Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Official Author's Homepage Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Jeremiah Press ISBN-10:  0983329826 Type: Fiction Pages: 212 Copyright: Apr 9, 2012 ISBN-13: 9780983329824 The story of a young daydreamer who finds that it's wise to be careful what you wish for. Brian Stone's life isn't easy. Abandoned by his father, abused by his alcoholic mother, and mocked by his classmates, his only treasures are his beloved little brother and his old guitar. Then Brian finds a magical amulet in his attic, and things begin to change. Soon he has more power and wealth than he's ever dreamed of, and for a while all seems to be well. But Brian has made a terrible mistake which may cost him everything, and his only hope is to seek out the Fountain at the Heart of the World, wherever that may be. And if he fails, then it will mean the death of every person he loves, and maybe even his own. . . Excerpt Brian found the amulet in an old cigar box in the attic. He wasn’t looking for it, or anything in particular really. He just liked rooting around up there sometimes, especially on days when Mama was in a bad mood. He’d learned long ago that it was best to disappear for a while at times like that, if he didn’t want a smack in the face. Out of sight, out of mind. She’d finally passed out on the couch around two a.m. last night, and Brian had known even then that she’d probably wake up with a killer hangover the next morning. That was never something you wanted to stick around for; not if you were smart, so he’d planned to get up early and take Brandon fishing for a while. At least till she had a chance to mellow out a little bit. But there’d been a cold gray rain falling when he opened his eyes that morning, forcing him to rethink his plans. It wouldn’t do, to take Brandon out in the weather like that; the kid was always catching colds. Bran was still two weeks shy of four years old; a bit more than ten years younger than his big brother, and Brian loved him above all things in the world. So instead he’d come up to the attic, to root around amongst Papaw’s old Army trunks for a while. The whole place was full of junk his grandfather had dragged back home from all over the world, and no matter how often Brian dug through it, there was always something new to see. Not all of it was pleasant, to be sure. Some of Daddy’s old things were up there too, here and there, and it always made Brian a little sad when he stumbled across anything like that. He hadn’t seen his father since Brandon was a baby, and sometimes that still stung. But he didn’t come across things like that very often, and since fishing was a no-go, then treasure-hunting in the attic seemed like a good backup plan. So he’d crept out of bed, leaving Brandon still asleep, and tiptoed quietly upstairs. He switched on the dusty old floor lamp before picking a trunk at random, close enough to the door that he could see if Bran woke up and came out into the hall. He’d probably sleep for hours yet after staying up so late last night, but then again you never knew. But in the meantime, Brian pulled up a chair, threw back the rusty iron latches, and lifted the lid of the trunk he’d picked. It smelled faintly musty inside, and as usual it was full of assorted junk; a baby cuckoo clock no bigger than an apple, a set of ivory throwing knives, postcards, a beeswax candle that still smelled like honeycomb, dozens of other trinkets and souvenirs like that. They were tossed in the trunk carelessly, with no particular order; just a random jumble of odds and ends. He found the cigar box at the bottom of the trunk under a piece of cardboard, almost like someone had tried to hide it down there for some reason. Probably no one had, of course, but the idea tickled his sense of adventure. He pulled it out and blew dust off the lid, then tore off an ancient strip of duct tape that held it closed. Inside he found some crumpled rice paper yellowed with age, and wrapped up inside it was a silver necklace with a small medallion-type amulet attached. It was badly tarnished in spite of the wrapping, but there was no doubt about what it was. Brian was delighted; this was real treasure! There were seven blue gems set in a circle around a carven picture of a flowing fountain on the front of the medallion, and there was a smooth crack that ran all the way round the edge of the back side, as if it was meant to open up like a locket. There didn’t seem to be any catch or knob or button that he could push to pop it open and let him see what might be inside, but while he was looking for one he did find an inscription of some sort which he couldn’t make out through the tarnish. His curiosity was strong now, though, and he wasn’t to be put off by such difficulties. He spit on the edge of his shirt tail and rubbed hard until he could read the writing, but even then he was none the wiser. The words simply said “Thumb Here.” The letters were sloppy and blocky, like someone had scratched them there with the point of a pocket knife. “Thumb here?” he repeated aloud, thinking to himself what an odd thing that was for someone to put on a piece of jewelry. It was clear enough, though, so he shrugged his shoulders and stuck his thumb where it said, wishing the silver wasn’t so gummed up and nasty. It might actually be worth something if he could get the tarnish off. The instant he touched it, a sharp pain stabbed his hand, and he cried out wildly without thinking. It felt almost like he’d touched a burning hot coal, and he dropped the thing instinctively. He quickly looked at his thumb and saw no visible injury. It didn’t hurt anymore either, and his alarm changed quickly to puzzlement. He wiggled his fingers to make sure they still worked. They seemed fine. Then he listened to see if anybody was coming to check on him after that wild cry, but the house was silent. He must not have been as loud as he thought. He stared down at the amulet suspiciously, and then cautiously prodded it with his big toe. Nothing happened, but he couldn’t help noticing that the gummy black tarnish was all gone. Silver gleamed brightly even in the weak light from the lamp, and he noticed for the first time that the flowing water in the fountain-picture was speckled here and there with tiny chips of what might have been diamonds, glittering and beautiful. It looked like someone had scrubbed the whole thing spotless in the blink of an eye. In fact, it was almost like his wish had come true.

