The Search for Synergy (The Talisman Series, Book 1) by Brett Salter
Today I’m sharing my thoughts on The Search for Synergy, book 1 of Brett Salter’s middle-grade fantasy, The Talisman Series.
Book Details for The Search for Synergy
The Search For Synergy by Brett Salter
Series: The Talisman Series #1
Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on 01/20/2022
Genres: Coming of Age, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Middle-Grade
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 220
Source: Kindle Unlimited"The Search For Synergy" is the first book in The Talisman Series by author Brett Salter. It follows the exploits of two middle-school boys, Rome Lockheed, and Julian Rider, as they transition from normal kids into epic warriors fighting for the existence of the Earth realm.
Rome is secretly a fire dragon from the Den of Volcana placed under a spell which hides his true form. Julian is an oddball, up-and-coming knight with a case of the "try-hards". Together, they perform an ancient pact which bonds their lives and souls forever.
Under the tutelage and guidance of an eccentric, local librarian, Mr. Jones, the two learn of an impending invasion from an archaic evil desperate to invade from the other side of The Void.
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Purchase Links for The Search for Synergy
Click here for –> Amazon – OneLink for all countries.
The Search For Synergy: The...Shop on Amazon
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My thoughts on The Search for Synergy
The Search for Synergy is book one of the Talisman series by Brett Salter.
This middle-grade fantasy is perfect for that age group and older readers. The story has all the feelings, characteristics, and mindset to appeal to a multitude of readers.
Dragon shifter
Angsty teens
Excellent world-building
Fast-paced
King Arthur and Merlin vibes
Closure yet leaves you anxious to read the next in the series.
My middle-grade grandkids will love this book and series.
I recommend this book to all lovers of fantasy, but especially middle-grade fantasy.
I received a digital copy of the book from the author, publisher, KU, or my library to review. This is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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About Brett Salter
Brett Salter Bio:
My background in writing stems mostly from the inspiration I found as a kid when I read Fantasy and Sci-Fi books. These include The Chronicles of Narnia, The Xanth Novels, The Time Quintet, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and everything from Shakespeare to Dr. Seuss.
In my formative years, I joined several punk rock bands and wrote songs, poetry, and short stories aplenty.
As an adult (?) I took on a dare and wrote the first book in my Talisman Series. I loved the feeling it gave me and the idea of inspiring others so much that I kept writing until I had an entire series.
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Guest Post by Brett Salter, author of The Search for Synergy
My Book is a Movie. Who is the Cast?
Ah, the bright lights of Hollywood! La-La Land! Tinseltown! The place where stars live, and
dreams come true. Producer of that world-beloved media called motion pictures. Strangely, or
maybe not so strangely, the movies have a historic, symbiotic relationship with books. The two
mediums have always intertwined and amassed diehard audiences ready to delve into their near
limitless potential.
They work together in tandem to entertain us, to cull out our emotions, and to
keep our imaginations percolating. This relationship has created some of the best and worst
discrepancies between the two artistic forms, and even spawned the curious phrase “the book was
better”.
Why am I mentioning this at all? Well, because when a book is turned into a movie, it takes
some of the allure away from the book, right? The magic of books is that everything is dependent on
the reader’s own imagination. Once a movie tags an actor to a character or a studio stage to a
specific setting or even a soundtrack to a book’s particular ambience, that freedom of vision gets
stricken from us as viewers.
And we sacrifice our own creativity for convenience. We are
entertained in much less time and with much less labor. These all sound negative, right? However,
it seems that when a piece of fiction gets a cinematic push, it is usually considered worthy to be
broadcast on a massive scale. To a massive audience.
As a fan of movies and a constant reader, I struggle with this debacle when I want to consume
a book or a movie. And as an author, I sometimes entertain ideas of grandeur, like my series making
the jump from written word to the movie theaters.
So, naturally, that brings up the question, who
would be my dream cast to play the characters in my series if it ever made it to blockbuster levels?
And I refuse to lie; this is something that my fanboy head has contemplated more times than I would
care to admit. Now, since you’ve made it this far, just sit back and enjoy my ideas for who would
play the cast of The Talisman Series if it ever made it to the big screen.
Starting off with one of our main characters, we need to cast for Rome Lockheed. Rome is
my fire dragon stuck in the body of a teenager who gets caught up in a whirlwind of worlds in the first
book. The obvious choice to me is Marvel’s own Spiderman, Tom Holland. He has the mindset, the
physical appearance, and the ability to play a character who steps into a world much bigger than he
ever knew.
