Hi There!

I’ve had a lot of people from the Phillipines asking about the Feather Book Series lately and where they can get it. Shipping is horendous, I know, but there is the e-book. You can get the e-book from Mobipocket but still, with exchange rates it’s expensive. This is why we are offering you the book from our website at a discounted rate. If you are from the Phillipines, then just buy the e-book and use the code “php” to get the discount!

Happy Reading!

Abra E.

P.S. Come join my on Facebook and be my “Farm-ville” Neighbor!!!!

Remember, remember, the twenty-third of September!

To ring in the official release of Parallel on September 23rd, Abra Ebner has decided to give away her precious Original Proof Copy, signed, on September 22nd to one lucky reader! She has kept every one of her proof copies, but has decided that this one needs to go to the fans. She has toted this thing around, from football games to preview parties! Have it be yours today and show off your own writing talent!

The Contest: All you have to do is submit a short essay (50 words or less) that answers the question “Why will Parallel be a good addition to your collection?” Perhaps you need a book end, perhaps you need it to brag to your friends, either way, tell us why!

Submissions: Submissions can be emailed to info@parallelthebook.com emails with attachments will not be accepted, so please put your essay in the body of the email, and title the email Essay Contest. Submissions must be in before September 21st at 11:59 p.m. to be eligible. If you are not selected, that’s ok! Just be sure to get your own copy September 23rd on Amazon.

The Importance of September 23rd: This day was selected to help Abra try and reach her goal of becoming an overall best seller. Already a best seller in Fantasy and Family Saga, she hopes to escalate this further, so please help her out and get your copy September 23rd, I cannot stress the importance! If she can get 200 sold in one day, she will have reached her goal!! That’s all it takes!  Not the 24th or 25th, but the 23rd!

Remember, remember, the twenty-third of September!

REVIEWS:

“The best book I’ve read since Twilight! Awesome!”  – Christina Corlett, NJ

“I’m hooked and I can’t put it down! Another great hit from Abra Ebner”  – Heidi Soehren, WA

Finally getting around to reading Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass (I hate to admit that it took the movie ads to prod me into reading the book), I have been surprised by the depth of the story. Spoiler warning! From the very first chapter I have been pondering what dust might be, and I have just discovered that it is Pullman’s metaphor for original sin. In the chapter where this is finally revealed to the protagonist, Lyra, her father reads an explanatory passage from Genesis 3 (somewhat altered). Indeed, dust drives the plot of the story.

With apologies to the magisterium

Pullman’s treatment of the topic once again throws into relief a popular, but mistaken, concept. “Original sin” is simply not a biblical idea. Nowhere in either the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Scriptures does the text suggest that people are born with the taint of a physical liability passed on from the first human coupling, as Augustine hypothesized. In fact, the Bible hosts several potential explanations for the origins of human troubles. One solution that it never reaches is a genetic passing on of an original sin.

Tradition often makes Scripture into its own image. Ideas are inevitably read back into the story and a chimera of hazy concepts emerges. Pullman’s treatment of the human condition is to be applauded, and to his credit he does not attribute the concept of original sin directly to the Bible. Although he alters the text a bit he doesn’t add this most damaging concept to it. The belief that people are inherently defective has allowed for some of the worst crimes imaginable against our species. As a concept original sin is dust in the wind.

Saw the proof for my new book Parallel today. VERY happy with it. Release date still set for Sept. 23, I will be one of the first to tell you if that changes, but right now my heart is set on that as well. I guess what we are trying to do is get all my fans together on one day, so those of you that are looking forward to that, sept. 23rd is the day

Come help me reach a larger audience by making me a best seller! I am passionate about this new story, and I’m hoping you will be too…

Yay!

Abra E.

Clímax empolgante recompensa início bocejante

Primeiro volume da trilogia Fronteiras do Universo (His Dark Materials no original), de Philip Pullman, “A Bússola de Ouro” apresenta uma protagonista que foge de clichês da literatura fantástica infanto-juvenil. O cenário é um mundo similar ao nosso, diferenciado principalmente pelo fato de que cada pessoa possui um daemon, criatura ligada emocionalmente à pessoa que de certa forma simboliza a alma do indivíduo.

A heroína é Lyra, uma linda garotinha britânica extremamente serelepe e arrogante. Arteira e curiosa, se envolve em confusões do barulho – como já seria de se esperar – que a levam a um conflito de conseqüências épicas. No caminho, figuras marcantes como a obstinada vilã Sra. Coulter, o enigmático Lorde Asriel e o impressionante urso polar Iorek Byrnison, que alterna momentos nobres com selvageria pura. Personagens não lá muito criativos, mas bem construídos e memoráveis.

