Farworld, Book 1: Water Keep (Far World) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Marcus, a wheelchair-bound 13-year-old, is bullied at his Arizona boarding school. He dreams about an alternate universe, Far World, and his dreams blur into reality after a Far World girl, Kyra, pulls him into her realm. Kyra has a handicap of her own: unlike everyone else in her magic world, she has no magical powers of her own. The two young people seem fated to join forces, and together, they embark on a quest to save Far World from evil. Much of the writing is clichéd, but the sophomoric humor will entertain younger readers, and the characters are intriguing enough to hold up a story that owes much to the Harry Potter series, from the child scarred as an infant after a potentially fatal attack to otherworldly villains who suck people’s emotions to the kindly old wizard mentor. Grades 4-7. --Cindy Dobrez

Review

FarWorld has been nominated for the Cybilis Award 2009. Now in the third year, the Cybils are an international series of book awards selected by a talented panel of children's and young adult book bloggers. The award seeks to find books that strike the balance between literary quality and kid appeal. Nominations were open to the public, and anyone could nominate a book published in the current year. --Cybilis.com

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain (September 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159038962X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590389621
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,214 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review, September 6, 2008

By	Cheryl K (CO) - See all my reviews

Thirteen year old, Marcus Kanenas has always had to defend for himself. His parents died when he was a baby. Marcus was born with some deformities. Marcus also has a strange mark on his shoulder. Marcus has a secret. He imagines a world far, far away known as Farworld. Everything there deals in magic....the people, the animals and even the trees and flowers talk.

One day a lawyer comes to the place where Marcus lives. He tells the man in charge that he has come on the behalf of Marcus' parents and they want him back. The lawyer says though that he needs proof that Marcus really is the boy he is looking for. The boy he is interested in has a mark on his shoulder. Marcus can sense that the man is not really who he says he is and tries to escape. Unfortunately the man captures Marcus. The lawyer is actually an evil summoner known as Bonesplinter. He wants to kill him Marcus. Before Bonesplinter can do so Marcus ended up in Farworld. There Marcus meets Kyja, her friend, a skyte named Riph Raph and Master Therapass, a master wizard. Master Therapass tells Kyja and Marcus to run for their lives from the Dark Circle. The Dark Circle is a group of summoners. Master Therapass tells Kyja and Marcus that he will catch up with them once he has taken care of some things. Kyja and Marcus end up experiencing all kinds of strange and unusual people and places in Farworld. To find out what types of things or if Kyja and Marcus survive you will just have to read Farworld: Water Keep for yourself.

I have not read a lot of young adult books. I do have to tell you though when I read the summary for FarWorld: Water Keep I thought I will give this book a chance. So glad I did. FarWorld: Water Keep was a good quality book, even if it is classified as a young adult book. The characters in this story were fun and had good personalities. Also I found the storyline to move at an easy pace. The only problem I had was just when the story was getting to the best part the book ended. So all I have to say is book two can't come out fast enough. For anyone who enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books, and then you will probably like J. Scott Savage's Far World: Water Keep series. Mr. Savage is going to make a great name for himself with readers of all ages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A role model for the disabled, September 22, 2008

By	lenore531 (Wichita, KS United States) - See all my reviews

13 year old Marcus is not having a great day. First bullies try to beat him up and then he finds out that an evil otherworldly power wants him dead. Before the evil's emissary can strike him dead, Marcus is pulled from Earth to another world, a magical world called Far World, by Kyja, a girl his age. He discovers that Far World is in danger, and it's up to him and Kyja to save it which they can only do by getting the four elementals to work together. And so they set off on a quest fraught with danger and with the evil power and its minions nipping at their heels.

This is the first book in a series, so it details only the beginning of the quest: to find Water Keep, where the water elementals live. Marcus and Kyja face a variety of obstacles, some which feel slightly derivative (the Unmakers remind me of The Neverending Story's The Nothing, the talking forest trees are similar to the Ents in Lord of the Rings), but the pacing is great and the story speeds along nicely.

Both Marcus and Kyja are appealing main characters though Kyja is just a tad too noble to be completely believable. Marcus's character is the best thing about the book, and what elevates it from your run of the mill quest story to something more special. Marcus is disabled and confined to a wheelchair or forced to crawl. He has his moments of self-pity and self-doubt, but he's able to overcome these to find the hero within. Disabled kids have a strong role model in Marcus and the rest of us gain a deeper understanding of the disabled experience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Farworld by J. Scott Savage, February 16, 2009

By	Grandma Lee (Roosevelt, Utah) - See all my reviews

Highly recommend this book! The author came to our little school in Northeastern Utah last week. Oh my gosh what a positive presentation he gave! The theme of the book is fantasy but his message is that the magic is in you not in magic tricks or such. That you can be and do whatever you want because it is up to you to do and be the best you can and you can do it because of the magic in you. The kids were enthralled. He had kids make up a story. A short one by asking different children different questions and turned it into a short story as he was talking to them that he is going to post on his website.

Our librarian had purchased 20 books in advance that she had him autograph. She was a little worried that she might have over bought. No way! She has had to reorder more. I bought three at the time of the assembly and had the autograph personalized for my three youngest grandsons, twin boys age 9 and a boy age 12. They have not put the book down! Other children (boys and girls both) bought books the next day and the teachers in our third, fourth and fifth grade classes (we only go to fifth grade in out little school) are saying that the kids are wanting to read this all the time. The third grade teacher said the kids that had the book were begging to read instead of doing the computer class. Kids are wanting to stay in at recess to read the book!

We traveled this weekend and I read the book outloud out and back from Salt Lake City. It is a good book. Lots of detail and excitement in his writing. From the very first page he has the kids hooked.

A new book is going to come out in this series every September. There will be five in all. We can hardly wait for the next one. They are waiting for it the way I was waiting for the Twilight books to come out.

Grandma Lee