Ratings: 4 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
ASIN: B0178HJUY4
File Size: 1158 KB
ISBN-10: 1517265150
ISBN-13: 978-1517265151
Pages: 370

The epic fantasy Dirt by C. C. Hogan starts off slowly. I found the descriptions of the town and the monotony of Johnson Farthing’s life as a poor cart pusher akin to the boredom of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, but without all the symbolism. After the first chapter, when Farthing discovered that his sister Rusty is missing, the action and characters develop and so did my interest.

Mr. Hogan creates an original story. As Farthing embarks on the adventure to rescue his sister, he meets magicians, dragons of many sorts, and fights many battles. I love the fact that Farthing and his companions are not super creatures endowed with super powers. They are normal people making the best of their situations and spurred on by a sense of “family.” It is very easy to identify with the characters who, though fantastical, have flawed and endearing qualities.

This is the first book in the Dirt Series, which is the beginning of the Dirt Saga. This is fortunate for us who enjoy these characters on their heroic adventures. As a bonus, the author’s website provides maps, histories of the characters, and “anything and everything to do with the world of Dirt.” Thus, Mr. Hogan, provides a “Dirt” experience beyond the books. What a wonderful idea!

The only drawback to this book is that it needs editing. I found that the lack of hyphenation between compound nouns and adjectives made for difficult reading. If you can overlook this flaw (the reason I gave the book only four stars), you will enter a fantastical world and captivating story.