Saturday, 28 March 2026

Ted Talk - Karina Fabian - A DragonEye, PI, Short Story

Ted Talk
A DragonEye, PI Story
Karina Fabian
Laser Cow Press
ASIN B0GQX647DV

Ted Talk - Karina Fabian - A DragonEye, PI, Short Story

I believe this is the fifth short story published as a standalone in this series. There are currently 10 novels with an 11th announced. A few of the works have been through major revisions and have a second edition available, including the forthcoming Live and Let Fly. But every time something new drops from Fabian’s pen I pick it up and it jumps to the top of my reading pile. The description of this story is:

“Gurlurk Prince of Trolls. Gurlurk not want be Prince of Trolls. Gurlurk want be mage. Ted tell Gurlurk, “What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” Gurlurk believe! So Gurlurk go University, ask become mage.

But when everyone, from the school administrators to the fraternity boys, reminds Gurlurk that trolls can’t do magic… Welllll…

It’s going to take a dragon to fix this mess, and Vern’s the drake to do it.

If you’ve read If Wishes Were Dragons and ever wondered about the history between Vern and Gurlurk, get this story and learn all the hilarious details. (If you haven’t read If Wishes Were Dragons, get this story, then go read the book for the ironic yet inevitable conclusion.”

Every time I read a book by Fabian, no matter the series, I think ‘it can’t get better than this’ and yet somehow it almost always does. This story really amps up the humour. It is slapstick at its beast, but also cleanest. 

I read the volume in one sitting whole waiting to pick up kids from youth group. It is a short story that packs a lot of punch. A human from our world wanders through to fairy while at a convention or training with a motivational speaker. Ted wants to become the next Stephen Covey, Robin Sharma, John Maxwell, or Dan Millman. 

He runs into Gurlurk who appears to be down. Ted decides to use what he has learned to test his new skills he has been learning. Gurlurk becomes convinced and heads off to train as a mage. The school administrators dismiss him, the frat boys love his belching and drinking but laugh at him as well. Gurlurk may not be smart, he may not have magic but he is string and determined and has more than a little mean streak. Enter Vern, and pre Saint George Vern for those familiar with the stories. 

I believe that with each new book I read from Karina Fabian’s masterful pen I am more and more impressed with her writing. To date, I have loved all the books and all the series I have read by her. I have read stories by her over 60 times. This new story is another excellent offering. And after reading this I cannot but hope we get another story with Gurluck after these events and this in If Wishes Were Dragons. 
  
This book is another entertaining read, in an excellent series. It is a great offering from Fabian’s pen. Even if you have not read any of the other DragonEye PI stories I can easily recommend this story to you, but if you have read any of them it gives a little glimpse to Vern in the past. I have said it before, and I say it again in many ways it reads like a catholic version of Robert Apsrin’s MYTH series and his Phule’s Company and also the works of Tom Holt, especially Holt’s Nothing but Blue Skies. Give this book or the series a try; I am certain you will be entertained. Another fantastic read in a great series that I can easily recommend.       

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!


Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:
DragonEye PI Novels:

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3
Space Traipse Stories
…

Madness of Kanaan Series:
(formerly The Mind Over Series)

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...


Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity
...









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Friday, 27 March 2026

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory - Susan Tassone

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
ISBN 9781592761418  
eISBN 9781612782836
ASIN B00ANTS1JU

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory - Susan Tassone

Every Friday during the year I try and pray a Stations of the Cross, and also each day through Lent. I am not sure I have every actually hit the whole year but I try. AT the beginning of lent in 2026 I went through my collection of Stations and found I had 10, I had not got around to praying yet. I have read 5 so far and now have 13 I have not read … I have a found a few others while researching reviews including this volume. I have only once previously read a volume by Susan Tassone, and it was excellent, I have several on my ‘to be read’ pile, but this one only grabbed my attention this year.  

The description of this volume states:

“Recall, reflect, remember, and pray.

Recall loved ones who have died and, in a spirit of true charity, keep in mind other departed souls who may have no one on earth to pray for them.

Reflect on the reality of purgatory and those who, though so close to heaven, must still prepare to enter it. These souls, the Church teaches, can benefit from your prayers for them and whose prayers, in return, can benefit you.

