Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Description
Lassoed, knocked down, face planted in the dirt -- best thing to happen to Frank Bowen in years. When wife Liz went missing in the wilds of Belize, the constables of San Ignacio could find no trace. Years later, on a pilgrimage to her remote 'grave,' Frank is abducted and whisked away to a place he can't identify, by people whose motives and origins baffle him. Could this be what happened to Liz?
User reviews
LibraryThing member hay123
This book gives you the sense that you are reading two different books at the same time. The author switches between characters and locations at dramatic juctures. This ensures you keep reading. The characters are well developed especially Frank. The plot has numerous threads linking it.
LibraryThing member awolfe
While I liked the begining and premise of this book, I am not its target. I think it is for teen age boys. The story started off great, but became so bogged down in Action/Adventurer, war and other mindless stuff and languages that did nothing to move the store along. I found myself after 101 pages
Show More
starting to go cross eyed, and skimming. One thing I hate is to read a book that just stops and then find out there are more books to go. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chirtie
This was an entertaining read that I couldn't put down. The twists and parallel plot-lines added complexity and prevented the story from becoming predictable. I enjoy science fiction and adventure (though I am neither a teen nor a boy) and this book met my expectations and entertained. My only
Show More
complaint is that the ending was quite abrupt and now I have to wait for the next book! Show Less
LibraryThing member glitrbug
This is an interesting kind of Sci-If adventure where the people traveling between worlds are developmentally behind us in their home worlds. That made for a nice change from my normal read. My only complaints with the book would be that it didn't have a lot of emotion. People made life changing
All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for people liking adventures
Show More
decisions, others died, battles were fought, all without much excitement. I wish the author would read some John Ringo and David Weber and try to punch up the action a bit. The book also ends quite abruptly. I would have liked about another half hour with Frank as a payoff at the end of the book. That would entice the reader to get the next book in the series to see what else happens. All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for people liking adventures
Show Less
LibraryThing member YolaNL
The story starts off with the main character, Frank, whose wife went missing in Belize about twenty years ago. Then a second storyline kicks in and we learn that there are people from another world - a world caught up in a terrible war - who are able to travel between their world and ours.
I like
Still, I enjoyed reading this and was sorry every time I had to put it down.
I like
Show More
the way the author plays with the two storylines by jumping back and forth between them, although I think the second storyline would have benefited from a main charachter that the reader can identify with, like with Frank in the first storyline. Now it feels a bit like the main purpose of the second storyline was to provide a background for Frank's storyline, although plenty of action happened there as well. Also, I was expecting for both storylines to converge at some point, but that never happened.Still, I enjoyed reading this and was sorry every time I had to put it down.
Show Less
LibraryThing member flouncyninja
A middle aged man revisits the place where he thinks his wife disappeared decades before only to be kidnapped by people who travel from world to world through teleportation stones called xenoliths. He ends up a prisoner in this strange land until he escapes and starts an adventure through unknown
At the same time, a group of military scouts are trying to get home after finishing an assignment, but get stuck on "Ur" (aka Earth) due to faulty xenoliths. They encounter a group of the enemy as well as a violent cadre from their own side who claim that they are working for a peace treaty. Violence, blood, anger, people in mismatched clothing.
It took awhile for the book to get to the crazy "people from another place" bit. It almost started sounding like a sad book about a man who had lost his wife and suffered survivors guilt from it, so that by the time the place-jumping aliens (?) showed up, it was really jarring. Both story lines remained exciting and carried along quickly, though at times, one story would take precedent over the other and by the time you made it back to to second story line, it was hard to remember where they had left off.
The two story lines never really merge together. You don't get any of the characters in one story crossing into the other or vice versa, but it's obvious they are occurring at the same time. With this being the first of a trilogy, it appears that the stories might cross sometime later on.
My biggest problem with this book was the same problem I tend to have with most e-books and books published by independent publishers - typos, misspellings, and a general lack of editing. It's hard to get into a book when there's so many typographical and grammatical errors to distract from the general story. It left me feeling as though the book was published a little too soon and should have gone through another heavy editing process.
