reviewed by Tannia E. Ortiz-Lopès
A World Away is author T.J. Smith’s first book in the Quest of Dan Clay series, a leap of faith saga to save a missing older brother from an evil parallel world.
The book cover shows a gloomy castle standing on the top of a mountain, surrounded by creepy trees and a bewitched full moon, as if to say to uninvited visitors: beware, beware, beware…!
Dan Clay is a high school senior who looks like a nerd. He is smart, shy, wears glasses, and his non-athletic body makes him the perfect target for the two known school bullies, Sur and Malice.
When Dan finds his science project trashed all over the school’s gym floor, all his dreams of obtaining a scholarship are crushed. He storms out of the gym and wanders around town trying to cool off his rage. Dan is so absorbed in his thoughts that he, unknowingly, enters the forbidden and mythical Eldritch Forest. It’s dark and suddenly Dan realizes he is lost. All of the childhood stories he had heard about demons and mythical beasts among the trees and rocks of the forest start to become real to him. He trembles in fear. He then sits on a fallen tree, looks around and sees a large oak tree. It seems familiar to him, so he walks over and touches it. His hand penetrates the tree’s surface. Curiosity takes the best of him and he places his hand deeper into the tree, when suddenly he hears a loud noise behind him. He gets scared and his glasses fall on the forest floor. Dan is bending down to pick them up when he is pushed into the tree by an invisible force.
Dan is confused and after hearing more noises in the forest, he decides to rush back home. He is more amazed and puzzled after he sees his family celebrating William’s 18th birthday. Dan quickly analyzes all the events and concludes that the ”tree” plays a key role in his ordeals.
A World Away takes the reader back and forth between both worlds. While Dan and his companions dare to go further and further into the forest, the parents in the other world are devastated about their children’s sudden and unexpected disappearance.
My hat goes off to this author, whose imagination and creativity will keep the reader engaged in this God-forsaken world as Dan and his companions encounter tree nymphs, purple frogs with teeth and very long tongues, a carnivorous species of grass, mean looking moles, a huge snail, a giant spider, a three headed Siberian Tiger, trolls, and other assorted prehistoric and mythological creatures.
This Young Adult (YA) fiction story is entertaining for middle schoolers, as they will be able to identify themselves with the dilemmas, predicaments, and personalities of the characters. The book, however, is not suitable for younger children as they might get scared by some of the situations.
Will Dan and his companions ever reach the castle where he believes his brother William is trapped? Will they survive all the tribulations of their journey? For the answers to these and other questions, join Dan, Jimmy, Cindy, and Sam as they travel into the unknown in A World Away.
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