Praise For Maynard Trigg

"One of those books that you can't stop reading. Seriously, no kidding. Full of adventures, mysteries and with well-built and intelligent characters."

Good Reads review by Aline

 

"The story is an adventure and mystery, wrapped up comfortably in a low science fiction/steampunk aesethic that is rendered with beautiful minimalism. I recommend this novel for the story alone, and impore review and re-read to unpack the layers at work."

Good Reads review by Sandry

 

"It was a great, fun read the speeds you along at breakneck pace. I was turning pages and chewed through this in no time. The vividness and imagery is transportative - you do feel like you're IN the journey at many points in the book. Lot's of fun."

Good Reads review by Sam

 

"D.C. McNeill has done a great job of narrating a fast paced and yet very intriguing storyline. There was never a dull moment, though sometimes it was hard to keep up with the pace but once you get the wider picture, it's fun to get along all the action and drama."

Good Reads review by Immortal Writings

 

"I look forward to see the next stories in this universe. It's easy to get attached to Maynard. All the others are harder to figure out, and it works well. The world is interesting, even if it's mostly narrowed to the society in this book. The places described looks beautiful."

Good Reads review by F86

 

"This adventure is different from the others. I always was thrilled with Maynard what will happen to him. This adventure full of myteries."

Good Reads review by Daisy Kath

 

"I loved this book! From the beginning, with a few pages read you can see that the story starring our young Maynard Trigg will be full of intrigues, adventures, and mysteries, which make you want to enter this world and learn more and more about how it works and about each character. The descriptions, although at the beginning they do not place you very well since it is something new, later will help you a lot to imagine each scenario, the creatures that appear, and understand a little more of the rules that govern it.

Maynard is one of those characters who, although at the beginning they seem simple due to his age, as the story progresses, his evolution is seen, showing a young boy full of doubts, conflicting feelings, loyalty and search for the truth through the decisions that our protagonist must make while trying to survive the chaos that his life became from one moment to the next.

As for the other characters presented, the vast majority were a pleasant surprise, the way they were presented and developed made the story more intriguing since not all are what they appear and you even manage to doubt who is who on many occasions. My only problem with them is that many ends were left loose compared to many and I would have loved to know a little more about them as in the case of the past of Maynard's parents and Moony.

One of the things I liked the most about the book is that the story is more complex than it appears and many of the events are unpredictable until almost the moment they happen. The mysteries, the stories of the past, the loyalties questioned as well as the search for information and dangers are just around the corner. The rhythm of the story is frenetic and makes you want to read everything at once to know what will happen next, but at the same time it makes you read carefully so as not to lose any clues in sight since there are many doubts to solve.

The world that the author created makes me curious and it sounds very ingenious, I would have loved it if had an illustration or map to help when recreating the story. This is one of those books that catch you from beginning to end and leaves you wanting to know more about our protagonist, his allies, and this new world. I hope that the author decides to continue with Maynard's adventures since the outcome leaves many questions and a path to follow to delve into it with another book.
Recommended for lovers of mystery and adventure stories."

Good Reads review by Daisy Kath

 

"What happens when you find yourself in the middle of a chaos you've been trying to avoid? Who is a friend? Who is a foe? An adventurous story with great plot and characterization, even though a bit confusing at first as I read I became more familiar the atmosphere.

I recommend this book to those who would love to get some adrenaline rush cause honestly reading this was like riding a roller coaster which is a good thing."

Good Reads review by Ania

 

"I really enjoyed reading this book.

The protagonist is smart, and he adapts well trough the changes, but he is still a kid and the author knew how to keep the balance to make it relatable.

The main problem I had with this book was that the pacing of the story is a little fast and I couldn't grow attached of most of the other characters, so it felt a little weird when they were facing difficult situations 'cause I didn't have the time to empathize with them. In the first chapter, the story went so fast I felt really confused, I couldn't place almost anything, I would have liked a little more description.

But it was worth continuing! I did have fun with the story, it's simple but entertaining. It does a really good job intriguing you from the beginning to the end. If you love fantasy, steampunk, adventure stories, you'll probably like this book."

Good Reads review by Djksks

 

"Maynard Trigg and The Creature Beneath The Veil is a fantasy adventure book that will keep you onboard and intrigued from start to finish. Author D.C. McNeill does a great job of giving you a detailed story that will have you feeling like you’re with Maynard on the adventure. Thankfully he doesn’t over detail the story and the adventure never slows down. The book has something fun for everyone being full of fantasy, horror, and action. To me I got a fantasy version vibe of Treasure Island. I can’t wait for the next adventure!"

Good Reads review by Mark Adams

 

 

"I really enjoyed this book. The author does an amazing job painting a picture of his story with words. I was able to visualize all the areas and people in this book from the descriptions used. There is a lot of adventures, mysteries, friendships, plots and more that go on throughout the story. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a good read. I can't wait to see what other books this author has out there as well. Happy reading."

Good Reads review by Jene

 

"Maynard Trigg is a schoolboy whose life changes dramatically when a strange ma'am appears in his life, Mooney, who happens to be under his father's orders to protect him from something sinister that's after his family. And so they go aboard a ship to leave Carthage, Maynard's hometown, where he has to learn the hard way how to manage himself in an environment full of manipulation, power and abuse of his innocence.

This is a book that was really hard to put down, because the thread is full of tension and suspense, the characters are well developed and the storyline keeps the reader's attention. A really enjoyable read."

Good Reads review by Kerstin Vollbrecht

 

"Cornering a debut novel into "surprising" or "stand-out" is difficult, because it pre-supposes a lot about the way a writer ends up published. However, Maynard Trigg is exactly that - a stand-out novel, but it's hard to describe a work of this maturity as debut.

The story follows Maynard, a trouble-making, sharp witted youngster as his life falls apart, and he's forced from his home on a skyport, and into the frying-pan, as it were. The story is an adventure and mystery, wrapped up comfortably in a low science fiction/steampunk aesthetic that is rendered with beautiful minimalism.

The story is an adventure through a dangerous ferry on a world that may be a far future earth, it may not. Everything is old, decaying. If you enjoy The Gunslinger, Harry Potter and The Edge Chronicles, you should stop reading this review and pick up a copy of this novel.

Maynard's world is vibrant, lived-in. Subtly realised. McNeill's prose propels you through the story, and drags you through the hairpin revelations and array of strange, complex characters. A second reading reveals how layered the story really is, and the careful reader will uncover all kinds of nestled world-building, hidden hints at what's to come, and all kinds of secrets (eleven, eleven, eleven).

I recommend this novel for the story alone, and implore review and re-read to unpack the layers at work - to understand the secrets hidden beneath the surface."

Good Reads review by Sandry A