Echo McCool - Review by Botticelli

Bought this for my neice, and she loves it. I read it as well, and for a YA book, I was delighted and carried way by this wonderful story. I recommend this to parents, and their children as a really cool wonderful read.

Botticelli Review

Echo McCool - Review by Fantasy 3

What an amazing book!An easy 5*!!! Adult or child, you'd love Echo McCool!!! The main characters are Echo and Jason, who I fell in love with, once I picked this book up I did not want to put it down!!! The writing is a very high standard, I loved the descriptions, I would love to have been there with them both (saving the day). The author is a very talented writer, and I can't wait for the next instalments or any books he writes in the future.

Fantasy 3's Review

Watching the Pirates

This is a rolling list of ebook pirate sites. I use the word "pirate" because the sites are offering unlawful downloads of my work without my consent. If you are an author, please check to see if these sites are doing the same to you. If so, report the matter to Amazon's legal department (via KDP) and to your publishers BEFORE PIRACY TOTALLY KILLS YOUR SALES.

http://www.ebook3600.com

http://magic-downloads.net

http://www.downloadprovider.me

http://www.mediaplaynow.com/

If you are aware of any similar sites please leave the details by commenting below, anonymously if you wish.

Many thanks

FACT - The Federation Against Copyright Theft

TO AUTHORS IN THE UK concerned about eBook piracy we all need to come down off the fence and do something about it. Make a list of all sites offering illegal downloads of your book and then report the matter either to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or to the Federation Against Copyright Theft at http://www.fact-uk.org.uk/site/contact/com_form.htm

From the FACT website:

FACT’s primary purpose is to protect the United Kingdom’s film and broadcasting industry against counterfeiting, copyright and trademark infringements.

Established in 1983, FACT works in three key areas:

• Online piracy in all forms – with a focus on those distributing large volumes of illicit film and TV content

• Hard goods piracy – organised criminal networks operating in the UK (and worldwide) have adopted audiovisual piracy as a crime type to generate substantial illegal profits

• Prevention and detection of illegal recording in cinemas – over 90% of the counterfeit versions of movies originate initially from a copy recorded in a cinema

FACT works closely across the UK with Police, Trading Standards, HM Revenue & Customs, UK Border Agency, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the other agencies. FACT also has a close association with other industry enforcement bodies.

FACT’s Intelligence Unit plays a key role in assessing, analysing and reporting on the threats to its members’ businesses from criminal activity and tasks FACT’s own investigators as well as producing strategic documents available to partner agencies.

FACT plays a key role in creating awareness of the dangers associated with counterfeiting and continually gathers evidence to prove that film piracy is linked to other criminal activities, from benefit fraud to violence.

FACT has an important role in ensuring that the government and public understand the threat to the UK’s film and television industry and to the community at large from the growing threat of DVD and online piracy.

Film piracy in the UK is:

• A business generating £200m a year for criminals
• A crime which affects other people and the wider community – involving benefit fraud, people smuggling, drugs and other serious criminality
• A real crime, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment

The seemingly innocent purchase of a cheap DVD from an irregular source can therefore have far reaching effects. For further examples of the effects of DVD piracy in the UK, please go to our Media Centre and view the latest case studies and statistics.

While the Federation is not a statutory body, it is accepted as a prosecution authority in its own right and facilitates the investigation and prosecution of those involved in this type of crime.

http://www.fact-uk.org.uk

Echo McCool - Review by Colesy999

This book is an absolute must have for 77p on the kindle. Having said that, it's worth £7.00 new!

The description is of an unmatched quality and combined with a breath taking story-line equates to quite literally the best book you have ever read.

And you should see my collection of books...

Colesy999 Review on Amazon.co.uk 

Princess Merida - Beyond the Trailer

Princess Merida from Disney Pixar's Brave hits theaters in 2012! Beyond The Trailer host Grace Randolph introduces you to the newest Disney Princess, Princess Merida! Voiced by Kelly MacDonald, she is the first Pixar princess and joins Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Mulan, Pocahontas, Tiana, and Mulan! Learn all about Princess Merida before Disney Pixar's Brave in 2012! Is Princess Merida your new favorite Disney Princess? Beyond The Trailer is associated with YouTube Next Lab.

Echo McCool - Thu Barton Review

Big thanks to the lovely Thu Barton for this review on Goodreads:


The character of Echo McCool reminds me very much of the Princess Merida character in the Disney Pixar film BRAVE. Both are feisty and strong and red-haired and grew up in a British folklore world. Echo McCool was first published in January 2011 but Pixar must've been working on Princess Merida for a long time so I'm not sure which came first - but both are totally awesome! 

Thu Barton's Review on Goodreads 

Echo McCool - Tom D Harris Review

Son to a missing father, son to a murdered mother, brother to a kidnapped sister, Jason Fleeting will have his vengeance in this life...not the next.

When twelve year old Jason falls out of a tree and into a coma in the grounds of the children's home where he lives, he finds himself on a beach at the edge of time; somewhere between the living and the afterlife.
Here, he meets a beautiful dryad, Fenella, who recites a tale of ancient conflicts, war, bravery and death. She also reveals that Jason and his sister, Lauren, are descendants of a human-dryad and tasks Jason to return to earth to save her daughter, Echo McCool. In turn Echo will help Jason to rescue his sister from her kidnappers.

