Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Witchvine by Samuel Sullivan Brightdreamer's Book Reviews. Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse series, Book 1) James S. A. Corey Orbit Fiction, Sci-Fi **** (Good) DESCRIPTION: Humanity's spread through the solar system may ride on ingenuity and persistence, but brings with it other human traits, such as greed, selfishness, and tribalism. Mars bickers with Earth, while both worlds view the Belters - people of the asteroid belt and beyond, changed by generations of low gravity and artificial atmospheres - as something subtly less than human. Various factions, particularly the vocal (and occasionally violent) Outer Planets Alliance, rally for rights and independence, but so far mutual need keeps the guns (mostly) silent on all sides. The balance is about to change. When the worn-out ice freighter Canterbury picks up a distress call, Jim Holden is among the small shuttle crew sent to seek survivors - or salvage. Instead, he finds a trap set by a new foe, one with advanced technology and an unknown agenda. He and his crewmates struggle to survive, dodging lies and gunfire, as they try to navigate forces beyond their control. On Ceres station in the Belt, Detective Miller's barely-functional career as a Star Helix law enforcement officer gets a minor boost when his boss selects him for an off-the-books investigation, tracking down the wayward daughter of an Earth business magnate. The deeper Miller digs into the life and disappearance of Julie Mao, the more he realizes he's onto something much bigger than a runaway case. Both Holden and Miller have become part of a system-shaking conspiracy with ties to a mysterious discovery from deep space, one that might lift humans to the stars - or exterminate them utterly. REVIEW: I came at this book a little backwards, having watched Season 1 of SyFy's series based on this book. The story arc's mostly the same, though several elements were tweaked for television. often, I must say, for the better. The book's still rather good, though, a space opera set in the early days of interplanetary expansion. It's a lived-in world, with dirt in the corners and grease under the fingernails, where the gap between poverty and privilege is enhanced by the vacuum of space; air and water, the latter mined from comets and places like the rings of Saturn, become more precious than gold, and failure to make ends meet takes on a new dimension when it's not just clothing and shelter at stake, but the very technology that enables one to breathe. Religion also follows us beyond the atmosphere; a subplot involves the Mormons contracting the first generational ship to leave the solar system. The characters could be a little flat at times, and the dialog occasionally clunked, but the action's mostly brisk enough to overlook such flaws, and it culminates in a fine finale. It kept drawing me back to read just a chapter or two more, which definitely means it did something right. I look forward to Book 2. not to mention watching the second season of the TV show when it comes to Amazon Prime. You Might Also Enjoy: Trading in Danger (Elizabeth Moon) - My Review Old Man's War (John Scalzi) - My Review The Expanse: Season 1 - Amazon DVD link. Brightdreamer's Book Reviews. Brentford, Connie The Moonlighter's Guide to Online Writing for Immediate Income : Nonfiction, Employment/Writing : **** Brooks, Adrianne The Dragon King and I ; The Fairest of them All series, Book 1 : Fiction, Fantasy/Romance : **+ Castlewitz, David A Boy's Best Book of Magic : Fiction, Fantasy : ** Cole, Kit Justice for all Time : Fiction, Romance/Sci-Fi/Western : *+ Clarke, Jerome Strange & Unexplained Phenomena (with Nancy Pear) : Nonfiction, Unexplained Phenomena : ***** Dale, Robert Catland, illustrations by Louis Wain : Nonfiction, Art/Biography : ***+ Duncan, Malla Kingdom of the Serpent's Eye ; A Barry Philpot book : Fiction, Adventure/Fantasy : **+ Emerson, Winston The Object Serial ; The Object series, Book 1 - 3 : Fiction, Sci-Fi/Suspense : ** Frankel, J. S. The Tower : Fiction, YA Sci-Fi : *** Gifford, Lazette Author Vs. Character : Fiction, Fantasy/Humor : **+ Howard, Chris Teller ; The Rootworld Cycle, Book 1 : Fiction, YA Fantasy : *** I, Ruth Unconventional Ways to Earn an Income : Nonfiction, Business : * Inglima, Matt Surcease of Sorrow : Fiction, Sci-Fi : *** Jones, Diana