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Shadow Walkers

by Brent Hartinger (Goodreads Author)

3.14 of 5 stars 3.14 · rating details · 155 ratings · 39 reviews

"I just devoured the book, a good story for any age."--ALAN CHEUSE, NPR's "All Things Considered" Zach lives with his grandparents on a remote island in Puget Sound in Washington State. With only his little brother, Gilbert, to keep him company, Zach feels cut off from the world. But when Gilbert is kidnapped, Zach tries the only thing he can think of to find him: astral p...more

Paperback, 209 pages

Published February 8th 2011 by Flux (first published February 1st 2011)

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Jan 22, 2011 Angela rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbtq, paranormal, young-adult, arc, read-in-2010

Disappointing but unique paranormal read, 1.5 stars

In Brent Hartinger’s SHADOW WALKERS, Zach is a lonely teen living off the Washington coast. Stuck on an island with only his grandparents, his younger brother, and a few thousand residents, Zach feels lost and disconnected except for the friends he has online. When his younger brother, Gilbert, goes missing mysteriously, Zach learns how to astral project and look for him. While shifting about the astral realm, Zach meets Emory, another teen boy...more Disappointing but unique paranormal read, 1.5 stars

In Brent Hartinger’s SHADOW WALKERS, Zach is a lonely teen living off the Washington coast. Stuck on an island with only his grandparents, his younger brother, and a few thousand residents, Zach feels lost and disconnected except for the friends he has online. When his younger brother, Gilbert, goes missing mysteriously, Zach learns how to astral project and look for him. While shifting about the astral realm, Zach meets Emory, another teen boy and a cute one at that. As Zach and Emory move through astral space together, hot on the trail of Gilbert’s kidnappers, they become closer, but they are also menaced by a true evil that seeks to use their souls and bodies.

After being impressed with Hartinger’s touching short story in 21 PROMS, I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, SHADOW WALKERS fell short for me. The concept of astral projection was different and relatively unique, but it came across as unbelievable and campy. The messy and convoluted storyline tried to push too many plot threads into one short book, and when the novel did try to address major issues, it did so weakly in just a few paragraphs or pages. With a focus on action, like finding the kidnappers or evading evil in the astral realm, there was also little character development. Additionally, the romantic connection seemed implausible, because it was acted upon without any type of communication between the two boys about their interest or their sexual orientation. Overall, I never found myself invested in the characters or interested in their story.

On the good side, SHADOW WALKERS is paranormal in a wholly different way than usual with its focus on astral projection, a bit of evil reincarnate, and a romantic relationship between two gay teens. The novel also tries to tackle important but difficult issues like disability and self-image, online versus real-world interaction, and small town mentalities. For fans of the early work of Lois Duncan, like STRANGER WITH MY FACE and THE THIRD EYE, this book may also be a welcome return to the psychic thrillers of 1980s young adult fiction.

While I went into SHADOW WALKERS hoping for an enjoyable and unique paranormal read, complete with a gay romance, I was left disappointed. In future paranormal novels, I hope that Hartinger focuses on better world building and a more focused plot that expands on some of the complex and defining issues he touched on in this book.

Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Ravenous Biblioworm rated it 2 of 5 stars

Rating: 2/5

I heard many great things about this author. At the same time, as someone who has seen many young adult books with gay themes book covers (with shirtless guys typically in a sexual manner) I was very nervous in reading this book. Why? Well for some reason - gee, I wonder why *ahem book covers* - it seems that young adult gay themed novels are sexual in nature. It revolves around sex or sexual exploration, which I do not care about. Sure I can do the romance part (for instance I read Y...more Rating: 2/5

I heard many great things about this author. At the same time, as someone who has seen many young adult books with gay themes book covers (with shirtless guys typically in a sexual manner) I was very nervous in reading this book. Why? Well for some reason - gee, I wonder why *ahem book covers* - it seems that young adult gay themed novels are sexual in nature. It revolves around sex or sexual exploration, which I do not care about. Sure I can do the romance part (for instance I read YA romances from girls' perspectives - I'm not a girl) but from what I hear, it's usually just fluff. Things I'm not interested in. So when this book was passed along as a recommendation, I was reserved. But the low score had nothing to do with "fluff" as there was none but the writing.

I did a bit of research on Hartinger when I picked up this book. It seems he won a couple of awards for his work in the young adult genre, but for his book Geography Club. So my caution was lowered as I thought an award winner had to be able to write well.

