Review: The Splendid Baron Submarine by Eric Bower

The Splendid Baron Submarine by Eric Bower

My Rating: 4.5/5 TARDISes

Series: The Bizarre Baron Inventions #2

Date Published: November 7^th, 2017

Publisher: Amberjack Publishing

Pages: 244 pages

Source: Publisher

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:Waldo “W.B.” Baron is back with another amazing adventure in another incredible invention! Pirate treasure? A clandestine meeting? A terribly rude monkey with personal boundary and hygiene issues? Two of those things sound like a dream come true to W.B, whose clever inventor parents are hired―by the Vice President!―to go on a super secret and intensely important treasure hunt to repay a national debt. If only it weren’t for that lousy, rude monkey, it would be the beginning of a perfect adventure. But at least it isn’t squirrels…

The treasure hunt gives the Baron family the opportunity to use their exceptional steam-powered submarine, freshly biggened and ready for adventure! But things are seldom straightforward for the eccentric Baron family, and this treasure hunt is no exception. W.B.’s trademark bad luck has him suffering monstrous marine misfortune and marauding monkey misery.

Can the Baron family embark on their newest adventure without the eggy and depressing Aunt Dorcas? Will the Barons find the treasure they seek? Will they save the country from financial ruin? Where does the monkey fit in, anyway? Do we like asking questions? Not really, but inside you’ll meet someone who likes asking questions and then answering them (despite his claims to the contrary, he really does like it).

Oh, did we mention the pirate’s curse?

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a spoiler-free review.

After reading and thoroughly enjoy the previous novel, I had no idea that there were going to be any other books following it. So I’m sure you can imagine just how excited I was when this randomly showed up on my doorstep one day. And this new installment did not disappoint—it was equally as hilarious and entertaining as the first Baron adventure. In fact, this plotline is my favorite of the two. Just like the first one, this story is a madcap adventure with the significance of family, friendship, and love at its core.

I fell even more in love with the characters Bower has created for these stories. It is so wonderful to see the new dynamic between them—building on that of the first novel. Even with the many misunderstandings that happen between the members of the Baron family throughout the course of the novel, they still remain tightknit and incredibly loving. This creates an appealing warmth in the tone and atmosphere.

In this novel, the Baron family is approached by the Vice President of the United States, who sends them off on a new adventure—this time at the bottom of the ocean. They have been given the task of tracking down a lost pirate treasure, which will be used to help the government repay a national debt.

Traveling in their steam-powered submarine, W.B. and his family go through another overly complicated journey. We follow them as they run into an enormous amount of outlandish obstacles, many involving W.B.’s usual clumsiness and his feud with a rather mischievous little monkey. However, not all is as it seems. Unsavory forces are at work, and maybe the troubles of their nautical excursion are the least of their problems.

While this is obviously not a deep and thought-provoking read and the target audience is fairly young, it is still so much fun. The characters’ wacky antics and escapades will have you laughing out loud. It is absolutely impossible to read these stories without a smile on your face. I will admit, the humor is not for everyone—older readers may not be as captivated by the childlike nature of it. In addition to that, the events of the story are quite random and jumbled, which does not negatively impact the narrative by any means—it is very fitting for the plot. However, this format is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

On the other hand, it is perfect for children—and for some adults, it will entertain the inner child we all have. This is one of those stories that had me wishing it had been around when I was younger. The outlandish nature of the events of the plot is what makes this story so great. One must suspend their disbelief and go along with the far-fetched and preposterous aspects of Bower’s unique version of the past.

The actual text of the novel itself is very easy to fall into and flows extremely well. Bower’s style is unquestionably a style that is appropriately accessible for the intended audience. He does a fantastic job of making the unbelievable believable—an essential part of this narrative. And at no point does it feel like it would be difficult for a child to understand or that it might make them lose interest. This book can be read as a standalone, though I personally feel that reading the series in order works a bit better.

Overall, this novel was equally as entertaining as the previous one, if not even more so. The Splendid Baron Submarine is a fast-paced and universally enjoyable read. Filled with hysterical surprises and humor that is just plain silly, this quirky tale is perfect for people of any age. This is a light and incredibly big-hearted series as a whole, and will undoubtedly pick up your spirits. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a warm and cheerful story or something amusing and wholesome for your child to read.