Wynne Fantasy Stories (editor) : Fiction, MG Anthology/Fantasy : ** Kaye, Rainy Summoned ; The Summoned series, Book 1 : Fiction, Fantasy/Romance : ***+ Kunego, Chris Meditation and the Art of Writing : Nonfiction, Self-Help/Writing : **+ Lee, Kimball LUC ; The In the Age of Copies series, Book 1 : Fiction, Romance/Sci-Fi : ** Light, Janice Becoming a Dragon : Fiction, Fantasy : *** Lord, Michelle Ten Things To Remember When: Committing Murder ; The Ten Things to Remember series, Book 1 : Nonfiction, Humor : ** Lowd, Mary E. Hot Chocolate for the Unicorn : Fiction, Fantasy : **** Loxton, Howard Guide to Cats of the World : Nonfiction, Animals : *** Martin, Laura C. The Folklore of Birds : Nonfiction, Animals/Folklore : *** Mathias, M. R. The First Dragoneer ; The Dragoneer Saga, Book 0 : Fiction, YA Fantasy : **+ Mayer, Bob 102 SOLUTIONS TO COMMON WRITING MISTAKES : Nonfiction, Writing : *** McNabb, Linda Fantasy - A Writer's Short Guide : Nonfiction, YA? Writing : *** Medlej, Joumana Drawing People : Nonfiction, Art : **** Meikle, William Flower of Scotland 1 : Fiction, Collection/Fantasy/Horror/Sci-Fi : ***+ Flower of Scotland 3 : Fiction, Collection/Fantasy/Horror/Sci-Fi : **** The Toughest Mile : Fiction, Action/Fantasy : **** Writers Write : Nonfiction, Writng : ***+ Metal, Steff The Good, The Bad, and the Utterly Screwed : Fiction, Collection/Fantasy/Horror : **** Moreno, Jesus Garcia HOW TO WRITE A BOOK : Nonfiction, Business/Writing : **+ Nigg, Joseph (Joe) The Book of Gryphons : Nonfiction, Mythology : **** The Book of Fabulous Beasts : Nonfiction, Mythology : **** Northcut, Wendy The Darwin Awards : Nonfiction, Humorous Nonfiction/Sociology : **** O'Connor, Tracy The Digital Writer's Guide to Twitter (with Sean Platt) : Nonfiction, Business : *** Parragon Books Myths & Mysteries of the World : Nonfiction, Paranormal : *** Parviainen, Pekka Clouds : Nonfiction, Nature : **** Peffer, J. "NeonDragon" DragonArt Evolution : Nonfiction, YA? Art : ***** Phillips, Larnette Writer's Block : Nonfiction, Writing : * Pogue, Charles Edward Dragonheart : Fiction, Fantasy : **** Quadmire, Mark Write your novel in 7 days or less : Nonfiction, Writing : *** Reine, SM The 19 Dragons : Fiction, Fantasy : **+ Richards, Brian How to Write a Novel : Nonfiction, Writing : **+ Sawyer, Avery The Forever Contract : Fiction, YA Sci-Fi : ***+ Shamed, A How to Write the Worst Kindle Book in the World! : Nonfiction, Humorous Nonfiction/Writing : **+ Shana, S. An Essay on Dragons : Nonfiction, Essays/Dragons : * Shiru, Kia Zi Magical Roads : Fiction, YA Collection/Fantasy : ***+ Simons, Jamie Goners - RU1:2 (with E. W. Scollon) ; The Goners series, Book 1 : Fiction, MG? Humor/Sci-Fi : ** Someone The Imaginality of Somewhere ; The Imaginality series, Book 1 : Fiction, CH Fantasy : *+ Stirling, Ash A Pocket Full of Spells ; The Braeden Wolf series, Book 1 : Fiction, Fantasy : *** Sullivan, Justin Shadowbloom (with Samuel Sullivan) ; The Rhyme of the Willow trilogy, Book 1 : Fiction, MG Fantasy : **** Darkroot (with Samuel Sullivan) ; The Rhyme of the Willow trilogy, Book 2 : Fiction, MG Fantasy : **** Witchvine (with Samuel Sullivan) ; The Rhyme of the Willow trilogy, Book 3 : Fiction, MG Fantasy : *** Vilott, Rhondi The Wizard's Towers, illustrations by Kirk Miller ; A Dragon Roads book, Book 6 : Fiction, CH Fantasy/Gamebook : *** Wise, Louise So You Want an Author Platform? : Nonfiction, Technology/Writing : **+ Wyatt, William Self-Discipline NOW! : Nonfiction, Self-Help : ** Yeager, Steve R. Short Stories (Volume 1) : Fiction, Collection/Fantasy/Sci-Fi : **+ Total Graveyard reviews: 58. Brightdreamer Books is created and maintained by TBW. E-mail Ad links provided via Amazon's Associate program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Justin Sullivan - Reviews. The Rhyme of the Willow trilogy, Book 1 Justin Sullivan and Samuel Sullivan Justin Sullivan, publisher Fiction, MG Fantasy Themes: Epics, Girl Power, Locations with Character, Plants, Portal Adventures, Shapeshifters, Weirdness **** Description. Axton and Aniva Rhyme may be twins, but their personalities couldn't be more different. Aniva has a chip on her shoulder the size of a tree, willing to bully anyone, even her own brother, into getting her way. Shy Axton, on the other hand, prefers schoolwork and books, letting his fears run his life. Both were left orphans by a car