Amazon Clayton Bye, Independent Author: The Sorcerer's Key page Books XYZ Alibris Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Chase Enterprises ISBN-10:  0969842856 Type: Fiction Pages: 288 Copyright: Mar, 30, 2005 ISBN-13: 9780969842859 A dark sorcerer from Eden battles Jack Lightfoot for a talisman that will give him unrestricted access to Earth and her technology. The Garden of Eden isn't what it used be. Fallen gods have risen. Evil witches prowl the streets at high sun. Satan's acolyte has opened a door to Earth. Behind it all is tycoon and magicker Morgan Heist. He doesn't care about the repercussions. The time has come to risk everything for... THE SORCERER'S KEY Jack Lightfoot has spent most of his life in hiding on Earth, so it's not surprising that his response to being confronted by a bounty hunter from Eden is anger and resentment. But no one could have predicted his decision to intervene in the twenty year fight between his father and Morgan Heist. So begins a voyage of self-discovery destined to uncover a secret originating with Adam & Eve, one that jeopardizes Jack's freedom, risks the life of the girl he loves and may forever alter the existence of people on two worlds. Excerpt PROLOGUE Creote grunted when he hit the ground. He lay still for a moment, hoping to catch his breath. No such luck. The heaves struck with an intensity that terrified, forcing his body up and away from the unyielding earth until all that held him aloft was his forehead at one end and his toes at the other. Comets of light stormed behind his closed eyelids. Blood roared in his ears. He struggled for air. Another spasm wrenched his innards. Creote grabbed his stomach and fell back onto the sun-baked soil. Lying on his side now, he began to writhe, oblivious to the small bits of stone and twig that bit into his face. Trembling muscles clenched again, forcing spew from the man's lips. He hadn't eaten anything this time, thinking it would lessen the ordeal. Even so, the heaves were so intense he felt as if his ribs were cracking. He gagged, tried to get his lungs to unlock. Couldn't do it. Flares continued to ignite behind his eyelids, becoming ominous, fluttering, black and red splotches that left him swimming with dizziness. Still he heaved. There came a terrible braying in the background. Creote realized the sound had to originate with him, the knowledge coming as a cold blade of panic in his chest. By sheer effort of will he pushed himself to his knees, ropes of mucous, puke and snot hanging from his nose and mouth. A second, Herculean thrust brought him to an upright kneel. In this position, with arms wrapped around his ribs, Creote looked as if he'd sustained a terrible wound and was trying to hold the pieces of himself together. The watchers sat white-knuckled as another visible wave of pain ripped through the man's body. They were right to be concerned. This was Creote's third trip to Earth, and the effects of passage were probably going to kill him. Creote swayed. His chest heaved. He finally managed to get some air into his constricted lungs. But it was wasted effort. He knew this. The torture would continue; the sickness would have to run its course. So, on the edge of unconsciousness, slumping down to the ground beside a pool of his own waste, body jerking and weak, arms still forming a protective jacket around his torso, the man quit fighting. A brutal half an hour passed. The body spasms stopped. Creote's breathing steadied. His eyes opened. But he remained where he was, motionless, showing no other signs of life. A gentle wind danced in and out of the clouds and filled the air with the melancholy rustling of leaves. Grasshoppers snap-snapped noisily in the long grasses. One of the insects dropped into Creote's field of vision, its weird, sideways flight allowing the human to watch the bug as it passed along the entire length of his body. Somewhere in the pines that bordered the field in which the man lay an angry squirrel let loose a characteristic "Chitchitchitchitchit." Then came the whoosh of giant wings as an ancient raven flew overhead. The bird gave one deep, reverberating croak and disappeared over the tree tops. More long minutes trickled by. Those watching him had given up, were discussing who they'd sacrifice next, when Creote stirred. He struggled to his feet, gave a halfhearted wave to his invisible audience and, taking staff in hand, began the long walk into town.

ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS
HERE'S WHAT REVIEWER SYLVIA COCHRAN OF ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE SORCERER'S KEY:

THE SORCERER'S KEY is Clayton Bye's 272-page fiction debut novel that was published in January of 2005. While this novel of the Fantasy genre is Clayton Bye's first work of fiction, he is a seasoned speechwriter as well as a well-known author of motivational books, such as GETTING CLEAR, HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT FROM LIFE, THE IT CAN'T BE DONE, NO WAY, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING, CRAZY OR UNBELIEVABLY STUPID TO TRY IT HANDBOOK FOR SUCCESS, and THE HUNDRED.

