Reviewer Would Give All the Stars in the Universe
- Title: Rarity from the Hollow
- Author: Robert Eggleton
- Web site link: www.lacydawnadventures.com
- Genre: Adult Literary Science Fiction
- ISBN: 9781907133060;1907133062
- Name of Reviewer: Charity Rowell-Stansbury
- Review Site: On My Kindle
- Amazon Link: Available in paper or as e-book.
- Rating from Reviewer: If I could, I would give it all the stars in the universe.
Reviewed by Charity Rowell-Stansbury originally for On My Kindle
Lacy Dawn seems like a typical Appalachian eleven-year-old girl; bright, resourceful, living in poverty, and trying desperately to "fix" her mother and father. Her father, Dwayne, is a war veteran who suffers from PTSD and prefers to self-medicate; when triggered, he becomes violent and Lacy Dawn and her mother become the target of his rage. Lacy Dawn's mother, Jenny, does her best to protect her daughter; however, she is worn down from years of abuse and sacrificing her dreams to take care of her daughter and husband.
Despite outward appearances, Lacy Dawn is a very unique and gifted child. She spends most of her free time talking to the trees in the Hollow; playing with her deceased friend, Faith, who dwells in the trees; and learning all she can from her anatomically incomplete and semi-organic boyfriend, DotCom. After helping Lacy Dawn implement a treatment plan for her parents, DotCom reveals his true purpose; he was sent to help Lacy Dawn evolve, and then recruit her for a mission to save the universe.
While DotCom has no idea what she is supposed to do to save the universe, the pair decide to let her family and Tom, family friend/local entrepreneur/drug dealer, in on the secret. With the help of friends, family, and the family's dog; Lacy Dawn and DotCom come up with an ingenious plan to save the universe.
When Eggleton requested a review of Rarity from the Hollow, I was hesitant to accept. I usually do not read or review books that discuss child abuse or domestic violence; however, I was intrigued by the excerpt and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I took a risk; otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic story with a bright, resourceful, and strong protagonist that grabbed my heart and did not let go. It is not every day that I find a kindred spirit in a book, but I found one in Lacy Dawn! I admired her courage, her imagination, and her intelligence; I could go on for days about the excellent job that Eggleton did in developing Lacy Dawn's character, but I won't. What I will say is that even if you do not fully understand her perspective, you will admire her spunk.
While DotCom has no idea what she is supposed to do to save the universe, the pair decide to let her family and Tom, family friend/local entrepreneur/drug dealer, in on the secret. With the help of friends, family, and the family's dog; Lacy Dawn and DotCom come up with an ingenious plan to save the universe.
When Eggleton requested a review of Rarity from the Hollow, I was hesitant to accept. I usually do not read or review books that discuss child abuse or domestic violence; however, I was intrigued by the excerpt and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I took a risk; otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic story with a bright, resourceful, and strong protagonist that grabbed my heart and did not let go. It is not every day that I find a kindred spirit in a book, but I found one in Lacy Dawn! I admired her courage, her imagination, and her intelligence; I could go on for days about the excellent job that Eggleton did in developing Lacy Dawn's character, but I won't. What I will say is that even if you do not fully understand her perspective, you will admire her spunk.
I also greatly admire Eggleton's whimsical, witty, and understanding approach to sensitive and serious subject matters: child abuse, child poverty, domestic violence, PTSD, drug use, and alcoholism. Eggleton's matter-of-fact and irreverent tone about these subject matters conveys the gravity of the family's situation without sending readers into a spiral of suicidal depression, or being insulting.
