Echo McCool - "An Engaging Fantasy Novel" - Billy Askew Review

This book starts with an enticing opening sentence: "She heard the twang of a bowstring beyond the glade." The story that follows is both original and charming. Echo McCool is a karate-kicking half-dryad girl from medieval times. After narrowly escaping death by hiding inside a hollow tree she awakes in the present day and befriends 12-year-old Jason Fleeting. With Echo's help, Jason goes off in search of his missing sister.

Both Echo and Jason are endearing characters who show tremendous resourcefulness and courage. This is an empowering message to young readers and the book is a pleasure to read. Recommended for readers aged 8-13.

Echo McCool - "Really really good" - Jacob Sutherlin Review

I'm very impressed with this one! As an older dad of 2 I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this book. I think that readers of all ages will fall for Echo. Don't let the genre being in middle grade steer you wrong if you're an adult. It's a really good story!

The writing is FAR from "childish" and is composed in a way that adults and "tweens" can both enjoy. If you're an adventure or fantasy fan, it's definitely work checking out.

Echo McCool - "Very Impressed" - Rashell Paravak Review

I'm a 34 year old mother of 2 and loved this book. I don't think it's only for children and young teens. It definitely has an appeal and literary "goodness" that adults can fall for as well. I'm proud to admit that I'm a fan of Echo McCool. For me personally, my favorite genres are MG and YA. I think that no matter what age you are you can relate at some point in your life to the emotion in these genres.
I like Echo McCool, my oldest son loves it, it's an amazing story that is worth the time to read!

Echo McCool - "Enchanting" - Sammi Williams Review

I picked up this book after seeing some recommendations that fans of Stig of the Dump would enjoy it. So, being the Stig fanatic that I am, I decided to give it a try. Echo McCool (a twelve-year-old half dryad girl from the 13th Century) gets chased through a forest and shot by a poisoned arrow. But she has a magical card to play, she hides inside a hollow tree that, in time, will cure her of the poison. But the spell lasts a lot longer than she thought and she finds herself in the 21st century, when she is awakened by a boy called Jason Fleeting. Then the story becomes an enchanting tale of a unique friendship. Although Echo and Jason have had very different lives they learn a lot from each other. They have many adventures, some funny and some exciting. I would recommend this book to readers of all ages.

Echo McCool - "My 11-year-old niece absolutely loved it!"

I purchased this book for my 11 year old niece, and she absolutely loved it! It was one of her books that she wouldn't stop talking about. The other day I was sorting through my kindle library and started reading this book on a whim and I actually ended up reading the entire thing myself.

It's a great read for kids, with lots of action and very descriptive writing. And if you happen to be an adult who appreciates a well-written story, then I'd recommend it to you also. 5 stars!

Echo McCool - "Wonderful Book" - Ima Kindler Review

To me "Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time" by Roger K. Driscoll, while listed as a YA, has equal appeal to both the YA and adult reader.

Echo McCool is a half-blooded dryad. At the beginning of the book, she is shot by a poisoned arrow and, to escape the villian and survive, she jumps into an old, large, hollow oak. Too tall for her to get out, she enters the big sleep--better labeled the long sleep.

Enter 12-year-old Jason Fleeting who is dying in a hospital. He meets Echo's mother, a guardian of the gateway. She tells him she can heal Jason if he will rescue Echo from her tree before some loggers saw her in half. Jason works his own bargain, he wants to find his sister--who was kidnapped by their mother's killer.

Bargain stuck, Jason runs away from a children's home. Together, he and Echo set out to solve the murder of Jason's mother, rescue his kidnapped sister Lauren, and restore an inheritance to a new friend.

This is a fast read and I look forward to Echo's, Jason's, and Lauren's next adventure.

