BOOK REVIEW: The Kingdoms of Evil by Daniel Bensen

by Solomon Midwinter
PHS Press staff writer

The Kingdoms of Evil by Daniel Bensen was a joy to read.  It was a surprise to learn it was his first book.  I would recommend this book highly, but only to people 12 and up, because there are a few moments involving some colorful language, and some moments that may not be suitable for younger children. 

   I expected the book to be a comedy, and very little else.  While certainly funny, the book actually also had some more serious moments, which was a nice surprise.
    It is an imaginative series, set in a fictional universe that is in many ways not so different from our own.  Freetrick Feend was a student at a college in the Rationalist Union.  Then he was spirited off by a strange, anatomically improbable creature called Mr. Skree, and his betrothed, a strange and terrifying woman called Bloodbyrn. He was taken to be the god-king of the kingdoms of evil. This was an incredibly dysfunctional empire, composed of three kingdoms.
     It had once been a serious threat and force in the world, but that time was centuries ago, and now it is a nation stuck in the middle ages, in an (albeit magical) world that is in the post industrial era. 
    Quite beyond that, government policies, or lack thereof, have ensured that unless something is done quickly, the entire empire will implode.  That is if they don't starve to death first.  And no one realizes how weak the military and decides to invade. 
    And on top of all of this, the Skrean (Skrea is one of the kingdoms of evil) magic system is entirely dependent on slaughtering massive numbers of monsters and/or people, as its magic system is necromancy. 
    As the name implies, these kingdoms relatively few human inhabitants are almost exclusively homicidal maniacs and sadists.  More to the point, the standard procedure if you are unhappy with the current administration is to arrange the death of the current ruler.  And as a sane and logical ruler, Freetrick had some deeply unpopular ideas. 
    This book is great, although somewhat hard to find.  It was never actually traditionally published, but it can be found on Kindle unlimited, or just Kindle.  It is also supposed to be the first book in a series, called the Covenant Nonsense.  I have been unable to find the second book, but I am still looking.  I am, however, thinking that it will come out soon if it does at all, as it was published as an Ebook  four years ago.  All in all, I would rate this book quite highly, and hope to find a sequel soon.

A book review on 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline

by Solomon Midwinter
PHS Press staff member

Ready Player One is a truly great book, if you don't mind something that can be depressing at points.  It takes place in a dystopian, post apocalyptic world, where there was an Eco disaster that greatly damaged human civilization.  All the oil and coal has more or less run out. 

    The protagonist is a boy called Wade Watts, and his story up until the point where the book starts is not very happy.  He never knew his father, and his mother died when he was pretty young, so his aunt took him in, not out of any sense of kindness or family duty, but simply because she could use him to get extra food vouchers.  She doesn't even feed him or anything.  So, up until the point where the story starts, Wade has been just barely getting by. 
    A lot of the story, however, doesn't take place in the real world at all.  Instead, more than half of the book takes place inside a virtual reality called the OASIS, the biggest, most spectacular, hugely unbelievable video game ever created. 
    And it's not just Wade.  Most of humanity spends most of their time inside the OASIS.  It is, to them, simply a better place than the real world.  While this is pretty sad, it also reflects just how broken the world is at the time when the book takes place.
    But there wouldn't be much of a story if it weren't for James Halliday, the creator and owner of the OASIS, who died and left one most interesting will behind. 
    He turned his last will and testament into the biggest video game contest ever. He did this by hiding an Easter egg inside the OASIS, and explaining simply in his will that his entire estate would go to the first person to find it. 
    And it turns out that there is an elaborately hidden Easter egg in both the hardcover and paperback (and hopefully kindle) editions of the book, the first clue in a series of video game tests that is somewhat like that in the book.  The prize was a 1981 DeLorean.  I know Craig Queen won but even so, I'm going to do it, just to see if I could have won.
    Ready player one is filled with many great things.  There are great moments, some hilarious, some heartbreaking, and some that are just awesome. 
    So, it has been five years since Halliday's death, and the scene is set.  This book can be  hilarious, and is filled with strong characters, all set against an epic backdrop.  This is a book that I highly recommend. 

The Blood of Olympus - Book review

by Ava Holsather
PHS Press staff member

The Blood of Olympus is the 5th and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series.

The series is about demi-gods (half god half human) going on adventures to fulfill prophecies.
Heroes of Olympus is the sequel series to the Percy Jackson books.

Throughout the book, each chapter is told from a different character's point of view.

After every page, chapter, book even, I felt fulfilled and happy, and most definitely eager for more!
The series is written by author Rick Riordan. His books are some of my personal favorites because they are filled with adventure, plot twists, action, and fantastic character development!

The Blood of Olympus, being the last book in the series, has happy moments, sad moments (I definitely cried a few times), and some that are very tense!

The moment I started the first book, and every other after that, I was lost in the world for hours!
All in all, I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for epic adventure filled quests, monster fighting, and lots of re-re-re-reading!

My rating of The Blood of Olympus: 10/10

Harry Potter: A Truly Magical Series!

by Aurora J. Pass

PHS Press staff member

Harry Potter was one of the best series I have ever read, and it’s really well written. The Harry Potter series contains seven bestselling books that are written by J. K. Rowling. They are about a boy named Harry Potter, and his friends Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger, and are set in England in a modern time period where wizards and witches are real. Non-magical people are called muggles by the witches and wizards. Harry Potter goes to a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. During the holidays he stays with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who are muggles (non-magical). They don’t like magic and think it’s unnatural and freaky.

I think the theme of the Harry Potter books is friendship. Harry, Ron and Hermione are friends, and they help each other out of hard situations. Also there’s a kind of good vs. evil thing going on. This is an example: the evil Lord Voldemort wants to kill all the muggles, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione need to help stop him.

I was so sad when I finished the series because it was so good, and I wanted it to keep going. I also like it that it’s set in the real world because it seems like magic could be possible. I like the idea of magic, and the way that it is introduced in this book. If you haven’t read it yet READ IT! You cannot say that you have read the best books in the world if you haven’t read Harry Potter!