crash, leaving little more than dim memories of their real mother and father. until one of Axton's plants inexplicably bites them both, and they share a strangely vivid dream of that fiery crash - and a mysterious woman with yellow-green eyes who offered help. Compelled by their dream, the Rhyme twins sneak out of their grandparents' house to the massive willow at the site of the crash - and are swept into a dark and dangerous world, a forest gone mad. Luminous vines, stone-barked trees, evil thorns, plants made of shadow. and not a single bird, insect, or animal to be seen. Stumbling upon an outpost of civilization, Axton and Aniva discover many shocks and surprises - not the least of which is that their parents may still be alive somewhere in this forbidding, deadly Garden. Review. A compellingly original fantasy, Shadowbloom starts quickly and rarely slackens its pace. Axton's shyness has crippled him, and continues to do so throughout the book, while Aniva's rage becomes entwined with a darker fate, threatening to consume her very soul. Together, they form one reasonably competent adventurer, exploring a world composed almost exclusively of plants. and ill-favored plant/human hybrids known as Wilds. It could've been just another lightweight kids-in-Wonderland tale, but the Sullivans weave in darker, more complex threads beneath the seeming utopia of the sheltered human enclaves, and both Rhyme twins find their lives changed in ways that many young adult authors wouldn't have dared. It almost earned itself another half-mark, but the ending felt a little awkward, even allowing for it being Book 1 of a series. (It also could've used slightly more diligent proofreading.) Nevertheless, it read fairly fast and I enjoyed the world. enough that I may finally find myself paying for a Kindle book when the second volume becomes available. (For a cheapskate like me, that's saying something. ) Darkroot. The Rhyme of the Willow trilogy, Book 2 Justin Sullivan and Samuel Sullivan Justin Sullivan, publisher Fiction, MG Fantasy Themes: Epics, Girl Power, Locations with Character, Plants, Portal Adventures, Shapeshifters, Weirdness **** Description. Since passing through the willow into the dark, dangerous world of the Garden, Axton and Aniva Rhyme have slowly adapted to a world with no sunlight and no animal life: only humans, a fanastic variety of plants, and plant-infected humans known as Wilds. While Axton still searches for clues to their lost parents' whereabouts, Aniva considers his search a waste of time, still full of anger at being abandoned. Besides, they're hardly the same children their parents once knew. Both have been irrevocably transformed since the Green Witch pulled them through the willow - literally. Infected by Wilds, they are now Crows, transforming into winged, shadow-feeding beings whenever they are in darkness. Aniva carries the extra curse of the Blood Demon, changing into an unstoppable monster at the mere sight of blood. The humans of the Lighthavens fear and hate all Wilds, driving them from their midst and killing them without hesitation. a hatred that might soon be repaid in blood. Following a clue left by the ever-cryptic Green Witch, Axton and Aniva travel to the powerful Lighthaven of Fire Grove. Here, Axton hopes to find his parents, or at least a fresh trail to follow. a hope tempered by fear of what would happen if he and his sister were found out as Wilds. Fire Grove's populace hates Wilds with a passion, all too ready to start a witch hunt to protect their populace. But fear of discovery soon become the least of the Rhyme children's worries, as lethal Darkroots strike in the very heart of the Lighthaven. Review. The second installment in this trilogy picks up fairly close to where the previous book left off, with just enough refreshers in the narrative to remind the reader where things stand. Once I got my bearings again, I was off on another fast, wild adventure with the Rhyme twins. Some old allies (and rivals) follow them to Fire Grove, and they pick up some new ones along the way, each with a little more to them than is initially revealed. The Rhyme children have both grown and changed, though they still have more to learn about this world and themselves. The world of the Garden continues to present fresh wonders and dangers to explore. It almost earned itself another half-star, until I hit the abrupt