Review: No Suspension of Disbelief Necessary in this Fantasy for Middle Grade Readers and above
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2013
Review of The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian by William L. StuartI reviewed a complimentary e-book version provided in return for my fair and impartial review.The problem some readers have with fantasy or urban fantasy is the notion of suspension of disbelief. In our contemporary, science-oriented, "I can't believe it unless I see it" world, the notion of elves, werewolves, shapeshifters, faerie, angels, and other supernatural or paranormal (translate: NOT the usual) entities seem difficult to believe. But a good writer of fantasy (think, for example, of Mercedes Lackey) can bring the imagined world to life. Such is the case for this reviewer with this first installment in "The Gemstone Chronicles" series. In "The Carnelian," young Aiden and Maggie, while helping grandfather Bebop rock-hunt near his home in the North Georgia mountains, find "fairy crosses," small stones which look like crosses. But Maggie also finds a really different type of stone, and that night, activated by a static electricity charge between Maggie and Bebop when passing the rock, an Elf appears from it, followed the next morning (after Aiden destroys the stone to free the Elf) by the Troll who has hunted him for millennia. Trust me: you won't even blink an eyelash, as these events seem to follow in natural progression; no disbelief need apply.Of course, the magical events don't stop here (and you wouldn't want them to), so come on along, buckle up and enjoy the ride. Author William Stuart has a deft turn with settings and dialogues, offering explanations that fit in neatly (and believe me, he knows a whole lot more about rock-hunting, preservation, and use than I ever did before, so it's also educational), and his characters are well rounded and elicit plenty of empathy. I found this book so comprehensible I only wish I could travel to North Georgia and hunt for fairy crosses too.