Echo McCool - Andy McMiles Review

I bought Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time for my eleven-year-old daughter. We read it together and we both loved it. This is a fun book for any age and it can appeal to both boys and girls. That is pretty powerful in my opinion. It is a real growth experience for the young reader and it helps with growing up, and learning about the great adventure that is life. Thank you so much to the author Roger Driscoll for the hard work and beautiful imagination.

Echo McCool - "A Novel to Rival the Rest" - Doug, Brooklyn Review

I think that the world will be hearing a lot more of Echo McCool. I thought her character was so well created and the blend of being a wielder of magic, with the self-abilities of a fighter was excellent. The fact that she is not just another human, but of dryad blood adds the icing on the cake for me. So many authors re-use fantasy characters that have been written a thousand times before (not that this is always a bad thing), but I loved the fact that this was something new and created fresh in the authors imaginative mind. I like the pace, which keeps moving forward, never hitting dull "dead zones" where you end up skimming through half of the book.

Soooooo, in a nutshell this book rocks!! = )

Echo McCool - "Huge Fan of this Book" - Sarah Boyd Review

Prior to reading this I was hooked on works by author Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl). Echo McCool has a very similar sense of writing and sweeps readers away into a world of magic and mayhem. Echo is probably one of the coolest female leads in any book I've ever read (and that says a LOT considering I read a ton of books).
I think that any YA readers of the fantasy genre will fall just as hard as I did for this book. I would LOVE for this author to do a book signing in my area so I could pick at his brain a bit about the book. The concept is just so uniquely original that it stands out a mile from others. Absolutely incredible. I think it would be great if Echo McCool becomes the next big series.

Echo McCool - "This Book Blew Me Away" - Bomar Habasu Review

With so many poorly written works coming out on the market, it's almost discouraging to go hunting for a gem. Luckily for fans of fantasy, Echo McCool is here!! My friend read this first and wouldn't stop urging me to give it a try. Finally I did after procrastinating for months and absolutely loved it!

The story is filled with adventure, suspense, mystery, and sooo much more. I think the author has an incredible way of allowing readers to see, smell, and feel what is happening in the story. From the moment Jason crossed paths with Echo, I knew I was going to be in for a wild ride.

This book d id not disappoint and I think readers of all ages are going to enjoy it. Can't wait to read more!!

Echo McCool - "Truly Loved this Book! Classic Adventure - J Malliet Review

I bought this book on a recommendation and my son and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I'll recommend it to you. A great book knows no age barrier. It reminds me of the Lemony Snicket books. The author combines crisp narrative with sharp, witty dialogue and not a word is wasted. The characters stay true throughout in this classic adventure story. This is a perfect example of well-written, well-edited fiction for 'tweens. There's nothing too graphic here so no worries for parents. The mystical parts aren't too complicated and the author weaves them effortlessly into the story without pulling you out of the narrative.

Well done. We are looking forward to more adventures from Echo and Jason!

Kindle Book Review: Echo McCool: 98 Five-star Ratings Gets our Vote!

I’ve been watching Roger K. Driscoll’s, Echo McCool at Goodreads for a very specific reason. The cover caught my attention when I found it on Goodreads.com’s Best Books of 2011. Since then I kept my eye on it, because it rose so quickly up the charts. He is now #8 in Goodreads Best books of 2011 and has all 5-star ratings and there are 98 of them. Did you hear that? Roger has ninety-eight (98)  5-star ratings and not one single 4, 3, 2 or 1. Other readers questioned this, but then after reading it they admitted that it certainly was a great book.
Those ratings grabbed my interest and so I am posting Echo McCool: Outlaw Through Time as The Kindle Book Review’s second book that we recommend. This book was written for the 12-15 year old in mind and is a time traveling, adventure story that not only seems to grip the imaginations of young teens, it has also “WOW’ed” adult readers as well. What’s best…and honestly, quite amazing is that this book, with higher ratings than most bestsellers is only 99¢…for now. Better hurry and get yours before the price goes up.
Echo’s Amazon rating is low because this book has obviously been overlooked or under marketed, but with ratings like that, Roger deserves some recognition. You can give him the recognition he deserves by purchasing and reviewing Echo McCool in the Kindle store.
After you’ve read Echo McCool, be sure to report back here and tell us if it lived up to the hype. And Roger, who btw, is on facebook and Goodreads, you are welcome to guest blog here anytime and tell us how you captivated 104 readers (Amazon included). Best of Luck Roger.
Now go get out Echo McCool by Roger K. Driscoll!
You can check out the Goodreads ratings and reviews HERE


