The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone

I love it when I come across a book for young teens that really excites me in such a way that it goes simply beyond reading an action adventure book. In The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone by talented authors Bill Muir and Alex Kendrick (Fireproof, Courageous), the reader is truly in for an unforgettable experience that goes beyond your typical book. This takes the reader not only into a great story but utilizes the advancements in QR technology codes that are scattered throughout the book to link them up to video clips from the movie due out soon. This makes the adventure all the more real because you no longer have to imagine whats happening at different parts of the story, but you can actually catch glimpses into the movie while reading the book. It's like truly getting the best of both worlds, movie and book quite literally rolled into one.

The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone introduces us to the main character, Billy Stone who is the son of an archaeologist Dr. Michael Stone who has spent his entire life searching for the lost medallion that holds unlimited power to whomever possesses the item. Following a series of clues left behind from Billy's mother who was a descendant of the line of Kings that originally owned the medallion at one point, it was buried and no one has ever found it until now. Billy is excited to show his father the medallion so that their relationship can be restored since he has been so consumed with his search and has left his son as merely an afterthought.

But like all good action adventures, it wouldn't be complete without a villain, and none is greater than Mr. Cobb, a wealthy man who has slowly been buying up all rights on the island that the Stones live on. Now they are forcing the expedition for the search of the medallion to be shut down. When Mr. Cobb learns that Billy has discovered the medallion, he uses the love of his father to draw him into the open in hopes of gaining possession of the medallion for his own greed. Only Billy doesn't realize that the holder of the medallion simply has to make a wish and things begin to happen but not like he expected. It is here that the adventure takes an unexpected turn and one you'll have to find out about by picking up this book.

I received The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone by Bill Muir and Alex Kendrick compliments of B and H Publishing Group for Kids and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is such a great book not just for young teens but I even enjoyed this one and can't wait for the DVD release later in August at your local retailer. This did come to theaters in March of 2013 but most missed it like myself. Now you can gain a deeper appreciation for the story by picking this wonderful hardcover book up for your teen. It even contains some great color stills from the movie in the center of the book. I hands down rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone, Bill Muir, Alex Kendrick or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone by Bill Muir and Alex Kendrick

You can also follow this adventure on Facebook by clicking here.

To read more reviews on The Lost Medallion from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Tour, please click here.

• Age Range: 10 and up
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: B&H Kids; Mti edition (June 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433682060
• ISBN-13: 978-1433682063
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 7.5 inches

The Seers

Debut Novel Reveals a Whole New World of Good & Evil

Welcome to a new world where science and spirituality are not separate, but rather opposite ends of a spectrum. Creator M.D. Kackowski attempts to shed light on the unseen laws of the universe for the betterment of society, by launching a fantastical, page-turning thriller.

The Seers illustrates a world where good battles evil for the world’s soul. The fate of humanity rests in the hands of the seers, a handful of humans with therare ability to see the unseen and who call into action their angels to do battle with demons. It is a fast-paced story that blends two classic genres:  part apocalypse and part detective story. The book climaxes with a surprising and shocking chain of events that readers are bound to applaud.

Readers are provided with a multi-medium experience that leaves them with an exciting and captive narrative that continues on with an interactive digital component. It introduces and submerges the user (reader) into a whole new world, providing a boundless fictional platform that is ripe for full exploration. With QR codes, illustrations and video links sprinkled throughout the book, the reader truly gets to engage and interact with the creative content.

“The Seers is the culmination of more than a decade of writing, researching, and experimenting,” says Kackowski. “My book explores a whole new dimension that unifies the physical and spiritual worlds while a war is waged that could alter the destiny of not only humankind but the universe.”

His debut novel explores a number of interesting themes, including:

• Are there unseen worlds, where activities in such worlds can influence or impact our world?
• Is the war of good vs. evil or angel vs. demon is being waged now?
• What does one do – and what should one do – with a powerful ability?
• What do you do once confronted with your past and discover who you really are?

It also raises many questions, including:

• Are there really such things as diseased souls, and if so, how does one heal his or her soul?
• Is there really a set of cosmic laws that can be harnessed to serve one’s desires?
• How do you know what is real, what is a dream, what is a memory – or a vision from another dimension?
• What would you do if the devil tempted you with unimaginable powers, longevity, and riches?
• Are biblical references to demons and angels true?
• Can you have faith during a time of darkness, anger and frustration?
• What would you do if you are pulled into different worlds without warning or full knowledge?

Woven into the story are bits of philosophical commentary on how humans lead their lives and the emotions and activities that deeply challenge our ability to live a long, healthy, and happy life. The book also shares insights on the soul’s detractors – jealousy, greed, anger, hatred, arrogance, sloth, gluttony, impatience, narcissism, fear, lust, and indifference.

My Review: 

The Seers by M.D. Kaczkowski is a remarkable book unlike any other I have had the opportunity to read in my 4 years of reviewing books and I can definitely see this is where future books may be headed. This takes the story of spiritual warfare and solving the crime of who is killing homeless people in New York to an incredible climax. The QR codes appear at the end of almost every single chapter. At the beginning it was a bit frustrating to understand what they were intended to be used for and kind of took me away from the story. However, looking back, I found it provided visual references for readers who may not understand what references were being made in the chapter such as a video of what life was like for a child growing up in New York in the 1950's where the story begins.

It revolves around a detective John Scarcepho who growing up was able to see into the spiritual world and often awoke to seeing a large spiritual being in his room. Being too young to understand what he was dealing with, his father thought he would beat it out of him while his mother, cared for him and kept reading to him from the Bible. At one point when Johnny is 13, he fears that the beatings will continue until he informs his spiritual being to leave him alone and never come back.

Now as a he has gotten older he can't seem to understand what the significance is to waking up each morning at 4:10 AM and why there are so many murders of homeless men happening in New York. Each of the victims is left with their eyes removed and a page from Revelations 20 stuffed in the victims mouth. It's when the mayor insists that John take the lead in the latest victim, Father Mahoney, that John will be reminded that what he saw as a child will be necessary to save the world. He learns that he is a Seer, a person who has the ability to "see" into the spiritual world and has been assigned a guardian angel since he was born. If John dies than the future of the world will be turned completely upside down and the final chapter of the Bible may in fact not come true at all.

This is a compelling novel and one I completely enjoyed. The music links, video references, and handbook definitions made me feel a part of the story and I believe that is the writers purpose in including them as part of the book. It really made this feel like part book and part movie by the time I was finished and I hope that he will write more in this series and style of book.

I received The Seers by M.D. Kaczkowski compliments of Media Connect for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. I honestly LOVED this interactive novel and couldn't wait to pass this one along to a friend who I knew would love this virtual novel experience in spiritual warfare and really makes you consider the questions above in regards to the spirit world. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and hope this is the first of many novels to come that introduce science with technology to take book reading to a completely whole new experience for the reader.

For more information about The Seers, M.D. Kaczkowski, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Seers by M.D. Kaczkowski

You can follow M.D. Kaczkowski on Facebook to stay up to date with The Seers and his latest novels.