Review: Chimera book 1, by Phil Gomm

 

 Chimera (1)

by Phil Gomm

Genre(s): Fantasy, Adventure, Young Adult

Pages: 100

Published: October 2014

Publisher:  Troubador Publishing Ltd

Official Summary:  "Kyp Finnegan is lost in Chimera after running away from the imposters pretending to be his parents. Chimera is as remarkable as it is dangerous - a fantastical world of lost properties in which bowties evolve into butterflies and abandoned sofas transform into snorting herds of soffalos! With the help of Atticus Weft, a sock-snake with a secret, Kyp must evade the clutches of Madame Chartreuse, who is determined to add him to her collection of lost children and imprison him in Chimera forever..."

Review:  This could have been really good. There is a LOT of creativity that shines through in this short story (only 100 pages).

It starts off with Kyp (always loved that name) being dropped off at a store by his not-parents and soon finds himself in a whole new world. Right from the beginning I have so many questions. What are not-parents? was he kidnapped, does he know his real parents, was he adopted are they monsters...? Then it was were is he and why is he chasing after random figures and wondering if said figures are him mom? does he have a mother-complex, did something happen to her? And the questions just keep on coming.

There is no real intro into this book. It is a Wham! Bam! you are in the think of thing book and it does not let up for an instant book. So it is very fast paced and with short chapters. Lots of action and adventure. It seemed like an odd mix of 'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium' meets 'Labyrinth,' meets 'Paprika (anime).' All of which I love but it is too much mixed together. Lots of strangeness in a world of Lost Things.

Overall, it could have been good had the pace slowed down just a bit and there was less thrown out too early on in the story. There was no building up into anything. We are just tossed right into the thick of things with no end in sight or sense of direction and that just doesn't work for me when I cannot wrap my head around what is happening until over halfway through.

Almost 2.5 stars but not quite.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair/honest review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.*