Remember, Station by Station, the Passion and death that Christ endured for those souls, for all souls, for your soul.

Pray that the same Christ, the One who conquered death, may soon welcome into the Eternal Banquet the souls of your loved ones, and the souls of all the faithful departed.

With its one-of-a-kind combination of the traditional prayers of the Stations of the Cross and scriptural reflections focusing on Christ's passion and death, The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory was an immediate best-seller when first published in 2000. The revised edition is expanded and features beautiful, four-color mosaics from Marytown, home of the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe.”

The chapters in the volume are:

Origin of the Way of the Cross
The House of Ephesus
The Importance of the Way of the Cross
An Act of Contrition
The Stations of the Cross
Closing Prayer
Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Scripture Reflections
Seven Penitential Psalms
Reflections of the Saintly Ones
Gaining Indulgences With the Stations of the Cross

This volume has both:

Nihil Obstat: Rev. Michael Heintz
Censor Librorum

Imprimatur: 
John M. D’Arcy
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend
November 18, 2004

A sample day is:

“The Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time

V. We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
R. Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

O Jesus, through your weakness under the cross and the merits of this first fall, grant me perseverance in keeping my good resolutions, that I may always walk faithfully in your holy ways. The souls in purgatory now suffer because they neglected and abused your graces in this life. They now realize that no sin-stained soul can see God. Therefore, have mercy on them, and cleanse them from all sin.
Through the intercession of your sorrowful Mother, deliver them from purgatory.
My Jesus, mercy!

Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . .

V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
Merciful Jesus, grant them eternal rest. Amen.”

I hope that sample station give you a feel for this version of this devotion. I was really blessed to pray this stations and know it will be one I use often. My only complaint is that the eBook edition is not available in Canada.

About the author we are informed:

“Susan Tassone has written several best-selling books for Our Sunday Visitor incuding: Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, Thirty-Day Devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and Prayers, Promises and Devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory has sold more than 80,000 copies.
Susan has long been a passionate champion for the holy souls in purgatory and is recognized as leading the “purgatory movement” in the United States.”

This was a great volume to work through. It is a great version of this devotional practice. I can easily recommend it for personal or corporate devotion. 

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory - Susan Tassone sample 1

The Way of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory - Susan Tassone sample 2

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan! For all Stations of the Cross review click here. 

Books by Susan Tassone:
New Friends: Now and Forever
Praying with Jesus and Faustina during Lent and in Times of Suffering
Jesus Speaks to Faustina and You
Day By Day with Saint Faustina
St. Faustina Prayer Book for Adoration
St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Conversion of Sinners
St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Holy Souls
Day By Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Prayers, Promises, and Devotions for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Praying With the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Prayers of Intercession for the Holy Souls
Thirty-Day Devotions for the Holy Souls
The Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
…

Related Posts about Purgatory:
Prayers:

Books:
...

Fiction:
...

Picture Books:
…
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Thursday, 26 March 2026

Kill Shot - Jude Hardin - The Jack Reacher Experiment Book 4

Kill Shot
Jack Reacher Experiment Book 4
ISBN 9781973704089
ASIN B073RV6Y9L

Kill Shot - Jude Hardin - The Jack Reacher Experiment Book 4

First I want to state I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest in the series and the other two Reacher Series Jude has penned. Second a few years ago I read my first Reacher novel. I had picked up one for my dad, and after giving the back a read, I grabbed the eBook for myself. In under a year I had read all the Reacher Novels in print and all the books in the Hunt for Jack Reacher by Diane Capri. Since then I have read 58 books in the Reacher universe and am expanding out to the three series by Jude Hardin now.

The description of this book:

“About The Jack Reacher Experiment series

Rock Wahlman: Forty-one years old, United States Navy Master at Arms, E-8, retired.

DOB 14 October 2057.

Grew up in an orphanage, recently discovered that he is the product of a human cloning experiment, an exact genetic duplicate of a former army officer named Jack Reacher.

Now someone wants all evidence of the experiment to be erased, which means that someone wants Wahlman to be erased.

He’s on the run, desperate to survive, desperate to learn the truth about why all this is happening…

Note: The use of the name Jack Reacher, along with the use of story situations and supporting characters from the Jack Reacher universe, authorized by Lee Child. While sometimes referenced in the context of the story, the Jack Reacher character remains offstage in Kill Shot: The Jack Reacher Experiment Book 4.”

