Magic Makes You Strange (The Brontosaurus Pluto Society) [Kindle Edition]

Noah K. Mullette-Gillman (Author)

Book Description

Magic makes you strange. It will change you. It will ruin you for this world.

In 1936 aliens from the planet Pluto descend upon London to learn the secret of stage magician Nevil Dever's latest work of prestidigitation. They abduct the performer and his apprentice, Edward Whistman, on a flying saucer. Once on board the spaceship, young Edward meets a being from the planet Venus. The two of them make their escape together and Edward begins his descent into the dark world of real magic.

56,000 words

Product Details

• File Size: 318 KB
• Print Length: 235 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1463770901
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005E8CBU0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,513 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic Makes You Strange July 24, 2011

By ?wazithinkin

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a strange story of a magician's apprentice, Edward Whistman, who came to know real magic, true magic, and the consequences of wielding such power. When the author says `magic will make you strange' he isn't kidding. He has a real talent for world building, and an imagination that is hard to top! The author takes you on a wild ride through time and space as Edward's life is turned upside down and he has to relearn everything he thought he knew about good and evil. What is the truth and who is Edward Whistman, really? This book is totally worth the ride Noah K. Mullette-Gillman takes you on, just sit back and enjoy.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Strange title, fantastic concept, wonderful story August 21, 2011

By Steven Konkoly

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Noah K. Mullette-Gillman latest book, The Brontosaurus Pluto Society: Magic Makes You Strange, is a delightful journey into the world of science fiction and wizardry, setting the stage for what I can only hope is a series of books about the Brontosaurus Pluto Society, and the bizarre, but recognizable world the author has crafted.

Edward Whistman is the sole apprentice to renown magician, Nevil Dever, and has followed him for years, learning bits and pieces of his magic, but never really grasping the reality of Nevil secret. A dark secret that attracts the attention of aliens, and lands Edward onboard a spaceship headed toward Pluto. Confused, indignant, and slightly resourceful, Whistman defies the aliens with some otherworldly help, and returns to earth...many years in the future.

And so the hunt for Whistman begins, and the Plutonians are not the only group hot on his trail. Left with a single spell by his otherworldly accomplice, Edward starts to understand the true nature of magic, and the consequences it can wreak upon everyone, including the caster.

The author has created a fascinating world, with complex, well drawn characters and dangerous, beautifully crafted settings. The story is fast paced, well-constructed...and wonderfully strange. Noah's story has the potential to extend into a successful series, appealing to young adult readers and adults alike. I look forward to the second installment of his story. Strange title, fantastic concept and wonderful story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Utterly original and with a great opening! August 14, 2011

By D. P. Prior

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a well-written, well-presented book with an original voice and a heap of charm. I was hooked from the opening scene in a theatre where we are backstage in the POV of young Edward, the apprentice to the great prestidigitator Nevil Dever. Dever, we learn, is no mere trickster and has somehow acquired a true magical spell, which draws the attention of some rather sinister aliens.

The POV is so tight in these opening scenes that the reader cannot help but identify with the ambitious Edward. His POV is both intelligent and charming. He's well-mannered, boyish, but also possessed of razor sharp focus. He's also a very quick learner.

The opening chapter is once of the best I've read recently: it had me smiling from ear to ear and even laughing out loud. I think it succeeds not only due to the compelling setup, but also due to adherence to the "Unities" of time, place, and person. Extremely focused and effective writing.

It's a difficult task to maintain such sparkling form throughout a novel, and the tale did take a slight dip for me once the action moves on past the frightening scenes in space, and the introduction of devils from Venus. Having a time shift of 40 years probably didn't help the immediacy, but the author quickly gets us back to the task in hand and sweeps us along on what is a hugely imaginative and refreshing tale.

In the middle portions, POV is not as tight as at the beginning, but we still have a strong identification with Edward, who is an ideal character to view this surprising world through - a true Chestertonian protagonist, an ordinary lad in an extraordinary world.

The flow of the prose is effortless - nice short sentences, and always great clarity. This is a writer flexing his muscles and coming into his own. Lots of humour, suspense, wit and wisdom from a writer who is surely carving out his own little niche.

Well worth the investment of time and money. Very nearly a five star rating (I'd give 6 to the opening!)

More About the Author

Noah Mullette-Gillman was born in Montclair, New Jersey. He spent his childhood there, as well as in the town of Manly, Australia, and the woods of Upstate New York. He earned a multidisciplinary degree in Philosophy and Creative Writing at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.
His favorite color is blue.
His favorite number is 8.
His favorite song is currently Moment of Surrender.
He thinks better and more clearly as the day goes on, arguably climbing to his intellectual summit in the middle of the night, when the world has gone to sleep and he can think without any interfering broadcasts from other brains.