Rarity From the Hollow

12/2/2015

About the Book:
Rarity from the Hollow is A Children’s Story for Adults.
Synopsis:

Lacy Dawn is a true daughter of Appalachia, and then some. She lives in a hollow with her worn-out mom, her Iraq War disabled dad, and her mutt Brownie, a dog who's very skilled at laying fiber optic cable. Lacy Dawn's android boyfriend, DotCom, has come to the hollow with a mission. His equipment includes infomercial videos of Earth's earliest proto-humans from millennia ago. DotCom has been sent by the Manager of the Mall on planet Shptiludrp: he must recruit Lacy Dawn to save the Universe in exchange for the designation of Earth as a planet which is eligible for continued existence within a universal economic structure that exploits underdeveloped planets for their mineral content. Lacy Dawn’s magic enables her to save the universe, Earth, and, most importantly, her own family.

Rarity from the Hollow is contemporary social science fiction that includes elements of everyday horror, true love, and adventure. It is aChildren's Story for Adults. "In the space between a few lines we go from hardscrabble realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It's quite a trip." -- Evelyn Somers, The Missouri Review

Buy the Book:

http://www.amazon.com/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton-ebook/dp/B007JDI508
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton-ebook/dp/B007JDI508
http://www.doghornpublishing.com/wordpress/books/rarity-from-the-hollow

Read An Exceprt:
http://www.wattpad.com/12596126-rarity-from-the-hollow-excerpt

Review:
Lacy Dawn is a pre-teen girl who lives in an Appalachian community called The Hollow. Not many people escape The Hollow, but Lacy Dawn is smart. With the help of her un-Earthly friend, DotCom, Lacy has been tutored and her parents have been changed from an alcoholic who likes to use the switch and a down on her luck housewife to loving, intelligent parents who will help her with her mission in life. DotCom is not just helping Lacy Dawn to nice; he needs Lacy Dawn to save his home planet, Shptiludrp and her world. With Lacy Dawn’s new found intelligence and her new and improved team, Lacy Dawn will be able to save Shptiludrp and Earth with the most extraordinary of means.
This book has a little bit of everything in it and I really didn’t know what I was getting into. The beginning threw me for a few loops, with child abuse, mental health issues and sexual abuse, this story that is labeled as an adult fairy tale is most definitely for adults. There is definitely a lot of strangeness in this book, but all of that led to wonderful insights and even better characters. Lacy Dawn is irresistibly intriguing, I love her acceptance, heart, willingness to take on challenges and honesty. Her growing relationship with DotCom was both fascinating and sweet. DotCom’s transformation was probably the best part of this story for me, as he changes to a ‘real boy,’ the emotions and new sensations that DotCom was feeling as a human were hilarious. The story really picked up for me when Lacy Dawn received her mission on Shptiludrp, an exciting and zany planet whose only hope is a dysfunctional family, their dog and an android who is turning into a man.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

About the Author:
Robert Eggleton has served as a children's advocate for over forty years. He is best known for his investigative reports about children’s programs, most of which were published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from 1982 through 1997. Today, he is a recently retired psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel and its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines: Wingspan Quarterly, Beyond Centauri, and Atomjack Science Fiction. Author proceeds have been donated to a child abuse prevention program operated by Children’s Home Society of West Virginia. http://www.childhswv.org/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13603677-rarity-from-the-hollow
https://www.facebook.com/robert.eggleton2
https://twitter.com/roberteggleton2
http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/science-fiction/3137

8 Comments

Robert Eggleton link

2/16/2016 05:38:46 am

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks again for your great review of Rarity from the Hollow. I'm writing to update you about a few highlights since your review and that support your findings:

The novel was referred to as a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and awarded a Gold Medal by Awesome Indies: “…Tucked between the folds of humor are some profound observations on human nature and modern society that you have to read to appreciate…it's a funny book that most fans of sci-fi will thoroughly enjoy.” http://awesomeindies.net/ai-approved-review-of-rarity-from-the-holly-by-robert-eggleton/ More recently, with respect to the story's treatment of tough social issues, this reviewer said: "If I could, I would have given it all the stars in the universe…I was hesitant to accept. I usually do not read or review books that discuss child abuse or domestic violence; however, I was intrigued by the excerpt and decided to give it a shot. I am glad that I took a risk; otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic story with a bright, resourceful, and strong protagonist that grabbed my heart and did not let go…." http://www.onmykindle.net/2015/11/rarity-from-hollow.html A book reviewer from Bulgaria named Rarity from the Hollow as one of the best five books that he had read in 2015. http://codices.info/2015/12/top-5-for-2015-ventsi/ On January 20, 2016, Rarity from the Hollow was awarded a second Gold Medal by another popular book review site: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/rarity-from-the-hollow.

