Onyx Webb

Book 1: Episodes 1, 2, & 3

By Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz

ISBN#: 9780990751816

Author’s website: www.OnyxWebb.com

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Scott

Review

Onyx Webb is an explosive new concept in literature. Part historical fiction, part detective story, part horror and dipping into the realm of the supernatural, this edition is sure to delight in one aspect of the story or another. Harkening back to the “serialized” novels of the ‘20’s (of which more will be spoken of later) the story will be told over the course of nine books with three episodes apiece. In episodes 1, 2 & 3, which Book 1 encompasses, one is introduced to the story spanning multiple eras and multiple characters, the reader being led by only by a ghost – the ghost of Onyx Webb.

Each episode is almost self-contained, but this isn’t to be taken to mean they can be read out of order. One episode follows naturally from the previous, adding plot turns, twists and surprises; even though you see them coming, you are encouraged to read forward, yearning for more. The writing style is natural, flowing unobtrusively off the page, an invisible barrier to the story at play. Dialogue comes across as genuine from each of the myriad characters in the first three episodes, From billionaire playboys to Civil War widows, from murderers to young girls, the reader never tires of learning more about their motivations and desires. The characters are that three-dimensional.

The writing itself is exceptional. Given the research that must have gone into planning a millennium spanning story, it’s simply amazing that the authors kept it together as tightly as it did. Sparing no calamity, the Civil War, the roaring twenties, the stock market crash, the great depression, the modern world of lifestyles of the rich and famous, the teamwork of Fenton and Waltz, while twisting events to their own design, push the history out with a tangible force that propels the characters forward. Easily digestible, each episode is like your, say favorite T.V. show, one that holds its own water, but hints at what’s to come. I almost felt drawn to it as I would a reader of the heyday of pulp fiction. But serialized stories might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

As mentioned, the characters, at least from what you get from the read, seem to play pre-determined roles, but are fully fleshed out before they even hit the page. Kudos must go to the authors of Onyx Webb, for creating a cast to be reckoned with, from the lowest kind of scum, to the most prudent of them all. Written from a rather sly third person omniscient point of view, the reader is just given enough interest to whet their appetite, and murky information that will obviously play out in the continuing saga. Dealing from a deck of playboy billionaires, drunken gamblers, ghosts, businessmen, young girls, and the omnipresent Onyx Webb, whose apparition guides you through this hand, leaves no doubt, at least in my mind, that the cards are stacked against the reader. The more you learn, the more you want to know about the details and histories of this multi-faceted drama.

For lovers of historical fiction, mysteries, horror, suspense, romance, and a touch of the paranormal (which should include almost everyone). Onyx Webb Book 1: Episodes 1-3 should be placed on a must read shelf – it’s that good. And with promised deadline dates by the authors, this is bound to be a series destined to hold a place in everyone’s heart and possibly a bit more.