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Title: Elemental
Author: Antony John
Release Date: November 21st, 2012
A lost colony is reborn in this heart-pounding fantasy adventure set in the near future . . .
Sixteen-year-old Thomas has always been an outsider. The first child born without the power of an Element—earth, water, wind or fire—he has little to offer his tiny, remote Outer Banks colony. Or so the Guardians would have him believe.
In the wake of an unforeseen storm, desperate pirates kidnap the Guardians, intent on claiming the island as their own. Caught between the plague-ridden mainland and the advancing pirates, Thomas and his friends fight for survival in the battered remains of a mysterious abandoned settlement. But the secrets they unearth will turn Thomas’ world upside-down, and bring to light not only a treacherous past but also a future more dangerous than he can possibly imagine.
Sixteen-year-old Thomas has always been an outsider. The first child born without the power of an Element—earth, water, wind or fire—he has little to offer his tiny, remote Outer Banks colony. Or so the Guardians would have him believe.
In the wake of an unforeseen storm, desperate pirates kidnap the Guardians, intent on claiming the island as their own. Caught between the plague-ridden mainland and the advancing pirates, Thomas and his friends fight for survival in the battered remains of a mysterious abandoned settlement. But the secrets they unearth will turn Thomas’ world upside-down, and bring to light not only a treacherous past but also a future more dangerous than he can possibly imagine.
My Stance:
In a world were everyone is a mage, or an elementalist, however you want to think of it, Thomas is the first to be born without any control over any element. My question is in a world that revolves around the control of an element, how would you survive? And in Thomas case, what would you possess and what would you have to do to prove that you were just as valuable as the others. I can only image the life he must have as well; the humiliation and persecution he would face because he doesn't fit in.
This book reminds of what it would be like for a normal person to live in a world of Elementalists, and I can't imagine it would be pretty. As well, I can imagine the envy and the admiration that Thomas would have for the Elementalists. To the point where he would do something drastic when pirates show up and take everyone. Okay, stop! Pirates kidnap a tiny group of Elementalists? I think not! If just one of them had gotten a grip and acted, I believe that they could have stayed.
So we have a group of pacifist Elementalists that end up getting kidnapped and Thomas gets his chance to show why he should be treated, or respected the same way they are. While I enjoy the premise that Thomas wants to prove himself, that just because you are different doesn't mean you don't deserve respect, or the same treatment as the others. I don't buy into the whole past bit. I mean it's been overdone so many times, "Because of our past, you will hate us and ...." C'mon, do something more unique with this! I was very interested in this book until the last few sentences and it killed it. I may still pick this book up and read it, but with a sour taste in my mouth.
This book reminds of what it would be like for a normal person to live in a world of Elementalists, and I can't imagine it would be pretty. As well, I can imagine the envy and the admiration that Thomas would have for the Elementalists. To the point where he would do something drastic when pirates show up and take everyone. Okay, stop! Pirates kidnap a tiny group of Elementalists? I think not! If just one of them had gotten a grip and acted, I believe that they could have stayed.
So we have a group of pacifist Elementalists that end up getting kidnapped and Thomas gets his chance to show why he should be treated, or respected the same way they are. While I enjoy the premise that Thomas wants to prove himself, that just because you are different doesn't mean you don't deserve respect, or the same treatment as the others. I don't buy into the whole past bit. I mean it's been overdone so many times, "Because of our past, you will hate us and ...." C'mon, do something more unique with this! I was very interested in this book until the last few sentences and it killed it. I may still pick this book up and read it, but with a sour taste in my mouth.
