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The Man in the Box

by Andrew Toy (Goodreads Author)

4.38 of 5 stars 4.38 · rating details · 13 ratings · 8 reviews

Work provided Robbie Lake the perfect escape from his family. But his life is turns upside down when he is unexpectedly fired. When he finds a new way of escape through a cardboard box, everything changes. The imaginary world of his childhood has evolved in his absence and is now more savage and hostile than even he could have dreamed. Robbie is drawn in by the excitement...more

ebook, 207 pages

Published November 30th 2012 by Blackwyrm Publishers

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Nov 13, 2012 Darin rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Man in the Box" by author Andrew Toy is a very fun, interesting book that will allow you to escape into another world. While Robbie is moving forward in the corporate world, he along with others are let go and now he must find a new beginning. His new beginning involves a simple cardboard box that leads him into another world of adventure. Soon the reader will see the hardships of Robbie as he is transported back and forth from this world to another by way of this cardboard box, spending co...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Nicole McManus rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: written-review

Robbie Lake was counting down the days until his island vacation with his family. Everything was going as planned, until the unexpected happened. While dealing with the unfortunate consequences of being laid-off, Robbie stumbles upon a box that sends him to a whole other world. In Reveloin, people fear for their lives and they are excited to return Robbie to his throne. Only one problem, Robbie has no memory of this world or why the people are treating him like they have been waiting for his re...more

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May 16, 2013 Robin Blankenship rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was pleasantly surprising. Andrew Toy is a wonderful storyteller. This book was just not what I expected when I first picked it up. Robbie, the main character, is such a likable guy one most people can find a way to relate to. He is just an ordinary guy who gets laid off and then the adventure starts. Robbie discovers a box, he enters a magical world called Reveloin where he is the long lost "god" that everyone has been waiting for. He feels strong and together not like he feels in the...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Matt Dalton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Whilst browsing through some online blogs, I stumbled upon one that was written by Andrew Toy, the author of this book (www.adoptingjames.wordpress.com). On his site, he mentioned that his book was available for a limited period on the Kindle Store for free, in the hope that he could drum up some interest and, ultimately, receive some feedback on his work.

Like Andrew, I would like to write a novel one day and see it published. Thus, I was intrigued. I immediately headed over to Amazon to get my...more Whilst browsing through some online blogs, I stumbled upon one that was written by Andrew Toy, the author of this book (www.adoptingjames.wordpress.com). On his site, he mentioned that his book was available for a limited period on the Kindle Store for free, in the hope that he could drum up some interest and, ultimately, receive some feedback on his work.

Like Andrew, I would like to write a novel one day and see it published. Thus, I was intrigued. I immediately headed over to Amazon to get my free copy and put it on my reading list. Just so you know, it is currently retailing at £1.93 for a Kindle book or £10.16 for a paperback version.

First things first, this guy is on to a real winner with his story. Within a chapter or two, I was immediately reminded of my days as a child poring over The Chronicles of Narnia. There are striking similarities throughout the book between the tales of CS Lewis and this story. That, I think, is something that should be taken as a huge compliment. CS Lewis was quite the story-teller.

It’s not all good, though. After a couple of chapters, despite the book seemingly going through several editing processes, I began to notice spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Granted, there were probably only around 20 or 30 that I spotted throughout the book, but I would be pretty annoyed with my editors if I had written this book. One of the most important things to a reader is a sense of value. A book littered with these errors tells me that not enough care was taken in its preparation and this is a real turn-off for me.

Despite that, I found that I very quickly became hooked. Just as the lead character, Robbie, became addicted to his fantasy world, I too became addicted to the fantasy world that had been created for the reader. I tend to do most of my reading on the daily commute between home and work, but I found myself reading this at home too.

About half way through the book, I noticed that Robbie was really beginning to annoy me. There were several traits to his character that got on my wick and I found myself finding it difficult to believe that a real person could behave in such a way. In truth, I thought the character development and conversation let the book down slightly.

On the other hand, the narrative was smooth, fluid and descriptive. I found the whole experience a little strange if I am honest. There were facets to the book that I absolutely loved, yet there were small, niggling issues rearing up their ugly heads with every chapter.

I feel that I have to clarify something here: I really enjoyed this book. There were many faults that I could find with it but, given that this is a debut novel from what is, for all intents and purposes, an independent author, I found that I was able to persevere and put these to the back of my mind.

