Far World Book 1: Water Keepby J. Scott SavageWhen I was asked to participate in a Virtual Book Tour for author J. Scott Savage, I jumped at the chance. I had just finished reading the first two Fablehaven books and when I found out that Far World was being put out by the same publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, I was instantly intrigued!How excited I was when my copy of Water Keep showed up in the mail (only slightly soggy, since our mailman likes to leave my mailbox lid UP when it's pouring rain. Only when it rains! I wonder if I pissed him off some how?) and I dropped whatever I was reading at the time and started this one.Marcus is a slightly different boy than all the others at his boarding school. It's not the fact that he's wheelchair bound that makes him different, though; it is his strange ability to sort of turn invisible and keep others from noticing him if he doesn't want them to that is what makes him different. We are then introduced to Kyja who lives in Farworld, and she's also different from the rest of her peers. She's the only one whose magic talent has yet to manifest. And though she's a little old to have not found her magic yet, she still hopes that one day she will.After Marcus magically transports to Farworld and meets Kyja, a girl who has been in his dreams forever, they discover that they are connected and there is an Evil out to get Marcus. Marcus, Kyja her dragon-like friend Riph-Raph have to try and recruit the help of the mythical Elementals to help them defeat the Dark Circle. This first book tells the tale of their adventures with the Elementals at Water Keep.As I mentioned in my interview with J. Scott Savage, I was a little worried when I read that the main character was in a wheelchair. I often find that books where the character has a disability that pronounced that they are automatically the victim and only through the magical world do they discover how to stand up for themselves. Marcus was nothing like this, he already had a fighting spirit from the get-go and I really liked him. I don't think I was as much of a fan of Kyja as I was of Marcus, but I did feel they worked well together and the dialogue, characters and plot were really well written.Savage writes a terrific adventure story for young and old alike. His sharp wit shines through in the pages of Water Keep and I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series. I will certainly have to buy my own copy of the book because the ARC sadly did not have any of the inserts of art and maps that are promised in the book (and I have seen photos on the author's blog and they look very well done!).Far World Book 1: Water Keep hits the bookstore shelves September 2008!CONTEST! WOO!!Want to win your very own copy of this book? Here's how!CONTEST RULES**!To enter the contest to win your own copy of Far World Book 1, please leave a comment on this post, and/or the interview post. (A comment in both places will snag you two entries!) I will announce the winner next Friday Saturday, August 16**!** Two things 1) Friday is apparently the 15th and not 16th. So I will ANNOUNCE the winners on the 16th. Oops. I need to learn how to read a calendar better. 2) I believe this contest is only open to Canada and the US. I will have to double check on that. So if you are outside North America and you have entered I will have to get back to you. Sorry. :(Good luck!