REVIEW: The Loved and the Lost by Lory Kaufman

SYNOPSIS

A quest for lost love. An adventure of many lifetimes.

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln are three 24th-century time travelers desperate to return to 14th-century Verona and reclaim their medieval family’s shattered lives. It is a mission fraught with danger and the risk of unexpected consequences for themselves and their worlds. For all three, it is a matter of the heart. For one, though, it is truly the only thing that matters, as the fate of his eternal love and the life of their unborn child is the prize to be won – or lost forever.

In this, the final book of The Verona Trilogy, our three time travelers go on the boldest adventure of their lives. They will face hardship, tragedy, and threats from sources they couldn't have imagined – all in an effort to wrestle a future from the steely grip of an unforgiving past.

GoodReads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble 

~~~oOo~~~

REVIEW

I didn't think there could be any more 'surprises' in "The Loved and the Lost".  After all, I've read the entire Verona Trilogy and travelled from the 14th to the 24th to the 31st centuries.  (Wow.  I feel old all of a sudden! *lol*)  Of course, the synopsis above spilled the beans about the baby so I can talk about that one even though I try not to post spoilers in reviews.  And, although I should have seen it coming, not everyone else (than Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln) in the 14th century is really from the 14th century. *shh. Don't tell*

At the end of "The Bronze and the Brimstone", they had been chased by townspeople who thought they were in league with the devil.  Lincoln (Maruccio) was gone, Hansum (Romero) was in prison amongst people dying of the Black Death, one of whom was Shamira (Carmella).

The story of Hansum and Guilietta had made them all quite famous in their home time period (the 24th century) and the years/centuries beyond that.  Thanks to the Mists of Time viewers, the public could view time travel scenes much like we watch tv series today.

In "The Loved and the Lost" we see our intrepid trio come into their own.  Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln have grown up together and become as much brothers and sister as their blood relatives could be.  Hansum formulates a plan for the three to return through time to save Guilietta and her parents from the fire that took their house.  The Hansum of "The Lens and the Looker" probably could not have done that.  Shamira falls for a young man from the 26th century, who travels with them back in time.  Lincoln learns to 'mind-delve' with the assistance of an AI, and gains some very mature insights into Ugilino's character, which he could not have understood before.

I could almost not be prouder of them than if they were my own children!  (Coincidentally, I have three children.  Two boys, one girl.  Sound familiar?)  I was also impressed that a significant amount of time is devoted to the ethics of time travel and the consequences that changing the past has on the future.

It was heart-breaking to see them return again and again to the 14th century and fail so many times to save the people who had been their family in that time period.  Almost like wanting Friar Lawrence to get to the tomb in time to prevent tragedy in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and him arriving just after the nick of time.  And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Much as "The Loved and the Lost" wraps up the Verona Trilogy, my review wraps up my feelings about the trilogy in general.  Expect to see at least one, and quite likely two or three, of these books on my year's favorite reads!  If you like YA, you will love "The Loved and the Lost."  If you like time-travel, you will love the Verona Trilogy.  If you are like me, you will LOVE hearing that there are History Camps set in other ages and locales.  I can't wait!

~~~oOo~~~

AUTHOR INFORMATION

"I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The books of THE VERONA TRILOGY are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * GoodReads

 ~~~oOo~~~

(Disclaimer:  I received a print copy of "The Loved and the Lost" from the author via iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was offered, requested or received.)

The Bronze and the Brimstone by Lory Kaufman

~~~oOo~~~

GoodReads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indigo Chapters

SYNOPSIS

(Book #2 of the Verona Trilogy)

What could go wrong in the 14th-century for three time-traveling teens? How about – EVERYTHING!

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln, three teens from the 24th-century, are trapped in 14th-century Verona, Italy. They’ve survived many deadly experiences by keeping their wits about them and by introducing futuristic technology into the past. Principal among these inventions is the telescope, which brought them to the attention of the rich and powerful.

But standing out can get you into unexpected – situations. The nobles of Verona now believe Hansum is a savant, a genius inventor, especially after he brings them plans for advanced cannons and black powder. Being the center of attention is great, but the potential for trouble is now exponentially greater because people are watching Hansum’s every move.

Meanwhile, artistic genius Shamira has fallen for a Florentine artist with bloody and disastrous consequences. Lincoln, considered an incompetent back home in the 24th-century, has blossomed – at least until he’s shot in the head with an arrow. And Hansum, after secretly marrying his new master’s beautiful daughter, Guilietta, is offered the hand in marriage of lady Beatrice, daughter of the ruler of Verona. To refuse could mean calamity for all the teens.

