Earth Tremors, Mountain Movements
by Richard Cullern
Trafford Publishing

"As Owl had said, the great King Henved had been so impressed with the Oakmen's brave attempt in successfully rescuing his favorite warrior, Culjern that a celebration was to be held at the castle in their honor."

Enter the land of Evermore, a realm inhabited by gnomes, trolls, Oakmen and animal defenders whose mission is to defend their woodland homes from evil. The story opens as Brimen and his Oakmen counterparts are awarded honors for a previous successful mission. However, there is no time for them to rest on their laurels; they still have to protect Evermore from D'rasnah the evil goblin and his band of rogue gnomes. Unfortunately, though Brimen would like to spend time resting and thinking about his statue of honor, D'rasnah is not the Oakmen's only problem. Against they will, they will soon be forced to also contend with the dark and hot-tempered warlord Ersatz, who carries his bother's blood on his conscience. Brimen is reluctant to heed the prophetic warning from the witch-sisters Merva and Derva when they warn that the viscous Skelt will run through their land once more, but Owl and Sprite will not let him and his band shirk their mission. But in spite of the best of efforts are the Oakmen strong enough to defeat the goblins after all, or will D'rasnah live to make another attempt to make Evermore his own?

Cullern has created a lively adventure for young readers. Although the sheer number of characters make it a little confusing at the outset, after a few chapters the reader can’t fail to like the heroic and often humorous Oakmen as they fight evil, squabble over honor, and avoid the harsh beating from Prims' ever-ready broom. The main characters are vividly portrayed and the dialogue is compelling. The adventure maintains a steady pace that will keep young readers guessing till the end. Although the finale is a little anti-climactic, it does leave an opening that's just begging for a sequel.

Return to USR Home