cliffhanger of an ending. I'm not sure how the Sullivans intend to wrap up the many threads of the trilogy in one more book, but I'm looking forward to finding out. Witchvine. The Rhyme of the Willow trilogy, Book 3 Justin Sullivan and Samuel Sullivan Justin Sullivan, publisher Fiction, MG Fantasy Themes: Epics, Girl Power, Locations with Character, Plants, Portal Adventures, Shapeshifters, Weirdness *** Description. Since coming to the Garden, Axton and Aniva Rhyme have changed in ways they couldn't have imagined. Both have become Wilds, humans altered by the strange and dangerous plants of this world. and both have been part of the turmoil sweeping the Lighthavens, where untainted humans live fearing and hating Wilds. After the disaster in Fire Grove that left much of the council dead, Axton and Aniva have been separated. Axton, tainted by the Green Witch and her "gift" of Witchvines, heads back to Linnea, his first friend and guardian in the Garden. Aniva, meanwhile, returns to the Crows, who are planning a fresh assault on the humans and their Lighthavens; as both a Crow and a Blood Demon, she's become a valuable weapon, but every mindless killing frenzy makes her feel more like a monster. Meanwhile, the Green Witch is up to something, teasing Axton with glimpses of Ivan Rhyme, the siblings' long-lost father. Everything is heading for a cataclysmic event, one that may shake the Garden to its roots. Will the Rhymes survive, or is it already too late? Review. The final installment of the imaginative Rhyme of the Willow trilogy starts as if it weren't a separate book. and this is a bit of a problem. There's no chance to catch up or even let the reader catch their breath as it plunges ahead into the growing chaos and tension sweeping the Garden. This wouldn't be an issue if there had been no gap between reading the previous two installments and this one - but there was, and I never shook the feeling that I was just reading a part of a larger story, that I was missing significant connections that had dimmed with the passage of time. The breakneck pace and many characters worked against me, here. That said, it does move decently, finally bringing the Rhyme parents into the picture. Aniva and Axton have both changed, not simply physically, during their adventures. It builds up to a tense finale. but then things start falling apart, with some side-stepping, a bit of an eye-rolling revelation, and a solution that, given the trauma and bloodshed and death endured during the trilogy, felt far too clean and quick, not to mention a trifle forced. This feeling, plus the sense that the trilogy itself was unnaturally presented (it really felt like one story roughly cropped into three installments), ultimately lost it the fourth star in the ratings. All in all, the Rhyme of the Willow trilogy gets points for imagination and intensity, worth exploring if you want a portal fantasy with some threat and substance, if one with an abrupt end. Return to Top of Page Brightdreamer Books is created and maintained by TBW. E-mail Ad links provided via Amazon's Associate program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Samuel Sullivan. Samuel Sullivan is the leader of the Sullivan Bros. Carnival. He first appears in the first episode of Volume Five of the fourth season of Heroes. Character History [ edit | edit source ] Samuel is first seen reciting a eulogy over his brother, Joseph's, grave. From what is seen in the episode Ink, Samuel's father was a butler for a wealthy family in New York, and that his family lived on the property. Later during the episode Thanksgiving, Samuel watches Chandra's film then refuses to reveal Charlie's whereabouts to Hiro. Afterwards Lydia convinces Hiro to take her to the past to the day that Joseph was murdered. While in the past, Hiro and Lydia witness Joseph's murder at Samuel's hands. Advanced Human Powers [ edit | edit source ] Samuel has the power of terrakinesis, the literal power to control the the earth and earth itself. Samuel has displayed the power to control the ground beneath him and the ability to control ink. Samuel's power manifested even before his birth, which is so far unheard of throughout the duration of the series. At the moment of his birth there was a massive earthquake at the research facility Coyote Sands, Chandra Suresh kept a tape recording his theory about how Samuel's power is affected