, but apparently clothed). The word match making is used, but the details been match making and pregnant is blank. How did Lian find out about the local drug and given access to it?
I, like one of the other reviews, was not pleased about the supplemental material being found elsewhere. There weren't so many asterisked words that a short glossary couldn't have been included and a couple of maps.
I also felt some of the vocabulary used was inappropriate for teens (and even the average adult). "Incarnate", really ?!? I'm all for learning new vocab, but as a reader, I expect my characters to speak as a regular person the character is supposed to be representing.
I really wanted to like this book and apologize to the author for the time it took me to read it and review it, but again, as a regular reader, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone because I found it boring.
From a non-martial art fan stand point, the first 66 pages with the training in martial arts was a big bore and the story would have been better if those pages were used to develop the relationship between the characters so one cared about their quest and what happens to them. I also felt that such smart kids would have questioned what was happening to them more.
Several things happen without us learning how. Why did the 4 other kids agree to this plan? They just allow their parents to presume them dead and we don't get any insight into how and why they made this decision? One character ends up pregnant. How since no sexual activity occurs or is even really alluded to? (Two wake up next to each other, but apparently clothed). The word match making is used, but the details been match making and pregnant is blank. How did Lian find out about the local drug and given access to it?
I, like one of the other reviews, was not pleased about the supplemental material being found elsewhere. There weren't so many asterisked words that a short glossary couldn't have been included and a couple of maps.
I also felt some of the vocabulary used was inappropriate for teens (and even the average adult). "Incarnate", really ?!? I'm all for learning new vocab, but as a reader, I expect my characters to speak as a regular person the character is supposed to be representing.
I really wanted to like this book and apologize to the author for the time it took me to read it and review it, but again, as a regular reader, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone because I found it boring.
October 25, 2010
Ok, ok. I wrote the book, so I had to rate it five stars. However, what I want people to know is that while it is classified as a fantasy book, in reality it is a meditation 'how-to' book without the boring 'how-to' part. Martial art experts who are steeped in meditation are loving it, and fantasy readers have enjoyed the characters and storyline. Check out www.sfbook.com for a professioanl review.
October 20, 2010
This is a fun teen adventure that accomplishes something truly new by combining an exciting story and great dialogue with meditation narratives.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews