Review of Tall Tales

[Emmanuella C Arumeze]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tall Tales" by Scott T Beith.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Midas, the famous Greek deity, has always been known for his ability to turn anything he touches into gold. The book Tall Tales by Scott T. Beith is a fantasy-fiction novel that follows Midas from just the king that turns everything into gold to a living and breathing king. This book comprises forty chapters.

The book starts with Midas, a young and intelligent engineer who can create a device that rivals the natural sun and acts almost as an equal. The villagers make him king; soon after this, rumors of his insanity begin to spread. His friend usurps him in an attempt to save the village from further decline. The villagers live in relative peace for a while, thanks to their Sunspire, which repels their horrifying enemies and their able army commanders. Kya, the maid, on one of her attempts to catch the adventurous princess, let's loose a series of dizzying events. Arlo and Akoni are tasked with finding a stone large enough to replace the Sunspire, which had begun to break down. They're closely followed by Kya and Anara. All four of them stumble into a web of lies and deceit. With betrayals at every turn, not knowing who to believe or what the truth actually is, they must all work together to save their world and others.

Written in very descriptive language, Tall Tales has some positive aspects. First, there was a clever contrast between ancient ways and futuristic technology. For instance, even though the villagers used carts and wagons for transportation, Akoni wielded a highly sophisticated gun. I also learned a lot of science and technology terms. For instance, I learned words like argon, radon, plasma, reactants, and so on. The characters were well thought out, and I could understand their actions. The author did a fantastic job with the storytelling too.

The book had some negative aspects. The first one was the development of Kya's character. She was always a damsel in distress, waiting for someone else to help, even when she had the ability to save herself. Again, she never had plans but would jump headfirst into situations. This may be passing a wrong lesson down to potential readers. It may teach them to make irrational decisions and consider the consequences later. An example is her encounter at the cathedral with the evil queen and venturing into the tower filled with mirrors and lights at the end. Again, the book's ending seemed too abrupt and confusing; one moment, they're fighting, and the next, they're looking up to their king and queen. I didn't enjoy the transition.

I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I did not rate it lower because, despite its negative ratings, the book was an excellent read. However, I couldn't give it a perfect rating because of the negative aspects mentioned above. This book has a lot of errors; it was not professionally edited.

I recommend this book to any person who enjoys fantasy books. Also, I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading stories based on mythology. If you love fictional books, this is for you.

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Tall Tales
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[TheGayOne12]

Descriptive language is one of my criteria when picking out a novel to read. Great review!

[Precious_Nzeakor]

Descriptive language is one of my criteria when picking out a novel to read. Great review!

I would say the same thing!

[Essy Nma]

A lot have been written about Midas and I find this book interesting. Thanks for the review.

[Patty Allread]

That is an interesting concept to use the tale of King Midas and develop him as a real person. Too bad the ending wasn't fully worked out. Good review.

[Amy Luman]

I, also, love good descriptions. I really expected more from Midas, but I am confident that these four can restore order and I hope that is the case.

[Aisha Yakub]

Sounds like a great read: great description, enjoyable storytelling and proper character development. Thank you for the review.