Review of Flight of a Prodigy
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Flight of a Prodigy" by Daniel P McCallister.]
“Flight of a Prodigy” by Daniel P. McCallister is a historical fantasy novel that follows Remy, an eight-year-old boy living on the streets of Rome with his friend Tacitus. When a tragic event takes his friend’s life, it changes Remy forever, making him a cold-hearted fighter. Remy ends up in an elite military academy, where he expects shelter and guidance but instead finds harsh training that treats children more like weapons than human beings. After facing constant abuse at the academy, Remy learns how to survive among thousands of other boys and becomes the number one fighter there. Somehow, at the age of sixteen, he escapes the academy and reaches a small mountainside community called Medias.
Roman senator Lord Lucian Jost and his family live peacefully on Palatine Hill until a sudden attack destroys the city and kills Lucian. To survive, Lucian’s wife, Lady Alma, and the remaining family members are forced to flee in disguise as commoners. On their way through the mountains to reach Priscus, the group meets Remy in Medias and hires him as their scout. None of them realize that this quiet decision will tie their lives to his in ways they never imagined. Among the group are three beautiful girls around Remy’s age, and for the first time he understands why men might go to war over someone, just like Helen of Troy. With these beauties as a distraction, Remy must deal with enemies closing in on them.
I absolutely loved this book. The beginning of the book was very sad. It showed the life of innocent, homeless kids on the streets and their plight for survival. This part clearly explains Remy’s desire to eliminate all that is cruel and evil from the world and live for the few good people, like the wagon party of Lady Alma. The bond between Remy and the wagon party was one of the best parts of the story. There were many humorous parts in the book, like the scene where Remy gets chased by a mother for staring at her daughters. He even compares her to an angry goose, which makes it even funnier. The interactions between Remy and the three girls, Annabelle, Gee and Lucretia, were also fun to read.
The book also contains some intense and disturbing scenes, such as cruelty towards kids, rape, and killing. If you are sensitive towards such content, please read with care because there is no warning provided in the book. The editing of the book is professionally done; I could only find a few errors. There is absolutely nothing I dislike about this book or want to change. So, I am rating this book 5 out of 5. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading historical stories with intense fight scenes and humorous narration.
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Flight of a Prodigy
View: on Bookshelves
“Flight of a Prodigy” by Daniel P. McCallister is a historical fantasy novel that follows Remy, an eight-year-old boy living on the streets of Rome with his friend Tacitus. When a tragic event takes his friend’s life, it changes Remy forever, making him a cold-hearted fighter. Remy ends up in an elite military academy, where he expects shelter and guidance but instead finds harsh training that treats children more like weapons than human beings. After facing constant abuse at the academy, Remy learns how to survive among thousands of other boys and becomes the number one fighter there. Somehow, at the age of sixteen, he escapes the academy and reaches a small mountainside community called Medias.
Roman senator Lord Lucian Jost and his family live peacefully on Palatine Hill until a sudden attack destroys the city and kills Lucian. To survive, Lucian’s wife, Lady Alma, and the remaining family members are forced to flee in disguise as commoners. On their way through the mountains to reach Priscus, the group meets Remy in Medias and hires him as their scout. None of them realize that this quiet decision will tie their lives to his in ways they never imagined. Among the group are three beautiful girls around Remy’s age, and for the first time he understands why men might go to war over someone, just like Helen of Troy. With these beauties as a distraction, Remy must deal with enemies closing in on them.
I absolutely loved this book. The beginning of the book was very sad. It showed the life of innocent, homeless kids on the streets and their plight for survival. This part clearly explains Remy’s desire to eliminate all that is cruel and evil from the world and live for the few good people, like the wagon party of Lady Alma. The bond between Remy and the wagon party was one of the best parts of the story. There were many humorous parts in the book, like the scene where Remy gets chased by a mother for staring at her daughters. He even compares her to an angry goose, which makes it even funnier. The interactions between Remy and the three girls, Annabelle, Gee and Lucretia, were also fun to read.
The book also contains some intense and disturbing scenes, such as cruelty towards kids, rape, and killing. If you are sensitive towards such content, please read with care because there is no warning provided in the book. The editing of the book is professionally done; I could only find a few errors. There is absolutely nothing I dislike about this book or want to change. So, I am rating this book 5 out of 5. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading historical stories with intense fight scenes and humorous narration.
******
Flight of a Prodigy
View: on Bookshelves
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