Mary Fan, the author of the sci-fi novel Artificial
Absolutes, reviews The Beholder!
"In present day New York, Jason, an ordinary man with an
office job at an interior design firm, learns that his nightmares are more than just bad dreams. In them, he sees a man of great evil, Pariah, pursuing a young woman with amber eyes. Both disturbed and intrigued, he soon finds out that the dreams are in fact supernatural visions, a glimpse into a supernatural world of light and dark energies.
Meanwhile, Jason hears reports of people around the world dying under mysterious circumstances. Each body is left branded with an arcane symbol. After realizing the bodies are a riddle addressed to him, Jason encounters the amber-eyed woman, Emily, who tells him that he possesses dormant abilities of great power. In addition, he may be the only person who can keep darkness from enslaving the world.
The Beholder is an imaginative urban fantasy that takes a reader into a captivating world of magic
and mystery. Amberlake weaves his world in vibrant images, wrapping each scene in colorful descriptions that make the story easy to visualize. The reader follows Jason as this world is slowly revealed to him. The supernatural elements, such as Sight and Soulfusion, are well explained, as the reader learns what Jason learns.
There's an ebb and flow to the pace of The Beholder, which works well for its story line. It draws you in by setting up the mystery at the very beginning, then slows down to let you look around. The
action scenes, each a vividly portrayed fight between good and evil, are exciting and thrilling, and it's easy to get lost in the language. Jason is a likable protagonist who's easy to sympathize with, especially since Amberlake lays out his internal thoughts, allowing the reader to see what he sees, feel what he feels. Some chapters are written from the perspectives of other characters, giving the reader a 360 degree view of the story.
While the plot of The Beholder focuses on the supernatural battle between good and evil,
Amberlake highlights the human element of the struggle through his characterizations and relationships. As Jason follows Emily into the realm of the Sighted, he also finds himself falling for her, which adds an element of romance to the story. It also ups the personal stakes for Jason as he heads toward the book's climatic battle. In addition, Jason's close friends, Matt and Debbie, end up getting involved, and so by the end, Jason is fighting not only for humanity, but for those he cares about most.
Amberlake writes with a poetic lilt, bringing his story to life through intricate language. For instance, here's a description from early in the book:
"[Jason] burst through the revolving doors and into the outdoors, and ran into a nearly solid
wall of heat. Even in the shade of the skyscrapers, he found it difficult to breathe. He paced, restless. Needing to walk off some of his anger, he thrust his hands in his pockets, then started roaming the streets, weaving through the rush hour crowd."
Well written and wonderfully inventive, The Beholder is a highly entertaining book and a relatively fast read. The supernatural concept at the center of the story is unique, intriguing, and leaves you
wanting more." - author Mary Fan
Follow one of these links for more and for your Kindle or Paperback copy of The Beholder!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Follow the link below to Mary Fan's Blog.
Mary Fan
The Beholder
Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.
In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs
appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.
Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent
Darkness from enslaving the world.
Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability
to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.
Absolutes, reviews The Beholder!
"In present day New York, Jason, an ordinary man with an
office job at an interior design firm, learns that his nightmares are more than just bad dreams. In them, he sees a man of great evil, Pariah, pursuing a young woman with amber eyes. Both disturbed and intrigued, he soon finds out that the dreams are in fact supernatural visions, a glimpse into a supernatural world of light and dark energies.
Meanwhile, Jason hears reports of people around the world dying under mysterious circumstances. Each body is left branded with an arcane symbol. After realizing the bodies are a riddle addressed to him, Jason encounters the amber-eyed woman, Emily, who tells him that he possesses dormant abilities of great power. In addition, he may be the only person who can keep darkness from enslaving the world.
The Beholder is an imaginative urban fantasy that takes a reader into a captivating world of magic
and mystery. Amberlake weaves his world in vibrant images, wrapping each scene in colorful descriptions that make the story easy to visualize. The reader follows Jason as this world is slowly revealed to him. The supernatural elements, such as Sight and Soulfusion, are well explained, as the reader learns what Jason learns.
There's an ebb and flow to the pace of The Beholder, which works well for its story line. It draws you in by setting up the mystery at the very beginning, then slows down to let you look around. The
action scenes, each a vividly portrayed fight between good and evil, are exciting and thrilling, and it's easy to get lost in the language. Jason is a likable protagonist who's easy to sympathize with, especially since Amberlake lays out his internal thoughts, allowing the reader to see what he sees, feel what he feels. Some chapters are written from the perspectives of other characters, giving the reader a 360 degree view of the story.
While the plot of The Beholder focuses on the supernatural battle between good and evil,
Amberlake highlights the human element of the struggle through his characterizations and relationships. As Jason follows Emily into the realm of the Sighted, he also finds himself falling for her, which adds an element of romance to the story. It also ups the personal stakes for Jason as he heads toward the book's climatic battle. In addition, Jason's close friends, Matt and Debbie, end up getting involved, and so by the end, Jason is fighting not only for humanity, but for those he cares about most.
Amberlake writes with a poetic lilt, bringing his story to life through intricate language. For instance, here's a description from early in the book:
"[Jason] burst through the revolving doors and into the outdoors, and ran into a nearly solid
wall of heat. Even in the shade of the skyscrapers, he found it difficult to breathe. He paced, restless. Needing to walk off some of his anger, he thrust his hands in his pockets, then started roaming the streets, weaving through the rush hour crowd."
Well written and wonderfully inventive, The Beholder is a highly entertaining book and a relatively fast read. The supernatural concept at the center of the story is unique, intriguing, and leaves you
wanting more." - author Mary Fan
Follow one of these links for more and for your Kindle or Paperback copy of The Beholder!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Follow the link below to Mary Fan's Blog.
Mary Fan
The Beholder
Worlds of Light and Darkness are about to clash. And Jason will be in the thick of it.
In Asunción, Minsk and Sydney, people die under mysterious circumstances. Each branded with an arcane sign, they are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When more people are missing, with similar signs
appearing in and around their homes, Jason, an average New Yorker, realizes the victims are a riddle addressed to him. He is the final piece.
Emily appears, a beauty with startling amber eyes, and tells Jason that powers dormant within him are about to wake. In the world of Light- and Darksighted, he is the only person who can prevent
Darkness from enslaving the world.
Setting out on a journey with Emily, Jason discovers many improbable things like Sight (the ability
to see Energy Threads), Soulfusion, the Hall of Refuge, but the greatest surprise arrives the moment he sees Emily and finds Real Love.
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