The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun
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The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun

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3.75 of 5 stars 3.75  ·  rating details  ·  158 ratings  ·  124 reviews
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun is an award-winning space adventure for young adults that has earned the acclaim of Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, Amazon.com, and kids and parents everywhere.

The book follows Zack Goodspeed, a perfectly normal 11-year old boy, who discovers his eccentric grandfather has invented a source of unlimited power, called t...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published May 2nd 2009 by Pariah Publishing (first published May 2nd 2008)
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Best Intro to Sci-Fi for Young Readers
76th out of 378 books — 207 voters
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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 363)
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Nancy
Zack Goodspeed is a normal kid with average parents and an eccentric grandfather who invents things. One of these inventions is a source of power that is used to fuel a spaceship destined for the moon. Zack stows away on his grandfather’s ship along with a girl named Max. There is some adventure, treachery and maybe even the beginnings of love?

I don’t know, as I gave up reading 2/3 of the way through. The pace was excruciatingly slow, the characters were one-dimensional, and I ...more
Aaron
Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: loved-it
What an entertaining, well designed and satisfying read... As I read this first effort by a clever Mr. Mahoney, I was quickly sucked into a youth parallel to my own, where realistic fantasy is a reality, and where kids become heros. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters are vivid and well developed, the only thing wanting is more pages to turn. This being feels more accessible than other contemporaries in the youth fantasy genre. Drawing far more on a real child's background and world, ...more
Lisa Vegan
Lisa Vegan rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: ages 9-13 & all the way up including boys & reluctant readers (& reluctant writers)
I read the advance readers’ unedited copy, a paperback edition. It has significantly fewer pages (265) than does the hardcover edition (31 4 pages) due out on 2/2/09. I wonder what, if anything, I missed. I’m tempted to read “the whole book” if, in fact, there are significant differences/additions. I did notice some typos, although I also often notice those in final copy published books.

I really liked the writing style of this author. This is an engaging story with likeable character...more
Abby
Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars
This book is about a boy named Zack Goodspeed. He's normal, but his grampa is not. His grampa is makes inventions, lots of inventions. Zack thought he knew everything about his grampa. Until he finds an elevator in the woods. At the bottom he finds.... wait I can't ruin the story for you. You will have to read it for yourself.
I really liked this book. It keeps you reading. If you think this book is a boring science fiction novel with aliens, well, you're wrong. No aliens, but l...more
Susan
Bravo Chris!
Loved it. What a fun series this is going to make. I've said it before , but I'll say it again. If a book doesn't manage to capture all my emotions then I just wont finish it. This one definitely works for me.
Fy Goodspeed is an excentric inventor that at times seems absent minded, but has a good heart. His grandson Zack thinks the world of him. Zack wants to be a bigger part of his grandfather's life and ends up on the adventure of his own life in the process. I don't...more
bookczuk
bookczuk rated it 4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: Joby
Recommended to bookczuk by: Christopher Mahoney
When I was Zack Goodspeed's age, I met Captain Kirk and his merry band of crew members on the good ship Enterprise. All science fiction/spaceship/boldly go where no man has gone before type tales always bring me back to the Enterprise. It's a character flaw, or perhaps an endearing quirk. Who knows.

In this story, we have young Goodspeed, and his pals boldly going to the moon aboard Grandfather Goodspeed's amazing ship, powered by his even more amazing energy source, the Onyx Sun (...more
Tiffany

So “Onyx Sun” was my first good reads book, and to that I am grateful to Christopher Mahoney. It is an advanced readers copy and first impressions were that for a self printed book it was bound quite nicely. I thought that the cover art could use a bit of work, contrary to the popular saying, people do judge books by their covers. This cover was a bit over the top, I appreciated the elements of the story they were trying to convey but I asked my 8 year old “niece” and she said that it looked ki

...more
KristenR
I really enjoyed reading this book, and my 7 year old daughter is liking it as well. Although it written for an older child (she asks for additional explanations and definitions frequently), she and I love the zany characters and the situations they get themselves in.

The Onyx Sun has a good mix of fun characters, action, humor, and science fiction.

