The Duty of Love

By Ronald Neal Green

NEW! IS THIS BOOK "BETTER" than "OZ, NARNIA, TOLKIEN AND ALICE AND WONDERLAND?" (Scroll down the page to view new Video Preview of book!) From review by John Lehman BookReview.com(full review available on Amazon.com)This book is a small masterpiece... dazzling climax and theme...in the tradition of Oz, Narnia, Tolkien and Alice in Wonderland only better...haunting... There is not a misstep in this excellent book... the horrific, unsettling anti-climax will make you as eager as I am for the second book of this projected trilogy... unflinchingly explores the full range, not only of love and hate, but also of what it means to live and die. Share this journey with someone special.... at the end of the novel this book becomes unforgettable. ORDER TODAY ONLINE(order button top left of page) OR CALL YOUR BOOKSTORE AND HAVE THEM ORDER FOR YOU Review by Celina Cuadro, bookideas.comWhen I picked up Duty of Love and read the back cover, I thought it would be similar to the special bit of whimsy Diana Wynne Jones put together in "Howls Moving Castle". As I started the first chapter, I was guessing that maybe Ronald Neal Green was trying his hand at the interesting story formula employed by William Goldman for "The Princess Bride", a story within a story told to a young child, where various life lessons (and possibly lots of hilarious moments) ensue. By the end of chapter one I knew I had this story pegged all wrong, but I knew I was in for a page-turner that would draw me in and not let go till I finished it. Ronald Neal Green took great care in keeping the different relationships between his characters tangible and possible, so the reader could resonate with them despite the extraordinary situations the characters had. Compared to most readers, all the characters had extraordinary situations: few of us of course are princes or princesses, wizards or rats who become human---but very few of us as well are dying at the age of 10, nor do we regularly encounter creatures in our closets ominous enough that we sleep with a bat or a steak knife within easy reach. And yet all characters felt real and were well-developed, both as individual characters and in the dynamic they had with the others in the story. Real enough that I found it easy to invest heavily on both sets of siblings (the brother and sister IN the story as well as the two LISTENING TO the story). Maybe its because I have a little brother, but I think its probably more because the siblings didnt feel smarmy---to readers who get along with their siblings (and even those who dont, or are an only child), the childrens relationships are both believable and endearing. That feeling of realness, together with the author peppering the tale with a sprinkling of the strange, the macabre, and some well-placed twists that added zing, compelled me to commit and see the whole story through. I started reading The Duty of Love in the subway, on my way to work---I finished it 4 a.m. the next day. I am a slow reader, and there are many urgent and important things to do at work and at home, but it was just as urgent and important to know what happened next and how everyone in the story fared. This is a page-turner partly because its a thriller, but more so because the reader will care for the protagonists, and will be fueled to read on by the hope that things worked out for them. With each new development, twist, or preparation to face a daunting obstacle, you will want to read "a few pages more" to see if everyone made it out OK. Before you know it youll reach the end, take a deep breath to steady yourself, and realize what a wonderful tale Ronald Neal Green has spun for you. SYNOPSISWhat would you do if you were a lovelorn wizard with a rat that lived in your hair(your trademark in the very competitive business of wizardry)? Would you turn it into a human to spy on the damsels for you? What if you were a little Princess and no one would listen to you when you tried to warn t

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1432712594
• ISBN13: 9781432712594
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Outskirts Pr
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"