An Affiliate of Fantasy Fan Federation, an international organization that has been around since the 1940s, posted on Amazon: “The author has created a new narrative format, something I’ve never seen before, with a standard third-person narration, interspersed, lightly, with first-person asides. This makes me think of Eugene O’Neill’s play “Strange Interlude” where internal and external dialogue are blended. “Rarity from the Hollow” begins with some rough stuff, hard to read, involving child neglect and child abuse. But it soon turns the corner to satire, parody, and farce, partaking a little of the whimsical and nonsensical humor of Roger Zelazny or even Ron Goulart….”

Thanks again for the great review. Apparently others agree with you that the novel includes "...wonderful insights and even better characters...."

Robert Eggleton link

6/21/2016 03:00:39 pm

Thanks again for the great review of Rarity from the Hollow, an adult literary science fiction novel. A lot has happened since my last update and I decided to tell you and your readers about it.

The novel is currently in the process of being republished by Dog Horn Publishing, a traditional small press in Leeds. The 2016 Amazon link is: http://www.amazon.com/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton-ebook/dp/B017REIA44

Following are some of the highlights about the novel since my last update:

As you know, the novel was found by the editor of Atomjack Science Fiction Magazine to be laugh-out-loud funny in some scenes. Long-time science fiction book
critic, Barry Hunter, closed his review, "...good satire is hard to find and science fiction satire is even harder to find." http://thebaryonreview.blogspo......

A former Editor of Reader's Digest found that, "Rarity from the Hollow is the most enjoyable science fiction that I've read in several years." http://warriorpatient.com/blog...

I've already told you about the two Gold Medals that it was awarded, how the novel was named one of the best of five books read in 2015, and how the longest standing Fantasy book organization acknowledged Rarity with a great review.

What once was the most prominent science fiction site on the internet had this to say: "...There is much here worthy of high praise. The relationship between Lacy Dawn and DotCom is brilliant. The sense of each learning from the other and them growing up and together is a delight to read. The descriptions of DotCom's technology and the process of elevating the humans around him again is nicely done. Eggleton reminds me very much of Robert Heinlein at his peak...." http://sfcrowsnest.org.uk/rari......

"...The best thing about ‘Rarity’ is the writing. It feels timeless, classic and mature in a way that would ensure its longevity if more people knew about it. I would even say it could be read in a college setting both for the craft itself and its unique brand of storytelling. The premise was brilliant and brought a distinctive approach to the adult-fairytale/modern-retelling sub-genre..." -- http://tabbyafae.com/rarity-hollow-robert-eggleton/

Rarity from the Hollow has now appeared on over one-hundred and twenty blogs or magazines worldwide, in twenty-three different countries including all over the U.S. and the U.K., Finland, Mexico, Bulgaria, Belgium, South Africa, Croatia, Uruguay, India, Taiwan, Australia, Nigeria, Egypt, Malaysia, Canada, Vietnam, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, The Philippines, and Israel. The project has grown into a world-wide movement to sensitize people about child maltreatment through a satiric and comical science fiction adventure.

Thanks again for your great review!

Stephanie

6/21/2016 05:26:46 pm

Awesome Robert!

Robert Eggleton link

6/21/2016 06:27:02 pm

Thanks. While I've been working hard, there seems to be a power beyond me that is helping, somehow.

Robert Eggleton

1/4/2017 09:30:28 pm

The second edition of Rarity from the Hollow, a double gold medal winner and named a best book of the year in 2015 by Codices, was released on November 3, 2016: http://www.lulu.com/shop/robert-eggleton/rarity-from-the-hollow/paperback/product-22910478.html. The eBook version was released on December 5, 2016: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017REIA44/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

Robert Eggleton link

8/7/2017 10:05:46 pm

For a limited period, the eBook version of Rarity from the Hollow is on sale for $2.99 and the Paperback is on sale for $16.99. https://www.amazon.com/Rarity-Hollow-Robert-Eggleton/dp/190713395X/ Author proceeds contribute to the prevention of child maltreatment: http://www.childhswv.org/ Project Updates: https://www.facebook.com/Lacy-Dawn-Adventures-573354432693864/

Robert Eggleton

7/26/2018 06:51:46 pm

The 2018 Edition of Rarity from the Hollow Paperback is now on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LfzP84. It is also available for Any eReader: https://bit.ly/2KNJkI2 Proceeds help abused children.

Robert Eggleton link

2/16/2021 05:14:21 pm

Rarity from the Hollow has a new website: https://www.hostingauthors.com/books/RarityfromtheHollow

Rarity From the Hollow

Leave a Reply.

Archives