This volume like some of the others begins with:

“Rock Wahlman: Forty-one years old, United States Navy Master at Arms, E-8, retired. DOB 14 October 2057. Grew up in an orphanage, recently discovered that he is the product of a human cloning experiment, an exact genetic duplicate of a former army officer named Jack Reacher. Now someone wants all evidence of the experiment to be erased, which means that someone wants Wahlman to be erased. He’s on the run, desperate to survive, desperate to learn the truth about why all this is happening…”

Based on the page count this volume is more of a novella, the book in this series are available as 9 stand-alone stories or in 3 omnibus editions. I will continue to read and review the stand-alone editions because that is how I started the series. Back to the book at hand. I used adaptive technology and listed to this volume while travelling. 

Even death can’t keep Reacher down, in a manner of speaking. Rock Wahlman is a clone of Reacher, but he was not the only one. In the first volume, on the night his life goes sideways, he tries and saves a man after his rig goes off the road and into water. The man he pulls from the water looks just like him. Having been raised in an orphanage this raises some questions. After an attempt on his life, he starts putting together the pieces. His life may have been different than Reacher’s but his determination when he is threatened is the same. 

This story continues a few months after the last. Wahlman now using aliases has become a drifter, moving from town to town. Never staying anywhere too long. Trying to pieced together the information about who in the military is trying to cover their tracks. He needs enough proof to be able to expose it, and get some sort of life back. He has begun reading up on Jack Reacher’s exploits because the files are declassified now. He is not quite living the Reacher lifestyle, he has a backpack, fake ID, but in this instalment he is travelling with Kasey and trying to find the info he needs to get his life back. But just like Reacher trouble just seems to find him. 

Colonel Dorland has now lost a few assassins he has sent after Wahlman. And this one begins with him putting another price on Wahlman’s head. He hires a firm that apparently does clean up across the country. But Wahlman attracts some trouble from some knuckleheads and his actions lead to serious consequences. But sometimes when things do not go as expected things can take a turn for the better. And that just might happen in this case. But to find out you will need to read this instalment of the Reacher experiment!

This is another well written story. That stays true to the original character and universe. It is a fun read in a good series. Even if this volume had not been set in the Reacher Universe I would have enjoyed it. The fact that it is only adds to the mystique that is Jack Reacher. It was good read and leaves you desperate for the next instalment in this series. A thriller, a book I can easily recommend to fans of Reacher or anyone who love a good action thriller.

Books by Jude Hardin:
Books in the Jack Reacher Experiment Series:
357 Sunset
Redline
End Game
Ricochet
Gone
…
The Reacher Experiment Books 1-3 
The Reacher Experiment Books 4-6 
The Reacher Experiment Books 7-9
…
The Reacher Experiment: The Complete Series Books 1-9
…

The Reacher Code Series:
Timestream 1
Timestream 2
Timestream 3
…

Jack Reacher Files Series:
Fugative
Choke
Hostage
Velocity
The Girl from the Wrong Side of Cordial 
…

Nicholas Colt Series:
Pocket-47
Crosscut
Snuff Tag 9
Rattled
Colt
Key Death
Blood Tattoo
The Blood Notebooks
...

Nicholas Colt Crossover Books:
Racked (with J.A. Konrath)
Lady 52 (with J.A. Konrath)
Sycamore Bluff
...

Midnight Creek Series:
The Cold Gray Adiós
A Single Red Alibi
...

Stranded in the Old West:
Frifter
lawless
...

Pickin' & Grin Inn Mystery Series:
Dead Ain't Your Color 
Friends in Freshly Dug Places
...

iSEAL Series:
iSeal
iSEAL 2
...

Other Books:
Codename: Hollowpoint
   aka Fused
A Thin Ribbon of Smoke
   aka Witness
Rocked
   aka Cage Fight
Au Revoir from a Bridge to Nowhere 
Fire and Ice
Choke
The Blood Notebooks
...

