Author: Martin Dukes
Publisher: Parola Press
Release Date: 1 Jun 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0956993458
Synopsis
Caught in a Moment is the story of Alex Trueman, a teenager who daydreams himself unwittingly into the strange world of Intersticia. This is a world outside of ordinary time, that exists in the slender intervals between instants. From Alex's point of view the world around him freezes into immobility. At first it seems the he alone is free to wander the hushed streets with their motionless cars and people. But he is not alone. Alex soon discovers that he shares the world with others. There are a few dozen fellow daydreamers who share his fate. There is plump, bespectacled Will, pretty brunette Kelly, and the rebellious outcast Paulo. Presiding over them all is the enigmatic Ganymede, and irascible vagrant who distributes food to his dependents and sets them perverse tasks to perform in return.
Alex soon finds that he has rare skills in Intersticia. Most uniquely he can affect the motionless world of 'Statica' around them. He can open doors, help himself to food, and move objects. But this forbidden activity soon sets him on a collision course with Ganymede in which the very existence of Intersticia is put at risk.
My Review
I was contacted by the author and sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I actually had this book sitting on my pile for about a month, it came through but what with doing NaNoWriMo and some blog tours it got neglected (sorry Martin!) As December came through and I had completed my NaNo, i picked this up. I will admit, I like the clocks on the cover but the colours don't stand out much and the angel statue on the front reminds me a bit of the crying angels from Doctor Who which is a bit freaky but this just shows that you can't judge a book by it's cover.
I started it in my lunch break at work on Saturday and read about a hundred pages, I went out in the evening so had to finish it today (Sunday).
I was surprised how much I got into this book actually, before I started I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I started to read and Alex's pranks in 'stopped time' reminded me a lot of an old TV show I used to watch called 'Bernard's Watch' and it made me smile, the novel soon moves on to a more 'serious' scenario as you are introduced to Intersticia.
This is one of those books that if you think too hard about it, it makes your head hurt, the physics and logic behind the multiple levels of time and how it all works, but if you just read the book and embrace what you have got it's actually very enjoyable. Things are explained well and I didn't get too confused which is good.
Alex at first is one of those cheeky guys, not so much a trouble maker but likes to have fun. He reminded me so much of some boys I knew at school, as the story progresses you really see him grow up and develop as a character which was nice to see.
I really liked meeting all the people in the story, such a great mix of personalities. I didn't like Kelly much to start with but she softens and grows on you too.
I loved the jinx put on Paolo so everytime he tries to swear he shouts the name of a vegetable - made me laugh.
I did guess at the big mystery at the end linked to one of the characters, as I assumed there was more of a point to an earlier event but it was well written and not quite how I expected so it kept me hooked.
I didn't particulalry like Ganymede as a character but without being completely evil etc he actually makes quite a good 'baddie'. More sort of skin crawling - I want to slap him sort of baddie.
I have been informed that this will be a trilogy and I must admit that I really do want to know what happens next. It could be read as a stand alone, but I'm curious enough to want to know more. There are some things left open and un-answered that I want to find out. So I will be looking out for the next installment.
Well worth a read, it offers a unique look into a different world and will make you question how much time you spend daydreaming! :D
My Rating
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