Fiction Review

THE PHANTOM CHRONICLES
by A. J. GAUDYNSKI
ISBN-10: 1420853015
Review by Heather Froeschl

Jack's life is about to completely change. He will turn his mundane, desk jockey existence into something he cannot even begin to imagine. And it all begins when he happens to meet himself in the cafeteria at work. Well he meets a portion of himself, a portion of his spirit really, named Grayson.

Jack learns that pieces of his soul are out there, somewhere, waiting to be found. He needs to reunite with them before it is too late. If he doesn't, he will never be complete. But there is something sinister out there too; another soul who became complete and became greedy for more. What more is there when you are already complete? The souls of others at your command.

Grayson sets out to help find more of Jack's counterparts and Jack sets out for his destiny. He travels until he finds it, and what he finds is a beautiful girl, a majestic and wild setting, and another part of his soul. But, the evil one is lurking and knows where to find him. Jack must be stopped if Malaos is to succeed. Which will come out on top? Evil? Or Jack? "What is life but a search for the acceptance of who we truly are?"

A.J. Gaudynski's first novel is full of adventure and fantasy. The plot is twisted and interesting, though at times puzzling. The "ghosts" of soul pieces become humanlike figures with needs for warmth and shelter, doing battle with each other and earth elements. I feel as though I am missing a deeper meaning to the representation of these characters, such as I cannot imagine. Likely it is just as it seems though. The human characters are believable and captivating, leading the reader through the tale. The beginning of the book is a bit slow, waiting for the action to begin and I was distracted by numerous instances of misspellings and the occasional lack of punctuation. All in all though, I feel it is a book of intriguing concept, and a worthwhile read.