Rarity from the Hollow brilliantly combines social commentary in a fantastical and intricate science fiction setting that readers can understand and relate to. It is one of those books that if it does not make you think, you are not really reading it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
Jenny Twist's Sci-Fi Book Gets High Praise
"The Owl Goddess" is one of the most entertaining and original books I've read in a long time. On one level, it's a story based in a familiar science-fiction theme: a spacefaring vessel is wrecked on a planet inhabited by an intelligent but technologically primitive race. One of the native tribes discovers the accidental visitors' camp, and the novel follows the two groups over a period of a couple of years, as they interact with and endeavor to understand each other. But from the very first page, it's obvious this is a completely different "first contact" story. The twelve shipwrecked spacefarers have familiar names: Athena, Zeus, Hera, Artemis, Apollo... Yet the members of both groups are definitely human, physically and emotionally very like each other despite the fact that the accidental visitors are far from their home world. What's going on here? It's a mystery the twelve visitors attempt to solve even as they struggle to build a base for themselves on this strange – but not entirely strange – new planet. And the solution is so clever that I gasped and then laughed out loud when I discovered it. The story is told from multiple points of view (including, briefly, that of a young owl), but the two central characters are Athena, the youngest of the visitors, daughter of the ship's captain, sixteen when the novel begins, and Prometheus, a teenaged member of the stone-age tribe. Stunned by the unusual habits and abilities they observe in these new people, the natives take them for supernatural beings; the spacefarers, equally baffled by the cave-dwelling tribe's way of life, suppose the natives are mentally as well as technologically primitive. But Athena and Prometheus become friends, and their friendship leads both groups into a series of adventures. This novel will be appealing to readers of all ages, interesting and amusing whether they are familiar with the ancient Greek myths or not. It's well and clearly written, in straightforward and colloquial language. It humanizes all the characters – not only the "gods and goddesses," who after all are very human in the mythic stories themselves, but maybe more importantly the stone-age people, who are just as human as we are despite their primitive technology. As a retired teacher, I couldn't help thinking how much a middle-school or high-school class would love this. I'd certainly teach it in a unit about mythology. And as a movie producer (in my dreams), I'd grab this one in a minute. Jenny Twist is an amazing author whom I discovered only recently. I can't wait to read more of her work!ABOUT THE NEW REVIEW BLOGGER
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
The Owl GoddessAuthor: Jenny Twist
Author's Web site: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytwistauthor/home
Genre: SciFi
ISBN-13: 978-1530594665Reviewer’s Rating 5 out of 5 stars
Buy link: myBook.to/OG
Reviewed by Mary Patterson Thornburg, http://www.marypattersonthornburg.com/
Hard to Read But Loving It! Rarity from the Hollow
- Title: Rarity from the Hollow
- Author:
- Web site link: www.lacydawnadventures.com
- Genre: Literary Science Fiction
- ISBN: 9781907133060; 1907133062
- Name of Reviewer: Melody, Flower To The Rain
- Review Site:
- Link: https://flowertotherain.wordpress.com/
- Purchase Links:
Reviewed by Melody, Flower to the Rain, originally for Diamante Lavendar
4 of 5 stars: I Loved It
Rarity from the Hollow was so hard for me to read through that I frequently had to put it down. Not because that the writing was hard to read, because it was so well-written and easy to go through, and not because it wasn't interesting because that is the complete opposite. It was simply very dark. Especially at the beginning of the novel. It opens up to talks of abuse and very dark themes that I wasn't completely expecting after I'd received the novel from the Novel/Publisher. I had read a resume of it and known that it would approach it, but I didn't know how. The reason why it was difficult to read through was because the connection with the main character is so well-established at the beginning that it was what made me feel too much to read it in one go; but I wouldn't have this book any other way.
But (as there is always a but), it was hard in some places to follow what the author was trying to say. A lot of the time I could follow along very well, but other times it was hard to catch onto what was passing, certain things seemed to appear in the rearview and then disappear all too quickly. However, this could be said for typical children's book, so it may simply be that the style was meant to recapture that feeling.
Rarity from the Hollow was an amazing ride throughout, touching fantastic themes and continuing toward sci-fi, to create a beautiful and dark novel. However, this is not for the faint of heart. If you are easily triggered by themes such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, any type of abuse really, then I would suggest to stay away from this book altogether because it goes into those subjects very deeply and doesn't let you forget that it's there. Otherwise, I would suggest everybody give this book a try as it is such an amazing journey.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
Diamante Lavendar Praises Literary/Sci-Fi Novel
Lacy Dawn is a true daughter of Appalachia , and then some. She lives in a hollow with her worn-out mom, her Iraq War disabled dad, and her mutt Brownie, a dog who’s very skilled at laying fiber optic cable. Lacy Dawn’s android boyfriend has come to the hollow with a mission. His equipment includes infomercial videos of Earth’s earliest proto-humans from millennia ago. He was sent by the Manager of the Mall on planet Shptiludrp (Shop ’till You Drop): he must recruit Lacy Dawn to save the Universe in exchange for the designation of Earth as a planet which is eligible for continued existence within a universal economic structure that exploits underdeveloped planets for their mineral content. Lacy Dawn’s magic enables her to save the universe, Earth, and, most importantly, her own family.
Review:
Rarity from the Hollow dives into the trenches of the human condition and explores dark societal issues such as sexual abuse and psychological problems.
While not for the faint of heart, Rarity from the Hollow is peppered with satire to lighten the tone of the story. This story is intended for adult reading as it has frequent reference to sexual situations. However, the author of this book has written with a tone of sarcasm and wit that will appeal to those who have dealt with the “trenches” in society…those who can relate to the hardships of the human condition and accept them for their true nature.
Rarity from the Hollow is well written. The author has truly come to understand and reference many problems found in society. If one reads this book with a semi serious nature, one will come to understand the mindset of those who have suffered greatly from the addressed societal traumas in the storyline. Abuse in the life of those who have suffered almost becomes an accepted, every day way of living. Rarity from the Hollow expounds on this fact.
Rarity from the Hollow was written to help children who have been abused. I commend the author and wish him all the best in his endeavors. His book is interesting with its mix of science fiction, fantasy and satire.
