Shipwreck on ShadowWorld

By: David R. Beshears

Narrated by: Benjamin Isaac Armstrong

Length: 1 hr and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

Thirteen year old Jim survives a fiery crash landing in the desolate landscape of ShadowWorld, only to come face to face with bizarre aliens, mystifying cultures, and an unforgiving planet as he searches for rescue.

First in a series of adventures following Jim, future Prince of the Frontier Worlds.

©2009 David R. Beshears (P)2014 David R. Beshears

Great Sci-Fi Adventure

This book was an awesome adventure. A series of events unfolded that took me to strange places where I got to meet some very interesting characters. The main character Jim is on his way to see his family when his ship crashes onto a lonely planet. No one is there to accompany him, but as he begins to look for a way to survive he meets some strange creatures.

I really liked the way Beshears described the landscape and the way he painted an image of the two suns of the planet in detail. It was some great writing. You don't get bogged down in the details though; they just enrich the story which is one great adventure. It starts a little slow but in a good way that helps you feel the way the main character does. He is desperate and lost on an alien planet just trying to survive by finding food and shelter.

There were some superb similes used in this book, and I love a good simile. I remember two tunnels next to each other being described as black empty eye sockets. That was a great and creepy image that added to the tension of the scene. Just the touch you needed as a reader to get you feeling the way the character was. The author does a good job building the atmosphere of the strange world the characters explorer. The alien creatures were described in a way that made them easy to picture and somewhat terrifying. Much different than anything we know here on Earth.

The last thing I'll hit on is that I listened to the audiobook version of this story. It was well produced. The narrator Benjamin Isaac Armstrong has a pleasant deep voice. He speaks clearly and his voice is easy to follow and understand. That is what's most important in an audiobook. Now here's where I'll get nitpicky. For my tastes I found his style a bit hard to get into. He over enunciates words in my opinion and his reading was a bit flat missing that dramatic sing song rhythm I've come to love from other narrators. That said he did a great job and if you go check out the sample I'm sure you'll love his voice. I'm probably just a bit of an audiobook snob being an avid longtime listener and a narrator myself.

Whether in paper, eBook, or audiobook you'll enjoy the adventure with Jim and his interesting companions and adversaries.