Dead Ringer - Jude Hardin - Jack Reacher Experiment Books 1-9
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Wednesday, 25 March 2026

Conspiracy 365 March - Gabrielle Lord

Conspiracy 365 March
Gabrielle Lord
Scholastic
ISBN 9781443102315
eISBN 9781921988554

This new series from Scholastic, Conspiracy 365, is another unique approach to books that will draw readers in and keep them addicted. Much like the 39 Clues or Skeleton Creek books, it approaches storytelling in a new and different way that with draw an addicted following of readers. The story is about the life of Callum (Cal) Ormond. Almost like a year-long version of the TV series 24. The story will be told over 12 books, one released each month.

Conspiracy 365 March - Gabrielle Lord

I read the first two volumes in this series back in 2011, I had planned on reading them one a month as they were released. But that did not happen. My son just started reading them in his late teens so I decided to pick them back up and finish the series. 

When I read the first 2 it was a new series from Scholastic, Conspiracy 365, is another unique approach to books that will draw readers in and keep them addicted. Much like the 39 Clues or Skeleton Creek books, it approaches storytelling in a new and different way that with draw an addicted following of readers. The story is about the life of Callum (Cal) Ormond. Almost like a year-long version of the TV series 24. The story will be told over 12 books, one released each month. And we now know the story continued with a shorter follow up series.

This third instalment is even very fast-paced and the plot thickens even more as the story progresses. Cal is a fugitive on the run. The story starts with him waking up and not remembering what happened or having a hard time figuring out where he is. He returns to for a bit to an abandoned house he had used previously and has only one friend to help him figure out this puzzle. Winter a strange girl who showed up again, and whom Cal believes betrayed him previously. The adventure is super crazy and you just want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. And he only has 376 days left to figure it out.

These books have a few cool features. In each book, the page numbers start at the highest and count down. The chapter and section headings are Dates and Time. This was a great third instalment in the series and I know I will have to read all 12 books; the story is so good I cannot put it down. Give them a try and you will not be disappointed.

Books by Gabrielle Lord:
Conspiracy 365:
Series Overview
January (2011)
February (2011)
March (2011)
April (2011)
May (2011)
June (2011)
July (2011)
August (2011)
September (2011)
October (2011)
November (2011)
December (2011)
…

Conspiracy 365 Black Ops:
Missing (2013)
Hunted (2013)
Endgame (2013)
…

48 Hours Series:
The Vanishing (2017)
The Medusa Curse (2017)
…

Gemma Lincoln:
Feeding the Demons (1999)
Baby Did a Bad Thing (2002)
Spiking the Girl (2004)
Shattered (2007)
Death by Beauty (2012)
…

Jack McCain:
Death Delights (2001)
Lethal Factor (2003)
Dirty Weekend (2005)
…

Other Books:
Fortress (1980)
Tooth and Claw (1983)
Jumbo (1986)
Salt (1990)
Whipping Boy (1992)
The Stranger Inside: An Erotic Adventure (1994)
Bones (1995)
The Sharp End (1998)
Monkey Undercover (2006)
…
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Tuesday, 24 March 2026

Hypergifted - Gordon Korman - Ungifted Book 3

Hypergifted 
Ungifted Book 3
Gordon Korman
Scholastic
ISBN 9781039717312
eISBN 9781039717428
ASIN B0G8MS82WC

Hypergifted - Gordon Korman - Ungifted Book 3

I started reading Gordon Korman books again with my son. After we finished reading Restart, my son and I each picked the other books by him I picked up the eBooks, and we planned to work through them all. Last year I finished reading all of the published book by Korman, and have plans to go back and reread a few of them. My son still has about 30 of the 110 to go. This was Korman’s latest release published early in 2026.

But back to this specific volume; Supergifted. Like the first 2 books in this series, Ungifted, and many by Korman this is told is a series of first-person narratives from different characters perspectives.  The chapters in this volume are:

1: Hypergraduate - Donovan Curtis
2: Hypermisfit - Noah Youkilis
3: Hyperpiggy - Donovan Curtis
4: Hyperbaloney - Raina Overbrook
5: Hypersmitten - Noah Youkilis
6: Hyperpanic - Donovan Curtis
7: Hypercrushing - Noah Youkilis
8: Hyperboring - Darius Marshall
9: Hyperhelper - Raina Overbrook
10: Hyperjailbreak - Donovan Curtis
11: Hyperextended - Noah Youkilis
12: Hyperpoisonous - Donovan Curtis
13: Hyperfierce - Darius Marshall
14: Hyperpajamas - Noah Youkilis
15: Hyperwhosis - Donovan Curtis
16: Hypersecond-Banana - Dean Kendrick
17: Hyperbatty - Noah Youkilis
18: Hypermotherly - Arlene Pulaski
19: Hyperdisappointed - Raina Overbrook
20: Hypermountaineer - Donovan Curtis
21: Hypercurly - Darius Marshall
22: Hyperluna - Donovan Curtis
23: Hypernewsflash – Newspaper Article
24: Hyper32 - Noah Youkilis
25: Hypergravity - Raina Overbrook
26: Hyperchampions - Donovan Curtis
27: Hyperbackup - Dean Kendrick
28: Hyperparty - Darius Marshall
29: Hyperinspection - Noah Youkilis
30: Hyperdelivery - Donovan Curtis
31: Hyperhomecoming - President Aberfoyle
32: Hypergift - Donovan Curtis

About the author we are informed:

“GORDON KORMAN published his first book at age fourteen and since then has written more than one hundred middle grade and teen novels. Favorites include the New York Times bestselling-gifted series, Slugfest, Old School, and the Masterminds series. Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York. You can visit him online at his site.”

The description of this volume states:

“The guys from Ungifted and Supergifted are back in their final hilarious school adventure.

Donovan Curtis, Noah Youkilis and their friends from the Academy for Scholastic Distinction have graduated from middle school, so it's on to ninth grade for everyone . . . well, everyone except Noah. Because of his super-genius status, and much to his dismay, he's been graduated from high school as well, and is sent to a summer program at Wilberton University to acclimate him to campus life before enrolling as a freshman in September. He is allowed to bring one person with him, so of course he chooses Donovan, his very own conduit to the real world. Donovan is given a job as a camp counsellor for children of University staff. What could possibly go wrong?”

I have loved all three volumes in this series but this one really amps it up. A thirteen year old and his best friend on a college campus for the summer. Oh so many things can go wrong. Noah has been offered a full scholarship, and Donovan is hanging out for the summer to help him acclimatize to campus life. Noah has assignments, and classes, and Donovan has been forced to be a counsellor at the college run summer camp for younger children. He is just a LIT or CIT Leader in Training or Counsellor in Training and Raina who has been doing it for years this is her first year as a full leader and her experience is extremely underwhelming to begin. When you throw in a secret society, a frat house, and a piggy mascot only Korman could imaging where the story would go.

When you throw in an assignment to create an AI assignment that gets out of hand and you are in for a summer school story to outdo all others!

This is another story masterfully written by Korman. As someone who spent time with Special needs students who were gifted, and having spent 20 years as an undergrad, and had a roommate who started university at 16 twice, I can say this story is an epic book and does an amazing job of capturing these events. Wow what a story! I can easily recommend it.
 
Books by Gordon Korman:
MacDonald Hall Series:
         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)
          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)
          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)
…

Bugs Potter Series:
…

Jeremy Bloom Series:
…

Monday Night Football Series:
…

Masterminds Series:
Masterminds (2015)
…

Slapshots Series:
Cup Crazy (2000)
…
4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)
…

Nose Pickers Series:
…
4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)
…

Island Series:
Shipwreck (2001)
Survival (2001)
Escape (2001)
…
3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)
…

Son of the Mob Series:
…

Everest Series:
The Contest (2002)
The Climb (2002)
The Summit (2002)
…
Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:
The Deep (2003)
The Danger (2003)
…

On the Run Series:
…

Kidnapped Series:
The Search (2006)
The Rescue (2006)
…

Swindle Series:
Swindle (2008)
Zoobreak (2009)
Framed (2010)
Showoff (2012)
Hideout (2013)
Jackpot (2014)
Unleashed (2015)
Jingle (2016)
…

Titanic Series:
Unsinkable (2011)
S.O.S (2011)
…

The 39 Clues Series:
Flashpoint (2014)
…

Hypnotists Series:
Memory Maze (2014)
…

Ungifted Series:
Ungifted (2012)
Supergifted (2018)
…

Slacker Series:
Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)
...