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
- Title: Rarity from the Hollow
- Author:
- Web site link: www.lacydawnadventures.com
- Genre: Literary Science Fiction
- ISBN: 9781907133060; 1907133062
- Name of Reviewer:
- Review Site:
- Purchase Links:
Reviewed by Diamante Lavendar originally for http://diamantelavendar.com/
Former Reader's Digest Editor Gives Sci-Fi Book Huge Thumbs Up
Title: Rarity from the Hollow
Author: Robert Eggleton
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
ISBN: ISBN-10: 1907133062
ISBN-13: 978-1907133060
Reviewer's Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available in paperback or as an e-book. Purchase links:
Reviewed by Temple Emmet Williams originally for the Warrior Patient blog
The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years
Rarity from the Hollow by Robert Eggleton is the most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in several years. Who could think of an intergalactic handbook for entrepreneurs? Who could turn a tree-hugger into a paranormal event of death-defying significance? Who could create characters so believable, so funny, so astonishingly human (and not)?
Robert Eggleton, that’s who.
I put this book on my iPhone, and it followed me everywhere for several days. Strangers smiled politely at my unexpected laughter in the men’s room toilet stall. They looked away as I emerged, waving the IPhone at them as if it might explain something significant.
Oddly, the novel explains a great deal that has become significant in our society. Rarity from the Hollow is satire at its best and highest level. It is a psychological thriller, true to traits of mankind (and other species). It is an animal rights dissertation (you will laugh when you understand why I write that). It celebrates the vilest insect on earth (make that Universe).
The characters created by Robert Eggleton will bug your brain long after you smoke, uh, read the final page. Thanks for the laughs, the serious thoughts, the absolute wonder of your mind, Mr. Eggleton. A truly magnificent job.
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
Temple Emmet Williams is an author and former Reader’s Digest editor. He reviews books for the blog, Warrior Patient.
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
Book Review: Imagine a Universe on the Edge
- Title: Rarity from the Hollow
- Author:
- Web site link: www.lacydawnadventures.com
- Genre: Nontraditional SF/F, Cross-Genre
- ISBN: 9781907133060; 1907133062
- Name of Reviewer: Bryan Zepp Jamieson
- Journal: The Electric Review, A Universe on the Edge
- Publishd 2012 by Doghorn Publishing
Lacy Dawn is a little girl who lives in a magical forest where all the trees love her and she has a space alien friend who adores her and wants to make her queen of the universe. What’s more, all the boys admire her for her beauty and brains. Mommy is very beautiful and Daddy is very smart, and Daddy’s boss loves them all.
Excerpt
Lacy Dawn, the eleven year old protagonist, perches precariously between the psychosis of childhood and the multiple neuroses of adolescence, buffeted by powerful gusts of budding sexuality and infused with a yearning to escape the grim and brutal life of a rural Appalachian existence. In this world, Daddy is a drunk with severe PTSD, and Mommy is an insecure wraith. The boss is a dodgy lecher, not above leering at the flat chest of an eleven-year-old girl.
Yes, all in one book.
Rarity From The Hollow is written in a simple declarative style that’s well- suited to the imaginary diary of a desperate but intelligent eleven-year-old – the story bumping joyfully between the extraordinary and the banal.
The central planet of the universe is a vast shopping mall, and Lacy Dawn must save her world from a menace that arrives in the form of a cockroach infestation. Look again and the space alien has made Daddy smart and happy – or at least an eleven year old girl’s notion of what a smart and happy man should be. He has also made Mommy beautiful, giving her false teeth and getting the food stamp lady off her back.
About the only thing in the book that is believable is the nature of the narrative voice, and it is utterly compelling. You find yourself convinced that “Hollow” was written as a diary-based autobiography by a young girl and the banal stems from the limits of her environment, the extraordinary from her megalomania. And that’s what gives Rarity From The Hollow a chilling, engaging verisimilitude that deftly feeds on both the utter absurdity of the characters’ motivations and on the progression of the plot.
Indeed, there are moments of utter darkness: In one sequence, Lacy Dawn remarks matter-of-factly that a classmate was whipped to death, and notes that the assailant, the girl’s father, had to change his underpants afterward because they were soiled with semen. Odd, and often chilling notes, abound.
As I was reading it, I remembered when I first read Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle” at the age of 14. A veteran of Swift, Heller, and Frederick Brown, I understood absurdist humour in satire, but Vonnegut took that understanding and turned it on its ear.
In the spirit of Vonnegut, Eggleton (a psychotherapist focused on the adolescent patient) takes the genre and gives it another quarter turn. A lot of people hated Vonnegut, saying he didn’t know the rules of good writing. But that wasn’t true. Vonnegut knew the rules quite well, he just chose to ignore them, and that is what is happening in Eggleton’s novel, as well.
Not everyone will like Rarity From The Hollow. Nonetheless, it should not be ignored.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
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