Horizon was...omoshiroi. That means "interesting" in Japanese. The word "omoshiroi" is used a lot in Horizon, because of the two Japanese sisters, Kira and Akiko, who are two of the eight survivors of the mysterious plane crash. The other six passengers are Molly, an optimistic engineer, Javi, a member of Team Killbot, Anna, a twelve year old who sometimes doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut, Yoshi, a thief, Oliver, a guy whose mother had to be persuaded to let him come, and Caleb, a headstrong teen. After anticipating reading Horizon for WEEKS, I was really disappointed. The writing feels bland in most chapters, and the characters feel more like empty, soulless robots. There isn't any raw emotion expressed in the writing; it feels like I just opened a flat soda. There are a few rare chapters spread out in the book that genuinely caught my interest, but most were just "meh". The concept itself is pretty omoshiroi, but the execution really fell short in character development. I'll check out the second book, Deadzone, when it's published, but for now, 3 stars.

Well it looks like we're in a bit of a dicey situation now... I hope it all ends well!

What's done is done. Every action has consequences and we'll just have to see where it takes us. Was it the right choice? Only time will tell.

There's no particularly good reason that I have as to why I should win. I just like to read books and write reviews. Yep.

Savage Sam: You've probably never even heard of this sequel to Old Yeller, right? "Well...no. But it can't possibly by heart-warming, heart-breaking, and pulse-pounding enough to beat its classical predecessor! Otherwise, I'd have heard of if before!" That's where you'd be wrong. Despite being unfortunately less well-known, Savage Sam packs a huge wallop of adventure—a bigger wallop than Old Yeller did. I definitely loved Savage Sam better than Old Yeller. "Why? What's so interesting?" Savage Sam, Old Yeller and Blue's pup, quickly goes from clumsy to a top-notch hound dog and becomes six year old Little Arliss' best friend, helping create mischief wherever they go. Travis, meanwhile, is stuck laboring in the field with his Pa. Until Old Man Searcy gallops full-speed to the Coates family's home. He tells them a tale that everyone dismisses as his usual big talk: INDIANS ARE BACK AND STEALING HORSES! But Travis and Lisbeth are sent to retrieve Little Arliss, despite everyone's skepticism. Too late, they realize there was a whole lot of truth in Old Man Searcy's words. They are taken captive by Apache Indians, and suffer through terrible pain, hunger and thirst, barely clinging to the hope that someone might rescue them. Savage Sam was a clear, easy, and well-paced read. Fred Gipson didn't waste any time scrutinizing every sentence he wrote or being at loss for words. Every line feels straight and raw from the heart. I recommend to ages 12+ for some of the brutality.

Savage Sam: You've probably never even heard of this sequel to Old Yeller, right? "Well...no. But it can't possibly by heart-warming, heart-breaking, and pulse-pounding enough to beat its classical predecessor! Otherwise, I'd have heard of if before!" That's where you'd be wrong. Despite being unfortunately less well-known, Savage Sam packs a huge wallop of adventure—a bigger wallop than Old Yeller did. I definitely loved Savage Sam better than Old Yeller. "Why? What's so interesting?" Savage Sam, Old Yeller and Blue's pup, quickly goes from clumsy to a top-notch hound dog and becomes six year old Little Arliss' best friend, helping create mischief wherever they go. Travis, meanwhile, is stuck laboring in the field with his Pa. Until Old Man Searcy gallops full-speed to the Coates family's home. He tells them a tale that everyone dismisses as his usual big talk: INDIANS ARE BACK AND STEALING HORSES! But Travis and Lisbeth are sent to retrieve Little Arliss, despite everyone's skepticism. Too late, they realize there was a whole lot of truth in Old Man Searcy's words. They are taken captive by Apache Indians, and suffer through terrible pain, hunger and thirst, barely clinging to the hope that someone might rescue them. Savage Sam was a clear, easy, and well-paced read. Fred Gipson didn't waste any time scrutinizing every sentence he wrote or being at loss for words. Every line feels straight and raw from the heart. I recommend to ages 12+ for some of the brutality.

Old Yeller was a truly touching classical about the bond of man and dog. Well, not exactly MAN, Travis is only a fourteen year old boy who's been charged with one important task: Be the man of the family until his Pa gets back from his travels—maybe with the new horse Travis' always been wanting. He's doing the best he can with chores, hunting, and dealing with his rowdy five-year-old brother, Little Arliss. But then a big, ugly, yeller dog with a stub for a tail and a missing ear shows up and guiltlessly steals their meat, causing Travis to instantly hate it. But as "Old Yeller", as everyone starts to call him, starts showing his bravery, intelligence, and usefulness, Travis begins to warm up to the mangy dog. Old Yeller was a straight-forward and well-paced book, never dropping my attention for a second. It captures the beauty and danger of living out on the wild frontier, and it really captures the raw emotions of dog and human. I loved this story, and I would recommend to all ages.