Tag: Anderson Atlas

Return to Lan Darr (Heroes of Distant Planet: Book 2) by Anderson Atlas

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC, Synesthesia Books1 Comment

Return To Lan Darr

Title: Return To Lan Darr

Author: Anderson Atlas

Publisher: Synesthesia Publishing

Date of publication: July 11th, 2016

Genre: Action, Adventure, Young Adult, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 353

POV: 3rd person

Series: Heroes of Distant Planets

Strange Lands – Book 1 (review here)

Return to Lan Darr – Book 2

Immortal Shadows – Book 3

Where you can find Return to Lan Darr: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Surviving Lan Darr not only changed Allan’s life, but it also rocked him to his bones. On Earth, he’s simply a boy in a wheelchair who got lost in the woods, but across the galaxy, Allan is a hero. He must find a way back there.

Returning to Lan Darr might just kill him. Though Allan’s learned the hard way that he does not die easily.

Back on Earth, Allan’s uncle and his best friend race after Allan without an inkling of how deadly Hubbu travel can be. Chaos ensues, spawning disorder, confusion, and panic as the travelers end up on different worlds at different times and face extreme ecosystems, mysterious enemies and push the clock of death to the absolute breaking point.

The second book of the Heroes of Distant Planet Series cranks up the excitement, the mystery, and even the humor. A perfect and inspiring story for 12 and up.

My review:

After reading Strange Lands, I couldn’t wait to read book 2. I couldn’t wait to get back to Lan Darr with Allan and see what adventures were in store for him. I wasn’t disappointed and was thrilled that different worlds were introduced. I love it when worlds are added in a series that had only one world. It totally changes how I see the book. Return to Lan Darr does this and it makes the book magical.

I felt bad for Allan, at the beginning of the book. He went to a wonderful land, became a hero and when he tells people, they think that he is hallucinating and the therapist discussed with Rubic that he may be suffering from a form of schizophrenia. But the biggest blow came when Laura, his best friend, doesn’t believe him and then steals his diary….only to lose it at school and the pages are photocopied and passed around the school. The humiliation (and the fact that Laura wasn’t allowed to hang out with him), made Allan do something rash. He went back to the mountain to prove to Laura and his schoolmates that he was right. Except, he didn’t land in Lan Darr with the first poof of pollen. Nope, he landed in a place called Peebleland (inhabited by bat people). To get to Land Darr, he has to go through a planet called Katonaay to get the flower for Lan Darr. Katonaay isn’t what it seems and when Allan gets to Lan Darr, he is in for a big surprise. If you want to know what, read the book!!

I did like that Rubic tried to be more of a parent to Allan in this book. He settled down, got a job (with a 401K and health insurance) and was preparing to be a “regular” adult (but is there such a thing as being a perfect adult?). When Allan disappeared after inhaling the pollen of a purple Hubbu flower, he does the responsible thing and looks for Allan, then Laura when it comes up that Laura is missing also. But evil is coming his way and when Jibbawk, the evil ex-ruler of Lan Darr, makes his appearance at the house, Rubic goes with him…..looking for Allan. Rubic and Jibbawk have their own adventures while searched for Allan on distant planets with the help of multicolored Hubbu flowers.

Laura has a different sort of adventure, and in a way, made up for her stealing Allan’s diary. Not going to go into it, because doing so would kinda ruin her story, but she isn’t as weak or as helpless as you think she is. She also shows great compassion for certain people at certain points in the book.  Again, I really can’t get into her story because there will be spoilers.

I was thrilled that Mizzi made an appearance in the book and  I was even more thrilled that Asantia was featured more in this book. There was a secret that was revealed in the book that I actually guessed in book 1. Not going to say what but I wasn’t surprised when the connection was made.

The end of the book was not what I expected….at all. I liked it because it was different and I usually don’t see these types of endings. It did leave the series open for a book 3, too. Which I can’t wait to read if/when it happens.

How many stars will I give Return to Lan Darr: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. From the unforgettable characters to the engaging plotlines, this is a book that any tween, teen or adult would love to read.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age Range: Young Teen

Why: mild violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Strange Lands (Heros of Distant Planets: Book 1) by Anderson Atlas

On By JolieIn book review, Synesthesia Books2 Comments

Strange Lands (Heroes of Distant Planets #1)

Title: Strange Lands

Author: Anderson Atlas

Publisher: Synesthesia Books

Date of publication: August 1st, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Number of pages: 236

POV: 3rd person

Series: Heroes of Distant Planets

Strange Land – Book 1

Return to Lan Darr – Book 2

Immortal Shadows – Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Ripped from his wheelchair by a massive flash flood, Allan drags himself through the dense forest only to find himself surrounded by strange and ruthless creatures who are not from Earth. Allan can’t run away and has no means to defend himself. Instinct overcomes his terror and his cleverness blossoms, which is all he needs to survive the dark jungles, poisonous plants, Shadic hunters and the vile slave trader Killian Crow.

Follow Allan’s path of self-discovery, and watch him take back what he’s lost. Surviving the Improbable Quest is a spine-tingling adventure, with exciting twists & turns. A perfect and inspiring read for 10 and up.

My review:

I have found myself reviewing a lot of middle-grade books lately. Which is a good thing because I have two children that are within the age range and I am always on the lookout for books that they would like. After reading Strange Lands, I think this would be a book that my 10-year-old son would like.

The plot itself is pretty straightforward. Allan, a boy in 8th grade, was in a horrific car accident that not only paralyzed him but took the lives of his parents. What made the accident even more tragic, well at least to me, was that Allan had been disqualified from a swim meet, after winning it, because of failing a math test and his parents come to find out that he is missing work in other areas of school as well. So, when the crash occurred, his mother and father were lecturing him. I could see why he was rendered mute as well. Poor thing was living with the guilt that he caused the car accident.

I don’t know if I would class Allan as likable at first. He had a lot of issues due to the accident and was definitely taking it out on his uncle. I was glad when Rubic forced Allan to go on the fishing trip. It took Allan out of his comfort zone and got Allan somewhat out of his funk. Of course, something goes wrong and that is where the book took off.

Rubic and Allan were caught in a surprise flash flood when fishing in the creek. Rubic snatches Allan out of his wheelchair and runs for it and almost makes it. But a boulder knocks Rubic out and leaves Allan helpless in the mud beside him. After damming up the water, so Rubic doesn’t drown, Allan starts crawling to get help. Along the way, he crawls through a field of flowers and ends up somewhere else and that is the start of his adventure.

What I liked is that the author didn’t downplay Allan’s disability at all. Allan wasn’t miraculously cured of being paralyzed (but he did get mechanical legs to help him out with part of his quest). Allan learned to work with his disability when he was in Lan Darr. What I also liked is that his mental issues were addressed too. The speech given by Mizzi about the accident touched me and brought me to tears.

The storyline with Rubic was interesting too. I saw him grow, even that day, from the uncle who was forced to take care of his nephew to a parent searching for his child. He was willing to do anything to get Allan back…even if that meant getting even more hurt.

I will say that both storylines were brought together beautifully. While Asantia’s identity was kept under wraps, it still surprised me about who her mother was. How it was revealed was a huge surprise too. While not a cliffhanger, the ending did leave it open for another book.

How many stars will I give Strange Lands: 4

Why: This is a book that I could see both of my kids reading. The overall message was fantastic, as was Allan and Rubic transformations. I enjoyed reading it and I am an adult.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Child

Why: A middle-grade book for kids over the age of 10. There are some mild violence and some creepy characters but nothing that wouldn’t give a kid nightmares.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**