Shadow Walkers started off well, very well in fact. We get a good glimpse of Zach and Gilbert, two brothers, and their relationship. The first few pages established well their age difference and how they see one another. Though the pet name and explanation of the pet name for Gilbert did seem like Hartinger was trying too hard to either be clever or stand out. It didn't work for me. It felt a little cheesy. Zach's crush on the Wounded Wolf guy was very nicely portrayed too.

But as the story progressed, none of the characters grew. They stayed where they were introduced, and readers don't get to delve any deeper into the characters. Zach was just like any other teen. There was nothing that made him stand apart from others. Nothing that made him memorable - nothing to make me care deeply about him. Emory the other boy who shows up later was the same, though his meeting was just mediocre at best. I wanted to care about these kids because one, Zach was gay; two, Emory deals with a physical handicap... things that aren't typically portrayed in YA literature or novels. I felt like Hartinger could have taken us there, deeper into these kids mind and really see their emotions, but no - alas we only see a surface. Some folks may even call these characters flat and though I disagree, I can see why they would say that.

The motivations for the characters are very weak. Zach seems very undecided, should he save his brother or should he pursue his crush or what's with the monsters hiding in the dark corner. This wasn't really Zach's fault. It's the plot points and the little space the plot points had to stretch out on. This book is a little over 200 pages which was not nearly enough for the story to be properly told and filled to fully incorporate a good story telling. The other sub characters were flat. They were typical and nothing special at all. In my opinion, there was one very minor character who played a very large role (you'll know who I'm talking about if you choose to read the book) who had no character at all. His actions where almost spontaneous and there were no details to support his character. No clues to detail that he was a bit extreme. It read as if he was the way he was because it helped the book move along and filled a plot hole.

The plot. The astral projection was interesting only the presentation was somewhat corny and fell very short of being informed and deep. The lore and explanations of the astral projection and the "spirit world" in which Zach travels through were vague at best and it left a lot to be desired. The missing brother plot point, not so much. Things (the Astral Projection book he happens to find in his dad's dresser) were brought into place to fill the holes in the plot (what exactly were the portals... I mean really... we only get specualtions. In fact, everything in the spirit world were speculations) but if you think just a tad deeper you realize the covers were very thin. Again, I think the problem was the way the story and plot points were presented in such a small page amount.

Overall, the plot was interesting and "new" to the YA genre. The writing was good and descriptive when it came to real-time setting (i.e. where the characters were (place... where they were standing and what they saw) in their immediate moment) but lack deep intricate details in lore and character developement. I had high hopes because of the author hype (awards and recommendation) and the gay aspect, but neither were pulled strong enough to make Shadow Walkers a great book.

Verdict: I hate to say this but I almost will say pass. If you're curious, sure, by all means, read it. It's not bad horrible like some other books, but there are also definitely better books out there.

Visit my book review blog at ravenousbiblioworm.wordpress.com (less)

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Oct 03, 2011 A. rated it 3 of 5 stars

As most other reviewers said, this book wasn't great but it certainly wasn't as terrible as other books I've read.

I liked the setting, the isolation, and the author's illustration of the main character Zach's reliance on technology to interact with others like himself. I even enjoyed his friendship with the other astrally projecting boy. I also appreciated that the romance didn't seem forced and didn't take over the plot. It wouldn't have been realistic in the least if our protagonist simply for...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

While Brent Hartinger is best known for his realistic fiction, particularly works with strong GLBTQQ characters, his newest work explores the realm of paranormal mysteries. Set on Hinder Island, a small island near Puget Sound in Washington state, readers meet Zach. Zach and his younger brother Gilbert moved to the small and quiet island community to live with their grandparents only a few years earlier, after the deaths of his parents.

It has not been the smoothest of transitions for Zach, who h...more
While Brent Hartinger is best known for his realistic fiction, particularly works with strong GLBTQQ characters, his newest work explores the realm of paranormal mysteries. Set on Hinder Island, a small island near Puget Sound in Washington state, readers meet Zach. Zach and his younger brother Gilbert moved to the small and quiet island community to live with their grandparents only a few years earlier, after the deaths of his parents.

It has not been the smoothest of transitions for Zach, who has felt the outsider since his arrival. He has made few friends, and has a quiet crush on one of the boys with whom he goes to school. His only outlets seem to be the online friendships he has developed.

It is this social isolation that got him interested in exploring astral projection when he is grounded from the Internet with nothing else to do but explore an old book of his father's. When his brother mysteriously disappears, he opts to give astral projection a try, in the hopes of finding Gilbert. To his surprise, he is able to explore the astral plane.

While there, he finds an ally in Emory, another teen who has learned to use the astral plane. The two start a search to find Gilbert. As they learn more about his disappearance, it becomes clear that time might be running out, and Gilbert is not the only one in danger. Something on the astral plane has an interest in them, and it is not for anything good.

