Review by jenjayfromSA -- Belas Rift
Posted: 03 Sep 2017, 03:37
[Following is a volunteer review of "Belas Rift" by Stephan von Clinkerhoffen.]
3 out of 4 stars
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This is a rollicking fantasy/sci-fi frolic for tweens and teens. Mind you, I enjoyed it too.
Belas Rift - The Hidden City of Chelldrah-ham seems to be the third in a series, so the Mannas, Stig, who is obsessed with machines, and Meg, who loves plants, have had adventures already. This story stands alone so it doesn’t really matter. All you need to know is that they like each other (a lot), but they’re rather shy about it.
As the story starts (or continues) they’re riding a clockwork trike and chasing the evil Human Anet who is out to destroy the Motherland. She pops into a strange gloopy river, the Belas Rift, so they follow. They emerge in another world, the Cotswolds in England, where they discover that they are invisible and much smaller than the “‘umans”.
Being invisible is both scary and fun. They decide to keep a low profile, but no one told them to stop at red lights so everyone has a smashing time. Catastrophe follows them and soon the “police plods” with “firesticks” and their “snappy snarlies” are after them. They have to follow ancient clues in old churches to get help. There are plenty of close calls and ingenious solutions. Stig always has a plan, but they don’t always work.
This is really fast-paced, keeping you reading at a rate. Stig and Meg are endearing characters full of jokes and pranks. I enjoyed their cryptic clue chase.
It is amusing seeing our world through their eyes. The author invents a whole new glossary as they grapple with our “nology” and turn up their noses at “ingles”, tubes full of chemical chips. As vegetarians, they are horrified to discover ‘umans eat sweet little baa-lambs.
However, when they meet up with Anet and her minions the battle scenes are decidedly gory. I found that incongruous, but perhaps evil deserves to be blown apart and mowed down by a silver mechanical horse with spikes. I’m not so sure about lasers through the head and unattached legs and arms floating in the river.
The author is on a roll with this series. There are a few profound moments if you can grab a minute, but the action doesn’t stop for anyone. This is a frothy, bubbling fairground ride and really good fun.
I give it 3 out of 4 stars. The target market would probably make it four, but there were some formatting issues, such as words stuck together, which pulls down the rating.
******
Belas Rift
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like jenjayfromSA's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
This is a rollicking fantasy/sci-fi frolic for tweens and teens. Mind you, I enjoyed it too.
Belas Rift - The Hidden City of Chelldrah-ham seems to be the third in a series, so the Mannas, Stig, who is obsessed with machines, and Meg, who loves plants, have had adventures already. This story stands alone so it doesn’t really matter. All you need to know is that they like each other (a lot), but they’re rather shy about it.
As the story starts (or continues) they’re riding a clockwork trike and chasing the evil Human Anet who is out to destroy the Motherland. She pops into a strange gloopy river, the Belas Rift, so they follow. They emerge in another world, the Cotswolds in England, where they discover that they are invisible and much smaller than the “‘umans”.
Being invisible is both scary and fun. They decide to keep a low profile, but no one told them to stop at red lights so everyone has a smashing time. Catastrophe follows them and soon the “police plods” with “firesticks” and their “snappy snarlies” are after them. They have to follow ancient clues in old churches to get help. There are plenty of close calls and ingenious solutions. Stig always has a plan, but they don’t always work.
This is really fast-paced, keeping you reading at a rate. Stig and Meg are endearing characters full of jokes and pranks. I enjoyed their cryptic clue chase.
It is amusing seeing our world through their eyes. The author invents a whole new glossary as they grapple with our “nology” and turn up their noses at “ingles”, tubes full of chemical chips. As vegetarians, they are horrified to discover ‘umans eat sweet little baa-lambs.
However, when they meet up with Anet and her minions the battle scenes are decidedly gory. I found that incongruous, but perhaps evil deserves to be blown apart and mowed down by a silver mechanical horse with spikes. I’m not so sure about lasers through the head and unattached legs and arms floating in the river.
The author is on a roll with this series. There are a few profound moments if you can grab a minute, but the action doesn’t stop for anyone. This is a frothy, bubbling fairground ride and really good fun.
I give it 3 out of 4 stars. The target market would probably make it four, but there were some formatting issues, such as words stuck together, which pulls down the rating.
******
Belas Rift
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like jenjayfromSA's review? Post a comment saying so!