It is clearly very early in Andrew’s career as an author. Importantly, though, he has a rare gift in that he would appear to be a natural story-teller. When you have that string to your bow, you are definitely over half way there.(less)

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Nov 23, 2012 Cherese Vines rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: suspense, adventure, family life

Recommended to Cherese by: Andrew Toy

Shelves: action, adventure, ghosts, magical, redemption, relationships, suspense, alternate-world, monsters

The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy is about Robbie Lake, a middle-aged man who finds a box that sends him to a fantasy world that he created as a child. When Robbie is fired from his job of 11 years, he is at a loss of what to do next. This comes on the heels of yet another blowout with his teenaged daughter and another cold shoulder encounter with his distant young son. Robbie doesn't know his family and they're not quick to welcome him either after he's fired due to layoffs. Only his wife Rosaly...more The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy is about Robbie Lake, a middle-aged man who finds a box that sends him to a fantasy world that he created as a child. When Robbie is fired from his job of 11 years, he is at a loss of what to do next. This comes on the heels of yet another blowout with his teenaged daughter and another cold shoulder encounter with his distant young son. Robbie doesn't know his family and they're not quick to welcome him either after he's fired due to layoffs. Only his wife Rosalynn keeps everything together for him and the family.

When Robbie discovers this "magical" box, he enters a world called Reveloin where he is the long lost "god" that everyone has been waiting for. He is strong and fast and cunning--opposite to how he feels in the real world. Robbie only needs to sit on his throne in Reveloin to take power and reign supreme; if only he didn't have to come back to reality do mundane tasks like apply for jobs and pick the kids up from school.

This was a heart-stopping suspense adventure like I haven't read in a long time. The author does a great job of interfusing light humor with the intense action moments--and there are a lot of them. From battling dinosaurs to ghost-demons, I was always anxious for Robbie and wondered how he would make it out of the danger. Now that is building suspense when you're wondering how a character could ever get out of his predicament even though you know he has to.

Robbie is a likeable character. When I first started the book, I thought that Steve Carell could play this part. However, as the story progressed into more action, I began to wonder. But Robbie's sense of humor at the irony of some of his adventures could still work for Carell as evidenced by the action in the movie Get Smart. However, I'm not saying this book is anything like Get Smart. It is a really original book with relatable characters.

Robbie created this fantasy world as a child. He was the hero in all his whimsical and "safe" adventures, but in his absence the world has become a dark and horrifying place for the characters he created. The more Robbie is drawn into Reveloin, the less he participates in his own reality. His family and responsibilities seem more like a burden to him. But when circumstances make him realize his real life is more important, his characters don't seem to like that idea too much.

As an author, I have found myself lost in the worlds I've created, sacrificing bathroom breaks or even eating to get that much farther into my story. When I have to stop, it does seem like my characters continue to talk to me and call me back. This is the feeling of The Man in the Box.

This is certainly a well-done adventure, suspense with a little fantasy. There are some really interesting concepts in the book that work really well like Robbie's amnesia while in Reveloin. I also appreciate that Robbie asks the questions that the reader wonders about as well.

Be advised that there are some gruesome parts in it, but nothing that lingered enough to stop me from reading. I gave it 4.9 stars out of 5 because there is a comment that offended me toward the beginning of the book. However, I kept reading because the story was so engaging and this was just a passing comment by Steve the security guard that I didn't understand the significance of and thought could have been stricken from the book entirely. With that said, I highly recommend this book.

I was given this ebook as an ARC for an honest and unbiased opinion.(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Andrew Toy rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: favorite-books

Here is a review I found on Barnes and Noble.

From Bookin-It:

Wow, wow, wow! My copy came in earlier than expected, and after reading a few reviews on this book, I couldn't help but get started right away. I think it's the first time I've finished a book in one day. It's a little slow at first - the author takes his time setting up the story, but by the middle of the book, there's no going back!! I felt like I was on a rocket shooting full blast into adventure, fantasy, suspense... EVERYTHING I wa...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Michele marked it as to-read

Shelves: 1-on-kindle-not-yet-read, adult-fiction, paranormal

This is FREE at Amazon for a short time. : )

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May 09, 2013 Elisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review to follow

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May 20, 2013 Frishawn Rasheed is currently reading it

Shelves: fantasy-tastic, favorites, arc-2013, adult, how-thrilling, tour, wishlist

May 07, 2013 Michelle marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebooks, gifted-books, review-books, tbr-own

Apr 26, 2013 Deborah marked it as general-library

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Mar 28, 2013 Trisha marked it as to-read

Shelves: kindle-freebies

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Mar 23, 2013 Andrew J. is currently reading it

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Mar 12, 2013 Pop Alx rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Dec 24, 2012 Rocky Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Dec 05, 2012 Ken S. rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Andrew Toy

Author of The Man in the Box, Andrew Toy lives in Louisville, KY with his wife and dachshunds. If he's not reading, he's writing, and if he's not writing, he's eating pizza, and if he's not eating pizza, he's eating Mexican food, and if he's not eating, he's reading...

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