Friday, January 20, 2017

Rarity from the Hollow: A (Revised) Review

On November 5, 2015, I reviewed Rarity from the Hollow. As per the author's recent request, I have read the revised book and am adjusting my review. 

FROM AMAZON: Lacy Dawn's father relives the Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in The Hollow isn't great. But Lacy has one advantage -- she's been befriended by a semi-organic, semi-robot who works with her to cure her parents. He wants something in exchange, though. It's up to her to save the Universe.

To prepare Lacy for her coming task, she is being schooled daily via direct downloads into her brain. Some of these courses tell her how to apply magic to resolve everyday problems much more pressing to her than a universe in big trouble, like those at home and at school. She doesn't mind saving the universe, but her own family and friends come first.

Will Lacy Dawn's predisposition, education, and magic be enough for her to save the Universe, Earth, and, most importantly, protect her own family?

MORE ABOUT RARITY FROM THE HOLLOW: Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy, comedy and satire. It is a children's story for adults, not for the prudish, faint of heart, or easily offended.

Robert Eggleton's humorous science fantasy follows in the steps of Douglas Adams, Tom Holt and Terry Pratchett.

“…In the space of a few lines we go from gritty realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It’s quite a trip." -- The Missouri Review

“…utterly compelling…a chilling, engaging verisimilitude that deftly feeds on both the utter absurdity of the characters’ motivations and on the progression of the plot…. In the spirit of Vonnegut, Eggleton takes the genre and gives it another quarter turn.” -- Electric Review / Midwest Book Review

"…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy." -- Awesome Indies (Gold Medal)

MY REVISED REVIEW: 5 STARS. Rarity from the Hollow is an unique reading experience. It starts by letting us know Lacy Dawn is an abused/neglected child. So is her best friend, Faith. The beginning really struck a chord with me because it brought back childhood memories. As the story progresses, we find out more about Lacy Dawn: the life she leads and the secrets she keeps. The first half of this book tugged at my heart strings, and I couldn't put it down. The second half didn't capture my attention as much, but the problem presented was solved in an efficient manner by Lacy Dawn and her crew. I can see how the political scene in today's America is worked into the book, and I think it's a brilliant aspect. The new ending . . . Oh, the new ending touched my heart. I can totally relate to Lacy Dawn here. 

There was a formatting problem with the first version that was a bit distracting. It has been corrected in the new version. I love the brand new cover.

Robert Eggleton has a way with words. The story flows smoothly, and the descriptions were spot-on for me. I could see the events unfolding. I appreciated the emotions in the book as well: pity, anger, shock, and humor. It all twines together to create a rich story that will keep you turning pages. This is now a solid 5 star read for me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert Eggleton has served as a children's advocate in an impoverished state for over forty years. He is best known for his investigative reports about children’s programs, most of which were published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from 1982 through 1997, and which also included publication of models of serving disadvantaged and homeless children in the community instead of in large institutions, research into foster care drift involving children bouncing from one home to the next -- never finding a permanent loving family, and statistical reports on the occurrence and correlates of child abuse and delinquency. Today, he is a recently retired children's psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he specialized in helping victims cope with and overcome physical and sexual abuse, and other mental health concerns. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel and its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines: Wingspan Quarterly, Beyond Centauri, and Atomjack Science Fiction. Author proceeds have been donated to a child abuse prevention program operated by Children’s Home Society of West Virginia. http://www.childhswv.org/ Robert continues to write fiction with new adventures based on a protagonist that is a composite character of children that he met when delivering group therapy services. The overall theme of his stories remains victimization to empowerment.





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