King of Summer

Rating:
Summary: Definitely the King
Review: King of Summer has an atmosphere reminiscent of "To Kill A Mockingbird." The author--who I do know and consider a friend--captures the authentic voices of children. Too often an author will treat kids like idiots or as supreme intellects, but Wayne Wise accurately shows the strengths and weaknesses of youth amid a dark fantasy bearing Arthurian themes and an original twist on the ancient battle of good vs. evil.

In terms of technique, the book is smoothly written with a pace that flows. He relates the novel he was driven to write through vivid description and carefully crafted characters whose names even possess meaning. In short, brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely the King
Review: King of Summer has an atmosphere reminiscent of "To Kill A Mockingbird." The author--who I do know and consider a friend--captures the authentic voices of children. Too often an author will treat kids like idiots or as supreme intellects, but Wayne Wise accurately shows the strengths and weaknesses of youth amid a dark fantasy bearing Arthurian themes and an original twist on the ancient battle of good vs. evil.

In terms of technique, the book is smoothly written with a pace that flows. He relates the novel he was driven to write through vivid description and carefully crafted characters whose names even possess meaning. In short, brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: It's That good
Review: Well I finally got a copy of the book and didn't get a chance to read it until I got home late the other night after being out at a club. I took it into the Batroom with me and didn't come out until Nine Chapters had been read. It was that good.
Seriously, Wayne Captures the whole essence of friendships of all sorts. And like the previous review says, if you know your Arthurian Legends, you'll start figuring out whose who. I wasn't sure about Tommy at first but then I saw his last name. I'm still only half way through the book but I'm sure I'll be awed as much at the end as I have through it so far.

Rating:
Summary: Long live the king!!
Review: Wow! Is this book ever good! If you're a fan of Harper Lee, Stephen King and Sir Thomas Malory (or T.H. White), then you'll love "King of Summer". Wayne Wise has written a completely original novel using the Arthurian themes as a guide and crafted a magical, frightening, suspenseful and heartwarming story. It would be easy to sum up the book with one sentence: that love and friendship can conquer the most hideous of evils, but that would do a disservice to the rich story and characters. Each character is fleshed out three dimensionally and evolves over the course of the story through trial and error. Each has their own good and bad qualities and the line between both blurs throughout the book, yet each character maintains their role in the context of the story. "King of Summer" made me feel nostalgic for my own childhood, when adventures of epic proportions took place in the woods behind my own house. But it is not for the faint of heart. In portraying evil, Wayne doesn't simply tell you how evil the antagonist of the book is. Instead you are shown its ugliness and brutality through several of the characters. But you are also shown the beauty and love that all can aspire to as well. It's hard to talk about "King of Summer" without talking about the characters themselves, but I don't want to give too much away. Suffice to say, Vivian became my favorite. Set in the town of Appleton, Wayne manages to describe the town throughout the course of the story without sounding like a AAA representative and it becomes so vivid and real that you can swear you've driven through it at one time or another. As I approached the end of the book, I found myself really sad that I was coming to the end! I didn't want to leave Appleton or the kids, they had become so real. The trouble is, the book is extremely addictive! I read it to the exclusion of all else and couldn't put it down. Sometimes while reading other books, I may get tired or bored with what I'm reading. I had no chance with "King of Summer"! The pace is crisp and Wayne always gives you just enough in each chapter to make you want to turn the page and find out what's going to happen next. I hope that someday "King of Summer" is made into a movie. If so, I'll be there opening day, first in line!