The author sent me an autographed copy of his novel to review:
J.B. Michaels, author of The Tannenbaum Tailors series, writes his first YA novel. He introduces the reader to Bud Hutchins, a combination teenage inventor and sleuth, who goes from Chicago to Salem, MA to farther cities in an attempt to recover his stolen tech. What is his tech? Bud has invented a teleport system that allows him disappear and reappear in different destinations, similar to Star Trek’s system, except Bud’s method for teleportation involves a wristband and destination markers. One assumes that this is the first adventure for the new boy wonder. This is not your usual mystery since it involves witches, zombies, a wolfman and much more. I thought the story was fast moving, but sometimes too rushed. Was the story interesting? Yes, but very predictable with very simplistic prose. Was it written that way on purpose? I think so since this is the author’s first stab at a YA novel. Since there were some mild swear words used in the text, I would say the author’s target age group is between twelve and eighteen.The story opens with Bud, our protagonist, finding a “bloodied corpse” in a New England forest. The body is a male dressed in a gray robe and hood (a monk?) and has been drained of all his blood. Suddenly, Bud sees a hooded figure running from the scene of the murder...he pursues. He tackles the runaway and finds that it’s a female. She turns out to be teenaged Maeve (will she be Bud’s helper in future novels?). She says to Bud, “That was my uncle back there! I just called the cops. Who are you? There is no way the cops could have made it here this fast.” They hear police sirens in the background at the same time they are unexpectedly surrounded by six witches. Bud immediately teleports home, grabs a blue canister and teleports back to the forest. He pulls the pin to a smoke bomb, temporarily blinding the witches, while he and Maeve make a run for freedom. At this point, we meet Officer Hanks of the Salem police department. “Get your hands up! A deep, gravelly, male voice sounded from behind Bud.” Will Officer Hanks believe Bud? Will the witches return and attack the police station? The story is now off and running to the exciting conclusion.
I liked the fact that J.B Michaels wrote this novel utilizing only three main characters. Cormac McCarthy would be proud (the less main characters used, the better). My only real complaint (besides some rushed and short chapters) is the simplistic prose employed, since I feel the age group for this novel is betwixt twelve and eighteen...maybe the author targeted a lower age group. Anyway, I did enjoy this novel and recommend it to the older YA age groups.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: Because of Bud’s invention talent, this novel reminded me of the only YA novels that I read as a youngster. What series is that? It’s Victor Appleton’s early 1900s series starring Tom Swift. I remember Tom’s adventures in novels, such as, Tom Swift and his Motor-Cycle, Tom Swift and his Airship, and Tom Swift and his motorboat. I wish I still had those original novels...they must be worth a small fortune. Many literary pundits say that Tom Swift was portrayed as a genius and modeled after inventors Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Glenn Curtiss, the aviation pioneer (see the Curtiss Jenny Biplane stamp of 1918).
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