Official Review: The Tales on the Sand by Némo

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any fiction books or series that do not fit into one of the other categories. If the fiction book fits into one the other categories, please use that category instead.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Official Review: The Tales on the Sand by Némo

Post by LeDiplomatique »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Tales on the Sand" by Némo.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Tales on the Sand is a collection of thought-provoking tales on mystical fantasy. They are full of wisdom. The book is divided in three parts. The first part is a collection of twenty-one short stories, each bearing a certain lesson about life. Most of them are centered on creation and reincarnation. I enjoyed ‘The Golden Giant’ because it teaches that fear can cripple our judgement but courage exposes our enemy’s weakness. The courageous boy in the story exposed the domineering giant. The second part contains five longer but captivating stories of ghostly and extraterrestrial nature. I enjoyed ‘The thief and the Light’ due to its suspense aspect. The third part contains a mixture of short and long, progressive stories of intergalactic and after-death adventures.

The themes revolve around the supernatural, reincarnation, mysticism and life beyond this life. The language of the book alternates between simple and complex. Some of the stories have an easy-to-understand structure while others require the reader to expand their mind in order to understand. The tone of the book portrays an italics-happy author who ardently embraces spiritualism. The overuse of italics is quite distracting. Italics might be okay in one sentence, but when the whole prose is italicized, it becomes stressful to the eye. Additionally, when complex concepts are explained using dialogues, they become easier to grasp. Therefore, an inclusion and a breakdown of dialogues would make the stories easier to decipher. I enjoyed ‘Spirit School’ on page 236 because it breaks the monotony of prose and includes dialogues.

I most love the lessons contained in the short stories because they have a lot to teach about life. This is a book full of uncommon wisdom. I least like the overwhelming length of some sentences. The sentence structure would benefit from fragmentation. A good example is on page 208, the first sentence of the page contains 105 words. I had to read and reread because I kept losing the meaning within the sentence. Nevertheless, the stories were creatively construed.

There is unnecessary repetition. A good example is on page 102, where Susan hugs and kisses ‘her’. The repeated use of ‘her’ and ‘she’ is confusing on to whether it refers to Susan, Donna or Susan’s daughter, Charlie. The key-picking is unnecessarily repeated as well. Even so, it was interesting to note the author’s fondness in referring to God as ‘it’; owing to the gender-less nature of Godhood. I came across errors but the book has no profanities and erotic content. This is an amazing book for those who embrace spiritualism and cultism. The philosophical stories have a superior aspect of human experience, which, in turn, presents insight into the nature of the soul and the spiritual journey.

I will not rate this book 2 star because it is an amazing, spiritual read. Nemo has also displayed outstanding creativity. I will not rate it 4 stars since it is not professionally-edited. I rate The Tales on the Sand 3 out of 4 stars.

******
Update from Author: The publisher has edited the book to correct the editing issues noted by the reviewer.
******
The Tales on the Sand
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Anon_Reviewer
Posts: 868
Joined: 22 Apr 2018, 10:01
Favorite Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 146
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-anon-reviewer.html
Latest Review: Niching Up by Chris Dreyer
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by Anon_Reviewer »

I love how you provided examples from the book for the issues you mention. No doubt, 105 words in a single sentence is definitely overkill. I'm glad you enjoyed the book, nonetheless. I hope the author makes the necessary changes to the book with your comments in mind. Thank you for the wonderful review!
User avatar
FEislandqueen13
Posts: 158
Joined: 22 Oct 2019, 17:43
Currently Reading: The 19th Bladesman
Bookshelf Size: 59
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-feislandqueen13.html
Latest Review: Doomsday by R. L. Gemmill

Post by FEislandqueen13 »

I'd presumed that the book contains simple folk tales and magic but it's based on rebirth. ... Not my cup of tea. :eusa-think:
In spite of that this review was well written. :tiphat:
Think before you speak. Read before you think.” – Fran Lebowitz
:eusa-think: :eusa-think: :eusa-think:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
User avatar
Prisallen
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 5678
Joined: 27 Feb 2019, 18:57
Favorite Book:
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 233
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-prisallen.html
Latest Review: Nirvatra by April Thomas

