Podcast Review #94: Max Quick 2: The Two Travelers
originally published August 14, 2011
Title: Max Quick 2: The Two Travelers
Author: Mark Jeffrey
Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Released: 25 March, 2005 – 12 October 2008
Located:Podibooks, iTunes
Formats Available: Podcast, unsure whether other formats are available at this time
Rating: PG: Violence mild language
I recently read an interview with author Mark Jeffrey. In it he discussed his path from podcast author and podiobook founder to published author. During the course of the interview he mentioned the other titles in his Max Quick series. It occurred to me that I had never followed up on this podiobook founder so I ran to podiobooks and what did I find? A podiobook completed three years ago. So, I dutifully downloaded, plugged in my headphones and the rest is history.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Five quiet years have passed in Starland, California since the the time of the Pocket. But when a crazed old man shows up with a warning, Max, Casey, Ian and Sasha suddenly find themselves on the run. Max and Ian go through an Arch back to 1912, where a mysterious Machine is under construction that seems connected to Max’s unremembered secret. Meanwhile, Casey and Sasha follow the old man to the strange town of Arturo Gyp.
But there is more afoot than meets the eye: the enemies of Mr. E – the nefarious Archons – are abroad. And when Max is at last eye-to-eye with his secret, he realizes nothing will ever be the same again…(Stolen from the author’s site.)
Production: Mr. Jeffrey does an excellent job with Max Quick 2: The Two Travelers. There are a few repeated lines over the course of the entire book, but not too many and the music and sound effects are inserted to good effect. Again, Mr. Jeffrey has chosen to go with a constant sound track, much like a movie. And, also, again, this doesn’t end up being a distraction but rather
Cast: Mr. Jeffrey keeps it simple with a straight read. I believe the cast is larger than book one of the series, and more voices are added. Mr. Jeffrey voices each one more than adequately. The story is easy to listen to and easy to follow.
Story: This is a good young adult story. The kids are a bit older and are a bit more interested in relationships. However, these are handled well and tastefully in a manner that is appropriate. Be aware: The Two Travelers is a much bigger, darker book than it’s predecessor. While The Pocket and the Pendant is suited and even targeted towards tweeners, I would definitely recommend The Two Travelers for an audience a few years older. And it’s BIG. The content spans many well spent hours.
Verdict: If you haven’t heard/read Max Quick 1: The Pocket and the Pendant, it has recently been released by one of the big publishers and is currently available. Whether you read it, or download and listen to it, you should be familiar with that story before tackling this one. Once you have listened to the first one, however, I would definitely recommend you give this one a shot.
Disclaimer: I have still never met Mr. Jeffrey. I have still never tweeted with Mr. Jeffrey. Nothing was offered, or accepted, as compensation for writing this review.
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