THE SORCERER'S KEY examines the reality of God against the backdrop of Eden (as the cradle of life) and Earth. Existing parallel to one another, yet with the majority of Earth's inhabitants blissfully unaware of the magical place that is Eden, the fragile border that separates both worlds is suddenly in danger by the workings of Morgan Heist, sorcerer and ruthless user of the "dark arts." Heist will stop at nothing to gain free access to both worlds, and seeks to conquer and rule both. In his path stands young Jack Lightfoot whose key allows him to travel between the worlds. Unfortunately, Jack is unaware of the powers that seek to control him, and he soon finds himself in mortal danger. Will Morgan succeed and literally take over the world? Will Jack stand in his way?

Clayton Bye's work of fiction creates a fascinating set of "what if" scenarios. What if God had tried to start over? What if the devil is still around and lending active support? What if magic and sorcery were God's gifts to mankind? What if they weren't?

THE SORCERER'S KEY is a fast-paced read that combines action, adventure, and even romance with the elements of spirituality, religion, and magic. Without taking the quick way out by route of an omnipotent deity and an equally formidable adversary, Clayton Bye avoids the easy answers to the age old question of good versus evil, and instead offers the reader a third version, what if God made mistakes? What if the devil is not as powerful as we would have him be?

An interesting read!

ALLBOOKREVIEWS.COM
LEA SCHIZAS FROM ALLBOOKREVIEWS.COM WROTE:

Eden - haven to both good and evil?

Jack Lightfoot feels a need to end a lifelong battle with the most feared sorcerer devil in Eden, Morgan Heist; a battle his father has struggled in for over 20 years

Young and inexperienced for Morgan, Jack finds himself in a very compromising position when Morgan confronts him at one point. The overpowering spell to reveal how Jack is able to travel so freely from earth to Eden, with no side effects whatsoever, is a climatic scene. Jack, realizing he foolishly and prematurely stepped into this fight without truly understanding what he was facing, now needs to pull every trick in his possession to get out of this predicament,

Traveling back and forth from earth to Eden, Jack desperately searches for the answer he unknowlingly possesses, before his next and ultimate face-off with Morgan: how does he, indeed, possess this power to travel so freely? With the help of old friends on earth and new ones in Eden, Jack slowly begins to piece together this puzzle.

Alongside this battle enters Kate, a resident and eye-beholding beauty of Eden, who allies with Jack to help him capture and rev up his hidden magical powers.

Interesting and riveting characters amidst an intriguing plot sets this fantasy novel apart from ones I have read. Mr. Bye, using first person point of view, draws you into the Lightfoot family predicament, allowing the reader to step right along with Jack and help him solve the mystery of the "key."

Mr. Bye excels his writer's voice in this truly highly recommended read. At times, its appeal felt like an Agatha Christie mystery, intermixed with a bit of that Stephen King flair for bonding a reader with his characters.

THE GOTTA WRITE NETWORK
AND MY THANKS TO SERENA POLHEBER WHO WROTE THE FOLLOWING FOR THE GOTTA WRITE NETWORK:

Jack Lightfoot has known that Earth is not the only place where man lives. Beyond The Sword lies a land of magic and sorcery, Eden. Both of Jack's parents traveled through the void to settle on Earth taking with them the secret of traversing the void. Being raised as a child of other-worldly people has not been easy. Jack spent weekends throughout his childhood training and preparing for the day that his father's ex-partner, Morgan Heist, would rip through the void in search of his father's secret. Now that day has come and Jack is forced to rely on unused skills and his wits. He traverses the void and is chased from one world to the next. During his race for his life he comes to learn a myriad of truths that have been only alluded to in the myths and religions of Earth.

Morgan Heist has finally found a way across the void to find his erstwhile partner, John Lightfoot. Now that he has begun the search it will not end until he is successful. He will rule this world without magic. With magic.

This book was an amalgamation of magic, religion, self discovery, and adventure. Jack was a complex character that grew from the beginning of the book to the end. The fabulous world that CC Bye created was rich in details and consistent throughout the book. I felt as if it were not only possible, but probable. Morgan Heist did his job as the antagonist remarkably well. He was everything evil and his minions added an extra edge. I was amazed by the depth of character and the well-thought out plotline. With a unique look at the mythology and ideology of our culture CC Bye took a fantastical reality and drew the reader in from page one. I give Sorcerer's Key a full 5 turns of the key.

--Copyright Serena Polheber
September 18, 2006