Thought-Provoking Christian YA
I cried real splishy splashy tears, the mark of a good book. This was such a moving and thought provoking story to be aimed at a younger audience but I think older readers would enjoy it too. William Woodall really gets into the mind of a 14 year old boy. What I like about this author is that he's not trying to be like anyone else. He's not copycating C.S. Lewis like so many others try to do. He's not afraid to approach the Christian aspect but he doesn't beat anyone over the head with it either. His work is unique and I really enjoy it.

I think he should have included discussion questions at the end of this book because there are so many ways to start a conversation with the many themes it contains.

I would give the writing 4 stars only because the characters weren't as distinct as in other books I have read by this author. For instance, the names Brandon and Brian were so similar I kept confusing them. I thought the two main characters could have used something in their speech to set each one apart. I really enjoyed the unique way he has of putting things though. Here's an example.
"Nor did he dream, except the sweet and simple dreams of the pure at heart, of the kind that nourish the soul but are never remembered."

I should also mention that the writing reminded me of a bedtime story in places. Some people might find that a bit distracting but I felt it added to the fairy-tale fantasy feel. I give the story line 5 whole stars. I'm sure someone has written about similar things but this felt original to me.

The Christian aspect I'd give 5 stars also. It is very appropriate for the intended YA audience but also appealing to a much wider age range. I could see reading this book in a homeschool setting. I guess because there are so many nuggets of truth hidden in there. It's about Heaven. It's about bad things happening for a reason. It's about deciding for yourself what matters most in life. It's a really good book!

A Read to Enjoy that gets you Thinking!
William sent me a copy of this book, my very first ever request to review, so I'm honoured and delighted to do so! Now I'm an anti-Harry Potter sort of person, so when I saw an amulet was involved I was a little wary. I also come from a completely different writing culture. I needn't have worried! William has the gift of writing , well what I'd call young adults stories, though anyone could read this and be blessed. He has that knack which pulls you into the perspective of Brian, and tells the tale from a child of his age's point of view. The whole text has for me that wonderful fairytale feeling that I love in the Elizabeth Goudge stories such as the Little White Horse.

Brian is maybe old for his age due to the abuse he has suffered in his life but he also acts just like a teenager. His journey to find the Living water is has great narrative tension and I'm glad that it went on long enough after the climax to make the ending balanced and it sort of ties in to the supernatural of the story.

I began thinking, ok, so this is a magical story in many ways, just how would this appeal to any teenager? Its adventure with a twist of romance, reality and excitement. Yet as a Christian, how is this tale justified. (see my standpoint above). Of course William related this to the Native Americans, and has a bible verse. Then it hit me, maybe I'm being dense, and William had this in mind but the whole book is one huge allegory or metaphor. Come to me and drink the streams of living water (John 4, v 13-14) . As Christians, we all seek and drink the living water of Christ and our lives should then reflect and bless all around them. This is what Brian and Rachel did with their lives. It gives you the gospel message that through Christ we can be all things and bless others. This book does it in a way acceptable to the teenage mind if they can see it! Bravo!