LIGHT OF THE MOON | David James | @djamesauthor

This review concerns Light of the Moon, the first book of the Legend of the Dreamer Series.

A good writer knows how to make his characters come alive. A great writer brings the character’s world to life as well. David’s writing style skillfully and artfully navigates plot changes, the blending of reality and fiction, and great character development.

• An Immersive World
• Put it In a Blender on High
• A Superhero’s Curse

An Immersive World

I read the opening chapters of this book was amazement and delight. As a budding writer, I marveled at David’s writing style because he brings out subtle details about his characters – their thoughts, emotions, perspectives, and their places – colors, smells, and decor, that immersed me in the world of Calum Wade – the story’s main character.

For example, there’s an opening dream (nightmare) sequence is just fantastic. The special effects department in my mind worked overtime and produced vivid images of what was transpiring. If this book (and probably, the series) were ever to become a movie, I would want to see it because I know the special effects would be fantastic.

Put it in a Blender on High

But special effects aside, the plot it what makes this story a success. Like I wrote above, David artfully and skillfully weaves fiction, myth, and other older stories into a modern and epic tale of universal proportions. Avoiding a spoiler, but sharing a point – just the use of astronomy was sheer brilliance. Growing up with my telescope, and my National Geographic astronomy Guide, I thoroughly enjoyed the lore he wrote about the North Star.

A Superhero’s Curse

Now here’s where I rant a bit – It seems culture loves when its superheroes have some insurmountable fatal flaw they barely get over to save the day. While I can understand that part might be important, it’s an all too predictable theme in our recent gamut of superhero movies. But I digress…

Calum is just messed up, and David laid it on thick. A few chapters in, I was over the self-loathing and general shitty disposition that Calum couldn’t seem to get over. Enough was enough. But… then came the revelation, that Calum was something more than a teenage boy, that he was, in fact, some kind of super-human being with a purpose, or curse, with untapped and unknown powers. Then, I realized, the kid had it bad but he didn’t know it in the opening chapters of the story. The dreams (nightmares), the emotions, the confusion, the angst – which seemed way too over-the-top for a teenager – enabled the reader to understand the crap he’d been through and had to go through to discover his full potential. Needless to say, I understood and got over it.

I immediately rated Light of the Moon five stars. I highly recommend it.