Review by rwalkup -- E&N Escape by P.N.Holland

[rwalkup]

[Following is a volunteer review of "E&N Escape" by P.N.Holland.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The E&N Escape by P.N. Holland mixes sci-fi with magic as Billy, Ricky, and Sarah race to stop the evil wizard, Mohryia, from destroying the world. The book opens with our three heroes getting on a train to the Kinsol Trestle on Vancouver Island which Billy and Ricky are writing a report on for school. While on the train, Billy and Ricky mysteriously disappear, leaving Billy’s sister, Sarah, all alone. We then discover that Billy and Ricky have been transported to the year 2066 by the purple-eyed Azandra who needs their skill with magic to defeat Mohryia who has brought the world to the verge of environmental collapse. Will the boys be able to stop Mohryia with their magic and the help of Sarah’s psychic powers? Or will they only hasten the disastrous future that Azandra has shown them?

This book is the third installment in The Vancouver Island Mysteries series and there are several mentions of Billy and Ricky’s previous adventures throughout The E&N Escape. This story is a wonderful young adult adventure that I think is perfect for kids in middle school or high school. There were a few minor curse words in the book, but there was no sort of explicit content. The way that this book blended fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery genres was truly remarkable and the chapters were all short and very engaging. I read this book in one short sitting as I was unable to put it down!

My favorite aspect of the story is that it snuck in a little education between the spell casting and time traveling. The setting for this book is the historic E&N railroad in Canada and the reader gets to learn about its history as Billy and Ricky do research for their project. They even travel back in time to see the railroad being built and Billy remarks that being on the train itself is like living out history.

While there were a lot of things I liked about this book, it would have benefitted from another round of proofreading and editing. While there were no major errors, there were quite a few misplaced commas and missing periods throughout the book. I counted over ten mistakes while I was doing my readthrough. I also found it a bit confusing that the book was written in the first person while it was from Billy’s perspective, but written in the third person while it was from anyone else’s perspective. This was a bit confusing for me at first, but the transitions between perspectives were very well done.

Overall, I rate this book three out of four stars. The E&N Escape was very engaging and I thought that the author put together a lot of unique elements in a coherent way. It would probably be four out of four stars if had gone through another round of editing, but I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the series. I would recommend reading the first two books in the series before this one as I was a bit confused about Billy and Ricky’s powers before I went and read the summaries of the first two books. If you are looking for a quick read that combines fantasy and sci-fi, this book is definitely for you!

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E&N Escape
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[rwalkup]

Excited for my next review!

[Dominik_G]

Though sci-fi/fantasy books aren't my main interest, I enjoyed reading your review. Great job!

[derialist]

I'm interested in reading this book. From the plot you described, I'm certain i'd enjoy it. Too bad it's not a standalone book. Nice review!

[drwcroaker]

Not a fan of the title, but I love the cover of the book. Time-traveling in a train sounds a little Back to the Future to me, especially when the characters get to see the railroad being built. Very similar to Marty and Doc getting to see the clock on the courthouse going up. Thanks for your review.

[Wy_Bertram]

Not a fan of the title, but I love the cover of the book. Time-traveling in a train sounds a little Back to the Future to me, especially when the characters get to see the railroad being built. Very similar to Marty and Doc getting to see the clock on the courthouse going up. Thanks for your review.

Yeah, the title's a bit weird but this sounds and really interesting.

[rwalkup]

I'm interested in reading this book. From the plot you described, I'm certain i'd enjoy it. Too bad it's not a standalone book. Nice review!

Thanks! It was a bit confusing to read as a standalone so I would recommend reading the whole series.

[Leen282]

May be a good series in a couple of years when my kids will be a bit older. Great review.

[Honest-reviewer]

This book seems really interesting. I can give this a try some day. Thanks for your wonderful review.

[rwalkup]

This book seems really interesting. I can give this a try some day. Thanks for your wonderful review.

Thank you so much!

[rwalkup]

Not a fan of the title, but I love the cover of the book. Time-traveling in a train sounds a little Back to the Future to me, especially when the characters get to see the railroad being built. Very similar to Marty and Doc getting to see the clock on the courthouse going up. Thanks for your review.

It is sort of similar to Back to the Future I guess, I find't think about that

[Rodel Barnachea]

This book reminds me of another book that I read a few years ago. It is also categorized under the science fiction literary genre; although, I always thought it should be listed under the fantasy genre. Great review!

[LiLj]

I read this book too, and I have to agree with you it was very engaging, thank you for your review.