I foresee him playing Rome exactly as I have on my pages. Starting out somewhat
reluctant and confused, but soon developing into a leader with doing the right thing always at the
heart of his decisions. Tom’s boyish good looks and willingness to do stunt-involved acting make
him an excellent Rome Lockheed, in my opinion.
So, who should play everyone’s favorite rulebreaker, Julian Rider? Okay, cast your mind
with me. Close your eyes and imagine a younger, much blonder Zac Efron! I’m talking High School
Musical days, okay? Way before he got ripped and became one of Hollywood’s elite.
I think an adolescent Zac would do a stupendous job as my sarcastic, devil-may-care, rebellious Synergist Knight, adding a certain pizzazz that only he could pull off. He could bring a youthful energy to the character and give him a little snark that Julian so emphatically personifies. I believe he would seal the deal the first time we saw Mr. Efron give one of Julian’s patented, sideways smirks setting the viewer to wonder just what he’s got up his sleeve.
Since I am limiting myself to only characters from the first book in the series, “The Search
For Synergy”, we quickly run out of characters to portray. The first book really only has a small
handful of characters. And only a slight portion of those mentioned even speak.
So, casting for thelesser role of Mr. Rider, I would be absolutely wonderstruck to get someone like Jude Law for that
extra snarkiness. I feel like Jude would be able to pull off that “better than you” air very well. Add
in a dash of Tim Curry from the movie “Clue” as Wadsworth, the butler, and I think you’ve got an
arrogant and pompous character that would definitely look down on someone like Rome from his
“ivory tower”.
And now, to cast the Earth realm’s resident Merlin character. The one destined to lead
Rome and Julian to their inevitable battle with the Darkbrands and their heinous leader, The Tyrant
King. The man whose sole mission is to mold these young and naïve boys into Earth’s greatest
defense against the things that slink out of The Void.
A majestic wizard who is responsible for most
of the magic on Earth and whose shoulders carry the future and continuance of our very
planet…Yeah, he’s a combination of Johnny Depp’s, Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the
Caribbean movies and Christopher Lloyd’s, Dr. Emmett Brown from the Back to the Future trilogy.
Last but not least, we need to find someone to play the role of Mrs. Case. She’s the principal
of the boys’ school. For Mrs. Case, we need someone in her late 30’s to 40s with classic beauty and
a side of mysteriousness to her. So, I have come up with a few names. Please let me know if this is
how you envision the somewhat peculiar faculty member.
I was thinking of either Jennifer Connelly
or Natalie Portman. I think Portman can play mysterious well, but Connelly just seems to simply
ooze enigma in some of her roles. So, I think either actress would do a stellar job portraying Mrs.
Case and her dedication to constantly keeping an eye on the boys.
So, there’s my cast! No doubt, it would be a huge blockbuster, the likes of Avatar, and Harry
Potter, and anything from the MCU. We’re talking breaking box office records! It’s fun to dream
about a work making it to Hollywood, and speculating which stars may play your characters, but at
the end of the day, I like giving my audience the freedom to envision whoever they want as the
characters.
The idea of how characters form in the reader’s head and everything from how they
look to the way they speak is part of what keeps us coming back for more book, right? It’s your own
imagination tying into an author’s imagination. And that, my friends, is the whole reason I write. To
create that magical bond between author and audience. Kinda like The Great Synergy.
Thank you for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed it or, at least didn’t fall asleep. Feel free
to reach out to me with your own casts of my books. Or if you are looking to collaborate, find me on
social media. Or, if you just wanna theorize about dragons or my series, don’t hesitate to contact
me. An EXTRA special thank you to Gina Rae Mitchell for letting me be a part of her creative
genius as well! Everyone stay safe and keep a wary eye out for portals!
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Amazon Easy Info Links for The Search for Synergy
Click here for –> Amazon – OneLink for all countries.
If the above link does not take you to your country, here are a few more:
If your country isn’t listed and you would like to purchase using my links, please send me a note. Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share.
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Watch for more reviews of The Talisman series on my blog soon!
Riders of Fire and Ice, The Talisman series, Volume 2
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I love these terrific and imaginative books for MG kids.
My grandson is a bit young yet, but I think he would enjoy this one. He does like fantasy, so maybe next Christmas (he will be ten – is that too young?)
I think ten is an excellent age for this book. Old enough to grasp the fantasy and follow the story. The main characters are about thirteen or fourteen. And the book is only about 200 pages, which is good for younger readers.