Review: "The Long Journey into Another World"
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2014
This is a science fiction story written in depth which many may enjoy, especially teenagers who love to read.  Also, adults will also find it exciting.  Ten thousand years ago, on a planet in another galaxy, a pathway had been perfected to allow crossing over into our world. They had studied our world throughout it's violent geological changes and since the last ice age had past, they arrive in the area we know as northern New England:  Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and also New York.  They constructed devices to harness the storms' electrical energies.  Now, eight months before our present time, 58 year old Lillian strolls to the pond on her expansive property which had been inherited by her husband, Jack.  A thunderstorm is approaching and yet she remains standing on the dock. As the storm peaks and lightning strikes the pond, she again sees a man rise from the lake, grab hold of the dock, and push a water tight bag up on the dock before scrambling out of the water.  The old man, her husband Jack, approaches her and they walk together toward the house.  Lillian is wishing this is the last time he would make this trip to the "The Empty World." But it's not, and two months later an inflated airtight bag rises to the surface of the pond, without Jack.  The bag contains some paintings and a note from Jack... The portal is closing and he can't get out. In the present time, Christy Walker, 13-year-old granddaughter of Lillian and Jack, is very upset and grieving the death of Lillian.  But the evening of the funeral, she is presented with a large envelop meant only for her eyes from her deceased grandmother.  What it contains is information and a key which result in an unbelievable adventure for her and her close friends.  This novel is very creatively written and well written.  However, I find the format and the long paragraphs to be stumbling blocks for me even as a prolific reader.  The formatting without spaces after long, overly-descriptive paragraphs can hinder readers. I found it difficult and a bit tiresome to read for very long, as it appeared to drag along at times.  The story itself is exceptional, but would like a little faster pace without repetitious statements found primarily in the first half of the story.