http://thekindlebookreview.blogspot.com/2011/06/echo-mccool-has-cool-98-5-star-ratings.html
http://rogerkdriscoll.com/

Echo McCool - Author's debut book in top ten list

A BEVERLEY author has just seen his first published work named as one of this year’s top ten books.

Roger K Driscoll’s children’s book Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time was picked out for praised by independent literature comparison website www.goodreads.com

The children’s fantasy novel aimed at nine to 12-year olds is also now on sale at WHSmith book store in Toll Gavel, Beverley.

Mr Driscoll from Curlew Close, Molescroft, said: “I’ve been scribbling for years but this is the first one that’s been published, it took a lot of practice.”

The author grew up in the Beverley area and was inspired to write because of his enjoyable childhood playing out from dawn till dusk.

His story about a magical medieval girl linking up with a 12-year-old runaway is set in a mythical place called Oswaldley.

“Oswaldley is really Beverley, Witch Wood is Burton Bushes and Hazelby is Driffield. I don’t have any children myself and it’s difficult to say why I chose to write children’s books, they chose me.

“I think it depends on what sort of time you had when you were that age. I had a great time.

“I lived not far from where I live now and we used to play out all the time. I don’t think that happens so much.

“Sometimes we went raking off for miles.”

Mr Driscoll is a former legal executive who was made redundant in 2008 and used his redundancy money as an “advance” so he could take time out to write.

He was able to secure a deal with Grosvenor House Publishing, one of the directors of which is the respected Yorkshire author GP Taylor.

He said: “I wouldn’t say my career has ended but it’s on hold. It was difficult to do both at the same time because legal work is quite taxing. You end up shoe-horning in the writing.”

Whatever happens, anyone who enjoys Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time can be assured there is a sequel on the way.

Echo McCool - "Author's book praised on literature website"

BEVERLEY author Roger K Driscoll has seen his first published work named as one of this year's top ten books.

Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time was praised by independent literature comparison website www.goodreads.com

The children's fantasy novel aimed at 9 to 12-year-olds is now on sale at WHSmith book store in Toll Gavel, Beverley.

Mr Driscoll, of Curlew Close, Molescroft, said: "I've been scribbling for years, but this is the first one that's been published."

The author grew up in the Beverley area and was inspired to write because of his enjoyable childhood.

His story about a magical medieval girl linking up for adventures with a 12-year-old runaway is set in a mythical place called Oswaldley.

But the author said: "It's based on Beverley and the East Riding. I've used different place names, but they're all linked to this area. "Oswaldley is really Beverley, Witch Wood is Burton Bushes and Hazelby is Driffield."

The book is published by Grosvenor House Publishing, one of the directors of which is respected Yorkshire author GP Taylor.

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/news/Author-s-book-praised-literature-website/article-3623280-detail/article.html

Echo McCool - Beverley Guardian 13 May 2011

Losing his job helped Roger realise dream

Published on Friday 13 May 2011 12:26

REDUNDANCY forced a Beverley man into realising a life-long dream of becoming an author.

Roger Driscoll’s first book, Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time, is now rated as one of the top 10 best reads of the year by the website www.goodreads.com.

The book is the tale of Echo McCool, a magical, medieval girl with attitude.