A narrativa peca por um ritmo extremamente arrastado no começo que pode desanimar muitos, mas a paciência é compensada nos últimos capítulos, marcados por uma sequência frenética de eventos empolgantes e cenários fantásticos – como uma perseguição em uma montanha de gelo com o céu tomado pelas cores da Aurora Boreal. Além disso, a protagonista passa por um emocionante aprendizado que a faz amadurecer, revertendo totalmente a apatia inicial que ela causa. O final não foge do padrão de outras trilogias: deixa uma brecha imensa para o próximo capítulo. Ainda assim, a satisfação ao fim de “A Bússola de Ouro” é grande para aqueles que vencerem a monotonia do início.

Coisas legais
- Os lugares onde a história se desenrola, principalmente no final
- As personalidades fortes e marcantes dos personagens

Coisas chatas
- Narrativa lenta e pouco empolgante nos dois primeiros terços do livro
- A protagonista é extremamente antipática no começo da história

A BÚSSOLA DE OURO
Autor: Philip Pullman
Editora Objetiva
368 páginas

by:  Calvin Patimeteeporn

The Golden Compass and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring both take on two versions of what we define as a “fantasy” world. One takes on the adaption of our pre-existing vision of a fantasy world set in a country filled with different races including elves, dwarves, and wizards. The other, however, takes on an adaption of our own world but, for the lack of a better term, “fantasized”. Compass introduces a world to the audience that is very similar to ours, even including some of the same countries, but allows some fantasy aspects to fall through, such as witches and talking polar bears. Fellowship introduces a world that we know to call “the fantasy dimension” with the typical elves and dwarves. Again, both are fantasy, but both display two different worlds.

However, plot-wise, they, and numerous other fantasy films, are extremely similar. Both heroes are, in their worlds, considered unimportant and meek (a hobbit and a little girl). However, its this emphasis on their unimportance that actually make them important. A recurring theme in both of these movies (and every single Disney movie ever in existence ever) is that even the most unlikely to be heroic character can be, well, heroic. Lyra ends up saving multiple universes and Frodo stops Sauron. Both unimaginable tasks completed by a midget and kid. But of course no hero’s journey is complete without the “supernatural aid” of others: Frodo has Gandalf, the old wizard, and Lyra has Iorek, the talking polar bear (Both Ian McKellen!). These characters are immensely powerful but do not actually play the role as the main hero, despite their advantage, but rather they support and guide the character through their epic. But even with this placed aside, the theme of unity is present in both movies. The fellowship of a mix of races and the motley crowd of witches and humans both provide a metaphor to the power of unity (cheesy, yes) and how it is able to accomplish, even the hardest of tasks.

These movies provide both a great amount of differences and similarities, but both are classified as the same genre. Both approach a different world and a different cast of characters, but plot similarities exist as demonstrated through both protagonists.

But all I want to know is when are a sage-like professor with a staff and a giant talking squirrel voiced by Ian McKellen going to come into my life and aid me through college.

-Calvin

okładka DVD – Złoty kompas “Golden Compass“

Etykieta CD – Złoty kompas “Golden Compass“

Ekranizacja pierwszej części niezwykle popularnej trylogii fantasy Philipa Pullmana pt. “Mroczne Materie”.
Lyra Belaqua mieszka w Kolegium Jordana, w samym sercu angielskiego Oxfordu. W jej świecie (równoległym do naszego) magia, nauka i teologia są ściśle ze sobą powiązane, a każdemu człowiekowi towarzyszy jego osobisty “dajmon” – wcielenie duszy. Kiedy najbliższy przyjaciel Lyry, Roger, zostaje porwany, dziewczynka wyrusza na poszukiwania, które zawiodą ją na daleką północ. Tuż przed wyjazdem wchodzi w posiadanie niezwykłego przyrządu – kompasu, który ukazuje prawdę. Dziewczynce przyjdzie spotkać takie istoty jak pancerne niedźwiedzie, upiory i czarownice. Wkrótce okaże się, że porwanie Rogera nie jest przypadkowe i wiąże się z całą serią podobnych wydarzeń, a uprowadzone dzieci poddawane są straszliwym eksperymentom związanym z tajemniczym Pyłem i przyszłością wszechświata.

If you follow my tweets/facebook/talk to me at all you’ll know I’ve been reading an uber amount of books recently so I decided that now I have a nice number of read books in my belt I could do a book review post without it being pointlessly short or annoyingly long. Sounds boring doesn’t it? Oh well, I’m bored and having a break between books and numerous people have been telling me to update this thing. So in future – be careful what you wish for! (NB: I had some formatting issues so the font size is all over the place but I cbb to fix it, so deal.)

Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials – Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass
♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

One of the first series of books I read. Bought the second and third after having to read the first in school in year 8 – I was never much of a ‘reader’ before that (and to be honest not for a long time after either). For some reason I really got into these books though – I think it was because it was set in another universe (or multiple) but still felt realistic, as if it really could happen. From then on I was hooked on fantasy books and films and things that took me out of ‘the norm’. I loved it at the time but if I picked it up now after never having read it before I’m not too sure if I’d feel the same way. I do know that many adults do indeed enjoy the series (my Auntie was hooked and I went with her to see the film when it came out) but it is definately aimed at a younger audience.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (but I’ll try not to)
The story follows a young girl, Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, who leave home in search of their best friend who has been kidnapped. Along her travels through the trilogy she discovers her parents aren’t what they seem, she finds friends in creatures she never thought she’d see and then steps out of her universe and into a whole other world. There she befriends a boy named Will who has also stumbled out of his own universe and into that one. As the two travel through many other universes in search of answers about their estranged parents and the plans they’d had for them they unearth the biggest secret imaginable and are forced to walk through death, meet creatures from heaven and fight for their lives and the lives of everyone..in every universe.

Garth Nix
The Old Kingdom Trilogy – Sabriel, Lirael & Abhorsen
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

I started this trilogy when I was going on holiday and needed a book to read. I can’t really remember why I chose Sabriel – I think it was because the cover looked groovy (hell yeah I judged a book by it’s cover – what you gonna do about it?). It combined my love for fantasy with magic, romance and destiny and I loved it. I couldn’t wait for the next two books to come out. Although they weren’t quite as good as the first and the final book was hella confusing I do still love it. I think even now I could happily go back and read it again. I wish they’d make a film out of these books, it would be great to watch.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (but I’ll try not to)
Sabriel always knew she was different, she could step into death itself and once brought her friend’s rabbit back from the waters of the first gate of death – but when she starts seeing things she knows she shouldn’t be seeing at school she starts to worry for her fathers health – he was still on the other side of the wall in The Old Kingdom where magic still hung in the air and death was never far away. She sets off to discover the truth and travels over the wall to find her fathers home and hopefully some answers… but all she finds are more questions as she’s told she is the new Abhorsen and it is her duty to use the necromancy bells of the Abhorsen to send death back to where it came from. As she continues her search for answers she finds and falls in love with a man called Touchstone who was released from imprisonment as a decoration on the front of a boat. As he slowly remembers pieces of his past and how he had become imprisoned they’re faced with a great evil which threatens the safety of everyone in the Old Kingdom. Lirael also grew up knowing she was different, as an orphan child of the Clayr she should be having visions of the future but she was getting older and older and still hadn’t had a single vision. After leaving the glacier she called home in search of answers of her own she learns some hard truths about her own family and the fate of not only her own kingdom, but of those accross the wall too are placed in her hands.

J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter Series – Philosohper’s Stone, Chamber Of Secrets, Prizoner Of Azkaban, Goblet Of Fire, Order Of The Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince & Deathly Hallows
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

I had never really got into the Harry Potter books, but I always loved the films – I’m a sucker for the magic plotline and special effects. I think I would have read the books a lot sooner if I hadn’t heard so many people saying the films were a let down from the books – I didn’t want my love of the films to be shattered by realising they weren’t what they should be. I finally folded after Order Of The Phoenix was released in the cinema, around the same time Deathly Hallows was being released as a book. Everyone was Harry Potter crazy and I was a bit jealous that they were getting more than me even though I loved the films and couldn’t wait for the next one… So as everyone was anticipating the release of Deathly Hallows I bought the first book…Think I got through all 7 in about 2 weeks – which for me at the time was REALLY fast. I think the last book wasn’t as good as the first 6 though, it seemed to drag a bit too much. That’s probably just my opinion though. I’m not including a synopsis for this one. Everyone who cares about it, already knows the jist of it. If you don’t know – you don’t deserve to.