This is definitely not one of Hartinger's best works, though, it is quite interesting all the same. I suspect that might be why it was released as a paperback rather than a hardcover. The typos sprinkled throughout are just the beginning. The core of the story and the characters is good, but things don't feel fully developed. Clues to the mystery surrounding Gilbert are presented, but are almost too obvious because of the skimpiness of the stories content. Things might have been helped with the inclusion of more characters to help with the creation of red herrings or possibilities.

Zach's experiences with his sexuality seem to be well presented. The crush he has on one of his schoolmates is realistic, and his developing relationship with his co-hero proves to be quite interesting and not overly rushed. In a way, this aspect of the story is more fully developed than the mystery or the dark supernatural elements the two boys are confronted with in the spectral plane.

The overall result, is a book with great potential (like and early draft) than a work that feels like finished copy. At just over 200 pages, things could have been filled in a bit more, creating a much stronger novel. That is not to say the book was not enjoyable, but it could have been stronger.(less)

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Jul 10, 2011 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

From the same author of The Geography club, I was interested in reading this new novel.

From the Blurb, it didn’t really seem like the sort of thing I would be interested in, but having read some of Hartingers other work; I decided to give it a go. A certain amount of poetic license has been used in terms of rationalizing and bringing the concept of Astral Projection to the reader base, but if you are able to suspend disbelief and accept the concept, purely as a plot device, it’s not a bad read.

T...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

here's what I liked about the book:
1. Zach in an average kid that is thrust into an extraordinary situation... who just happens to be gay... there is no big deal about his being gay, it is not a major plot thing, other than he falls in love and that could happen if he was gay or not.
2. Emory is in a wheelchair, and this isn't a big deal, it is not a major plot thing, other than he falls in love and that could happen if he was in a wheelchair or not. - The author did a great job of showing that d...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Stephen rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I received a complimentary copy of Shadow Walkers from Flux Books for reviewing purposes.

This review contains minor spoilers. Be warned.

This is the first book I’ve read by Brett Hartinger, so I don’t know how this stacks up against his other work. I do think he deserves credit for doing something not many have done before. This is the first time I’ve read a story using astral projection as a plot device, so it was definitely original to me. Unfortunately, that’s about all I’m able to give him cr...more

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May 07, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

What first drew me in to Shadow Walkers was the idea of astral projection. I would love nothing more than to be able to leave my physical body behind and just travel! Brent Hartinger hits the nail on the head with his explanation in this book. By the time I had finished reading, I'd say I had a pretty good handle on the concept. If you have ever wondered about astral projection, you'll find it simply fascinating.

Truthfully though, other than the astral projection aspect, this book had a difficul...more What first drew me in to Shadow Walkers was the idea of astral projection. I would love nothing more than to be able to leave my physical body behind and just travel! Brent Hartinger hits the nail on the head with his explanation in this book. By the time I had finished reading, I'd say I had a pretty good handle on the concept. If you have ever wondered about astral projection, you'll find it simply fascinating.

Truthfully though, other than the astral projection aspect, this book had a difficult time holding my attention. The characters are sweet enough. Zach has a good head on his shoulders, although he feels trapped on his island home. Emory is sincere and definitely meshes with Zach. However it was Gilbert that stole the show, let me tell you. This fireball of a little brother was so adorable! When he goes missing I seriously had a moment of panic. Such a cute little kid!

The romance aspect of the book was also a nice addition. I thought it was fabulous that Brent Hartinger included a homosexual romance that wasn't angst driven or a social issue. It did fall a little flat for me though, mostly in the believability department. Although I enjoyed the fact that the boys were able to connect on such an otherworldly level, their relationship moved like lightning. I've heard of stress bringing people together, but even with my paranormal blinders on I had a hard time accepting that they would be so into one another in such a short time.

Added on is a bit of a side story about an astral creature that tries to devour the souls floating in the astral realm. I liked this addition, but I so wished it was a little more drawn out and explained. It was genuinely interesting! It just happened to be overshadowed by everything else going on. I'd honestly have to say that my favorite part of the whole book was the mystery surrounding Gilbert's disappearance. I had no idea where that part of the story was going, and as Zach searched I genuinely worried. When your favorite character ends up missing, well that's just something that you end up worrying about.

