Four Stars (out of Five)
Byron Carmichael is a seventeen-year-old orphaned genius admitted to a summer program of advanced studies at Brandenburg University. He and a pair of twin siblings, Gracie and Nick Winston, are assigned to an amazing research project based on his deceased father’s scientific work. The object of their studies is a revolutionary virtual reality device said to produce such a refined effect that Byron and the twins are warned, “‘While in the system you would not be able to interpret what is simulation and what is real life.’” Indeed, the device’s capabilities are greater than one book can exhaust, preserving a range of possibilities for potential sequels.
The main action of Book One is set in the small town of Charcoal Landing, Pennsylvania Colony, during 1760. The villains of that era promote murder for profit, gathering organs to meet a new demand from medical schools. The eighteenth-century criminal operation appears to have ties to the ominous Devonshire Corporation of the present day. Throughout the story, the heroes discover mysterious notes of warning that focus their thinking while forming the building blocks of a broader message. The ratio of action to dialogue to exposition is nicely geared to keep things moving along. The slightly sheltered teen characters take initiative and show vulnerability while actively building their confidence, but they inexplicably lack the desire to pursue vices common to their age group.
There’s something here for those who like to learn as well as be entertained—from a simple explanation of how virtual reality functions, to factual information on the wool trade, which emerges as critical to plot development. King’s career in medical pathology provides background for truly ghoulish crimes, yet the grisliness that weaker-stomached readers may fearfully anticipate is generally pretty restrained.
Along with laudable integration of scientific and economic information come historical faux pas. Hamburgers with chili sauce are served in a mid-eighteenth century tavern, well before they were invented. Tertiary characters are routinely referred to as “Colonial men,” yet that label fits every male except the British soldiers stationed in the colonies, so its use only undermines the credibility of the setting.
Dr. Carmichael’s last words were presumed to be, “He will know how to right what I have wronged.” As foretold, the similarity between Byron’s mind and his father’s is enough for Byron’s decisions to perfectly echo the elder’s fast action in the face of a crisis. The ending points directly to an upcoming sequel and suggests that what is known so far about the villainous shadow corporation is only the iceberg tip of the coming intrigue. However the wrap-up’s quickness and leftover loose ends could frustrate those who intend to read this as a standalone.
Byron Carmichael is a fresh mystery-adventure which shows that the past and the future are equally filled with peril, as is the process of growing into one’s full abilities.
Todd Mercer
ForeWord Clarion Review
PANTHER PRESS
Hilliard Darby High School
Local author thrills readers
Haylee Pearl
Co-Business Editor
As the debut novel from Columbus author J. Eric King, Byron Carmichael Book One: The Human Corpse Trade is the first installment of what is sure to be an enduring new series. The story is filled with science, history, time travel, murder, and some typical teenage drama, all in a Harry Potter meets Scooby Doo sort of tone. If Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their own SciFi mystery show set in colonial America, it might play out something like Byron Carmichael.
This comparison is understandable when you consider the author’s inspiration for writing the series.
“The inspiration for Byron actually came from reading Harry Potter,” explained King. “When I closed the last book, I felt like I had just experienced a great adventure. I wanted to create a story that could give my readers that same feeling I had.”
The story surrounds the young genius Byron Carmichael, who is living his life as a humble high school kid with a knack for science and ingenuity when he places among the top three applicants to an elite summer program. His fellow program mates are fraternal twins Nick and Gracie Winston, whose father has successfully created what he explains as the most realistic virtual reality system ever created.
However, before the summer can officially begin, an accidental encounter with the device sends the three young scholars back in time to 1760 to a small East Coast town in a time of crisis. Suspense and humor ensue as the 21st century kids struggle to fit in to 18th century life and solve the strange crimes plaguing the town.
The teenagers investigate a series of grave robbing events and murders involving a scandalous human corpse trade, taken right from the pages of history books.
While uncovering the town’s best kept secrets, the kids must deal with a string of unexplained notes, the early beginnings of an evil modern-day technology corporation, and a persistent hooded stalker the locals call “The Dark One.”
Readers will find themselves making guesses and forming theories at every turn of a page, and eagerly turning back to retrace the investigation and interpret the clues for themselves. Fortunately, this is exactly what the author’s goal was with writing the series.
“It is a focus of mine to be able to reach many teens and young people and show them the adventures that can be had with reading and even with writing their own stories,” said King, who spilled exclusive information about the series.
He hopes to release Book Two in fall 2009, and hinted at a storyline involving America in 1868, a time of westward expansion, a new railroad and outlaws.
Byron Carmichael is an exciting read for any young adult interested in science, history, or adventure. To find a copy of the book, visit www.amazon.com or www.byroncarmichael.com.
King aims to expand the horizons of his readers and inspire them to enjoy reading with this series.
“If by reading the series, I can give a student a leg up on a history test or a chemistry exam, then I have done my job,” said King. “My goal is to introduce non-readers to the joy of reading.”
Reviews
Arrowhead Online
Bridgeport High School
Water. Water is everywhere. We drink it, bathe in it, we're even made up of it. The average person doesn't think about this common liquid, but after reading new author J. Eric King's Byron Carmichael Book One: The Human Corpse Trade, every time I take a drink I wonder who drank it before me? Thank about it; the sip you just took could have been the same one George Washington took before he crossed the Delaware or Rosa Parks swigged before she stepped on that bus. Water is the key to our history if only we could unlock it.
As you've probably guessed, water is the center of this tale.
The story takes place in the summer of 2007. Boy uber genius, Byron Carmichael, has just been accepted to a summer program at Brandenburg University where he will join other extremely gifted students to work on an assignment. What he doesn't know is that he will be working on the project his father - who disappeared 15 years earlier - abandoned. Another surprise is that he will be working with the last person to hear from his father, Dr. Vernon Winston, and his children, Nick and Gracie.
Together they will work, not only to solve the mystery of the smart water, but also to solve the mystery of who is running a human corpse trade, Transported back to colonial America, Byron, Nick, and Gracie will have to work together to survive threats, attacks, and the Dark One.
The book started out with quite a few rough patches, which are to be expected with any new writer. To quote Nick, parts were like a corny episode of Scooby Doo, but once things evened out, the book was impossible to put down. At first, I didn't like the fact that it was written in present tense as I have turned down many a book written in the same fashion. I pushed forward instead, and soon this wasn't even present in my mind. Begin stubborn headed can be a good think especially in this case where I would have missed reading what is becoming one of my favorite books.
I'd have to say that the characters were what I liked the most. Byron - who is shy, too bright for his own good, and inexperienced in the area of girls - is easy to relate to the kid who helps you with your math homework. His mistakes and nervousness around Gracie are presented in a way that is both realistic and enlightening. I applaud you, young Master Carmichael, for showing nerds when to turn the smarts off. Nick is not to be forgotten, though. He lends a comical relief to many a situation that would have otherwise been boring and slowed down the fast-paced plot.
King has stepped outside the average teenage mystery novel and brought it to a new level. Through incorporating some science fiction, he has made this book one to be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers. I honestly can't wait to see what happens to Byron and the gang and where the smart water leads them next.
Lincoln Sklar
Arrowhead Online Newspaper
Bridgeport High School