by other 'specials' magnifying his power. Samuel did not know about how powerful he could be until, he found out by eavesdropping on a conversation between Mohinder and Joseph Sullivan. Samuel's power is very diverse, allowing him to make great sinkholes, levelling buildings as well as remotley controlling small rocks, which he uses to kill Mohinder, until Hiro goes back in time and straps a flak jacket onto him. Samuel Sullivan. Samuel Sullivan is the mysterious leader of the carnival ring "Sullivan Bros. Carnival" and the primary antagonist in the fourth season of Heroes , titled Volume Five: Redemption . He is capable of terrakinesis, and is able to get more powerful with each evolved person he is around. Contents. Biography. Born in August 1961 at the Coyote Sands Relocation Center in Arizona, Samuel's delivery was filmed by Dr. Chandra Suresh, who worked at the facility and called the recorded film Project: Icarus. Even at birth, Samuel's strange power of controlling the earth was present; as he was being delivered, a tremor was occurring and Suresh concluded that being in the presence of evolved humans made his powers increase (there were loads of them at the Center). His closeness to evolved humans was very limited as he grew up, but it is still unknown how Samuel and his brother Joseph survived the hurricane caused by one of the escaping captives, or even if they were present when that happened, but whatever the case, Joseph claims that they were released from the place. Long after Coyote Sands, Samuel came to discover his at-the-time weak powers. He and his family lived at the Wheelers' estate in the state of New York, where Samuel fell in love with Vanessa Wheeler. After they moved out of the manor, Samuel's family started a carnival called "Sullivan Bros. Carnival". Samuel sought to train his new powers as part of an act, but Joseph ignored his claims about being powerful. Years following, Samuel found Vanessa at college, and asked her to marry him and run away to the carnival, but she rejected him. As the carnival continued travelling, Samuel and friend Eli became involved in petty crimes such as robbery, which caught Joseph's attention. He banished Eli from the carnival one day and talked the time-travelling Arnold into killing Samuel as a baby in 1961, but this was unsuccessful. Joseph gave Emile Danko a compass that could lead him to Samuel, so that he can capture him. The episode " Thanksgiving " reveals that Samuel had gotten angry at Joseph for hiding his powers from him; in response, he sends a rock flying at rapid speed into Joseph's neck, killing him brutally. Volume Five: Redemption. The fourth season begins with Samuel and several other members of the carnival gathered around at Joseph's funeral, where Samuel uses his powers to seal Joseph's coffin into the earth. Later, he meets with his associate Lydia, and pokes her with a long stick with ink; after she reveals information regarding Danko (the secondary antagonist in Volume Four: Fugitives ), Samuel tells Edgar (a speedy superhuman with sharp blades) to get the compass he had from him by any means possible. Edgar then killed Danko, slicing open his stomach, and was unable to see the key that was surgically-implanted into Danko's stomach. When Lydia tells Samuel about time-travelling Hiro Nakamura, who he thought could be useful. He tells Arnold (who was dying of a brain tumor caused by excessive use of his time-travelling powers) to send him to fourteen years in the past, where future Hiro sought to right the wrongs his life had experienced before his brain tumor kills him. Samuel found him and convinces him to do so, and then returns to the present to speak with Lydia again, where the faces of Claire Bennet, Peter Petrelli and Gabriel Gray appear on her back after another ink injection. Following Edgar telling Samuel of Peter Petrelli being an empath, he goes to New York City (where Peter worked as a paramedic) to fake being one of the people he saved during a recent bus crash. He breaks into his apartment and uses his ability to manipulate ink to make himself appear on a newspaper on the wall, so that Peter is convinced he was present at the bus crash. He eventually meets Emma Coolidge using a cello at night to see the mysterious colors caused by sound waves she can see; later on, he goes to the Wheelers' estate to find that it isn't owned by them