Review: The Great Pyramid of Cydonia by Brent LeVasseur

The Great Pyramid of 

Cydonia


Aoléon the Martian Girl Part 5

by Brent LeVasseur

Aoléon Press

Middle Grade 

Science Fiction

168 pages

Aoléon, Gilbert, Bizwat, Helios, and Zoot make it to their final destination - Cydonia where Aoléon’s parents are being held captive. They infiltrate a secret underground base and are confronted by a small army of sentrybots.

Bizwat lends Aoléon and Gilbert some of his advanced combat skills via a psionic brain dump. However, this may not be enough to save them from overwhelming hostile forces that will do anything to stop them.

They finally meet Pax - the Martian who originally set them out on the mission to discover the truth about the Luminon and his plans to invade Earth. However Pax is not who he seems to be, and through a turn of events, they uncover the true power behind all that has been happening on Mars.

Will they be able to rescue Aoléon’s parents and save Earth from invasion?

Join Aoleon and Gilbert in the conclusion to this exciting middle-grade science fiction and fantasy adventure!

MY TIDBITS

This is the last book in the series, and what an ending it is! It wasn't exactly what I was expecting either, and a hats off to the author for making it a nice last twist.  This book is chucked full - so much is going on - but it all comes together in the end leaving no loose ends or unfinished business.

Gilbert really fulfills his potential in this last book. Kids will find themselves rooting for him and wishing they themselves could take his place. As an average kid, he not only delivers a believable relationship with a Martian girl, but ends up fighting a galactic battle and saving everything. It's a kid's dream come true.

I especially enjoyed the sense of friendship, loyalty and bravery found not only in Gilbert but also in all of his new found friends, especially Aoleon. No matter what they come up against, they stick together, build on each other and never let the other one down. This makes a group of characters worth cheering for until the bitter end.

The illustrations in this book are as vivid and bright as the ones in the rest of the series. They have a very modern flair and reminded me a lot of the cartoons on television. But it isn't the bright colors and fun presentations alone which make these good, the illustrations add to the story, placing little nudges right where they're needed. They enhance the plot and don't just follow along with the words.

The writing in the book fits well to the age group. There's a lot of action and a nice amount of humor peppered in. Some of the humor seems more intended for the adult audience (a few things will simply go over kids' heads), but this makes the story enjoyable for all age groups. This wide appeal also applies to the scientific descriptions during the story. Many of them are too complicated for most kids to grasp, but those who do will be thrilled and older readers will find them interesting. In any case, it was nice to see an author add these types of elements to a story. It gives kids the opportunity to ask questions and learn.

Summed up, this was a great ending to a fun series. There's a wonderful balance of action, humor, messages and simple fun which will appeal not only to young readers but to older ones as well. It has the flair of a traditional, off-to-space drama and is packed with the rich fantasy a science fiction novel needs. This is a must read for all young space fans or those who simply dream of saving the universe themselves one day.

THE BUZZ!

In LeVasseur's debut middle-grade sci-fi novel, a friendly extraterrestrial girl whisks a Nebraska farm boy away for a wild adventure of Martian intrigue, rebellion and invasion." -Kirkus Reviews




ALSO AVAILABLE:

The Martian Girl Song!


Another World - Single

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes

And here he is. . . 

BRENT LEVASSEUR!!!

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Aoléon: The Martian Girl