Yeah, a YA novel that’s not dystopian. Hannibal Adofo writes a novel akin to the Rick Riordan Percy Jackson series. It’s not the same mythology, but close enough. This could be the start of a new series featuring Atlantis , first mentioned by Plato in 360 BC. This novel should be enjoyable to teenagers, although I’m 69 and I liked it. There are some minor weaknesses, but they don’t affect the overall novel. I found the novel a little too rushed. If another hundred pages could have been added, I think the characters could have fermented better. I love the fact that there are only six main characters, a Cormac McCarthy trait, more or less. And with Dee, Olek, and Ha’ru, we have some interesting side characters. Doesn’t Ha’ru and his gang remind you of the movie Jeepers Creepers ? This is a yeoman’s work by the first time storyteller.
Soliloquy Adams is a sixteen year old teenager living in a poor neighborhood in San Francisco. Her mother works double shifts as a nurse to keep Lily (Soliloquy) in Laurel High, a private school. Lily has been transferred there under the impoverished program, but is not accepted by the rich kids at the school. One day she stops at her favorite diner for breakfast and meets a tall gentleman who says, “I know what you are.” From there on, her life changes dramatically. Lily gets into trouble with a ‘I’m better than you’ student, Sophia Pinhurst. The Dean threatens to expel her. She survives and picks up a friend in Tinka, a fellow student. They meet Scott Niles and Antonio Saldana from the school’s water polo team. They eventually become a foursome. The tall gentleman, or birdman (Ha’ru) attacks Lily and Tinka on a ferry, but they persist when Lily counters with a siren’s scream. Where did that come from?
On her way home, Lily is confronted by Mr. Reddy, a homeless man living in front of her apartment complex. He says, “I know what you are, and I know what they want.” He says that he is ‘the watcher of the north’, and has been sent for her protection, then he disintegrates. What is going on? She goes back to school and is called into the Deans office again. She meets Kalisse who says her foundation mentors inner city kids looking to better themselves. Kalisse wants to pay her tuition and provide transportation in the form of a Lincoln limo. She later accepts the offer. Kalisse buys Lily a huge wardrobe, but Lily is suspicious when she notices Kalisse’s ‘gold falcon ring’ (it reminds her of the birdlike Ha’ru, who tried to kill her on the ferry). Who is Kalisse? Is she trying to help, or control Lily? Lily also develops ‘the minds eye’, where she can share a dream with another person. Does Lily have X-Woman powers? If so, how and why?
The last third of the novel reveals all the answers. This is a talented author, who still needs improvement, but I believe this novel is a good first step. I’ve read a lot of maiden authors in the last year and I’m impressed with the talent out there. Why is is so hard for these people to get the backing of a big publishing house? It would be good to have big time editing (I saw some typos) and signing tours arranged. Is it just a matter of luck whether a book is blessed by a publisher, or not? I think so. How qualified are the people that select the novels? I trusted Jacquelin Kennedy Onassis of Viking Press, but she passed in 1994. Can anybody pick up the gauntlet? Well, enough said, I highly recommend this novel, especially for the ten to nineteen group.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: ask.com, says “The lost city of Atlantis is believed to have disappeared around 3,500 years ago. It is believed that a volcanic reaction is responsible for this disappearance. Plato, Greek philosopher is the only direct link to the legend of Atlantis. He used to speak of Atlantis as a kind of paradise. Plato placed Atlantis in the Great Ocean, which is known today as the Straits of Gibraltar." Is this what Atlantis looked like:
Picture courtesy of toptenz.net:
A popular YA novel is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. goodreads.com says, "It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger , has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time."
The novel was released as a movie in November 2013. The following picture courtesy of rotoscopers.com:
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