Simon Scarrow
Centurion
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

This book I bought in the airport when I was going to Crete with Louise and wanted a book to read on the plane and by the pool to pass some time. Before I left I’d been in an ancient history type of mood and I’d recently watched Troy, Tristan and Isolde and King Arthur so I guess I just wanted something to feed my urge to know more about those sort of times. I’ve always appreciated those kind of times (even though they’re massively different eras they still all count as one in my opinion). Back in the day when wars were fought as man to man combat and surviving depended on pride, honour, skill and comrades…rather than if you were unlucky enough to step on a landmine. There are other books written by Simon Scarrow but I only really read it for something to do. I did enjoy it but it’s not my kind of book. I highly recommend it to those who like unbelievably graphic violence and wartime tactics (mixed with a bit of romance – but not too much)

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (but I’ll try not to)
The story follows Cato, a centurion and his journey to rescue and conquer an enemy who has overthrown his father (who was loyal to the Romans) and to reclaim the land. He struggles with travelling over the desert, keeping his men alive as they fight against the elements…and enemies who attack at night on horses. Once they reach the enemy’s city they work their way through to those who remain loyal but while Cato falls in love they realise they’re trapped and starving. Their only hope is that reinforcements arrive before Cato, his troops and the loyal locals perish.

Stephenie Meyer
The Twilight Saga - Twilight, (Midnight Sun), New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

This is the one I know you’ve all been waiting for! I admit I was skeptical of these books at first, I hadn’t even heard of them until the film came out – and even then I spent more time laughing at the fact Cedric Diggory was a vampire. However, the plot hit me right where it needed to, it screamed out at my love for fantasy, romance and my lifetime obsession with vampires (which very few people knew about until these books). I was hooked immediately and read all 4 within a week or so…then read them again…and again… I’ve read through them at least 4 times now, including Midnight Sun which is the partial draft of Twilight from Edwards perspective. I even managed to spread the love and got a LOT of people addicted to it like me. Now I can’t wait for New Moon to be released (even though I hate the book – it goes against my true love nature haha) and me and Elizabeth are doing everything we can to get to the premiere – let me know if you hear of any competitions/have any HMV purepoints I can have!

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (but I’ll try not to)
Bella’s mom has remarried and is finding it hard to balance her love for her daughter and her desire to travel the country with her new ’semi-pro baseballer’ husband so Bella decides to go and live with her dad for a bit in Forks, Washington. Moving from sunny, dry Arizona to cloudy, wet Forks is difficult for Bella and she’s not a happy rabbit. On her first day at school she notices a group who don’t seem to fit in and discovers they’re the adopted children of Dr Cullen. However when Bella is placed next to Edward Cullen in biology she is confused by his reaction to her – he seems utterly disgusted by her and storms out at the end of class and isn’t seen again for the rest of the week. Upon his return his personality confuses Bella even more as he goes from talking to her normally to snapping at her without any rational excuse. After Edward shows up in Port Angeles and rescues Bella from a gang of seriously unpleasant men Bella learns the truth about the Cullens – they’re vampires. The saga follows Bella as she falls in love with Edward but is left broken when he leaves her. Her best friend Jacob Black steps in to comfort her and Bella finds a way to feel close to Edward while he’s gone. However after confusion and a lot of misunderstanding Bella is reunited with her love but faced with confusion about where she really belongs and as danger sneaks up on her again and again Bella has to make the biggest decision of her life..and death.

Stephenie Meyer
The Host
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

I originally wasn’t going to read this book. I didn’t want to be sucked into the whole ’she wrote Twilight so I’ll read this’ scenario. However, I was really bored last week and looking for something to buy in HMV for some more points so I bought this and was pleasantly surprised! Even though a lot of people will have read it purely because it’s Stephenie Meyer I think it would still have been a best seller if she’d used a pseudonym. It still manages to call out to my fantasy based heart – even though I think I’d say it was more ’sci-fi’ than fantasy…but is there really that much of a difference? A totally fresh idea in my opinion and a completely new angle to look at alien invasion from!

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (but I’ll try not to)
Wanda is an alien. Mel is a human. The main problem is…they’re currently sharing a body. Usually when a soul enters a host’s body the consciousness of the host disappears but Wanda finds herself constantly hearing Mel’s thoughts and as Mel remembers those she loves and the time she’s spent with them Wanda finds herself loving them too. This leaves Wanda in a very difficult position – stay loyal to her species and report the ‘problem’ and look for a quick fix and a new host body… or run away in search of those she now loves? As Wanda becomes more and more human she’s faced with the problem of still loving Mel’s Jared as she herself falls in love with another man – a human man. Wanda then has a very important decision to make: what means the most to her, her own life… or the life of the human host who never stopped fighting and she has learned to love along with Mel’s family?