anymore. When denied entry, Samuel destroyed the estate with his powers. While at a breakfast table back at the carnival, Samuel tells his "family" that Joseph has left a void in the carnival and that they will be getting a new member soon. He tells Lydia that he doesn't know who it is that he wants, but knows that someone will join them soon enough; that evening, he got desperate and tattooed Lydia, in the hopes of finding a face to add to the group, when he is interrupted by Rebecca Taylor as she tells him of her progress on recruiting Claire Bennet, which wasn't good. The ink settles on Lydia's skin off-screen, but it is said that Sylar's face is what's shown. An amnesic Sylar runs from the police after being arrested for killing his mother in the first season, and ends up bumping into Samuel and the carnival in the forest. When the police catch up, both Sylar and the entire carnival are gone. At the same time, a cello with the carnival logo on it appears at Emma's apartment. As Sylar struggles with his lack of memory regarding Samuel's claims (claims about Sylar, "the most powerful of us all", being a serial killer), he finds shock in hearing Sylar call himself "Nathan" (he had been mind-controlled by Matt Parkman into believing he is Nathan Petrelli, Peter's brother). He sends "Nathan" to the House of Mirrors, where he gets his memories back; memories of him gruesomely removing multiple people's scalps with his powers and absorbing their powers through their brains. A police officer from the previous night shows up at the carnival and looks for Sylar, so he traps the officer in the House of Mirrors to be killed by Sylar. When he refuses to, Edgar appears and kills the officer himself. He later thinks about recruiting Tracy Strauss and Jeremy Greer, who were nearby at the moment, and speaks with Tracy about how she would like to join; he somehow teleports himself and Tracy to the carnival and shows her around, but she wants to be returned to Georgia. Days later, Jeremy is found dead on the road after using his power to kill a protester; he was chained to a police car and turned into roadkill, as the officers saw him as a freak. Samuel, in response, uses his powers to destroy the police station and kill everyone inside. After, Samuel and Lydia talk about Arnold's condition worsening and that they need a new time-traveller. Samuel gets Arnold to send him back in time three years to see Hiro in Midland, Texas to recruit Hiro Nakamura to the carnival. He warns him of the consequences of saving Charlie from Sylar when she is meant to be killed, (presumably understanding due to frequent time-travel with Arnold) and is unable to talk him out of his plan. Samuel kidnaps Charlie and takes her to an airport to be teleported back to the carnival in the present, and forces Hiro to send them both there in the future. Now, Samuel had leverage over Hiro and wanted him to time-travel to the night he had killed Mohinder Suresh and get back the Project: Icarus film he had burned. Samuel appears at Claire's room in college to stop Rebecca from her out-of-control rage spiral. He speaks with Claire about how her father Noah will never understand people with powers (he had kidnapped and killed multiple gifted people). Powers and Abilities. Samuel's ability is to control the earth and its minerals with his mind, an ability that was present even as his mother was entering labor. He becomes more powerful when in the presence of other people with superpowers, but if there are none nearby, he is left unable to fend for himself, as he is heavily-dependent on his powers to save him. An exact proximity from evolved humans is never really stated, although he has been able to throw a rock at incredible force to kill his brother Joseph at a great distance from the carnival. In addition, he has been able to destroy a town by causing a sinkhole, miles away from the carnival, as well as destroying a police station with the same method. He can also sense who is an evolved human and who is not. Throughout the season, the carnival teleports from one place to another, which has been theorized to be caused by Samuel's increased powers; how this happens isn't explained, although he has been known to cause impossible feats, suggesting that this is within his arsenal of powers. He can also manipulate inks, as they were part of the earth before, and can also cause sandstorms.