Monica
Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars
This is a great start to a fun new series. It is written in a believable and light style. While it may be geared more towards the Young Adult genre, adults can also find enjoyment in its tale. I look forward to future adventures for Zack, Max, and Sanjay!
Deanna
Where was this book when I was a kid?! I wasn't sure what to expect when I won this book as a first reads book, but I am glad that I was given the chance to read and review this book. If you have a kid who is adventurous and you want to get them into reading, this is definitely a book for them. The quirky characters and sarcastic undertone at the beginning draws you into the book. The the funny situations Fy and Zack get into, and then later on Max, keep the book rolling. As a reader, you do...more
Sara
Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars
I loved it and I felt like I was a kid again while reading it. I caught myself totally being sucked into it and not wanting to put it down. The imagination of the author was unbelievable. Great ending!
Ilya
Ilya rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: No one
While reading this book, the target age of the audience becomes very clear: adolescence-young adult. While part of being a good author is knowing your target audience and writing to cater to their level, I found myself disappointed that the author did not offer enough challenges to his audience. First, the English used was rudimentary and contained too many slang terms and even communication styles that take you out of the fictitious universe he is creating. Second, the story is very linear and ...more
Madhavi
A wonderful sci-fi adventure with great heart! Looking forward to Book 2 and learning what adventures our intrepid protagonists go on next.
Tranylle
Well I've finished the book! I enjoyed it. There were definitely some typos and accuracy issues (and since this is an ARC I'm not sure if any of these issues are in the final version), but overall it was a great story line with fun characters. There was a meaningful plot and great resolution, while still leaving it open for a second book. I had a lot of fun reading it. I love short chapters, so I thought it was great that they were all very short. It makes me keep reading when I know the ch...more
Jose
Jose rated it 5 of 5 stars
Awesome book. When can we expect the second edition?
Lisa
Added 10/4/11

Another rave from a 5th grade boy. I failed in my attempt to get a girl interested, but there's always tomorrow.

Added 9/21/11 after original review
Well Christopher, I have to add a least one more star to my rating (with a potential 4th coming). I gave this book to a 7th grader to read and to give me honest feedback. He LOVED it and I trust his opinion. He said he would give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and even noticed it was "Book One" so assumes...more
Janis

Zack is burdened with a lovable grandfather who is considered a bit of a crackpot, more dreamer than is practical, and given to unexplained disappearances. Zack and his plucky friend Angelina decide to follow Grandfather one day and find out where he disappears to. What they find out is beyond what they could have imagined. Grandfather turns out to be quite a genius, although a loveably eccentric one. Who occasionally brought to my mind vague remembrances of Commander Caractacus Pott a...more
Dream 4 More Reviews
What thrilled me in the beginning of this read, is regardless of what grandfather Mr. Goodspeed experienced in the fourth grade, he did not give up on his dream of bringing the "Onyx Sun" experiment to life. He reminds me of a scientist emerging and enhances the spirit of the "onyx" powers that be. His grandson, Zack Goodspeed, becomes intrigued with his grandfather's inventions and brings his friends along for the ride (Sanjay and Angelina "Max" Maxmillian).
...more
Steven
Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: childrens_books
I thought I had already reviewed this, but I guess not. On we go...

