Review by Marylynn -- Belas Rift

Marylynn · Post by **Marylynn** » 05 Sep 2017, 09:58

[Following is a volunteer review of "Belas Rift" by Stephan von Clinkerhoffen.]

3 out of 4 stars

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How far would i go in a bid to protect my motherland? What hurdles would i be willing to overcome for the sake of my country? Would i put my life at risk for the sake of my people? These and many more, are the questions that lingered my mind as i read Belas Rift written by Stephan Clinkerhoffen. I felt the author's passion for science fiction detailed with some touch of fantasy as i flipped through each page published by CreateSpace independent publishing platform. The book is presented in a manuscript format comprising of 128 printed pages; including pictures.

Stig, a younker from Chelldrah-ham and Meg, a fair maiden from Polandrea are on a mission to stop Anet from destroying their motherland. These two are not the best of friends but they are united by a common task to find out where pylons are and to stop Anet from using chaos to kill their motherland. The hostile welcome they receive on earth does not sway them from their main aim. Meg is in the mission for revenge because Anet transfigurised her brother into a giant Bach forcing him to kill and destroy. However, in their search they bump into an ancient monument, they recognize a stone copy of the writings on the wall. What puzzles them is that its original is not of stone but of gold in the palace of chelldrah-ham. Could it be that their history had been withheld from them?

They meet a nobby, son of Robbie and Alice, of a long line of Drews who overhears a message from an elder talking to the Dome about a Belas Rift in the desert and how it could transport a Manna to another existence. The nobby sets out to find his father who has been assigned a duty beyond others: to guard the golden temple of life. However, his mission is disrupted when he encounters the sly Anet and his life with that of his motherland, takes on a new turn. He blames himself for leaving a scree climber by the rift which made it possible for Anet to return on earth. Is his guilt justified or is he just being hard on himself? How did Anet get to know about the wooden key that leads to knowledge and riches beyond belief? Could she be working with someone on the inside?

The first time i saw Belas Rift, i imagined it was a children's book. The nostalgic cover and the pictures included in the book are what drew me to the book. The themes included but were not limited to; revenge, hatred, friendship, Love, greed and determination. This book helped me think about my friends. The kind of friends who have always been by my side; to rejoice in my success and dust me up in my failures. I realized that i had taken my friends for granted.

My favorite part of the book was when Naomi helped the threesome; Stig, Meg and the nobby find pylons. In exchange for her silence about meeting them, she was given an invisible flower that was soft and had a strong scent from a self healing plant that never dies. The flower would look after her on condition that she looked after it. Oh, how i wished i was in her position!

I felt like the flash backs kind of interrupted the flow of the story. I felt like there were way too many characters that ended up confusing me. I felt like some words needed more elaboration since most of them were the author's creation for example 'ohnomorerepeats' and younker, so as to save the readers time in trying to figure out whatever these words meant. I felt like i traveled Belas Rift alone, trailing behind the author yet we were supposed to travel together. For a moment i felt lost!

Was i disappointed with the book? Yes, a little maybe it is because i had set my expectations way too high. Did the book finally deliver? Yes, i felt like the book delivered in the end. It would be unfair to rate the book 2 stars because it was well edited but then i would not give it a 4 because i was left to figure out most of the author's new words. I rate 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend Belas Rift to the lovers of fantasy. The book is light-humored and the language used is friendly to all. Looking for a book that would help you pass time? Then, this is it.

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Belas Rift
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Donatelloo · Post by **Donatelloo** » 07 Sep 2017, 12:48

Interesting plot . I must admit I really liked your writing style . Great review

kislany · Post by **kislany** » 08 Sep 2017, 00:42

Great review, and I'm glad to read that there were not many editing issues in the book.

mumoscar · Post by **mumoscar** » 08 Sep 2017, 03:45

This is a great love fantasy. Sometimes we take our friendships for granted yet there is so much we can retrieve from them. Apart from the confusion issues i think it's a nice book. Great review.

Marylynn · Post by **Marylynn** » 19 Sep 2017, 10:39

Darakhshan Nazir wrote:Interesting plot . I must admit I really liked your writing style . Great review

Thanks

-- 19 Sep 2017, 10:43 --

mumoscar wrote:This is a great love fantasy. Sometimes we take our friendships for granted yet there is so much we can retrieve from them. Apart from the confusion issues i think it's a nice book. Great review.

Yeah, especially in today's world, everyone is just too busy for friends. Busy with work, struggling to survive is the order of the day and we are like unless our friends are going to help in footing our bills we have have no time for them. We tend to forget the fact that we are social beings.

-- 19 Sep 2017, 10:44 --

kislany wrote:Great review, and I'm glad to read that there were not many editing issues in the book.

Thanks.

geoffrey ngoima · Post by **geoffrey ngoima** » 19 Sep 2017, 13:25

What a beautifully explained review, too bad about the book's shortcomings, but it still sounds like a good read.
& you might want to correct your 'i's with 'I's in the future

ritah · Post by **ritah** » 19 Sep 2017, 14:34

This book sounds like something I'd enjoy, it's too bad the author didn't clearly define the meaning of made-up words from the get-go. Thank you for the review, I love how you expressed your thoughts, so articulate, and so well written.

Marylynn · Post by **Marylynn** » 01 Oct 2017, 09:31

Yeah! Made up words that have not been explained kind of interrupt with the flow of the book. Generally they tend to reduce the pace.

-- 01 Oct 2017, 09:33 --

ritah wrote:This book sounds like something I'd enjoy, it's too bad the author didn't clearly define the meaning of made-up words from the get-go. Thank you for the review, I love how you expressed your thoughts, so articulate, and so well written.

Welcome