Pilgrennon's Beacon
Caught in a feud between the two greatest minds of her time, Dana must reach the distant beacon to uncover the dark secrets of her past.
Autistic and adrift in the care system, Dana keeps secret her ability to mentally control computers. Even if she were to be believed, it's just another difference to mark her as an outcast. When bullies attack her at school in Coventry and a hospital scan reveals an object lodged in her brain, Dana runs away. A compelling signal leads her north to the Outer Hebrides and an abandoned military facility on the remote and supposedly haunted Flannan Isles, where she hopes to find answers to the mystery of her birth and her missing parents. But as the lies of the past unfold, Dana finds herself in the middle of a deadly rivalry between two old enemies whose own objectives have taken over their lives.
First volume of a four-part technothriller series aimed at adults and young people.
Reviews
Amazon Vine Reviewer
I think this is really well done. I particularly appreciate that it's an unusual story, and not at all cliched. The excerpt is not predictable, either in its writing or its plot... It's clear from the start of this excerpt--when we see that Dana is able to communicate with the walk signal--that we have something more than the usual picked-on protagonist trying to avoid her attackers. ("Henchgirls" is a nice touch.) The excerpt starts strong and remains strong. Information about Dana's current living situation is provided, but we're not beaten over the head with the details. The information is instead leaked into the narrative deftly. And the scene in the hospital, when something is found implanted in Dana's head, is likewise well done. By the end of the excerpt, I'm hooked on the story and want more. It's unusual and well-written.
Amazon Vine Reviewer
Excellent, intriguing, well written. Much of the narrative is from the child's point of view but still is strong and pulls my interest... So far this excerpt is spot on.
Amazon Vine Reviewer
A clever attempt to explore autism in the context of an intriguing mystery... The premise of a girl, Dana, abandoned by her parents, diagnosed with autism and then discovered to have some sort of computer in her brain is very clever. The restroom altercation between Dana and her nemesis is surprisingly violent but also feels real. Much of the writing is graceful and nimble and the addition of the mystery element spices things up and comes as a pleasant surprise.
Read more reviews at Goodreads.
Publishers Weekly
Able to maintain a high level of tension through many parts
Paperback ISBN 978-1-917231-01-5Caught in a feud between the two greatest minds of her time, Dana must reach the distant beacon to uncover the dark secrets of her past.
Autistic and adrift in the care system, Dana keeps secret her ability to mentally control computers. Even if she were to be believed, it's just another difference to mark her as an outcast. When bullies attack her at school in Coventry and a hospital scan reveals an object lodged in her brain, Dana runs away. A compelling signal leads her north to the Outer Hebrides and an abandoned military facility on the remote and supposedly haunted Flannan Isles, where she hopes to find answers to the mystery of her birth and her missing parents. But as the lies of the past unfold, Dana finds herself in the middle of a deadly rivalry between two old enemies whose own objectives have taken over their lives.
First volume of a four-part technothriller series aimed at adults and young people.
Reviews
Amazon Vine Reviewer
I think this is really well done. I particularly appreciate that it's an unusual story, and not at all cliched. The excerpt is not predictable, either in its writing or its plot... It's clear from the start of this excerpt--when we see that Dana is able to communicate with the walk signal--that we have something more than the usual picked-on protagonist trying to avoid her attackers. ("Henchgirls" is a nice touch.) The excerpt starts strong and remains strong. Information about Dana's current living situation is provided, but we're not beaten over the head with the details. The information is instead leaked into the narrative deftly. And the scene in the hospital, when something is found implanted in Dana's head, is likewise well done. By the end of the excerpt, I'm hooked on the story and want more. It's unusual and well-written.
Amazon Vine Reviewer
Excellent, intriguing, well written. Much of the narrative is from the child's point of view but still is strong and pulls my interest... So far this excerpt is spot on.
Amazon Vine Reviewer
A clever attempt to explore autism in the context of an intriguing mystery... The premise of a girl, Dana, abandoned by her parents, diagnosed with autism and then discovered to have some sort of computer in her brain is very clever. The restroom altercation between Dana and her nemesis is surprisingly violent but also feels real. Much of the writing is graceful and nimble and the addition of the mystery element spices things up and comes as a pleasant surprise.
Read more reviews at Goodreads.
Publishers Weekly
Able to maintain a high level of tension through many parts
Hardcover ISBN 978-1-917231-00-8