Post by Prisallen »

A group of short stories dealing with mystical fantasy sounds intriguing. The stories that require the reader to expand their minds in order to understand might be a little frustrating for me; I'm just not sure. Thanks for the wonderful review!
User avatar
Ashiyya Tariq
Posts: 2181
Joined: 17 Mar 2017, 02:17
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 235
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ashiyya-tariq.html
Latest Review: Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath by Randy Miller
Reading Device: PDF

Post by Ashiyya Tariq »

I like the collection of short stories. Plus, the themes of reincarnation, mysticism, and supernatural make this book worth reading. Great review.
Make your ideals high enough to inspire you and low enough to encourage you.

📕📖📰📓📕
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

Ever_Reading wrote: 17 Jan 2020, 08:30 I love how you provided examples from the book for the issues you mention. No doubt, 105 words in a single sentence is definitely overkill. I'm glad you enjoyed the book, nonetheless. I hope the author makes the necessary changes to the book with your comments in mind. Thank you for the wonderful review!
I hope so too. Thanks a lot for your comments!
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

FEislandqueen13 wrote: 17 Jan 2020, 11:32 I'd presumed that the book contains simple folk tales and magic but it's based on rebirth. ... Not my cup of tea. :eusa-think:
In spite of that this review was well written. :tiphat:
Thanks a lot for your comments.
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

Prisallen wrote: 17 Jan 2020, 16:18 A group of short stories dealing with mystical fantasy sounds intriguing. The stories that require the reader to expand their minds in order to understand might be a little frustrating for me; I'm just not sure. Thanks for the wonderful review!
Welcome Prisallen. Thanks for your comments.
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

Sarah Tariq wrote: 19 Jan 2020, 02:02 I like the collection of short stories. Plus, the themes of reincarnation, mysticism, and supernatural make this book worth reading. Great review.
Thanks Sarah Tariq, I do appreciate your comment.
Dene_bola
Posts: 12
Joined: 16 Apr 2019, 14:34
Currently Reading: The Power of Now
Bookshelf Size: 19

Post by Dene_bola »

I love short stories especially about life. This book is what I am looking for at this moment. Mystical parts are interesting even though I am not a believer in ‘rebirth’ things.
User avatar
steffielara95
Posts: 7
Joined: 20 Jan 2020, 08:40
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 3
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-steffielara95.html
Latest Review: The Mindset by Ace Bowers

Post by steffielara95 »

Would you say that these stories are suitable for younger readers?
Dejahson18
Posts: 4
Joined: 27 Jan 2020, 05:59
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Dejahson18 »

I am not a believer in rebirth things too but i think the book is very interesting if understood..
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

Dene_bola wrote: 27 Jan 2020, 16:59 I love short stories especially about life. This book is what I am looking for at this moment. Mystical parts are interesting even though I am not a believer in ‘rebirth’ things.
Definitely, it's an amazing book. Thanks a lot for Dene_bola for commenting.
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

steffielara95 wrote: 28 Jan 2020, 01:12 Would you say that these stories are suitable for younger readers?
Judging from the language style, I don't think Nemo meant it for young minds. Additionally, the spiritual ideas conveyed in the book might conflict some Christian principles. All the same, it is an educative book meant for strong-minded readers, who can not be swayed by what they read.
User avatar
LeDiplomatique
Posts: 544
Joined: 04 Sep 2019, 06:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 144
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lediplomatique.html
Latest Review: Basket of Brazilian Tales by Manfred u. Osterroht

Post by LeDiplomatique »

Dejahson18 wrote: 28 Jan 2020, 01:29 I am not a believer in rebirth things too but i think the book is very interesting if understood..
You are right. Its stories are very interesting. Thanks a lot for commenting.
Post Reply

Return to “Other Fiction Forum”