Review: The Magnificent Flying Baron Estate by Eric Bower

The Magnificent Flying Baron Estate by Eric Bower

My Rating: 4/5 TARDISes

Series: The Bizarre Baron Inventions #1

Date Published: May 16^th, 2017

Publisher: Amberjack Publishing

Pages: 242 pages

Source: Publisher

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis: Waldo Baron awakes one morning to find his inventor parents have turned their house into a flying machine, and they intend to enter into a race across the country in the hopes of winning the $500 prize. His parents’ plans go astray when they are kidnapped by Rose Blackwood, the sister of notorious villain Benedict Blackwood, who intends to use the prize money to free her brother from prison. But Rose is not what she seems to be, and Waldo finds himself becoming friends with their kindly kidnapper as they race across the country in the magnificent flying Baron estate!

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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a spoiler-free review.

This is such a fun, adorable, and hilarious little novel. It is an extremely quirky adventure on a crazy flying machine, filled with ruthless bandits, insane inventors, and quite possibly the clumsiest kid in the world. While it is an incredibly over-the-top and outlandish story, I personally loved the randomness and absurdity of these characters’ journey. Every aspect of this novel is charming, having an overall atmosphere of warmth, family, and love. Though I am far from the target age-range of the intended audience for this book, I still had a fantastic time reading it—I could hardly keep a smile off my face.

In this novel, we follow a young boy named Waldo “W.B.” Baron as he wakes up one day to find out that his crazy inventor parents have renovated their house into a flying home. They plan to enter a competition where they are meant to fly around 1890’s North America on a scavenger hunt—the first people to return with every item on the list will win five-hundred dollars.

However, their plans take a twist when Rose Blackwood, the sister of the country’s most notorious criminal, sneaks aboard their flying house and holds W.B. and his family hostage. Her plan? To complete the race with the Baron family, then rob them of the prize in order to break her brother, Benedict Blackwood, out of jail. But, Rose Blackwood turns out to be much different than W.B. expected, and soon, relationships change and unexpected alliances form as they flounder through one outrageous event after another.

I absolutely flew through this novel, and not only because of its length—with nonstop action, there was not a single moment that dragged along. The readability as well as the weirdness of this story are really what pulled me in. There is a twinge of childishness to it, which is to be expected from a middle grade novel, but personally as an adult, this did not deter me in any way.

Bower’s characters were a fantastic part of this novel. W.B. was loveably dorky and clumsy, and someone you can’t help but root for. His parents are welcoming and kindhearted, and unabashedly goofy, but also highly intelligent scientists. Rose Blackwood was easily the most complex and interesting character in the whole story—and she has quite a bit in common with W.B. They both feel like outcasts in their own lives, in their families, and are struggling to assimilate. But along the way, they both learn their significance and where they fit in the world, as well as how to love themselves, faults and all.

This novel felt very jumbled, which many times negatively impacts a story—however, in this case, that was not necessarily true. Each individual event that occurs all come together in one nonsensical escapade—and honestly, it works, at least it did in my experience. It adds to the craziness and quirkiness of the characters and how they handle the obstacles that are thrown their way. Much of the humor comes from this element of as well—from both how utterly random and out-of-the-blue every event is, to how the characters flounder around on their way through each stage of the challenge.

This is a novel that readers will only enjoy if they suspend their disbelief and just immerse themselves in the unique world of W.B. and his gang. There are parts that become a bit repetitive, and certain scenes feel like they are rushed through much too quickly, but these are really just signs of the genre and length of the novel. That is one of the reasons I found this to be one of those middle grade books that is going to primarily garner a younger following rather than a much more universal one.

As for the actual writing itself, I really liked Bower’s style. His writing flowed very well and carried the story along at a fast yet easy to follow pace. Bower’s humor was wonderful and absolutely perfect for a middle grade novel. There is a very child-like feel to this story overall that makes it, as I said, something that is a bit less of a multi-generational read than some other middle grade stories.

This primarily focuses on being a novel for a younger audience. However, I do think that it can be fun for both children and those who are children at heart. It is a novel that anyone of any age can fall right in to and love every second of. With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and heartwarming relationships, it’s hard not to become invested in the lives and escapades of these characters.

It is a big-hearted story of learning to accept both who you and the people in your life are. It is about learning to hold your own, be happy with yourself—inside and out—and finding out where you fit into the great puzzle that is life. Though the eccentricity of the plot might not strike the right chord with everyone, I would wholeheartedly recommend giving this story a try.