The World Walker (The World Walker Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

Sebastian has a brain tumor so decides to commit suicide, rather than spend his final weeks in agony. He sits down at the base of a tree and cuts his wrists open. Before he completely bleeds out, an alien appears before him and saves him. Then soldiers arrive, looking for the alien and not finding him, shoot Sebastian in the chest... several times. He's dead. For a few seconds at least, then he gets up and runs away faster than any human has a right to run.Despite the ordinary beginning to 'The World Walker', it does pick up steam fairly rapidly. It culminates, some 400 pages later, as one of the most interesting novels I've read in quite some time. The character development is lush, with background so vivid, you'll think you are a fly on the wall watching it all happen. The only thing that I could have asked more of from this story, is a bit more background on the Meera Patel character.Not once in this story did I ever wish it would move quicker. Never was I uninterested in the text and dialogue. The highest praise a book can receive, is that it kept the reader's interest, and offered something profound in exchange for having read it. The World Walker has that covered in spades!This is not an average science fiction story. I wouldn't even classify it as science fiction, even though there is a mysterious alien involved. Part of the book revolves around the supposed Alien Crash Site of 1947 Roswell, NM. I'd call it more of a SciFi Fable. I think that's more accurate than straight SciFi. There's a bit of Eastern Mysticism, European Paganism, New Age Spiritualism, and straight forward Magik.Only one criticism: In Southern California, at the Northern edge of the San Fernando Valley is a range of hills. They are called the Verdugo Hills, NOT the Verdugo Mountains. No one familiar with the area calls them 'Mountains'. They are the Verdugo Hills.This is an epic book. You should give it a chance, you know, if you're into epic books, that is.

I think this is the first time I have ever given five stars, and in many respects it has a lot to do with what it is NOT. First off, it is not a cliffhanger. While most likely you will be interested in the further adventures of Seb and Mee, the end of this book is fully satisfying in itself. It nicely meanders to flesh out the story without wandering off track, nor is the direction so clear that you know where it is going before the halfway mark. It is not until the last chapter that you start to get the feel of where the story is going.Most e-books suffer from a lack of research that is glaring at times, this one avoids that problem. In addition to basic research, this one distinguishes itself with a competency of proofreading and editing that is rare with e-books. Another common problem we tend to see with e-books is just being the wrong size. Either the author tries to cram two books together and has to make drastic cuts, or really has a novella that is loaded up with filler. The World Walker avoids both problems.Another thing that I appreciated was that even fairly minor characters are fully human. It is very easy to get away with just using stock priests, nuns, etc. unless they are one of the main characters. Either you go with the saintly nun or the mean nun and move on, and that is pretty much OK. But when even minor characters are made into real people, that is something a little special.It is very easy to say an e-book is well worth the price when it is free. To be honest there are more free e-books out there then you are likely to have time to read. It may seem that most of what I have had to say are all just “little things” and that is a fair assessment. On the other hand, there are a lot of other good stories available but is the high level of craftsmanship that makes this one exceptional.

what you'll find in the book:- magic- Manna- aliens- aliens' NANOtechnology!- Satan- teleportation- clan called Order- even vampires- superheroes- immortality- hero kissing his loved one in the end- homunculus- ...C'mon man, pick up no more than 4 of that!it's a bit overwhelming =(

I've been here before. Background adversity to an overpowered character to try and give some depth. Within all the junk crammed into this book there is a great story hidden in there. I like the premise and understand what the author wanted. There could have been plenty left out and the story would have been the same. As well, there could have been parts fleshed out. This would have went from a mediocre story to a better one. If you want to genre bend then give a little more effort. Don't expect descriptions and world building to do anything but fall flat when your story is two dimensional. Also predictable. I really wanted to like the main character. Yet, that's all he was. A character. Didn't feel relatable in any way. I finished the book because I'm a dedicated reader and respect the process/difficulty of getting a story from mind to page. What it all boils down to is this felt forced. The prose and vocabulary of the author is highly talented. But if all it took was putting a ton of flowery words on paper then everyone would be published. I would love to see a rewrite of this with a few changes leaving out lazy explanations to how something works. It comes off as cliche more than a less-is-more mentality. When you know where you are going before you even start the journey then all you have is the adventure. Meaning traveling should be highly memorable. This wasn't at all. Sorry Seb. You had great potential.

