The Thirteenth Hour~Joshua Blum | Review

Title: The Thirteenth Hour
Author: Joshua Blum
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 349 Pages
Release: January 2015
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review

This book was a lot of fun. There really is no other way to describe it. A majority of the story is told as a dream. Albert, a young daydreamer, falls to sleep in class and a man and woman visit his dreams. The story they tell him becomes the majority of the novel. 

Logan is an orphan who grew up in a small town at an orphanage where he met his best friend Aurora. At 18 Logan is sent to become an Imperial Soldier. He soon finds himself training as an Imperial Ranger to be sent on a quest for the secret to eternal life. 

The beginning of this novel was really fun and I really enjoy the humor. Logan is just an average kid with average abilities who finds himself in an interesting position. After saving the life of a wizard he's thrown into the life of the Rangers. When training completes they have to set sail on a ship bound for the four corners of the earth on a search for eternal life; the king wants to live forever. 

The quest involves sea serpants, castles in the sky, elves, back flipping chimpanzees, dragons (indirectly), flying (and intelligent) surfboards, vengeful sorcerers, and so many other obstacles. Along the way Logan once again meets up with Aurora and their destinies entangle. 

The adventures that Logan and Aurora have were so much fun and humorous. Even when things seemed bleak, there was always some humor to be had. I really loved that about this story. It was so different from the novels that I'm used to reading and it was a nice break from the norm for me. I enjoyed the writing a lot. It could use some polish here and there, but overall it has a nice quality that makes it easily readable and enjoyable.

The overall theme of dreams and never being too old to be a dreamer was great because it's so true. We should never be too old to dream and to make our dreams come true. There's nothing wrong with chasing what you want. The dreams throughout the story and how they were presented was an interesting touch as well. 

I previously reviewed the accompanying short stories A Shadow in the Moonlighg and Falling Leaves Don't Weep. I really enjoyed both of those short stories at the time I read them and it was nice to see how they connect with the full novel. It's not necessary to read those before you read this or to read this before you read those, but they go together nicely. 

This was a really fun story and I'm glad that I finally made the time to read it. It's a humorous coming of age story that I think many readers would enjoy.