NEW SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY REVIEWS
Reviews Of Recently Published Science Fiction And Fantasy Books
Reviewer: Forrest Schultz schultz_forrest@yahoo.com 770-583-3258
Blog Address: http://newsciencefictionandfantasyreviews.blogspot.com
September 16, 2010
Tamala Callaway's Super Natural YA Fantasy Romp Set in TODAY'S Coweta!
A Review of
Tamala Callaway Super Natural: New Beginnings ( Author House, 2010)
$22.49 480 pp ISBN-10: 1449051715 ISBN-13: 978-1449051716
Reviewer: Forrest W. Schultz
As the 21st Century burst forth upon us, Coweta County's authors suddenly began publishing books at an unbelievable rate -- the total produced so far is now approaching 100. Yet it was not until this year that anyone wrote a novel set in TODAYS Coweta County, i.e. the Coweta of the 21st Century. This novel is a wild young adult fantasy whose characters include vampires and werewolves and withches and ghosts -- all of whom are good (!!) -- battling against an unclassifiable hybridized superpowerful evil entity.
This remarkable story, Super Natural -- New Beginnings, is the first in the Super Natural quintology and is the debut novel of its author, Tamala Callaway, who lives near Newnan. Callaway has gained a lot of knowledge of today's Coweta teens through her experience as a bus driver for the Coweta County public school system and from her own teenage daughters Zjeda and Jordyn, who encouraged her to write it and who gave her some ideas for story and characters.
When looking for information on this book, you need to remember to enter the title as "Super Natural", i.e. two words; it will not work if you enter it as one word "Supernatural". Information can be found on Amazon.com and on the author's website www.tamalacallaway.com.
Although the story, of course, is fiction, all of the places mentioned in it are REAL, not fictionalized. As we read the story we find it referring to Newnan and Sharpsburg and Newnan High School and East Coweta High School and Northgate High School and the Fairgrounds and Junction Lanes Bowling and Newnan Hospital and Ashley Park and the La Parilla's and IHOP restaurants. And mention is made of the (Newnan) Cougars! All of these are real -- none of these if fictional.
The story itself is unlike traditional fantasies and like many modern fantasies in having vampires and witches which are good instead of evil. But it is like traditional fantasy and unlike some modern fantasies in that it presupposes the values and ethics of (what C. S. Lewis called) Old Western Culture.
Although Super Natural is not a romance novel, there is romance in it -- in fact, it was a vampire's search for her life mate that resulted in her vampire "family" moving to Newnan, which is what leads to the unfolding of the story -- a story which is interesting to read whether you like fantasy or not.
Unfortunately, the publisher did a very poor job of editing, resulting in a text with a large number of typographical errors. When you read the book, remember to denounce the publisher for these, not the author. There is certainly nothing supernatural about their editing -- it is very very very SUBnatural!!
After the story, the author gives us a sneak peek at the sequel, which is, Book 2, which is entitled Super Natural: Love Crazed. Books 2, 3, and 4 are written; and book 5 is in progress. Arrangments are now being made for publication.
Tamala Callawayis involving herself in the Coweta writing community. She has joined the Coweta Writers Group and she will be participating in the New Writers Night on September 28 at the Ashley Park Barnes & Noble, detailsl of which will be announced soon. That would be a good place and time to meet the author and to acquire a signed copy of her book.
No comments:
Post a Comment