Land of Nod, The Artifact
Short description
Jeff B. has been haunted by terrifying dreams since the disappearance of his father. When he finds a portal in his father’s office, he must overcome his fears in an attempt to find him. As Jeff looks for clues regarding what may have happened to his father, he is accused by some of being a spy while thought by others to be a prophesized figure... who may be the key to victory in a developing war.Extended description
Jeff Browning has been haunted by terrifying dreams since the mysterious disappearance of his father (a renowned physicist). But when he finds a portal in his father’s office, he must overcome his fears in an attempt to find him.The portal takes him to another dimension – one populated by fantastic and dangerous creatures and also an advanced society of humans.
As Jeff looks for clues regarding what may have happened to his father, he is accused by some of being a spy while thought by others to be a prophesized figure . . . who may be the key to victory in a developing war.
First trailer featuring Shadowplay
2nd Trailer
Review by: John Davis on Sep. 23, 2012 : 
Land of Nod, The Artifact is the story of young Jeff Browning, son of a well renowned physicist who has gone missing and is presumed dead. Jeff deals with the complex emotions around the abandonment by his father and his passivity, when he encounters a teleporter that takes him to a different world. It is not a spoiler to tell you that the world is called "Nod".
Once there, he childishly realizes that the rules of his home world not longer apply, but to also trust his psychic instincts about other people. This new world is one in which nightmares are real, and people from Earth have innate psychic advantages over the Nod natives.
I am not sure how this book is being marketed, but it is unquestionably a children's novel, aimed right around the upper elementary/lower middle school split, and clearly aimed at males. That said, even though I am nowhere near this book's target audience, it kept me captivated from start to finish.
I really enjoyed exploring the new world with Jeff. Author Gary Hoover has done an excellent job with world building and is clearly a master of showing, rather than telling, the necessary exposition. The descriptive attention to detail and simplified-yet-spot-on science explanations make me wonder if Mr. Hoover is a trained scientist, himself. If not, he certainly writes like one (a compliment).
One of the other things I really liked about this novel is that it had a hint of kindness permeating everything. While Jeff was in real danger and there was real action and real suspense, all the other protagonist characters seemed to adopt Jeff as a member of their family and treat him with the love and respect such a position provides. It is rare to feel that you are getting a special hug from a beloved parent due to reading a book, but I enjoyed the feel-good added bonus that came with the story.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Land of Nod, The Artifact is the story of young Jeff Browning, son of a well renowned physicist who has gone missing and is presumed dead. Jeff deals with the complex emotions around the abandonment by his father and his passivity, when he encounters a teleporter that takes him to a different world. It is not a spoiler to tell you that the world is called "Nod".
Once there, he childishly realizes that the rules of his home world not longer apply, but to also trust his psychic instincts about other people. This new world is one in which nightmares are real, and people from Earth have innate psychic advantages over the Nod natives.
I am not sure how this book is being marketed, but it is unquestionably a children's novel, aimed right around the upper elementary/lower middle school split, and clearly aimed at males. That said, even though I am nowhere near this book's target audience, it kept me captivated from start to finish.
I really enjoyed exploring the new world with Jeff. Author Gary Hoover has done an excellent job with world building and is clearly a master of showing, rather than telling, the necessary exposition. The descriptive attention to detail and simplified-yet-spot-on science explanations make me wonder if Mr. Hoover is a trained scientist, himself. If not, he certainly writes like one (a compliment).
One of the other things I really liked about this novel is that it had a hint of kindness permeating everything. While Jeff was in real danger and there was real action and real suspense, all the other protagonist characters seemed to adopt Jeff as a member of their family and treat him with the love and respect such a position provides. It is rare to feel that you are getting a special hug from a beloved parent due to reading a book, but I enjoyed the feel-good added bonus that came with the story.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by: Jan Brown on July 12, 2011 :
I tend to like sci-fy/fantasy's if there's a whole lot of reality in them too. Gary did a wonderful job with this story mixing reality and sci fi/fantasy, letting us see it from a boy's view of things happening giving an innocence to the story you wouldn't get from a very sceptical adult's view (like me!). Which made it more believable. Once it went into the "other" world I felt like I had an animation or comic book in my head as Gary described the things Jeff came upon. The end is written nicely enough to not leave you hanging so badly that it seemed abrupt, instead it leads you to believe there's another story/book coming bringing more adventure to find what he was looking for!
(reviewed long after purchase)
I tend to like sci-fy/fantasy's if there's a whole lot of reality in them too. Gary did a wonderful job with this story mixing reality and sci fi/fantasy, letting us see it from a boy's view of things happening giving an innocence to the story you wouldn't get from a very sceptical adult's view (like me!). Which made it more believable. Once it went into the "other" world I felt like I had an animation or comic book in my head as Gary described the things Jeff came upon. The end is written nicely enough to not leave you hanging so badly that it seemed abrupt, instead it leads you to believe there's another story/book coming bringing more adventure to find what he was looking for!
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by: Sheila Deeth on July 06, 2011 :
Take one teen boy. Add recent tragedy in the form of absent super-scientist father. Mix with the requisite high school bully, strange dreams, and a curious machine. Then you’ll have the road into Gary Hoover’s Land of Nod: The Artifact. The Artifact is, of course, the first book in a series, and the ending, as expected, is just the beginning. But the mysterious world Jeff discovers is nicely imagined, with intriguing depths yet to be plumbed. The landscape is full of fun characters, curious creatures and strange circumstances, and everything’s told with meticulous attention to detail.