With Echo rescued from Witch Wood, she uses the dryad gift of Gewita to look into the past to unravel the mysteries of Jason's past and his sister's kidnapping. Together they delve deeper and deeper into the sinister secrets of the Cobalt family and the eerie Ravenstone Manor.

With the help of a (rock) band of minstrels, as echoes of a female Robin Hood resonate through the pages, they encounter dodgy coppers, arson attacks, collapsing tunnels and other endless confrontations, but don't panic - Echo knows Kung Fu.

A pacey, page turner from Roger K Driscoll, packed with great characters and a great sense of fun. This action adventure flirts with crime and mystery as fantasy smashes headlong into reality.

Echo and Jason may not be able to predict their futures in the Gewita but in the words of a popular indie-rock band.

I predict a sequel...I predict a sequel...

Echo McCool - Tom D Harris Review

Echo McCool - Imperatrix Review

I bought this for my 10 year old but because she loved it and kept going on about it I decided to have a read as well. Echo is half-blood Dryad girl who gets shot by this poison arrow in the dark ages and escapes by hiding in this hollow tree, but she doesnt realize that shell get stuck there and the poison will put her to sleep for something like 800 years. In the present a 12 year old boy called Jason is in this coma and having a near death experience where he meets Echos mother who says shell heal him and tell him how to find his kidnapped sister Lauren if he rescues Echo before lumberjacks cut her in half. He agrees and awakens Echo and they go off together to rescue his sister and restore an inheritance to a new friend. Overall this has good characters, its very readable and fast with loads of action and tension. Were both looking forward to the sequel already.

Echo McCool - Imperatrix Review

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.

Dryads in Fiction

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryad
Dryads are mentioned in Milton’s Paradise Lost, in Coleridge, and in Thackeray’s work The Virginians.^[12] Keats addresses the nightingale as ‘light-winged Dryad of the trees’, in his Ode to a Nightingale. In the poetry of Donald Davidson they illustrate the themes of tradition and the importance of the past to the present.^[13] The poet Sylvia Plath uses them to symbolize nature in her poetry in “On the Difficulty of Conjuring up a Dryad”, and “On the Plethora of Dryads”.^[14]
In the ballet Don Quixote Dryads appear in a vision with Dulcinea before Don Quixote, they also appear in the classical ballet Sylvia
Dryads are also featured extensively throughout The Chronicles of Narnia by British author C.S. Lewis and are shown to fight along side Aslan, son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea, and the Pevensie Children.
The same characters recur in David Eddings’ The Belgariad, where Dryads live in seclusion on the Wood of the Dryads within the Tolnedran Empire and among the most prominent in the storyline is Ce’Nedra.
In the animated show Monster School, the character Rose Greendae is a dryad who can turn into a tree at will.
In the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, there is a dryad named Juniper who is the girlfriend of Grover Underwood.
____________
Other dryads in fiction:
Sue Maynard – Ebon Black and the Seven Dryads
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ebon-Black-Seven-Dryads-ebook/dp/B005HSPMUS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319464657&sr=8-1
Frank Stockton – The Lost Dryad
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Dryad-Stockton-Frank-Richard/dp/1110970137/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1319464733&sr=8-7
The Dryad Project – James Moy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dryad-Project-James-D-Moy/dp/1843866900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319464820&sr=1-1
The Dryad by Justin Huntly McCarthy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dryad-Novel-Justin-Huntly-McCarthy/dp/1103049151/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319464820&sr=1-3
The Oracle of the Missing Dryad – Kristin Groulx
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oracle-Missing-Dryad-Kristin-Groulx/dp/0981131522/ref=sr_1_56?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319465055&sr=1-56
Mr Griffin and the Dryad – Frank Stockton
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Griffin-Minor-Canon-Pipes-Dryad/dp/1425468659/ref=sr_1_100?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319465215&sr=1-100

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 - "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 - "My New Hero" - LoveReading Review

I love Echo! She is probably one of the coolest female leads I've ever read about. I think girls and women around the world are going to fall for her. Shes rough and tough and doesn't let anyone mess with her, yet she is a great friend and loyal to those she cares for...a real hero! I loved her abilities and that she isn't fully a human at all. The storyline was epic and I enjoyed how she was introduced right in the beginning so that you really get to know her throughout the book. I'm a permanent fan of Echo McCool!!! More please :)

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 - "An Adolecent and Young Teen Masterpiece" - Glen Cantrell Review

The writing is smart and swift. An Adolecent and Young Teen Masterpiece as I headed above. As a fifty-year-old adult, I enjoyed this tremendously. It's because of the Author, Roger K. Driscoll's technique of holding the reader's attention and he does so with conviction. This story is a definite page turner of fantasy. Buy this today if not for your son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter.

Echo McCool - "A Quality Book" - Northgate Review

Echo McCool Outlaw Through Time is one of those cross-over books:the storytelling seems to be aimed at children, and the two maincharacters are twelve years old, but the story can be enjoyed by adults too. I think the optimum age would be slightly older
children, say 11 or 12. Echo McCool is a slightly Lara Croft-ish
character because she can do Ninja type fighting, and so on.
The story is mainly about Echo who, at the age of 12, escapes her
foe in medieval time and sleeps inside a hollow tree for hundreds
of years. She awakes in modern times and meets Jason Fleeting and has loads of adventures with him.
I think that the end was a little too abrupt: most people would want to keep reading! However, this didn't spoil the book for me at all. Overall, this book is quality and you should go out and buy it!