I see there have been a few negative reviews of this one...well fair enough, everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I liked it. I bought this one at a special offer price in one of Amazon's monthly promotions, intending to read this and go no further - cash is a bit tight at the moment! Within minutes of finishing this one I'd bought the next in the series (The Unmaking Engine) and as soon as I finished that I bought book three (the Seventeenth Year). I've signed up for the author's e-newsletter and will buy book four after pay day.As for the story, the plot moves along at a good pace, with some interesting characters and I warmed to Seb Varden straight away. Of course there are some predictable bits but there are plenty of surprising twists as well, and the bit at the end - the answer to the question "how did he achieve that" - had me completely wrong-footed. The plot is never slow, and the storyline progresses well into the next books.

Now I'm not comparing Ian to Heinlein or Azimov, but this is the best read I've had during 2016. The author has a style that IS reminiscent of Heinlein in that he writes with an informal, casual style that allows the reader to sink into the book like an old friend... oops, I have just compared him :)I think what differentiates this book from so many others I have read this year is the number of threads that the author keeps running through his book. Each character is complete, well thought out, and has a depth to them that is rarely found. I am a fairly fast reader, so I have read a lot of books (sci-fi being my favourite genre) this year. I can say the majority, although being enjoyable, have been as memorable as my last cheese sandwich. This book, however, will stay with me for a long time. I am just finishing the second book in what I hope is long series and am just as delighted with it.I can't recommend this book highly enough if you're looking for a quality read, and if you're just looking for something to while away the hours at the airport... then be prepared to miss the in-flight film because you're too hooked to put the book down.If poor spelling or grammar ruin a book for you then, as a proofreader, I can also say that it was so pleasing to find so few mistakes in this book, a damn sight fewer than some of the ones from major publishing house I have read this year.

In short: Brilliant. Inspired.Full review:I'm going to review all four books in one as I read them back to back. I'm fairly fortunate in that I come to Ian's books late and he had completed the quadrilogy. Lucky for me really. I'm a lover or the larger books as I really like to submerge myself into the story and characters. So for me the four books make one sizeable book, split into four parts. I strongly recommend reading all four back2back and in order. Yes each one can be read separately, and each story stands on its own. But in my opinion, all four books work best together as one epic tale.The four books chart story of Sebastian Varden. A middling successful musician who starts the first novel as someone about to commit suicide. Not exactly the most foreboding of starts, but one that piques the ole curiosity right from the off.Now if you read all the other reviews, the vast majority of which give Ian five well deserved stars, you will know each book's story well enough. As a fellow writer I'm going to review these from a writers viewpoint, just to be a little different.Ian is not afraid to let main characters die. George R. R. Martin has shown the publishing world that you can kill off characters and it is OK. Lets face it, we don't all live in the Disney inspired loveliness that there is a happy ever after for *every* character; well except for the baddies that is. This is one of the many things that I feel adds a depth to the story telling that is missing from other writers.Ian's characters are *real*. You can connect with them. They exist. You empathise with them. They have flaws, and are all the more real for them. Even the secondary characters have a depth normally missing from other works. These are people, they have more depth than the page they are written on. Top marks!Ian mixes magic, religion and Science Fiction. A mix that would normally be reserved for SF masters such as Peter F Hamiliton (His Void series) Or a mix which can easily lead to disaster. His touch upon each topic is inspired and illuminating. Respectful is another word. Depending on your take of religion & faith is how you will form your own opinion on this topic. For me, it was thought provoking.I personally loved the way the characters developed. I liked the way Ian addressed super hero issues. The recent crop of Marvel films have *just* started to address these issues. No longer are they unapproachable icons of perfection. They are flawed, far from perfection. They are real people with all the baggage and imperfections that you and I have. Seb, is this personified. I wish I could write characters this real!In summary. Great story telling. Enthralling, emotional and immensely readable. I didn't want to put these down. I am genuinely impressed.Sean P ChattertonP.S. I had to dig my copy of Lao Tzu's book after reading these.

Not one to miss.! I read hundreds of books, I've always got my head in a book, any spare minute kind of reader. I bought this and seriously couldn't put it down. The measure of an original and riveting read is waking up knackered knowing you stayed up far too late reading a great book!Ian W. Sainsbury, in his debut novel The World Walker, has created something very exciting. As I was reading it, I could imagine the movie. The characters are great, in-depth and at times humorous. I was riveted and I can't wait for the next book, The Unmaking Engine. Don't pass this one up, just buy it and read it, promise you'll enjoy it.

I bought this book on the strength of the reviews but was bitterly disappointed by it. I just can't understand what so many people saw in it. I struggled to stay focused on the story; falling asleep time and time again. The characters droned on and on, with very little happening. It jumped here, there and everywhere. I finally threw the towel in at 50%, as I realised it wasn't going to get any better. It was tedious, just tedious! Suffice to say, I won't be buying anything else by this author.