Reviews of
Gypsy Pie
by Andre West

Ripped into a parallel universe by a desperate wizard, Debbie and Rene find themselves the prophesied saviors of Rhondil. These two girls from very opposite sides of the track, are thrown together in a life or death struggle with vampire like creatures they have never seen before. Trained by wizards in the ways of combat and magic, Debbie and Rene are shaped into a fighting team to defeate the evil zoophangi leader, Kernos. If they fail, not only will they die, but both their world and Rohndil will plunge into an eternity of darkness under the rule of Kernos and the zoophangi.

In Gypsy Pie, Andre West takes the reader into a very diverse fantasy world where he brings to life the classic hero’s journey, but with a twist. The hero is not necessarily good. Chivalry is dead and Debbie and Rene will be too if they don’t get wise.

This is definitely a different approach to the usual fantasy served up to readers. Mr. West creatively mingles the world of Rhondil and it’s parallel, present day earth, to give us a very believable setting for this adventure.

Debbie and Rene are well fleshed out characters that reflect the diversity of their environment; this is also true of the secondary characters Liteur and Solaris.

Gypsy Pie gets off to a bit of a slow start, but it is well worth the read. For a first novel, I would say Mr. West have penned a winner.

Three out of five stars
gspearce@charter.net

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Gypsy Pie is very different…but a good, unique different. Debbie, a savvy young black girl brought up in the mean streets of city life, is unexpectedly thrust together with Renee, a white girl from the ‘other side of the tracks’ who goes to the same school. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the two must join forces, put their differences aside and try to stop a thing from another dimension from wreaking havoc not only in his world, but Earth’s as well. The two girls suddenly find themselves in another world where knights and vampires are the norm…and where a wizard has brought them to fight a powerful vampire bent on control.

Though the story suffers a slow start, it quickly builds momentum after Renee and Debbie join forces. Debbie’s character is harsh and no-nonsense, though not unlikable, and Mr. West does a fine job illustrating the differences in the lifestyles and expectations of Debbie and Renee. Mr. West has brought to his novel a well-developed landscape of another world filled with colorful and fleshed out characters that experience broad spectrums of emotions. As an added bonus, there’s enough action to keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout. Do you want to read something different and out of this world? Gypsy Pie is right up your alley.

Denise M. Clark
Denise's Pieces Book Reviews
http://www.denisemclark.com

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Rating 8/10

Debbie Crosby is more than a wild child, she’s a self-acknowledged psychopath aged sixteen. Happily involved in numbers rackets and drug dealing with her boyfriend, she routinely carries a gun and knows how to handle herself. Renee who attends the same school is the reverse. Eighteen years old she is equally happy in her niche of Middle America.

With several others both are invited to a party at Jeremy’s home one evening, which is set in a wood at Rocksdale, a suburb of New York City. When Debbie arrives, the house appears deserted and gun in hand she begins to search the premises. Attacked by a creature like nothing she’s ever seen in her life, she shoots her way out of the building and escapes in her father’s car. Driving back into town, the streets are deserted of people, traffic and parked cars with the exception of one. Stopping to investigate she finds Renee cradling the near headless body of her friend Liz behind some bushes.

Together they try to make sense of what is happening but quickly realise the following day the town, as they knew it has disappeared. The same rudiments are there, but the sites of woods, roads and buildings have changed and to get help they need to reach another part of town. Attempting this leads them into a crusade, for which they’ve been chosen.

Temporarily safe, Debbie and Renee train and are trained to defeat the zoophagi, by using both force and magic. Failure means these vampire creatures will invade from this parallel universe into others, including their own. Do they win? Not entirely and the story twists support Debbie’s characterisation perfectly.

West’s style is conversational, light and punchy. His dialogues between the young women are true to their status and lifestyle in New York City and are very evocative. The description of the parallel universe, its inhabitants and the terrifying events in motion, is psychologically clever and littered with subtle allusions to other writers in the genre. His use of names known in various mythologies, in themselves, add depth and a sub text to the plot. If you’re not familiar with these, it’s still a gripping story, if you are, you’ll also enjoy a wry smile now and then.

A welcome first novel, this reviewer will look forward to the next.
--Dione Dover DioneDover@aol.com
www.bookpublicity.co.uk

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