A very strong debut novel for the younger set. It is precisely the sort of book I would have adored when I was ten and deserves a place in every school library. It has the same flavor as one of those Saturday morning animated specials they would do on ABC when I was a kid, probably hosted by Captain OG Readmore (for those that remember back that far!). There are even a couple of great visual gags, which are among ...more
Jessica Buike
This was a highly enjoyable young adult read, that reminded me of what would happen if Lemony Snicket were to join the cast of Star Trek while the kids from The Magic School Bus tagged along. The story was a little predictable for my adult bibliophile mind, but it was good and had an interesting premise. Some of it did feel a little redundant, but since I was reading an Advanced Review Copy I'm going to assume that the final editing process would remedy that. I absolutely LOVE that the author se...more
Christine
Nice enjoyable read, a little slow for me at the start but great finish. I really enjoyed the main characters of Zack, Sanjay and Max. My son (3rd grader) and daughter (5th grader) loved the book so I think it's very appropriate for elementary to middle school age. It will be fun to read the next book in the series!
Cynthia
I received this book as an Advanced Edition from the author - and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed this book. I like science fiction in films sometimes but generally avoid it in books. The story and the characters in this book really grabbed me from the beginning though. It may be written for middle school age kids but as an adult I think it works as an enjoyable read too. For kids I think it would be even better - it has a classic good triumphing over...more
Lauren
I received this book in a goodreads first reads giveaway.
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun was a fun and quirky story that grabbed my attention right from the off. The characters, who although at times were unbelievable, were ones that grew on the reader and turned into lovable characters quite quickly. The plot was what I had expected but the imagination and fun nature of the book made it wonderful rather than just any predictable child's story. I would recommend this book to all...more
Linda
Author Christopher Mahoney has captured the essence of youthful dreams of space exploration and brought them to life in his debut book, "The Incredible Origins of The Onyx Sun". What a wonderful book that will engage readers, both young and old alike, as we follow the space adventure of 11 year old Zack Goodspeed, his friends "Max" and Sanjay, and his grandfather, Fyodor Goodspeed.
What Harry, Ron and Hermione did for the wizarding world, Zack, Max and Sanjay could do f...more
Terry
Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars
This is a fun book...for readers age 10-15 or so. I wish I could have experienced it through those eyes instead of the eyes that immediately compare it to Ender or even Wrinkle in Time.

The pages fly by and it is a very fast read. Easy to follow story and characters that are a little shallow, but fairly interesting nonetheless. The way Zack uses his resources to solve problems is something a parent/teacher could definitely use as a little lesson on top of the entertaining story.
...more
Jessica Bronder
Zach doesn’t really fit in with his parents. They are almost boringly ordinary. They seem to have no creativity or imagination and it is almost painful how they don’t understand their son. Zach does take after his grandpa Fyodor, an inventor. Although his parents don’t want his grandfathers oddness rubbing off on their son, Zach tried to be with his grandfather every chance he gets.

The problem is Fy is often gone for long periods of time. So, when Zach’s classmate Angelina “Max” Maximi...more
Miranda
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun is about a boy, Zack, and his genius but misundetstood grandpa. He loves his grandpa, but it seems that there is a little distance between. His Grandpa is always disappearing and reappearing without warning. Zack is determined to not let his grandpa slip out of his life again, and he follows him with his myserious new friend Angelina. There is a lot of action and detail as this fiction becomes more realistic than I would have thought possible.
Howe...more
Shen Li
I originally got this book through a friend of a friend.

For a first book, the author has really done quite well. I could visualize almost every scene as if it was a book form of a movie. I agree with other reviewers here that the writing at times was a bit basic, but then I reminded myself that this book was for middle graders. Often when the protagonist is young, in this case 11, then the book's target audience is a few years younger. So, if I remember what I was reading at 9 or 10,...more
Cynthia
I am sure that the grammar and punctuation has been corrected in the final book, so I will skip over that.

I love the story and I think that this book is perfect for children who are into scifi. The characters are believable, but sometimes I found them saying things that I was not sure they would say at their age. Grandfather Goodspeed is awesome. I am sure that every kid wishes they had a grandfather like that.

I may be stretching it, but I also think this book is a good...more
Jackie
Aimed at the 10-14 set, this book is a fun ride for just about everyone. This is the first book in a series about 11 year old Zack Goodspeed and his eccentric and mysterious grandfather Fyodor. It seems that the old gent has invented a new, limitless power source and has set out to colonize the moon. Zack and the new neighbor girl Max sneak their way into plenty of adventures and dangers throughout this book. The illustrations are fantastic, giving a reality to the imaginative sci-fi feature...more
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The Light Bulb Solution 2 4 Sep 09, 2010 03:12pm  
Which character was the most compelling? 2 13 Oct 23, 2008 08:33pm  
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The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun (paperback)
The Incredible Origin of the ONYX SUN (Paperback)
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun (Kindle Edition)
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun (Paperback)

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I started writing when I was seven, but it took me twenty years and about ten unfinished manuscripts to find a story I felt compelled to finish. My debut novel, The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun, has gone on to win a Writer's Digest award and was one of 50 remaining submissions from a field of 5,000 in the Semifinals of the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards.

The Incredible Orig...more
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