The Beautiful Land - Softcover

Averill, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1781169179 ISBN 13: 9781781169179

Publisher: Titan Books Ltd, 2013

Synopsis

Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy steals a time machine that s low on batteries and attempts to save girl from impending annihilation. ...You know how this goes. Tak O Leary is a Japanese-American television host who vanished off the grid after a failed suicide attempt. Samira Moheb is an Iranian-American military translator suffering from PTSD as a result of her time in the Iraq War. They have been in love from the moment they met, and because they never told each other, they are destined to be apart forever. But thanks to a mysterious invention buried deep in the Australian Outback, they now have one more chance to get it right. Of course, it won t be easy. Love never is. First they have to avoid being captured by a powerful and mysterious corporation. Then they must take down a deranged scientist who is trying to unleash a monstrous creature upon the world. Finally, there s the matter of the invention an impossible machine with the ability to destroy time itself. If Tak and Samira hope to reunite and save the world, they must use this machine to find a theoretical reality constructed by the thoughts of whoever is inside it. They must find the Beautiful Land. Skillfully blending non-stop action with compassionate characters and a sharp sense of humor, The Beautiful Land is a novel unique in style and scope. It s a love story with time machines. A science-fiction novel for people who don t read science fiction. And an elegantly timeless tale about the nature of memory, heartache, and redemption.

About this title

Review:

This is a very strong beginning to what promises to be a very memorable novel. I love the characters, the quirkiness of the prose, the way the dialogue is both sharp and natural, and the flow of the story. We haven't got to the whole time travel thing yet, so maybe the story will hit a snag there or get too complex and technical, but I'm guessing it won't. Great stuff, and I really hope to read more.

Review:

I honestly believe this has a great chance at winning. If you do decide to do a little more polish, you might consider finding some beta readers or a continuity editor to tighten up some of those little characterization details and the timing for when they occur. But, seriously, this is the most interesting thing I've read this year, so you're doing something right! Good luck.

About this edition

• Publisher: Titan Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1781169179
• ISBN 13: 9781781169179
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352