Show More
territory in the middle of a violent, bloody war. In the middle of his terrifying romp through this torn land, he begins to think that maybe his missing wife had been brought here many years before and might still be alive.At the same time, a group of military scouts are trying to get home after finishing an assignment, but get stuck on "Ur" (aka Earth) due to faulty xenoliths. They encounter a group of the enemy as well as a violent cadre from their own side who claim that they are working for a peace treaty. Violence, blood, anger, people in mismatched clothing.
It took awhile for the book to get to the crazy "people from another place" bit. It almost started sounding like a sad book about a man who had lost his wife and suffered survivors guilt from it, so that by the time the place-jumping aliens (?) showed up, it was really jarring. Both story lines remained exciting and carried along quickly, though at times, one story would take precedent over the other and by the time you made it back to to second story line, it was hard to remember where they had left off.
The two story lines never really merge together. You don't get any of the characters in one story crossing into the other or vice versa, but it's obvious they are occurring at the same time. With this being the first of a trilogy, it appears that the stories might cross sometime later on.
My biggest problem with this book was the same problem I tend to have with most e-books and books published by independent publishers - typos, misspellings, and a general lack of editing. It's hard to get into a book when there's so many typographical and grammatical errors to distract from the general story. It left me feeling as though the book was published a little too soon and should have gone through another heavy editing process.
Show Less
LibraryThing member torriek
I received this as part of the early reviewer books and it has taken me a while to get all the way through it. I found the concept of the book fascinating, but had some difficulties really getting into it as the book progressed.
LibraryThing member aethercowboy
Xenolith is a book that tells two stories that may very well intersect in one of its later volumes. There's one story about a doctor whose wife disappears mysteriously. And, another story about a group of soldiers who get displaced from their own universe and into ours.
Frank, the doctor, has
The story is not amazing, but it was not horrible either. There were no glaring problems that made it a suffer to read, nor was there anything in it to make it a page turner. It was a true example, for me, of a utility-neutral book: I gained nothing from it.
Your mileage may vary, but I for one did not find much to keep me coming back to Xenolith, aside from the desire to be done with it and move on to more interesting books.
Frank, the doctor, has
Show More
finally come to grips with his wife's legal death, and upon visiting her memorial finds himself sucked into a strange world at war. Meanwhile, a group of soldiers helping in said war find themselves in our world, trying to fit into our cities, having a limited understanding of the language, the culture, and everything else that sets us apart from them. The story concentrates on Frank trying to establish if his wife is still alive in this bizarre world, and the soldiers trying to make their way back home, all the while being threatened by the local police, adversary soldiers who have also slid through, and, of course, bureaucracy.The story is not amazing, but it was not horrible either. There were no glaring problems that made it a suffer to read, nor was there anything in it to make it a page turner. It was a true example, for me, of a utility-neutral book: I gained nothing from it.
Your mileage may vary, but I for one did not find much to keep me coming back to Xenolith, aside from the desire to be done with it and move on to more interesting books.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kingoftheicedragons
This is a fantasy book that follows Dr. Frank as he returns to Belize to visit where his wife had disappeared 20 years ago, which sets in motion a quest for him to find his wife who perhaps hadn't died like he had believed. This quest takes him to a different world where a war is waging, and he has
There was a B story that was a bit hard to follow that took place mostly in our world, but with the characters being from the same world where Dr. Frank found himself at. In the end, because that story was hard to follow, I feel that portion of the story was just filler which wasn't really needed to tell the story of Dr. Frank, which reduced my enjoyment of the book and as a result, slowed down my pace of reading.
There were also an over abundance of gramatical errors which tended to stand out--missing words, extra words, or even typos which were words and wouldn't have been caught by a word checker, which for me was enough to drop my rating from a 3 down to a 2.5.
I think the plot line, however, was overall good.
Show More
to deal with both the war and the culture shock of the strange world. Although I feel the end of that particular story line was a little disappointing, it was the best part of the book--at least at the beginning and then once the pace picked up again near the end of the book. The middle of Frank's journey was a bit slow-going. There was a B story that was a bit hard to follow that took place mostly in our world, but with the characters being from the same world where Dr. Frank found himself at. In the end, because that story was hard to follow, I feel that portion of the story was just filler which wasn't really needed to tell the story of Dr. Frank, which reduced my enjoyment of the book and as a result, slowed down my pace of reading.
