Shifter

Rating:
Summary: From the Author
Review: Although the reviews here don't speak highly of my work, most that have read the book tell me they like the story and enjoyed reading it. One told me that they've read it a few times already. Still, I enjoy even negative feed back.
THE SHIFTER takes place in Mitchell, South Dakota and is about Jeremy Peterson, who is hopelessly in love with his classmate Julie Walters. As a school outcast, however, Jeremy has no hopes of starting a relationship with Julie as Ryan Ford, the school's most popular athlete, won't allow it. While this is going on, a long held town secret is begining to surface. A dead shape shifter has been found. This worries Mike Dorrenson and Kurt Sanner (those who found the shifter) being that the shifter's blood can give another shape shifter abilities. As the story unfolds, Jeremy finds that he somehow as taken on these strange powers and uses them to fight back at Ryan, who up to this time has continually tormented him. But Ryan soon will become the least of Jeremy's concerns as a black government agency takes controll of Mitchell in the intent to cover up all knowledge of shape shifters and their powers.
There are those that question how the idea of a high school romance and a science fiction conspiracy could ever be related. First, think back to Stephen King's "Carrie". This book involves an outcast girl with telekentic powers who, in the end, ends up killing her classmates. THE SHIFTER follows a similar theme, only with a science fiction atmosphere. The story also parallels real life. We've seen what happens when an outcast teenage emotionally snaps and finds some way to fight back at his tormentors. The end result can be chaotic. The shooting at Columbine is my best example. In this book I attempted to show what can happen to good people who are tormented and have a burning desire for revenge; and then suddenly get the power to carry it out. This was also my way of introducing a continuing plot. Yes, I have another book in the works and yes it's a sequal. However, I'd prefer to call it more of the continuing story as it is very different from my first written work. I'll try to keep everyone update on a upcoming web page. Take care everybody.

Rating:
Summary: From the Author
Review: Although the reviews here don't speak highly of my work, most that have read the book tell me they like the story and enjoyed reading it. One told me that they've read it a few times already. Still, I enjoy even negative feed back.
THE SHIFTER takes place in Mitchell, South Dakota and is about Jeremy Peterson, who is hopelessly in love with his classmate Julie Walters. As a school outcast, however, Jeremy has no hopes of starting a relationship with Julie as Ryan Ford, the school's most popular athlete, won't allow it. While this is going on, a long held town secret is begining to surface. A dead shape shifter has been found. This worries Mike Dorrenson and Kurt Sanner (those who found the shifter) being that the shifter's blood can give another shape shifter abilities. As the story unfolds, Jeremy finds that he somehow as taken on these strange powers and uses them to fight back at Ryan, who up to this time has continually tormented him. But Ryan soon will become the least of Jeremy's concerns as a black government agency takes controll of Mitchell in the intent to cover up all knowledge of shape shifters and their powers.
There are those that question how the idea of a high school romance and a science fiction conspiracy could ever be related. First, think back to Stephen King's "Carrie". This book involves an outcast girl with telekentic powers who, in the end, ends up killing her classmates. THE SHIFTER follows a similar theme, only with a science fiction atmosphere. The story also parallels real life. We've seen what happens when an outcast teenage emotionally snaps and finds some way to fight back at his tormentors. The end result can be chaotic. The shooting at Columbine is my best example. In this book I attempted to show what can happen to good people who are tormented and have a burning desire for revenge; and then suddenly get the power to carry it out. This was also my way of introducing a continuing plot. Yes, I have another book in the works and yes it's a sequal. However, I'd prefer to call it more of the continuing story as it is very different from my first written work. I'll try to keep everyone update on a upcoming web page. Take care everybody.

Rating:
Summary: Please stop writing Mr. Knutson
Review: One of the things you should ask yourself before buying any book is how many monkeys over how much time would it take to produce the book in question. A slightly handicapped monkey with a typewriter and about three months could produce a more entertaining 600 pages of writing than could be found in this particular book. As a group that goes out of its way to read new works from obscure authors we are not surpirised that sometimes a book comes across our eyes that is not top of the line. However, this book is bad.

