I Am Sleepless: Sim 299 (Book 1)

written by Johan Twiss
Sketches by Adrienne Burger
reviewed from e-reader

Pre-teens and young adults are going to love this book! This book is so much fun to read. A strong story from human to alien, or primes as they are referred to in the book. Johan Twiss thrills and entertains in this combination of student simulated trials and the real thing. If you hesitate, the story might run away with you. I certainly ran with it, reading it all in one go. I'm sure my grandsons, maybe even my son, would enjoy it, too. It is truly different from others I've read. The young characters are lively, conversational and full of ideas as young people generally are. They appear to be in a learning facility, they have classes, differences in their personalities are so human-like and yet even as completely different from each other, they are good friends.

I would call this a sci-fi/fantasy that should really touch a chord to followers of this genre, especially in light of the apparent martial arts/military training or the inventive creative teaching background the story touches on. These are highly skilled characters with lots of tricks up their sleeves or more precisely lots of skills; once the reader gets into the meat of the story it takes on a life of its own. Lots of fantastic beings to fight or to tame, bring humor into the story. In fact, there are wonderfully comical creatures beautifully illustrated.

What can one do when the Director of the facility is completely bonkers? What is going through his mind that it is so deceptive? Is it safe for the primes to enter the simulator? These are questions the reader will be trying to solve. Where do all the beasts come from? This is the crux of the matter, how to survive a trial in the Sim, particularly in Sim 199. A well-fledged story, and part of a series, so lots of fun and fury ahead.

The Dexter Quigly Codices by Nicholas Benedict

reviewed from e-book

A delightful fantasy, completely unexpected
This book took me by surprise, and I loved it. Great adventure for young teens and preteens (and sometimes for grandmothers like me, too). Thirteen is a difficult time for many shy and internalized youngsters. For Dexter Quigley who is thirteen, is lonely, a bit awkward, and feels he doesn't fit in anywhere; he has no close friends and now to make things worse, he and his parents are moving to a completely unknown future far from his old home.

But this is a story of empowerment, too. The fantasy has already begun though he doesn't know it. He makes a friend on his first day in the new location. Bailey is also thirteen but very outgoing and since they are both on summer vacation, they have lots of time to get acquainted. But there are some very strange things happening in the woods and pastures of Miniscule, Wisconsin,...And what's with all these birds and animals surrounding him so often? Who is Iggus, the strange Raven who comes to his windowsill at night, the first forest creature to approach him, and how does he know Dexter? The animals in the Miniscule area seem to have amazing knowledge. Nicholas Benedict has created a wondrous world.

I read this book in a day, not that I rushed but I was so fascinated. There are bits of history, lots of mystery and mystical happenings. Dexter is about to become a Very Special Person. I highly recommend this book for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the fantasy presented featuring what first appear as normal animals, although some, such as the phoenix, are actually known for their fantasmic reincarnations. Dexter is poised for a great learning experience as he witnesses small miracles in himself.