Platte F. Clark's "Fluff Dragon,"...A Book Review

I finished Fluff Dragon, Book 2 of the Bad Unicorn series last week. I finished it the same day I also finished an audiobook from a different YA fantasy series, Jennifer Neilson’s Ascendance Trilogy. I’ll write about that one in a following podcast. It’s interesting to be reading/listening to different books in different series written for the same audience.

Still, there’s nothing like the world Platte Clark created—nothing. Since this is Book 2 of the series, there are some similarities to Bad Unicorn, but there are some important differences, too. Bad Unicorn was such a strange book, a rollercoaster ride where I didn’t know what would happen next. Jr. High School kids transported to not only another realm, but another time within that realm—not a lot of time-traveling YA fantasy books out there that start in our world, at least, not many I’ve read. We follow the same characters from Book 1 as they search for a way to not only save the world in which they find themselves, but for a way to go home.

The differences in Fluff Dragon were subtle. It feels like Clark took a more series turn in the series’ second installment. The story’s more straightforward. It follows one quest without hoping to difference dimensions, even though talk of Texas and other worlds is found within the text. The changes worked for me because I was more invested in the characters. The surprises weren’t needed to further the story. This isn’t to say that there aren’t interesting turns and twists to the story—there are. One of these is the book’s namesake. Without giving away too much, a fluff dragon is a regular dragon that is turned inside out. The process by which this takes place is very imaginative.

Imagination is something Clark has in abundance. It’s like the world he created exists in spite of all the fantasy worlds we’ve come to know. There’s elves, dwarfs and giants, but also fire kittens—the lick of which is extremely uncomfortable and whose tails must be kept in water if they’re held prisoner. I mean, who thinks like this?

All these things, plus so much more are found within the book’s pages and, once again, Clark has proven himself to be a one-of-a-kind author. The third book in the series will be out soon. Personally, I can’t wait!

Platte F. Clark's "Bad Unicorn"...A Book Review

With Platte Clarke's Bad Unicorn, I did something I usually never do. I blogged about the book while I was reading it. Today, while traveling to Salt Lake to begin another wonderful day at work, I finished it.

What a great book!

In that previous post (you can access that blog post: HERE), I talked about how I met the author at a Comic Con and heard more about the book from a friend. He was it was unusual, and he was right. I knew going in that this was just the first helping of hopefully a much larger literary meal so I knew a cliffhanger was coming. It did not disappoint.

Without giving too much away, the title character of Clarke's book is not the main character. The story follows three teenagers who find themselves flung into the future because of a book that only one of the kids, Max, can read and understand. As this story unfolds, we also find ourselves in alternative universes where the Princess, the Unicorn (and she is bad...) plots and schemes to gain the advantage over basically everyone.

In the future, the unicorn and her assistant has turned from living organisms to computerized life forms. Princess's quest, however, remains the same. She loves the power.

I especially liked the way Princess can change from a unicorn to human form, her horn becoming a wand when she's no longer a unicorn. I liked that bit of imagination. I also loved the little "pearls of comedy" strewn throughout the entire book. It's a classic!

Yes, I'm done and I guess I'll be on the lookout for Fluff Dragon, book 2 in the trilogy. If you're looking for something different to read, pick up this one!

Platte F. Clarke's "Bad Unicorn"...An Introduction

Last September I bought a book from a local author. The book, Bad Unicorn. The Author, Platte F. Clarke. Last week I began reading said book. I have yet to finish it.

But so far, it rocks!

The book came recommended by a member of Platte's writing group. "It's a different kind of book," my friend Dave said.

"How so?" I asked.

"You have to read it to find out."

When you pick up a book called Bad Unicorn, and on the cover is a picture of a unicorn chewing the bones of some creature and another poor unfortunate animal impaled on on its horn, you know the book is not your average middle grade fare. Princess, the unicorn, is anything but. She's not a nice animal, nor is she a nice person when in human form (which I think is a brilliant way to expand the character's abilities...). 

I usually wait until I've finished a book before I write about it, but this time I thought I'd introduce the book and write a review later.

If you've got a middle grade reader who feel like they've "read it all," take a look at Bad Unicorn. Most likely, your reader hasn't read anything like this.