Echo McCool - S O'Neill Review

Many authors have attempted to do what Mr Driscoll does with Echo McCool, but few have succeeded. It's a very traditional story but at the same time new. It feels like a timeless classic has been updated to appeal to kids today. I was watching Sherlock Holmes on BBC One the other day and it put me in mind of how the makers of that show have updated an old idea to make it appeal to viewers today. Mr Driscoll has done the same here with children's fiction.


The stars, Jason and Echo, complement each other very well. Mr Driscoll does not give in to temptation and just have Jason 'do a Pygmalion' on Echo - instead he has them learn from and help each other. Yes, Jason is resourceful and has modern knowledge, but Echo is uniquely skilled, sharp not to mention self-sufficient. "I know not ring the police" she says, but I think she is not just saying she does not know who the police are - I think she is intelligent enough to work that one out for herself - instead she is saying "I would not ever use the police." Echo's strength is reflected in other ways too: e.g. Jason derides Echo's medieval language and tries to teach her how people speak today ("All this perchance and thou art stuff - no one speaks like that any more. It's better to say perhaps and you are.") Echo then explains to him how "thee" differs from "you" and how modern language is actually a dumbed down version of what she speaks - it's less specific. I found this a joy to read as when I have read books like this before, the authors have tended to make the person from the past seem stupid when in fact they are just not educated about modern things. In many ways though they are cleverer.


I also like how Mr Driscoll combines Lord of the Rings-style mythology with modern day action. Going from a dryad netherworld to a couple of working class blokes cutting down a tree really underlines the differences between the main characters' worlds, and he makes each character seem believable.


The story ends on a high note and the promise of more adventures to come, and I am looking forward to reading more about Echo and Jason and their journey together. 

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 - "The Thirty-Nine Steps for Kids" - Matt Scanlan Review

This is a wonderful story. My 8 year old loved it but would suit 8-11+ years. The story of Echo and Jason is filled with the kind of drama and emotions normally found in a crime thriller. In fact in places it reminded me of "The Thirty-Nine Steps." The author Roger K Driscoll is a great story-teller so if for some reason you've yet to try this book, buy it and read it because you'll definitely enjoy it!

Echo McCool - "An Icon for Mixed-Race Kids" - Samuel "Giant" Review

Due to her appearance and heritage, Echo McCool is proving to be very popular with mixed race kids in both the USA and Europe. I teach middle-school and have many of the kids talking about this one. I think it's nice to see a book with a character that offers diversity which I believe to be quite rare. I'm glad the kids have an icon to look at with inspiration. Since discussing this book in reading class, I've had a handfull of students tell me that they hope to become authors. It definitely puts a smile on my face to know that books out there like this one can still inspire children to fulfill a dream.

Echo McCool - "A top lister for 2011!" - Sherise Rolan Review

I'm so happy I found a great book to read before the end of the year! I was getting really upset having read one not so good book after another and was losing hope that I'd find anything interesting *I'm a picky reader*. I couldn't stop reading this book and finished it in 1 day! The lore in it is just amazing!! I loved the dryad background of Echo and the story that just went into so much depth.

There are too many specifics in this book to name only a few that I loved. I think that Echo and Jason make the best 'unlikely' team that just works so well together. They balanced out each other to make a perfect pair. ^_^ I liked how while reading I felt scared for Echo and Jason, and other times I was cheering them on as they would battle it out. It was a great story and I would pre-order a sequel in a heartbeat!!!!

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 - "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 - "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 - "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.