Non Series Books:
Born To Rock (2006)
Schooled (2007)
Pop (2009)
Restart (2017)
Notorious (2019)
War Stories (2020)
Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)
Unplugged (2021)
Linked (2021)
The Fort (2022)
...
 






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Monday, 23 March 2026

Tales From Wakken Wood - E. P. Cowley

Tales From Wakken Wood 
E. P. Cowley
Jackie Richard (Illustrator)
ISBN 9781621648000
eISBN 9781642293623
ASIN B0FX6VSZ9K

Tales From Wakken Wood - E. P. Cowley

First I will state I absolutely loved this volume and have encourage my two youngest ages 18 and 15 to give it a read. Second there are a few things that confuse me about the book. For a long time I assumed this was a second volume in a series, the red serpent or sea creature on the cover looks like a stylized “2” So I thought it was a second book and could not figure out what book one was. Second is about it being called a debut novel; more about that in a bit. Again before we proceed overall an excellent novel that leave you wanting more!

The description of this volume states:

“Bullies love to pick on Peter Thornburg because of his shining silver eyes. When Peter’s dad sends him to live with relatives on the island, Peter finds himself just miles away from his best friend, Pixel Rilson, who has also moved to the island to be treated for an inherited blood disease. Why are they both there? Is it a coincidence, or a plan?

Something on the island does not add up. All is normal on the surface: cars, shops, and offices. Yet strange creatures appear and disappear out of the corner of the eye. Stores are ransacked in the dead of night. And sadly, Pixel’s supposed treatments only make her worse. As Peter settles into his new life at Wakkenburg House, he learns that his glinting silver eyes carry with them a great power—and a great responsibility. An old woman emerges to unveil the truth: Pixel is in horrible danger, and the whole island with her. Together, Pixel and Peter discover that Wakken Wood is a borderland where wonders walk and myths unfold.

This dramatic and delightful saga immerses young readers in an enchanted world that touches and illuminates our own, drawing from the folklore and language of the Isle of Man. Readers will learn about courage, prudence, faith, hope, temptation, and the discernment of spirits. In Wakken Wood, the battle between good and evil requires not only bravery, but also careful attention and a love of wonder.”

About the author we are informed:

“E. P. Cowley is a retired home-schooling mother living in southern British Columbia. She holds a masters in English literature from Portland State University. Her debut novel was entitled Tales from Wakken Wood.”

But that does not appear to be the case, I tracked down a copy of a volume called Closing Accounts published in 2015 and with an about the author section that overlaps significantly. Now that book, and the blog listed at the end of it appear to have been scrubbed from the web. But I did find reference to it on a blog post from 2016 that also listed a few other Catholic fictions authors I was reading at the time. So, I believe at best this is the second novel but it is the first commercially published. 

This is a grand adventure story, an epic tale, a novel written large and it pulls it off. I have seen comparisons to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and I can appreciate where those comments are coming from. Being of Irish and Scottish descent and having read much about the myths, legends and folklore and stories of Celtic saints galore this story falls more in that realm for me. There is definitely a familiar feel about the tale. And in many ways it reminds me of Deacon Nick Donnelly’s unpublished Ben Armstrong Adventure Series of which I have had the pleasure of reading three volumes. It also reminds me of the tales of Celtic saints written by Andrew Seddon. 

It is a tale of friendship, family, and finding your place and way in the world. Even if that path is a winding trail and seems to piece the veil between worlds. It creatures great and small. Of hope, and of striving. Join Peter and Pixel as their friendship only deepens and grow as they face challenge after challenge. They have gone to both family’s home island and things are not all as they appear. And soon they realize they are in a tale much bigger than they ever expected or had hoped for. These two children are drawn through trials, tears and loss, and with the help of many come through changed and for the better. 

An excellent read for the young and old alike. This is way better than a lot of fiction I read in my teen years. And to be honest better than some I still read today. It is an excellent novel that draws reading sin quickly and keeps their attention. The physical book is listed at over 500 pages and the eBook over 600. And it was terribly hard to put down. A great volume I can easily recommend, and I hope there will be many more from Cowley’s pen and if we are very lucky maybe even more in this world. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!  

Books by E.P. Cowley:
Closing Accounts
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