My final verdict on this book is that it is a sweet, short and unique read. Although it didn't sate my whole literary appetite, there was definitely enough there to keep me coming back! If Zach, Emory and Gilbert come back in a second book I'll be there to follow them on their adventures.(less)

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Mar 10, 2011 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story is a short but sweet mystery mixed with some paranormal elements. As a gay teen, Zach finds true friendship and acceptance online with friends that can truly understand him, but when he has internet privileges revoked as a punishment, he has to find other things to fill his time - including reading some boring book about astral projection. He is disappointed by it, but he ends up needing to try it when his little brother goes missing and he needs answers fast.

Along the way he meets Em...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Brad rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was recommended by a friend, so I wanted to like it more than I actually did. As other reviewers have pointed out, this is not a well written book. It's not terrible, but it's not really engaging either. There isn't quite enough going on in the main plot, or internally in the main character, to make you care about what happens.

In fact, the main plot is the least interesting part of the story. The fact that Zach is gay, struggling with telling his family and having a crush on a school m...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, lgbt, young-adult, realistic-fiction

Set in Washington, on an island near Tacoma, so lots of local appeal.
Zach lives on tiny Hinder Island with his grandparents and his younger brother, Gilbert. One day Gilbert disappears and Zach attempts to find him using astral projection. While he is on the astral plane he meets Emory, who is cute and seems equally attracted to Zach. Together they continue the search for Gilbert, but they are also being tracked by another old being on the astral plane that wants to devour their souls.

I wanted t...more

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May 31, 2011 Lakisha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, ya, teens, science-fiction, paranormal

This book was a recommend and so I checked it out. I finished it in a few hours (it's under 200 pages) and was left feeling conflicted on what to rate it. It wasn't horrible by any means, it was okay.

I think my main problem was that I didn't really feel invested in the characters. I don't know if it was because of the short length of the book or if maybe they were not fleshed out more.

The one fascinating thing I did like was about astral projection. It's not an ability/superpower that you run a...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Christian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

I probably ought to stop reading books by Hartinger as I find myself increasingly disappointed with each subsequent book. The storytelling and writing quality are just on this downward trajectory, and I'd like to harbor happy thoughts of his writing.

This book is full of repetition and trite passages. Character development is weak, and plot is even weaker. According to Kindle, I had read 20% before we actually got any semblance of what I'd call a plot.

Perhaps it's time for the author to devote...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-so-good-ya, death-by-plot, thank-god-for-the-lack-of-hype, bad-books-have-good-covers, fantasy, magic, quiltbag, urban-fantasy, why-did-i-finish-this

This book was one of the most disappointing books I've read, compared to its potential. Its themes of gay and disabled teens are rarely found in YA books, and when handled well, the books can be great. Unfortunately, it was not handled well at all. The romance was sudden and unbelievable, and it added nothing to the plot. Despite this, it was a nice distraction from the plot, as I liked that even less. The villain's motivations sound like something I'd write in third grade, and they're just stup...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shadow Walkers is the first novel I have read that focuses on astral projection. Hartinger did a wonderful job explaining how his characters are able to walk through another realm. I didn't feel lost at all and by the end of the book I felt like I knew the concept of astral projection pretty well. Definitely interesting.

However, there is something about astral projection that makes me roll my eyes. I realize how silly this sounds coming from someone who loves to read about shape shifters and zom...more

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May 20, 2011 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, ya-lit, glbt

After reading Hartinger's Geography Club last year, I wasn't raring to dive into more of his work. That isn't to say that it was bad, it just wasn't the type of gay YA fiction I like.

However, after hearing a book reviewer for NPR give Shadow Walkers the thumbs-up, I decided to try it. I have to say, it was the right choice.

I polished off nearly the entire book in one evening, which isn't too hard since it's very short, but the compliment stands. The book is fast-paced, exciting and totally origi...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Robyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gbltq, read-in-2011, ya-romance

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first picked this one up. I've read some of Brent Hartinger's previous novels and they were always just alright to me. Nothing really changed when Hartinger wrote Shadow Walkers. While I liked it, I felt like he could have done so much more with it, but didn't.

The main character was well written, but I felt like I really didn't get to know the rest of the characters as much as I would have liked. I felt detached from them, and when Gilbert's life was in...more I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first picked this one up. I've read some of Brent Hartinger's previous novels and they were always just alright to me. Nothing really changed when Hartinger wrote Shadow Walkers. While I liked it, I felt like he could have done so much more with it, but didn't.

The main character was well written, but I felt like I really didn't get to know the rest of the characters as much as I would have liked. I felt detached from them, and when Gilbert's life was in danger I (sadly) didn't care as much as I normally would. He was a cute little kid, I just didn't connect with him. Same goes for Zach's grandparents, and with Emory. He provided some amusement, but other than his disability, I really didn't learn much about him. Something which might have been fixed if the novel had been a little longer. I felt like the entire novel (save the beginning, which was a little too slow for a book of only 216 pages) was too rushed. I wish the author would have slowed the pace down a little, which would have made the novel much more enjoyable, and the romance between Zach and Emory more believable (more on that in a minute).

