Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud
Max has anger management issues. But she has a secret, too. She can make things happen. Like magic. She almost killed a loser skate punk and nearly used it on her stuck up older sister. The question is, can she do anything other than blow things up? Can she learn to control it? And is it really possible that an obscure teenage girl is the key to keeping all of humanity safe?
Snippet:
Maxine Xylander ran through the driving Seattle rain. Technicolor afterimages chased her, screaming in tortured surround sound. Blood and glass, like rubies and shattered crystal carelessly strewn about.
Her ears were still ringing from the blast and the screams. She tried running faster to outrace the memories. Did she kill him? She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. A fire truck splashed past going the opposite direction, howling and strobing through the rain. More sirens wailed and converged as she ran and ran. I’m bleeding! I can’t see anything! Glass everywhere. Blood. The boy in agony. His shredded hoodie.
And then she was throwing up in the gutter. She heaved between ragged breaths. The raging water rushing through the gutter washed the foulness away, but could do nothing for the sour taste in her mouth. She staggered to her feet, but she shook so violently she could barely walk. Even though she ran here every day, nothing looked familiar.
Sometime later—seconds?—minutes?—instinct took over and she started off again. Her teeth chattered and her knees knocked. Her soggy ponytail whipped back and forth. But she kept going. On automatic. Pounding out a run. She couldn’t go home. And definitely not back to school. The scene of the crime. The memories were still hissing at her. The boy moaning. The witnesses screaming. A bomb? Terrorists?
She knew better. She unleashed a power on the kid. Not dynamite or a gas explosion. Not a suicide bomber: she did it. She flashed back to the boy’s ugly face through the plate glass. He’d made a crude, racist insult to Angie and Jill, who happened to be beautiful, smart, and Asian in addition to being Max’s best friends. His group of losers had been taunting them for weeks. But today, it was too much for Max. She’d had enough. An angry fire burned inside her. It was fueled by rage, by hate, and by the unfairness of every second of her thirteen-year-old life. When the creep sauntered out the door and turned to flip them off through the window, the fire inside her went wild. Uncontrollable. She couldn’t help but release it…
…and the window exploded. Jagged slivers of glass tore the boy and showered the crowds of kids hanging around after school.
Blood and glass.
Max Xylander and the Island of Zumuruud is a fast-paced fantasy adventure for all ages (10 and up) and is the first of a planned trilogy. Fans of magic, swordplay, secret agents, and conspiracies set in a modern everyday world will not be able to put the book down. Jon Thomason is a debut author and paints a vivid world of magic right under our noses and delivers rapid-fire action that keeps the pages turning.
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Praise
"Impressively inventive and enjoyable...vivid storytelling and exceptional characterization...Max's personality is layered and complex...conveyed flawlessly...keeping readers intrigued and engaged...writing style is smooth, and a subtle sense of humor comes through...narrative tension builds at a good pace and easily flows toward a satisfying and exciting conclusion...parents are likely to both approve of the story and enjoy reading it themselves...talented writer...sure to find an appreciative audience that will eagerly anticipate the next book in the series." -- ForeWord Clarion Review
"Thomason shines in his heroine's characterization...magical" --blueink Review
Jon Thomason lives with his family in San Diego, after many years living in the beautiful Seattle area. He has a successful career in high tech where he's been fortunate enough to participate in many big-name industry releases.
Storytelling permeates everything he does. In the moments when Jon is not helping build the story of the tech world, he can almost always be found working on a project: writing, photography, videography, graphics design, or 3D art.
And he's always careful to conceal his jinni magic abilities, though perhaps might slip one day and be discovered...
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