Adam Bolander

An angsty teenage Sphinx, a slick-faced, adolescent Slayer, and mythical monsters, mixed-in with a weird, modern-day world, that is somehow off-kilter from the one we know, make for a backdrop you've never read before.

Throughout this unexpected journey, I picked up subtle flavors of Narnia, LOTR, Star Wars, maybe, just a wisp, of Harry Potter, and dare I say, X-Men?

This story keeps you on your toes the entire time, and loves to slap you broadside the brain, with every chapter.

The headlong plunge into this new world, tripped me up at first, but after regaining my mental footing in the next few chapters, I really started enjoying this book. The terrain was familiar, but not distasteful. This story is a fun antidote against afternoon boredom, and keeps you hanging on every word, till the end.

This is the first installment, of what appears to be a series, and I am looking forward to the next one. I really want to see what creatures the characters meet next, and if the age-long coup, between Mythics and Slayers, can be squelched by the two, unlikely main characters.

If you enjoy fantasy, action, and mild teenage angst, I highly recommend this book. I will be looking forward to reading the second part of this story!

Sincerely,

Ken Wallin
@Desert Rose Reviews

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)

By the year 2047, people have changed. A virus is turning us all into animals, and there’s no cure, only a drug that slows the effects and allows the taker to “stay human.” But humans have never been good at accepting those who are different, so the question arises, at what point is it no longer worth trying to fit in where you’re not welcome.
Adam Bolander’s novella creates a very convincing, almost-human protagonist, describing the balance of tail and claw with evocative conviction. Eve hunts for her tribe and feeds them well. But the tribe doesn’t care for Eve. And surely, there must be more to life.
When pantherish Eve meets wolfish Bastion, all her human assumptions begin to fall apart. It is essential, or even right, to resist change? Or could there be something more than human underlying her wounded nature?
A fascinating exploration of human nature, identity, and the power of love, Staying Human is a beautifully written and very appealing novella for middle grade and up.
Disclosure: I found a free ecopy and enjoyed it.… (mais)

When I was approached by Adam Bolander to review his book, The Slayer and the Sphinx: Book 1 I wasn’t sure what I was going to find. There are quite a wide range of books in print today by Indie Authors who write within the realms of Fantasy, Mythology, and Urban Fantasy. As well, there are wide ranging demographics of age, character development, and world building. When each requirement is met, and well developed, there can be a really great story – or something not so good.

Bolander has done a ‘fair-to-good’ job with his first in this new series. Definitely a book for a younger set, you shouldn’t hesitate to hand it over to your younger child who would enjoy a book with a good, solid quest theme. Porter belongs to a secret Order of Slayers, who track down and kill “Mythics,” mythological creatures with well developed cultures and mythologies of their own. Hated and persecuted by humans, especially the Order, the Mythics are races besieged by xenophobia.

When Porter, the teenaged slayer, attacks the home of the young sphinx Sarah, there is an accident, leaving Porter with no idea of what his mission was, why he was doing it, or even who he is. Forced to work together, they must overcome problems, and learn to trust and depend upon one another. This is, in my opinion, one of the better developments within the story line, as it encourages young readers to embrace the idea of personal growth.

There are drawbacks to the story. I felt that it was limited, in some ways, by the lack of world building that would have pulled me more into the story. There were also some bothersome contradictions in the storyline. For example, right at the beginning of Sarah’s story she is left at home by her parents when they go off to what is supposedly one of the safest spots for Mythics to be – and they travel by “transport beam” so it just didn’t make sense to me. Of course, if she wasn’t left alone at home with the Banshee housekeeper then there wouldn’t be a story – but the reasoning could have been handled better. Other issues of “Now why in the world would that person do that?” were a bit of an issue, but not something that the target audience should be bothered by.

All in all, I really liked that Bolander didn’t fall into the over utilized werewolf, vampire, elf, fairy habit. I have been looking around for more gargoyle, sphinx, barghest sort of creatures in stories based upon more Northern and African prototypes. This is quite a positive in my opinion.

I would have liked to give this a higher rating than three stars. Maybe by the next volume Bolander will be able to loosen up his writing, filling in more of the world building requirements, backstorying more carefully, and generally giving us a broader view of his characters and his world. If that happens, I will be more than happy to kick in another star. Oh, and of course, a better editor would be nice.

Fine for children, preteens and teens. There is some violence - Porter cuts the head off of a Kitsune in the first chapter of the book, which I personally found distasteful, but then I always root for the "Mythic" creatures! Possibly not of interest to readers who are not fans of high fantasy.… (mais)