P.C. and Kristen Cast
The House Of Night Series – Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted & (coming soon) Tempted
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥/10

I started this series because I was still in a vampire mood and was in search of a vampire romance book that had numerous books in the series and I wouldn’t get through too quickly and be left wanting more. This seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it, it’s only flaw is the writing style used that can get kind of annoying at times. However it uses both classic and original ideas of vampires and mixes them together perfectly to form an amazing idea that really appeals to my ‘I wish I was like that’ nature. The picture I used is of the 4th book – Untamed as I couldn’t find a photo of them all and Untamed is the purple one haha.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (but I’ll try not to)
When Zoey is marked as a vampyre fledgling she thinks her world is over. Vampyres are seen as freaks and she doesn’t want to lose who she is and become all emo and covered in eyeliner. After she returns home from being marked at school and her mother and step-loser fail to understand or care she runs away to her grandmother’s house who has always been on her side in arguments against her mother. However in her search for her grandmother the change into a vampyre becomes too much for Zoey and she collapses and hits her head – hard. While she is unconscious she meets the goddess of the night – Nyx who is the goddess of the vampyres and Nyx explains to Zoey that not all darkness means evil and not all light means good. Zoey wakes up at the House of Night – otherwise known as vampyre finishing school and is questioned as to why her fledgling mark has been filled and she has the tattoos of a fully grown vampyre after only being marked hours earlier. Zoey soon learns that her tattoos aren’t the only thing different about her (she’s a freak among freaks) and soon realises she has the gift of an affinity from Nyx and over time uses her connection to Nyx through her instincts to work out that there’s something not quite right at the House of Night. As Zoey tackles average teenage problems such as bitchy popular girls, a vampyre boyfriend, her human exboyfriend, and the interest of one of the young professors at the school she also realises she must tackle not so average teenage problems such as the undead, prophecies, murder, demons, fallen angels and of course, even more boy troubles!

Well that concludes all the books I have finished in my pathetically under-read lifetime so here’s a taster of what’s to come next. These are the books I’ve bought and plan to read within the next few days/weeks.

Elizabeth Chandler
Kissed By An Angel

“When Ivy’s boyfriend Tristan dies, she’s desolate without him, until she discovers Tristan hasn’t abandoned her – he’s her guardian angel, watching over her, close enough to hear, to see, to touch…

But Ivy’s life is in danger. If Tristan rescues her, his mission on earth will be over and he’ll have to leave her behind. Will Ivy lose Tristan forever?”

L.J. Smith
Night World Volume One – Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, Enchantress

“In Secret Vampire, Poppy is dying, and it seems that James can offer her her only chance for survival… but is the price too high?”

“In Daughters of Darkness, Mary Lynette has just met three mysterious sisters – on the run from their cruel brother. But can she protect them or herself with another threat lurking nearby?”

“In Enchantress, Blaise is irresistible… and deadly, but the Night World has rules, and Blaise is breaking them all…”

After all that I really don’t know what music to give you, nothing really fits with them all so instead you can have the song I’m listening to right now Weezer – Keep Fishin’ ♫ http://blip.fm/~brrne Enjoy!

(A-E) I wasn't sure, I don't want the cover to look too much like "the Host" if you know what I mean...

Synopsis:

When six year old Jordan McKay dreams, he dreams big. Sitting in the park one day eating a popsicle, Jordan is suddenly launched into the future he had been manifesting in his mind. Finding himself lost and alone, he is shocked that he’d finally dreamed hard enough to make it come true. Found on the other side by a woman, she works to help bring him home, touching his soul in a way he will never forget. After dreaming himself back he learns to control this new talent, never forgetting what the woman had done for him and vowing to return the favor, even if it meant sacrificing his own life to do so.

Now bound to Jordan by fate, Kenzie Ashcroft finds her life riddled with bad dreams. Every night when Kenzie falls asleep she wakes up to a parallel life where things are not only opposite, but are eerily real. Struggling to keep the two worlds straight she grows up wondering how this happened to her and why, wondering who the shadow of a man growing up beside her really is.

Thinking life is wonderful, Jordan begins changing Kenzie’s fate, giving her everything she ever wanted and making her the woman he always thought she was meant to be. As he delves deeper into his web of time and space, however, fate sends him a curve ball and he finds that he is not alone. Followed by a girl with turquoise eyes and skin cold as death he struggles to learn who she is, what she does, and why she is here. As he gets to know this strange girl in the hopes of learning more about himself, Jordan finds that what he thought was the right thing was not in the end. In a desperate attempt to take back the wrongs he thought were right, Jordan takes the leap to trust the strange girl. It is then that Jordan’s world begins to fall apart, or does it?

Parallel begs to challenge the notion of luck and the idea that no matter what you do to force change, you cannot hope to change fate.