In her own time, Echo escapes death from a poisoned arrow and hides inside a hollow oak tree. She lies dormant for hundreds of years, until the present day when she is awakened by Jason Fleeting, a 12-year-old runaway from a children’s home. Together, they set out to solve the murder of Jason’s mother and to rescue his kidnapped sister.

Roger’s work is heavily influenced by 1970s TV writer Richard Carpenter, who created series including Catweazle and Dick Turpin.

After some success in England when he was first published in January, Roger’s Amazon rating in America started to go up.

More recently, the book was rated in the top 10 best books of 2011 by the users of American site goodreads.com.

“That was quite unexpected,” Roger said. “I thought it would start in my own back yard and spread out, but it’s done the opposite and really taken off in America.”

Roger said being made redundant from a large law firm in Hull was the push he needed to finish half-written manuscripts he was storing under his spare bed.

“Trying to write on a weekend and evening takes its toll. Being made redundant gave me the chance to write full-time, which is so much better for me,” he said.

Roger first became interested in writing after meeting a children’s author whilst on holiday as a child in the Yorkshire Dales.

“I thought ‘that’s the life for me’,” he said.

However, Roger turned to law, although he did complete some writing work during this time and sent it off to various publishers.

“It’s very difficult in this country to get taken on by the big guys, so many people aspire to do it,” he said.

Roger eventually had success with Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time, seeing the book picked up by Grosvenor House Publishing, a small company based in North Yorkshire.

He is now working on the sequel to Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time and also plans to write a short novel.

Echo McCool - Brittany's Video Review

School and Other Cruelties

I met this author recently, while he was visiting the Inner Hebrides researching his next book. As a former owner of a children's bookstore in Scotland I was asked to read and review Echo McCool, Outlaw Through Time.


Echo, the girl of the title is half-human half-dryad which, among other things, means she has stripy limbs, she can see into the past and she is adept at a kind of medieval Kung Fu.


After a long sleep she travels from her own time to the twenty-first century and meets Jason Fleeting, a modern-day boy her own age who has been living in a children's home following the murder of his mother. Jason and Echo set out on an adventure that involves the reader in several action scenes, including an escape from a collapsing tunnel and a grand punch-up of a finale. Echo and Jason even help out a few other people along the way, Lone Ranger-style.


This story combines a number of popular fiction genres to produce an interesting mix of present-day goodies-v-baddies adventure, a mystical element introducing dryad magic and links with times long-past, plus the all-action razzmatazz of Kung-Fu (with more than a little humour thrown in). Echo and Jason are both brave and likeable characters.


Will it be the next big thing? Who knows? Personally I think once established this book will prove to be quite popular.

Echo McCool - Diane Cornwall Review

I read this book, to see what all the fuss was about, but I have to say I was NOT disappointed. The story begins in a Robin Hood type era and in the first chapter we meet Echo, the 12-year-old half-dryad girl of Wicca Forest. She is chased by a forester called Wulfric because there is a bounty on her head. Wulfric fires an arrow that has lethal poison on the tip of its blade. It nicks Echo's arm but because of her dryad heritage she can heal herself of even the most deadly of diseases, by touching living wood. She escapes from the forester and hides inside a hollow oak tree. There she hibernates for centuries though her soul never leaves her body.


The story then cuts to the present day when a 12-year-old boy called Jason Fleeting is in hospital, in a coma after falling out of a tree. He has a near death experience and finds himself in a kind of heaven known as the Edge of Time. He meets the spirit of Fenella, Echo's mother, who tells Jason that he too is part dryad. Fenella tells him that the tree containing Echo is soon to be cut down. She gives him a task, to rescue Echo from the fallen tree. Fenella returns Jason to life and a few days later, he rescues Echo as planned. Once Echo has fully recovered, she and Jason set off on an incredible adventure to solve the mystery of Jason's mother's murder, and to rescue his abducted sister.


Unlike some children's stories, this one builds up to a truly exciting climax and I would recommend Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time to all able readers in the 9 to 12 age group. Fantastic book!