Book Review: HOLLOW WORLD (from Bamboo Forest Publishing)

Thriller fiction set in Walt Disney World!  Yeah!  And it's from Bamboo Forest Publishing, who brought us Leonard Kinsey's OUR KINGDOM OF DUST and THE DARK SIDE OF DISNEY along with books by Dreamfinder (Ron Schneider) and Rolly Crump!

So I picked this up and read it (along with the three short prequel stories that are published separately, and at a cost of $0.00 (!) under the title HOLLOW WORLD:  ORIGINS) and it grabbed me.  It starts off in Detroit where Detective Charlie Walker is wrapping things up in preparation for a vacation to Walt Disney World with his beautiful wife Meghan and his two precocious daughters, and everything is going smoothly.  But when visiting Epcot Center, Charlie finds his wife talking to a cast member and she seems upset.  But she brushes it off and convinces him to return to the Magic Kingdom, and then to ride the PeopleMover instead of finding a good spot to watch the fireworks.  When the ride breaks down in the darkest area of the track, Charlie finds his wife and daughters have vanished from their ride vehicle!  In their place is a manila envelope with instructions on what he is to do if he ever wants to see them again.

What follows is an exciting story where the cool rational detective is tested by an unknown (to him) adversary and ultimately meets up with a CIA team who is intent upon capturing the bad guy.  It's a story which features great characters, from Charlie and his wife and family, to the five people on
X-Ray Team to the bad guy and his minions.  Fast paced and packed with action, it was a "can't-put-down" book for me.

I think that Nick Pobursky has created an original character in Detective Charlie Walker, one who is more cerebral than most fictional sleuths but capable and believable as an action hero as well.  I can definitely see Walker as the protagonist in many future thrillers.

This is a Disney themed blog, and that's part of why I am posting a review here:  the Disney resort, theme parks and hotels especially, have become sort of an extra character in this story; even though it's a tale that could have been set elsewhere, the Disney setting added a richness to the story that I don't think would have come through in another location.  There are lots of details here about a Disney vacation as many of us experience it.  The story, like Kinsey's OUR KINGDOM OF DUST, is not for kids.  It's a gritty, violent tale that fits with its thriller book brethren, and if you're not a fan of that genre of fiction, it might not be the best choice for you.

You can get this book here at Amazon:  HOLLOW WORLD

                                                                HOLLOW WORLD: ORIGINS (three free short stories)

*****
If you get a chance, please take a look at my latest offering, 14 Dark Windows, on Amazon for Kindle.  It's a collection of short stories, some horror, some milder with supernatural or horrific elements, some just nice stories, available in ebook form for $2.99!  Thank you!


*****