Terra Incognita: The Abyss [Kindle Edition]

Joshua Mays (Author)

Book Description

Benjamin was an unremarkable teenager, a nobody with few meaningful ties in his life. Keeping to himself, he found a life of vicarious adventure in his books. This worked out well until he found a different type of book; one filled with stories of demons and dark magic. Before he knew it, this powerful tome had pulled him into another world. It isn’t long before Ben was thrust on a quest for a set of magical items that would help him get home. Journey by his side on this whirlwind trip as he travels to Eden and Atlantis; scraping and scrounging to survive long enough to save this unfamiliar world from an awakening evil that’s older than the stars themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This is the first book in the Terra Incognita series following Benjamin Harking.

Product Details

• File Size: 344 KB
• Print Length: 136 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0051UN7VS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,218 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #14 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Coming of Age
  • #61 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Abyss: A Good Beginning January 22, 2012

By Athanasios

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Terra Incognita is a great title, but I don't get the Abyss part. I didn't notice a deep never ending void anywhere in the book.
That pretty much encapsulates the book and Joshua May's writing in this book. It's an interesting read for the most part
but there are many instances where I asked, "why"?
It pulled me out of the narrative to the point it was interfering with some great storytelling.

The idea of a young teenager being thrown into a quest where he is compelled to go further, and be more entrapped
in the frightening adventure, yet he cannot stop, is engrossing. What Joshua lacks in well thought out specifics of characters
and dialogue he makes up for in enthusiasm and compelling plot.

Particular of what I'm referring to, without any spoiler alert is, the Terra Incognita that the main character Ben finds himself in,
is rife with people who speak in exactly the same euphemisms as our own. One would think a different world or an alternate reality
to ours would not use the words, "guys" or "weird" to describe "men" or when something is "unusual".

This is a small example and I could lift a number of others but don't want to make this review sound like a bad one, because it is not.
I'm trying to be fair handed and helpful.

I'll end it by stating that the basics of the story are excellent, yet it could do with further seasoning.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read October 7, 2011

By jadair37

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really liked this book.
It is the first in a series that I look forward to reading more of.
The adventure and places are fantastic.It is a quick easy fun read.

I would like to see more character development.

But over all an enjoyable read.

If you like Neil Gamien you will enjoy this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dark Fantasy for Young Adults June 19, 2012

By M. Frastley

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

We meet our leading character, an earnest teen named Ben who returns from being away at school to find himself completely alone in a huge house during the holidays, his parents apparently off doing something far more important with their new found wealth than welcoming home their only son. Boredom and frustration get the best of him and after an ill-fated plunge through a rotten stairwell, the boy finds himself in possession of a book -- an evil book that someone has taken great pains to secret away forever -- a book that promises to bring destruction upon any and all who dare to open it. Naturally, curiosity and skepticism lead to Ben doing the unthinkable, which is to open the book. A dark and terrifying adventure ensues, with one unintended consequence after another that Ben finds himself in some way responsible for -- responsible and guilty and and without a means of making it right -- each trial eats away at a little bit more of the goodness that makes Ben who he is. This book is the first in what is meant to be a collection. The first one ends quite abruptly with no warning and with no apparent resolution in sight for Ben. As a reader, we are left with our own kind of Abyss, which is frustrating, but might be intentional on the part of the writer. Definitely for the youth market, this book is sure to spark some imaginations.

More About the Author

Hello, my name is Joshua Mays. Ever since I was about 16, writing was the only thing that made sense to me. Call it a penchant for something I was good at, or just nature. I'm not really sure. Either way, I didn't start taking myself seriously until last year when i decided to give up my childish ways of partying and such to write a novel.

It took me about a year to finish it, and then i decided it wasn't good enough. Now, I'm in the process of rewriting the whole thing from scratch and my enthusiasm was so great that i decided to self publish it in pieces. I guess i just got tired of the waiting. I just published the first part (of three) of my novel titled Terra Incognita.

Its a story of a young man who discovers a way into a forbidden world sealed off from our own thousands of years ago. All the stories and myths we've heard can exist in some fashion here. Ben (The main character) finds himself caught in the middle of a situation where one man is trying to resurrect an ancient evil that lies in the very hearts of all mankind: The hollow. All he wants is to get home, but in order to do so, he has to go through the very thing that threatens this world.

Its and epic journey in a world that allows me a lot of freedom to create as i see fit. I like to think of it as a sand box story, because there is a way to make everything work here as long as I use a fair amount of tact.

It is my goal to be a successful, working writer and hopefully move on to other endeavors with the skills and talent I learn by writing.