When reading the book one couldn't help but add MST3K type comments and expect the author to reveal that it was all a big joke and that the book was a test of publisher standards. Unfortunately, it is a serious attempt at a novel, which can make some people question publishing standards today.

The writing is childish and filled with basic grammatical errors. The storyline is weak and cliche, and the writing reads like a kindergarten play. Spend your money elsewhere

Rating:
Summary: Please stop writing Mr. Knutson
Review: One of the things you should ask yourself before buying any book is how many monkeys over how much time would it take to produce the book in question. A slightly handicapped monkey with a typewriter and about three months could produce a more entertaining 600 pages of writing than could be found in this particular book. As a group that goes out of its way to read new works from obscure authors we are not surpirised that sometimes a book comes across our eyes that is not top of the line. However, this book is bad.

When reading the book one couldn't help but add MST3K type comments and expect the author to reveal that it was all a big joke and that the book was a test of publisher standards. Unfortunately, it is a serious attempt at a novel, which can make some people question publishing standards today.

The writing is childish and filled with basic grammatical errors. The storyline is weak and cliche, and the writing reads like a kindergarten play. Spend your money elsewhere

Rating:
Summary: I knew the Author in school
Review: Shifter is at times a simplistic novel, how Mr. Knutson accomplished this in a 600-page book is quite astounding. However, it is important to note that Shifter was a book the author had been working on since he was in 6th grade. It is expected that at such a young age any writer is going to produce works that don't measure up to the standards of most readers.

Shifter is about high school and ostracism. The main character is presented as a lovelorn nature fanatic that soon encounters an alien that gives him the ability to shift shape. How that involves high school I don't know. Eventually we get some government conspiracy action and some military type action, all of which is done with a bad X-Files type drama that seems both shallow and unnecessary.

The dialogue in the book is believable, since the level of sophistication in the book is exactly what you'd expect a teenager to use. As such there is constant swearing, and the English language is all but murdered at times.

For those that knew the author in school as I did, I found it fascinating to see where the book paralleled life in a rural school, through the eyes of a social outcast. But to those looking for a good read, I'd recommend going somewhere else. Mr. Knutson is simply too young to write an engrossing novel. I'm always reminded of the tale of Clive Cussler, whose first book wasn't accepted by any publishers, he tried to sell it, gave up, and wrote another book. It wasn't for many years after that he released his first attempt. Mr. Knutson may produce better books in the future, but he should have kept this one in the desk drawer.

Rating:
Summary: I knew the Author in school
Review: Shifter is at times a simplistic novel, how Mr. Knutson accomplished this in a 600-page book is quite astounding. However, it is important to note that Shifter was a book the author had been working on since he was in 6th grade. It is expected that at such a young age any writer is going to produce works that don't measure up to the standards of most readers.

Shifter is about high school and ostracism. The main character is presented as a lovelorn nature fanatic that soon encounters an alien that gives him the ability to shift shape. How that involves high school I don't know. Eventually we get some government conspiracy action and some military type action, all of which is done with a bad X-Files type drama that seems both shallow and unnecessary.

The dialogue in the book is believable, since the level of sophistication in the book is exactly what you'd expect a teenager to use. As such there is constant swearing, and the English language is all but murdered at times.

For those that knew the author in school as I did, I found it fascinating to see where the book paralleled life in a rural school, through the eyes of a social outcast. But to those looking for a good read, I'd recommend going somewhere else. Mr. Knutson is simply too young to write an engrossing novel. I'm always reminded of the tale of Clive Cussler, whose first book wasn't accepted by any publishers, he tried to sell it, gave up, and wrote another book. It wasn't for many years after that he released his first attempt. Mr. Knutson may produce better books in the future, but he should have kept this one in the desk drawer.