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A fantasy about reality
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atticus Higginbottom doesn’t have Harry Potter’s magic wand or Luke Skywalker’s light saber, but there are times either one would come in very handy. Atticus is a very ordinary and unpowerful 13-year-old boy who gets caught up in an adventure involving multiple realities in the new Young Adult fantasy fiction series “The 13th Reality.”
Author James Dashner, who grew up in Duluth and graduated from Duluth High (class of ‘91) is in town to promote his new book, the first volume in a series that he can only cope will be one percent as successful as Harry Potter.
In the the first volume, “The Journal of Curious Letters,” Atticus starts receiving mysterious letters with obscure clues, while having unsettling encounters with strange folks named Mothball and Mistress Jane and the occasional mechanical device that tries to kill him. I liked it a fair bit, but it seemed to be me to a fantasy aimed squarely at younger readers.
Some fantasies — “Lord of the Rings,” Harry Potter, “His Dark Materials” — work on multiple levels, so that adults can enjoy them as much as kids. Others seems to be more story-driven and appeal mainly to kids. For me, “The 13th Reality” was one of those. If you know of a fantasy reader aged maybe 10 to 16, I would recommend it.
Dashner will be at the Barnes & Noble, 2205 Pleasant Hill Rd., Duluth, at 7 tonight to read and sign. Also, check out the book’s awesome website .
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