For the most part, the world is viewed through Jeff’s eyes, and he’s a plausible teen narrator. Occasional switches to omniscient views, forays into political comment, or ubiquitous long-clause similes are a little distracting, though humorous, and should appeal to the intended younger audience. The story-line’s well-planned and exciting, and there’s a pleasing undertone of kindness even in battle that bodes well for the series; a longish, slowish, but fun teen adventure with the promise of more to follow.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Take one teen boy. Add recent tragedy in the form of absent super-scientist father. Mix with the requisite high school bully, strange dreams, and a curious machine. Then you’ll have the road into Gary Hoover’s Land of Nod: The Artifact. The Artifact is, of course, the first book in a series, and the ending, as expected, is just the beginning. But the mysterious world Jeff discovers is nicely imagined, with intriguing depths yet to be plumbed. The landscape is full of fun characters, curious creatures and strange circumstances, and everything’s told with meticulous attention to detail.
For the most part, the world is viewed through Jeff’s eyes, and he’s a plausible teen narrator. Occasional switches to omniscient views, forays into political comment, or ubiquitous long-clause similes are a little distracting, though humorous, and should appeal to the intended younger audience. The story-line’s well-planned and exciting, and there’s a pleasing undertone of kindness even in battle that bodes well for the series; a longish, slowish, but fun teen adventure with the promise of more to follow.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by: Bonnie Lamer on July 02, 2011 :
Jeff Browning is a fourteen year old boy trying to make his way through life after the disappearance of his father, a brilliant scientist. Longing to find clues as to where his father, who is presumed dead by the police, could be, Jeff searches his father’s office. There, he finds a strange machine that opens a passage to what looks like another world. Sure he will find his father in this strange land, Jeff decides to investigate. He suddenly finds himself in a forest filled with giant insects, man-sized birds and snakes with three feet wide heads with no way to get back home.
Gary Hoover does a great job describing this world, creating a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of what Jeff is seeing and feeling. The civilization mirrors that of earth in many ways - for instance, the people speak English. Yet, there are unique differences in technology and social structure that make it a fascinating place to be. Power struggles and the threat of a war make it also a dangerous place to be. I enjoyed reading about this new world and, giant insects aside, I wouldn’t mind living there with its flying cars and showers that dry you off without the need of a towel.
Land of Nod, The Artifact is a nice escape into a different dimension and the story is well-written and interesting. There were a few things, though, that held me back from giving the book a full four stars. There is a lot of illusion to Jeff having abilities that would save the day, but in the end, it seemed there was more hype than substance. For instance, Jeff is able to move large obstacles blocking an escape route, but often does not show enough strength to protect himself in other situations. That’s a shame, because Jeff has the potential to be a strong and captivating character. I hope that there are sequels to Land of Nod, The Artifact that allow him more room to grow into the character that is alluded to throughout this book.
Another thing I questioned was Jeff’s age. I believe that Gary Hoover did an excellent job of describing the insecurities and doubts a fourteen year old boy would have; but in this story, Jeff was looked to by adults to come up with solutions to problems he knew nothing about – such as in politics and war. He was taken maybe too seriously by the grown men in the Land of Nod without having proven himself to be capable of such leaps of faith. If he was a few years older, closer to being an adult himself, this may have seemed a bit more plausible.
All in all, I enjoyed Land of Nod, The Artifact. I think it is a nice, quick read that is both entertaining and action-packed. It definitely has the makings of a good series. I give this book three and a half stars.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Jeff Browning is a fourteen year old boy trying to make his way through life after the disappearance of his father, a brilliant scientist. Longing to find clues as to where his father, who is presumed dead by the police, could be, Jeff searches his father’s office. There, he finds a strange machine that opens a passage to what looks like another world. Sure he will find his father in this strange land, Jeff decides to investigate. He suddenly finds himself in a forest filled with giant insects, man-sized birds and snakes with three feet wide heads with no way to get back home.
Gary Hoover does a great job describing this world, creating a vivid picture in the reader’s mind of what Jeff is seeing and feeling. The civilization mirrors that of earth in many ways - for instance, the people speak English. Yet, there are unique differences in technology and social structure that make it a fascinating place to be. Power struggles and the threat of a war make it also a dangerous place to be. I enjoyed reading about this new world and, giant insects aside, I wouldn’t mind living there with its flying cars and showers that dry you off without the need of a towel.
Land of Nod, The Artifact is a nice escape into a different dimension and the story is well-written and interesting. There were a few things, though, that held me back from giving the book a full four stars. There is a lot of illusion to Jeff having abilities that would save the day, but in the end, it seemed there was more hype than substance. For instance, Jeff is able to move large obstacles blocking an escape route, but often does not show enough strength to protect himself in other situations. That’s a shame, because Jeff has the potential to be a strong and captivating character. I hope that there are sequels to Land of Nod, The Artifact that allow him more room to grow into the character that is alluded to throughout this book.
Another thing I questioned was Jeff’s age. I believe that Gary Hoover did an excellent job of describing the insecurities and doubts a fourteen year old boy would have; but in this story, Jeff was looked to by adults to come up with solutions to problems he knew nothing about – such as in politics and war. He was taken maybe too seriously by the grown men in the Land of Nod without having proven himself to be capable of such leaps of faith. If he was a few years older, closer to being an adult himself, this may have seemed a bit more plausible.
All in all, I enjoyed Land of Nod, The Artifact. I think it is a nice, quick read that is both entertaining and action-packed. It definitely has the makings of a good series. I give this book three and a half stars.
(reviewed long after purchase)
