Review: Great fun and characters you care about!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2012
I'm going to address the elephant in the room right out of the gate: Yes, _Zachary Pill, The Dragon At Station End_ owes a debt to the Harry Potter series.  Downtrodden boy discovers his magical identity and goes on amazing adventures with a male and female friend.  Sounds familiar, hmm?In this case at least, the characters and worlds that Tim Greaton introduces us to and develops throughout this book are so offbeat and engrossing that some plot parallels to "that other young wizard" can be easily overlooked.Zachary himself is a multi-layered character with a lot of heart.  I dare say that many readers will immediately be able to relate to him.  Aside from his naturally green hair, there is nothing really outstanding about him at the start of the story.  As the plot proceeds, he discovers more and more about who is really is.  I am not just talking about his magical persona, but also the personal qualities he has within himself that emerge as he is placed in challenging situations.  For me, that is the hallmark of a terrific piece of fiction: a protagonist you can connect with and watch grow and change throughout the plot.There are many other characters introduced in the story.  Greaton makes no secret of the fact that this is intended to be a series, and many characters that we meet are not developed.  The assumption is that their part will come in future installments.  Zachary's sickly best friend Bret and the outrageous and mysterious Madame Kloochie are two characters that stand out here.  There is a great deal of foreshadowing of events that are to come in future installments, and Greaton's characters are developed in such a way that makes them intriguing enough that the reader develops a genuine interest in what is going to happen to them beyond this book.For the most part, Greaton's fantasy elements in _Zachary Pill, The Dragon At Station End_ are simply whimsical figments of his imagination that he has worked into the tale.  And that is a large part of the charm.  A flying pig, a "porkasis", is just that, a wacky invention worked into the story for the sake of humor and fun.  There are many such inclusions on Greaton's part, as well as familiar fantasy entities such as trolls, ghosts, and werewolves.  The mix of the familiar with the unexpected really drew me in while reading _Zachary Pill, The Dragon At Station End_.This book is geared toward the 9-12 year old crowd, but older children and adults who admire escapist fantasy will also find it appealing.  If you enjoyed Harry Potter, or are merely a fan of light fantasy, you will likely enjoy _Zachary Pill, The Dragon At Station End_.  I'd encourage you not to compare Zachary to Harry, but just enjoy his story on his own merits.  I am very much looking forward to Tim Greaton's next installment in this engrossing series.