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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An observation by little sister, August 6, 2006
This review is from: Collinsfort Village (Paperback)
Since Joe is my brother, I had to read his book. I knew it would be good because Joe is a great story teller and full of thoughts of fantasy and whim. I was not, however, expecting to be so blown away by the story and his writing style. What I loved the most was his description of the characters, how they looked and expecially how they moved. I felt the embarassment and frustration poor Griff felt when he caught his wing in the supermarket automatic doors. I got goose gumps when Griff described the beauty of a dragon taking flight. I don't want to say anymore, but anyone that enjoys fantasy and losing themselves in a story will surely enjoy this book.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 'Feel Good' Fictional Fantasy of 2006, June 11, 2006
This review is from: Collinsfort Village (Paperback)
I will make no bones about it... I'm 52 years old, but after reading Joe Ekaitis' "Collinsfort Village", I'd felt like a kid once again!
Mr. Ekaitis has taken his artistic talents (and sense of humor) and carried them over into literary form, to create a masterpiece (for all ages) on his very first try!
The intermingling of both humans and mythical creatures - set in a modern-day, make-believe world - makes one long for such a parallel universe to actually exist. Having characters like Bear and Griff converse with humans like Dennis (and even Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show"!) seem like 'second nature' to all concerned; and yet, it still leaves the imagination open to readers, such as myself. (After all, what sort of topics would YOU discuss with a twenty-foot-tall griffin?) I can already see the potential of this work produced as a made-for-TV movie (with CGI effects for the three leading animal characters)...
I like the idea of dividing the story into three separate parts (the introduction of the characters and the inevitable discovery by Dennis of Griff's secret identity; the reunion of Griff and Dorian the dragon in California two years later; and the finale about Dorian's own deep, dark secret, and how Griff and Dennis remedy the situation), which means that some readers don't have to go through the whole book in one sitting (as I'd done, upon receiving a copy of it from a friend of mine). Just read one part per day, and you'll be thoroughly entertained as well.
And although Joe is a very talented artist in his own right, it was most unselfish of him to allow Nick Greenwood to provide some of the book's wonderful illustrations (both on the cover and on some pages).
Needless to say, I'm glad that Mr. Ekaitis left the story open-ended, for the potential of writing a sequel; but whether he writes one or not, he has already left his mark in the world of fantasy literature. "Collinsfort Village" is a 'feel good' book on several levels (never boring and never tedious), and I hope that Joe continues to persue his interest in writing more imaginative works like this one.
- Jed Martinez, Margate, FL
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Griffins and Bears And Dragons, Oh My!, March 17, 2006
This review is from: Collinsfort Village (Paperback)
On a mountain above Collinsfort Village, Colorado lives a lovable seven-foot tall, basketball-lovin' bear (Bear) and his cavemate, Griff-- a twenty foot tall griffin who writes best-selling novels under a pen name. One eight-year-old boy who's a big fan of these novels is about to discover his favorite author's secret identity. And together (two years later), all three are to encounter a mystery involving Amelia Earhardt--and hopefully get an artistic dragon to fly again.
Ekaitis' novel takes the ordinary world and injects some unusual
characters: anthropomorphic animals with hobbies and talents all
their own. There's a lot of humor here, like how the boy discovers the real author of his favorite books (or so he thinks); the clumsy efforts by Griff to be better than
his grizzly roommate, and Bear's practical joke on the
literary griffin.
After Griff tries to be as popular with the locals as Bear
if not more so--with disastrous results-- Bear tells his
friend that "they like you just as much as they like me,
but for different reasons". In other words, there's no
need to pretend to be someone else; just be yourself
and people will love you for whom you really are.
All I know is I'd love to live in a town where a huge griffin
reads to the kids at the library, and a bear shows his
basketball expertise (Memphis Grizzlies, here he comes!)
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