Creative, Wonderful in every way
922867
The Rithmarist was fantastic! Especially towards the end, you never seen the plot twists coming. I found all the characters to be well-thought out and the style of writing was gorgeously descriptive!
3342792
What a great idea for a bedtime book by Peter Collier! It's not just a great story; it's also amazingly innovative. There's plenty of happening, even though it's a foggy, dark, dull grey town. The imagination of this author is astounding. Start with nothing and end up with a creative and imaginative book that's well worth reading.
4769774
Creative, imaginative, beautiful illustrations, and a positive underlying message. Simply wonderful!
3613872
Such a creative book, for both the adults and the children. There is so much imagination, which makes it fun and entertaining to read.
2416411
Its been so long since I read a book so creative and innovative that this book was so refreshing! Witty, funny, creative and so unexpected it held my attention from start to finish. Highly recommend for creativity, amusement, spark of something new and different!
1257604
Brilliant writing, dazzling wordplay, sly humor -- and an important story about individuality, optimism, and the shifting shapes of friendships. Top all this off with clever, pitch-perfect, and downright delightful illustrations, and you have one of the best all-around books I've read in years. Simply wonderful.
4356061
This book is pure creative genius, and I loved every page. William Goldman is really playing with the tropes of classic fairy tales. Just don't skip the introduction--it's vital.
1250858
Thanks for this world.  It is amazing, creative, unique.  My mind wanders easily with the story.  What a wonderful gift.
4113947
I haven't written a review in ages, but I just had to write about this book, because i loved it so much. It was just completely charming. I laughed out loud several times. The writing and dialogue are so clever and original, and you just can't stop reading. The characters are just wonderful, very memorable and different in that everyone, even the villains, are fully fleshed out, believable and sympathetic. The plot is kind of an adventure and a mystery, and the hero and the heroine's story is very sweet and sexy. I was so pleased, and I've shared it with my daughter and she's shared it with a few friends of hers, and they all loved it, too. Hope the author writes many more.
1864936
From the first page to the last, this book turned out to be more than an  over-the-summer english assignment.  It's Magical! It's creative! It's  absolutely wonderful!  I am, however, unfamiliar with most of Hoffman's  work, and for the first novel I have read by her, it turned out to be a  heartfelt favorite.  It's the story of a middle-aged women, her son, her  son's father whom she is seperated, and an almost mythical stranger.  Wonderful for younger teenagers, and people who just want to read an  uplifting story.
4045729
Instead of reading this review, just order Storyworld.

My child (8) can't put the cards down. Everyday, he creates the most wonderful, strange and fantastical tales. Sometimes he'll choose one card and tell a story about the character or place. Other times he'll turn them over, slowly, one after another, each new card a turn in the tale he's telling. He'll sometimes draw parts of his story. Yesterday, he was writing while using them and when I asked him what he was doing, he told me: "These are helping me write a novel."

The art is beautiful and haunting, the images on each card draw you into magical worlds which then you get to describe. Children, artists, writers, teachers and therapists should not be without Storyworld. In our world filled with advertisement laden television, here is something more than mere distraction. A way back into the Forest of Tales! The descriptions of the cards and the characters and the suggestions for motifs and story elements are inspiring, deeply infused and influenced by the authors' encyclopedic knowledge of folklore and fairytales.

I think anyone who sees these cards will find themselves returning to them again and again. I have given them as gifts and people are always intrigued and delighted. Here is a toy that no one will ever grow out of. Small enough to take on trips. Great for the car or long plane rides.

I am a writer, a teacher, and a parent and I cannot recommend John and Caitlin Matthews' STORYWORLD enough. A wonderful gift that will bring delight, creative play, and imagination to every family.
22607
This is a fabulous and spectacular adventure, full of wonders and choc full of ideas. Anybody who likes imaginative fiction, be it Harry Potter, Alex Rider or Artemis Fowl would enjoy this novel. I loved the characters, even the evil ones like the menacing Nathaniel Hade and the creepy misshapen Hood Twins. Joey is an excellent hero, plucky, decisive and resourceful, but Diana is no helpless heroine. She can take care of herself, even though she is unaware of the strange powers she possesses and exhibits them often by accident as she and her friends set out to uncover the secret of who she is. Tycho is a genius from whom no computer system is safe and Kim is a daredevil who often seems to be enjoying their escapades a little too much. There is drama and humour mixed in with the action, as Joey defies his busy and neglectful parents, Diana deals with her amnesia and Kim and Tycho put a brave face on life in the city orphanage. And there is horror when the truth behind Diana's identity is finally revealed. This is the sort of novel that would make a wonderful movie one day, especially with today's special effects. There are also hints at the end of questions unanswered that suggest the author is planning a sequel. If so, please hurry, I can't wait.
2540211
You don't have to be a certain age to appreciate creativity, and these remakes of the old Rumpelstiltskin fable are certainly original.  The wonder is the author comes through time after time, six times in all, with a fresh way of framing the timeworn characters.  And characters they are -- each one different, each one oozing vanity, or avarice, or foolishness, or sometimes sweetness.  I'd recommend reading this if you want to unleash your own creativity, no matter what kind of writing you do.
1480614
This is a wonderfully written, creative and thoughtful book. The theme is fascinating and is handled in suprising ways. I highly recommend it!!
2217444
This book is wonderful in multiple ways.
1. It provides wonderful insight into sustainability
2. It is funny
3. The ideas are creative and refreshing
3822208
I co-host a weekly podcast called Creative Commoners, and we discovered this product way back when it was still on Kickstarter. It sounded like a really neat and well-thought out concept, and we're always on the lookout for things that can aid people in their creative pursuits, so we were happy to contribute to the campaign. But I'll be honest... as a writer, I remained a little skeptical. Some of us have funny ideas about where our ideas should come from, and we can bristle at the notion of tools like this.

It wasn't until we got the cards and started using them on the show that I realized what a brilliant invention this is. There is nothing about Story Forge that feels like a crutch. If anything, it coaxes your brain into doing what it does best: coming up with original ideas for both plots and characters. By drawing classic archetypes, personality types, plot twists out of the deck, you are forced to consider your character or story in a limitless number of lights. I don't feel blocked in by outlines or rules or anything of the sort. You can do one of the many suggested layouts the deck comes with (my favorites are the Film Noir and the Character Backstory, but there is a Hero's Journey, Action Movie, Love Story, and several others), or you can just pick them out of the deck free-form and let your imagination run wild. The deck also comes loaded with several blank cards, so if you come up with a card idea of your own, you can make it.

Personally, I like the layouts. They add a certain energy to the process, and sometimes it just feels downright mystic the way the deck will more often than not spit out the right card at just the right moment. Frankly, it can make you feel downright giddy about the process, especially if you've been feeling creatively off your game of late. I've plotted out a few novels and several short stories with these babies, and on Creative Commoners, we've done several episodes of making up stories on the air with them, all of them a ton of fun.

Furthermore, the cards are very high quality, beautifully designed, and it comes in a sturdy box that you can take with you anywhere. I don't lay out much money for "writing tools," but this is by far the best twenty bucks I've spent on something related to the craft that wasn't a computer. If you're a writer of any kind or even a D&D player, you need a deck of Story Forge Cards.

You can read a more in depth review with a sample layout at our Creative Commoners Tumblr page.

Allison M. Dickson
Creative Commoners
2038869
Incredible imagination, whimsy, wit and suspense all in the one book