There were also an over abundance of gramatical errors which tended to stand out--missing words, extra words, or even typos which were words and wouldn't have been caught by a word checker, which for me was enough to drop my rating from a 3 down to a 2.5.
I think the plot line, however, was overall good.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bunkie68
I received this book through the Member Giveaway program. It was a fairly enjoyable read, although the jump between the story of Frank's search for his missing wife and the story of the soldiers who are transported to Earth through the xenoliths was a bit disconcerting at first. Once I caught on
I read for entertainment, and if a book catches my interest, I'll read it. That being said, the typos and grammatical errors were a bit distracting, and I think the book could have benefited from additional editing before being published. Overall, the story was one that I found appealing, and one that makes me want to know what happens next.
Show More
that the soldiers were from the world where Frank eventually finds himself, it was easier to shift back and forth between the two storylines. I found Frank to be a sympathetic character, and I found myself cheering him on through his search and his struggles to adapt and survive in an alien environment. I also found the soldiers to be generally likeable and sympathetic in their efforts to get back to the world they know. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but as this is the first in a series, it's possible that more information will be offered in subsequent volumes.I read for entertainment, and if a book catches my interest, I'll read it. That being said, the typos and grammatical errors were a bit distracting, and I think the book could have benefited from additional editing before being published. Overall, the story was one that I found appealing, and one that makes me want to know what happens next.
Show Less
LibraryThing member albanyhill
Xenoliths provide passage between Earth and another world composed of various warring groups. Two stories are told in this novel - Frank passes into the other world and wonders if it explains his wife's disappearance many years before. Meanwhile, a group of soldiers from the alien world are
I thought the story involving Frank was effective, but the soldiers' tale became confusing, especially after another group of aliens arrived. The different groups' politics and goals were not clear to me.
Show More
stranded on this side, trying to find the xenoliths and carry out their mission.I thought the story involving Frank was effective, but the soldiers' tale became confusing, especially after another group of aliens arrived. The different groups' politics and goals were not clear to me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member milliebeverly
This book has an interesting premise, travel between worlds via xenoliths, or stones. However, it was annoying to read because of the typographical and grammatical errors. Also, there are so many different warring factions in the imaginary world that it becomes confusing. The shift in the story
Show More
between the exploring groups and the original character was not clearly noted. I had several "aha" moments when I figured out which group was being written about and where they were. Unfortunately, I didn't have many of those moments about the actual storyline. Show Less
LibraryThing member memasmb
A copy of this e-book was received from Member Giveaways Program of LibraryThing.
The story is one I have never run across before…it combines a man, Dr. Frank Bowen returning to Belize and searching for his wife, Liz who disappeared from there twenty years ago and then Frank falls into a new
A huge distraction for me as the reviewer was all the typos and grammatical errors throughout the narrative. Adding to that was the switching from one group of soldiers to another and then back to Frank making the story hard to follow. The romantic aspect of finding his missing wife in this new parallel world was appealing but I felt that the ending of this scenario could have been fleshed out more.
Interesting read but still too confusing for me.
This book might be of interest to readers who are sci-fi/fantasy enthusiasts who are prepared for a complex story that explores travel between two worlds using xenoliths or stones.
The story is one I have never run across before…it combines a man, Dr. Frank Bowen returning to Belize and searching for his wife, Liz who disappeared from there twenty years ago and then Frank falls into a new
Show More
parallel world and encounters different warring factions from this new realm.A huge distraction for me as the reviewer was all the typos and grammatical errors throughout the narrative. Adding to that was the switching from one group of soldiers to another and then back to Frank making the story hard to follow. The romantic aspect of finding his missing wife in this new parallel world was appealing but I felt that the ending of this scenario could have been fleshed out more.
Interesting read but still too confusing for me.
This book might be of interest to readers who are sci-fi/fantasy enthusiasts who are prepared for a complex story that explores travel between two worlds using xenoliths or stones.
Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2009-10-11 (Smashwords)