Loved it. I love Dietz's imagination in all the ...
919810
So amazingly creative. Wish it was a full length book. Loved it. I love Dietz's imagination in all the books I've read from him. I am a big Dune fan and although not as good as Herbert his books really capture my attention !
4404019
Peter David's dazzling imagination shines again in this timeless story of a boy, Paul Dear, who wants to make his mother happy after tragedy strikes. Paul's journey to solve this dilemma leads him to the Anyplace, a fantasy realm inhabited by many colorful characters including The Boy, the pixie-with-a-potty-mouth Fiddlefix, Gwenny, the Indian Princess Picca, and a wise snow tiger.  The bad guys, Captain Hack & his sister Mary Slash, and their merry band of pirates, are also interesting and scary adversaries for our hero. As Paul and his allies fight Hack, Slash and the Bully Boys, their struggle leads them to several surprising discoveries, The Boy facing his worst fears and the transformation of Paul over the course of this journey into a hero.

David creates a world captured perfectly through the eyes of a child: the navet&eacute; of Paul, the arrogance of The Boy, the overly-responsible Gwenny, the distrust of all adults and the fears of growing up and losing your imagination all infuse the story with a sense of wonder and magic of the Anyplace while still making you scared of the bad guys, curious as to what will happen next. The characters are deep and richly created, with their emotions and motivations grounding the story while allowing them to drive the story forward without it feeling forced. The decisions the characters make are true to themselves and you feel for them when they are in danger, making a funny remark or feel touched by their perceptions of the world they live in. It mixes all of these elements well, along with a witty narrator breaking the fourth wall, talking to the reader and making you laugh out loud in between filling the reader in on what's happening.

David has a wonderful knack of writing humorous material and incorporating it into the story. I particularly enjoyed little asides, like how the origins of the eensy weensy spider, liars whose pants are on fire and chickens who absolutely, positively, must cross the road, all come from the Anyplace. The Boy's opinion that people don't know what they want because children want to grow up into adults while adults just want to recapture their youth was also funny, yet rings true for many people. It also represents the core philosophy of The Boy and his inner motivations. Gwenny contemplating being a social worker when she grows up was too perfect for words and a great character beat for her as well.

While many of these characters and situations appear to be analogous to certain aspects of "Peter Pan", the classic upon which this tale is based, the novel stands on its own as a wonderful work in its own right. As someone who hasn't read "Peter Pan" but is familiar with the characters and the animated Disney movie, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, as it is engaging and original. David excels at taking something familiar and uses it as the foundation to create something new and different, effortlessly moving the story in unexpected directions into an exciting, touching and fitting climax.

At its heart, amidst all the adventure of pirates and flying children, is a boy who just wants to make his mother happy and to have a complete & happy family, a story I think we all can relate to. This is a tale for all ages to read and enjoy, whether you are reading it to your children curled up in your lap or by yourself under a nightlight, conjuring up images of distant and magical lands as you explore a world made of dreams.
1941786
I love the idea and imagination that is apart of this book! The character development is amazing and shows amazing things like sacrifice, determination, friendship and loyalty. This had become one of my soul time favorite books!
2541064
My Thoughts:
  This is a wonderfully creative story.  Well planned and well paced.  I enjoyed the characters immensely.  What I fell in love with though was the idea behind the story.  The idea of people's perceptions: of themselves, of others and of what the world should be like.
  I love the comparison of the belief systems of the two main characters, Zoe and Noah.  Noah's belief in faith and God drives him while Zoe believes in science, technology and the absence of religion.  Although they appear to be as different as two people can be, they find themselves believing in each other.
  This is not your typical "good vs evil" story.  Although there is an obvious bad guy, the story isn't necessarily about him or even a battle against him.  This also is not your typical YA love story.  It is a love story, it is about battles against good and evil, right and wrong.  Perception seemed to me to be more of a story of the battle each character has within themselves, what they believe and who the believe in and why.
  Lee Strauss has created a fantastic and harsh world.  She has filled that world with characters that fall into two categories, Naturals and GAPS, and the two groups are worlds apart on almost every level.  To achieve this variety takes insight, imagination, an open mind, and dedication to detail in every aspect of the story.
  This is the beginning...I can't wait to read the rest!
950813
This book was something wonderful to experience. It was so incredibly unique. And thought-provoking, as it dealt with censorship. You don't need to like sci-fi in order to get completely immersed and lost in this. I loved how the book was structured between Mikk's present day trial and his childhood upbringing. His training to become one of the greatest performance masters thoroughout the universe, and his sweet romance with Thissiz especially. His romance with Thissiz (literally a giant snake) was one of the most interesting interspecies relationships I've read about, that's for sure. I was never bored for one second.

I did feel just a little disappointed with how things were resolved in the end (it was a little too easy), which is why it didn't quite reach 5 stars for me. But this goes down as one of my most memorable (if not THE most) and favorite books of this year.
2638145
I enjoyed this book very much. What an imagination to have created all these strange and fantastic creatures.  I loved the whole. Inception, and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Thank you, S M Boyce!
1323660
This is a wonderfully creative weaving of realms.  The characters are great and I can't wait to see what happens next. My imagination was very entertained.
2661139
I really enjoyed this book and plan to read the whole series. I couldn't help but keep thinking what an absolutely awesome TV show or movie it would make. I could almost picture Jhonny narrating it kinda like the wonder years with zombies. I liked the whole zombie events and mines thing quite a lot.  I could easily visualize everything. I can't wait to see how these characters continue to grow and evolve in the next books.
4091604
Truly imaginative, unique, and gripping -- I really really liked it!  Robin Winter has a gift for inventing a world we'd be interested in saving, characters we'd be enriched to meet, and ideas about the human condition we'd be wise to ponder.
881925
Terrific edition to The River. Very imaginative and well told. I can always "see" the world of Roy, Steven and Eliza. I absolutely love these characters. Putting aside the fact that they're gifted, they are so very real and believable. Would be great to have anyone of them as a friend or neighbor.
Can't wait for the next one!
1647184
Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! If this could happen, it would be a dream come true for me. I love the whole idea. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say a whole lot. However, if you like fantasy, magic, and cats, you will love this book. But if you don't like those things you can still enjoy this well-written story. Very cute and a breath of fresh air. Wonderful.

Carole McKee, Author
2654777
I'm a big fan of the franchise and Dietz manages to fill in the gaps of the game world timelines with well written stories. I loved every minute of this book. It was exciting and action packed with believable solid characters that tie in seamlessly with the games.
3818721
Loved it! Great idea- I love to read a book different from all the rest! Highly interesting and entertaining! And, yes, I even cried a little at this far-fetched story, but what a ride!!!
899458
Wonderful! Chock full of imagination and lively, vibrant characters, especially King Beanor, who is my favorite. A definite must-read for any fantasy fan. I really look forward to readiing more from this world.
1917647
Very well written. I loved the imagination and creativity.  Can't wait for book number 2 to see what is in store for Emma and Destry.
4428272
I loved it. I will have to go back & read some of the dream episodes. I skimmed through them desperate to get to the end. Not only were there some really unexpected twists, but the story went further than a lot of romances leaving me with a wonderful, warm, fuzzy feeling.
1809703
I loved this book. While so much was predictable, it takes you off in a fantasy world of imagination.  I could visually picture the country of Monterra in my mind.  It was just a great fun and predictably romantic read.  And sometimes in a crazy messed up real life world, it's just good to get away and dream.