Amazingly, none of this is their biggest challenge. Because a rash illness is spreading across Verona – and it is threatening to consume everyone. Do they have a future in this past?

~~~oOo~~~

REVIEW

Ok.  I admit it.  After having thoroughly enjoyed "The Lens and the Looker", I was primed to like "The Bronze and the Brimstone" as well; at the same time, I had high expectations for the book.  "Brimstone" is a tremendous follow-up to "Looker"!

Before they realized that "this" 14th century was the actual 14th century, and before they realized that the death of their time-traveling guide meant they were stuck right where they were and that nobody from the 24th century knew where they were, our intrepid trio had been introducing certain advanced technologies to their situation to "throw a wrench" (wait, this is 1347) "throw a stick" into the works.

But then...funny things start to happen.  Sure, the teens have been thrown into the deep end of the pool and it's sink or swim time.  Hansum/Romero finds happiness in hard work and an admiration for Master Agistino and the work that he does on his lenses for the eyes.  Hansum also finds an appreciation of the Master's daughter Guilietta.  With Pan's help, Shamira/Carmella develops some cooking skills and receives praise for her efforts.  Even Lincoln/Maruccio finds a talent for organization and bookkeeping.  Their skills enable them to feel valued and a contributing part of their 'family'.

The Podesta, or ruler of Verona, wanting to solidify and enlarge his political power, takes Hansum/Romero under his wing to develop more of these lookers that can give Verona's armies a huge advantage in battle.  He also seeks to bind Romero to him in loyalty by seeing that Romero marries his daughter, the Lady Beatrice.  One teensy-weensy problem - Romero and Guilietta have already married in secret.  To refuse the Podesta would mean social suicide for all three teens.  To have to be married to Beatrice (who wasn't so bad a girl after all) and 'use' Guilietta as a mistress would be unconscionable.

So, Hansum/Romero thinks, "I'll show the Podesta something even more valuable to him and once I become indispensable, he'll allow me to marry whomever I please."  Thus Romero 'discovers' cannons and black powder - centuries in advance of their introduction in the original time line.

Of course, Verona's rivals and enemies find out about these discoveries as well and make attempts to either steal a looker, kidnap Hansum/Romero, or both.  A prototype cannon, successfully test-fired, is subsequently destroyed in an attack.  Lincoln/Maruccio is shot in the head by an arrow.  Strike one.

A priest of the time happens to see the teens conferring with Pan and accuses them of being in league with the devil.  Pan's amulet/house is destroyed in a scuffle and the teens from the future are truly alone in the past.  Strike two.

And, oh yeah...the Black Death pandemic.  Strike three.

Since the timelines have been, shall we say, 'creatively rearranged', in these present circumstances, do three strikes make an out?  Hmmm.  I guess you will have to read "The Bronze and the Brimstone" to find out. ;)

The first time travel story I can remember reading was in junior high school.  Thirty-five to forty years later, I still remember some of the details; to say the least, it made an impression on me.  I will remember "The Bronze and the Brimstone", and indeed, Kaufman's entire Verona Trilogy, for a long, long time.

~~~oOo~~~

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Website * Twitter * Facebook

"I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The books of THE VERONA TRILOGY are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

~~~oOo~~~

(Disclaimer:  I received print copies of the Verona Trilogy from the author through iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was offered, requested or received.)

BOOK REVIEW:The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman

  

I am so pleased to bring a review today of "The Lens and the Looker", the first installment of the Verona Trilogy, by Lory S. Kaufman, and brought to you by iRead Book Tours!

SYNOPSIS

The LENS and the LOOKER

BOOK #1 of The Verona Trilogy:
It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s), have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradation. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.


REVIEW

I started "The Lens and the Looker" after my husband and I came home from our slightly-delayed anniversary supper and finished the book some time after 1 a.m. the next morning.  I've never literally not been able to put a book down before, but came very, very close with "The Lens and the Looker".

One would expect a post-dystopian novel about young people to have different language than such a book written for young people, and "Lens" does not disappoint.  Our three heroes (Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln) are 'hard cases' and even the regular History Camps do not teach them the intended lessons, so they are sent to "Total Immersion History Camps"  where the young people are left without some of the 24th century technology to which they are used.  It quickly becomes apparent that they are to 'hard case' for even those camps when they are taken back 1000 years in time to the "real" 14th century Verona, Italy.

Think about it.  No electricity, no indoor plumbing, no computers, no internet (ohmygoodness!).  It's not that you go home to these conveniences at the end of the day...they don't exist yet.

Luckily, the teens have an 'insurance policy', a holographic AI (artificial intelligence) called Pan.  They were not supposed to have him at the History Camp, but they did; and with Pan, they created disruptions.  But back in the real 1347, they are lucky to have Pan.  At first, they are still just trying to mess things up for other people, but Pan becomes a very useful tool in helping the young people adapt to their new surroundings.  When their time-traveling guide dies in that period, Pan becomes a lifeline.

There's also a nice bit of social commentary in "The Lens and the Looker".  There are wide class differences in medieval times.  Peasants are treated little better than cattle by the noble classes.  The young people are given the names Romero, Carmella and Maruccio (Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln) and supplied with enough technology to be able to communicate in the Italian of the day.

We are also introduced to the de la Cappa family, whose father, Agistino, is a lensmaker.  They have come on hard times, due to the father's alcoholism.  It is to this family that the time-traveler brings the three 'orphans'.  In our day, orphans would probably be brought into a home as family.  Back then, they were brought in as servants.  Signora de la Cappa talks to angels, and everyone assumes she is crazy.  Their daughter, Guilietta, is kindly and of an age to be of interest to Romero/Hansum and a friend to Carmella/Shamira.

I'm sure you can imagine some of the predicaments into which the young people become entangled.  Do they introduce technology centuries ahead of time to survive or make their lives easier in the 14th century?  You really, really need to read "The Lens and the Looker" to find out!

GoodReads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Indigo Chapters

~~~oOo~~~

AUTHOR INFORMATION

"I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The books of THE VERONA TRILOGY are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

Website * GoodReads * Facebook * Twitter

~~~oOo~~~

(Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of "The Lens and the Looker" from the author via iRead Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.)