Land of Nod, The Artifact is the story of young Jeff Browning, son of a well renowned physicist who has gone missing and is presumed dead. Jeff deals with the complex emotions around the abandonment by his father and his passivity, when he encounters a teleporter that takes him to a different world. It is not a spoiler to tell you that the world is called "Nod".
Once there, he childishly realizes that the rules of his home world not longer apply, but to also trust his psychic instincts about other people. This new world is one in which nightmares are real, and people from Earth have innate psychic advantages over the Nod natives.
I am not sure how this book is being marketed, but it is unquestionably a children's novel, aimed right around the upper elementary/lower middle school split, and clearly aimed at males. That said, even though I am nowhere near this book's target audience, it kept me captivated from start to finish.
I really enjoyed exploring the new world with Jeff. Author Gary Hoover has done an excellent job with world building and is clearly a master of showing, rather than telling, the necessary exposition. The descriptive attention to detail and simplified-yet-spot-on science explanations make me wonder if Mr. Hoover is a trained scientist, himself. If not, he certainly writes like one (a compliment).
One of the other things I really liked about this novel is that it had a hint of kindness permeating everything. While Jeff was in real danger and there was real action and real suspense, all the other protagonist characters seemed to adopt Jeff as a member of their family and treat him with the love and respect such a position provides. It is rare to feel that you are getting a special hug from a beloved parent due to reading a book, but I enjoyed the feel-good added bonus that came with the story.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Once there, he childishly realizes that the rules of his home world not longer apply, but to also trust his psychic instincts about other people. This new world is one in which nightmares are real, and people from Earth have innate psychic advantages over the Nod natives.
I am not sure how this book is being marketed, but it is unquestionably a children's novel, aimed right around the upper elementary/lower middle school split, and clearly aimed at males. That said, even though I am nowhere near this book's target audience, it kept me captivated from start to finish.
I really enjoyed exploring the new world with Jeff. Author Gary Hoover has done an excellent job with world building and is clearly a master of showing, rather than telling, the necessary exposition. The descriptive attention to detail and simplified-yet-spot-on science explanations make me wonder if Mr. Hoover is a trained scientist, himself. If not, he certainly writes like one (a compliment).
One of the other things I really liked about this novel is that it had a hint of kindness permeating everything. While Jeff was in real danger and there was real action and real suspense, all the other protagonist characters seemed to adopt Jeff as a member of their family and treat him with the love and respect such a position provides. It is rare to feel that you are getting a special hug from a beloved parent due to reading a book, but I enjoyed the feel-good added bonus that came with the story.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
