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HomeShop at BookSurgeFictionFantasyGeneralThe Book of Simon |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 5 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great adventure! Apr 11, 2009
By Katherine Downie
"Simon's No.1 Fan"
This is a great book! The characters are so interesting and loveable, and Simon is a true hero. I couldn't put it down once I'd started it, and was intrigued all the way through! A true page-turner, I'd recommend this book to adventure lovers of all ages!!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
The Book of Simon is a must read Apr 15, 2009
By Linda Downie
"avid reader"
This is a compelling story filled with adventure, acts of courage and daring, and the feelings of loyalty of those who face danger with you. It has interesting twists and turns that will carry you to the end.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Engaging fantasy debut May 19, 2009
By Ryan D. Johnson
Simon is recruited to a unique magical world where everyone believes he is a hero of legend. He must discover for himself if they are right, or even if it is all his own imagination.
Full of off-beat humor and random stream-of-consciousness, The Book of Simon keeps you guessing. Vaguely reminiscent of Zelazny's Amber or Wolfe's Wizard Knight, it has a style all its own.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
If you like Terry Brooks try this book May 12, 2009
By Mary Lee Smith
If you enjoy Terry Brooks books (Sword of Shannara series; Magic Kingdom of Landover series; and new series Heritage of Shannara) you will LOVE this book. The characters are well fleshed out, the quest is being pursued while the author (Sean) takes the reader through the logic, reasoning and decision making of the main character, Simon, for developing battle plans and ultimately winning the war against evil. I highly recommend this book.
 Fun and Accessible Fantasy Adventure Apr 09, 2010
By Keith Gall
Sean Cameron's THE BOOK OF SIMON unfolds with a sense of mystery and movement. When we meet Simon, he's been pulled into a quest, but not exactly against his will. He's convinced himself that this sojourn into another world must be an elaborate construct, and he's along for the ride. We've encountered this before; yet, to the author's credit, the hero revels in the challenges set before him, as one with control of his own dream, instead of becoming mired in tired self-questioning. Simon's journey, whether real or imagined, centers on identity, and the amnesic overlay opens with flower-like patience.
Don't imagine that this deters the story's pace or action. If the unknown unfurls like a water lily, this lily has been cast upon churning rapids. The excursion leads the reader through a whitewater of battle with ups and downs, through well-crafted twists and turns. The villains attack with a seeming randomness and with a delayed backstory; however, such chaos matches the reality of being thrust into a maelstrom. In fact, I greatly enjoyed that about the form: it both tempered and furthered the plot.
Cameron's first novel shows great promise; and for a fantasy novel, the story remains accessible along the lines of THE PRINCESS BRIDE. In fact, that's a fine comparison because our hero wields words with the heft of Vizzini and the agility of Westley. Simon's cast of allies at first seems cumbersome, yet the group grows on you with each chapter. I did find myself wishing to know each more, but what we get incorporates a fresh approach.
In the end, this is Simon's tale. Seldom does a reader get to spend so much time in a protagonist's head, and it proves a rollicking tagalong. In particular, the author demonstrates an ability to catch the reader with his humor: a dash of Douglas Adams blunder with that wry British distinction. (A favorite: "Simon's neighbor was a rather large man who was on bad terms with the sun...and shirts.") Of course, our hero is in his own head, entertaining himself: partially worried of causing a cross-worlds debacle by unleashing his wit, partially whistling through the graveyard.
I'll leave it to you to determine whether Simon ends up spending his whole life in there, or whether he boldly steps outside. In the end, it's the journey that matters, and this one makes for a great time. I'm not sure where my life's adventure will take me, but there's two things I do hope: 1) it incorporates a life-debt with a steaming-hot tiger-woman, and 2) Sean Cameron publishes again soon.
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