Besides the lack of background information on the characters, I did feel that they developed a fair amount. I think Emory in particular. I felt like he learned to accept himself a little more, and it really helped his self-esteem to learn someone could like him for him, and not his disability. Zach grew as a character as well, but I felt like the author could have gone further with it as well. While Zach learned to become a little more social outside of his own little internet world, he still didn't make much of a move to finding friends other than his brother and Emory. I would have liked to see more there.

The plot was a little strange, but something I really haven't read before, which made it better. Astral projection was never something I had given much thought to before, and, despite reading Shadow Walkers, I still don't believe it's possible. However, it made for an interesting read. (Just think - if it was real, could you imagine how many kids would be sneaking out to meet up with their boyfriend/girlfriend? And parents wouldn't have a clue!) However, the "monster" was a little far-fetched.

Gilbert's kidnapping was the one part of the story I really liked. I liked how it turned out (see, who his kidnapper was) and how it was realistic. I enjoyed the fact that they didn't play it up to be this huge thing and had so many people looking for him. Yes, a missing kid is truly horrible, but I sometimes think that author's overplay missing persons. Often, I find it to be that someone goes missing and an hour later everyone is going crazy looking for him/her. When, in reality, cops typically don't get overly involved until the person has been missing for day or two. The best part about it? I didn't guess it before hand!

There were good part and bad parts to Shadow Walkers, and I wish I could be giving it a higher rating. Sadly, the characters were just too lacking, making me give Shadow Walkers 3/5 stars.(less)

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Dec 21, 2010 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Recommended to Amanda by: Star Book Tours

Shelves: ya-scifi-fantasy, arc

I received this book from a tour site and, while it had an interesting premise, the delivery was not quite up to par. I have a rule for this type of book: If I can't get into the story after the first few chapters, I skip to the end to see if it ends the way I anticipate. If it does, then the plot is predictable enough, and I stop reading. That is what happened with this book. Perhaps this would be a good book for its intended audience - gay teen/tween boys with a penchant for scifi and romance....more

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Sep 20, 2012 Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm slightly conflicted about my opinion of this book (novella?). It's a decent read, but this might sound a little strange, but it almost felt like fanfic. I don't mean that in a condescending way, it's just that Shadow Walkers doesn't try to be ground breaking or make any statement, it's just to the point entertainment.

For the record (the characters are pretty adorable to be honest), Shadow Walkers is great for a quick popcorn type read, just nothing that I would suggest anyone go out of thei...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Clare rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, glbtq, ya

Wow, I am surprised at the number of incredibly negative reviews here for what is actually a rather great little book. When I was pre-teen to about fourteen or fifteen, I read a lot of stuff like this (though astral projection is a new one on me) - with an unremarkable, socially awkward girl having an adventure and fancying the boy in the book (hopefully getting to kiss him before the end). This satisfied both my desire to read something that reflected my life (unremarkable, socially awkward gir...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Lauren (365 Days of Reading) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-own

Summary: Zach’s life on a small island off the coast of Washington State is interrupted when his younger brother is suddenly kidnapped. The police doesn’t seem to be trying hard enough, so Zach takes matters into his own hands—he learns to astral project. In this shadowy plane, Zach meets a cute boy, and the two work together to uncover who kidnapped Zach’s brother.

My thoughts: I’d never read about astral projection before, so Shadow Walkers was definitely interesting. Brent Hartinger developed...more Summary: Zach’s life on a small island off the coast of Washington State is interrupted when his younger brother is suddenly kidnapped. The police doesn’t seem to be trying hard enough, so Zach takes matters into his own hands—he learns to astral project. In this shadowy plane, Zach meets a cute boy, and the two work together to uncover who kidnapped Zach’s brother.

My thoughts: I’d never read about astral projection before, so Shadow Walkers was definitely interesting. Brent Hartinger developed the idea of walking through a dream world really well, and I felt as if I understood the concept pretty well by the time the story was over. The astral projection world was creative, too—I enjoyed the little obstacles that got in Zach’s way as he navigated around, especially the evil squid-thing (don’t laugh!).

Other than the unique astral projecting concept, I wasn’t too thrilled with Shadow Walkers. Almost all of the characters seemed pretty flat to me, with the exception of Zach and his little brother, Gilbert. The little dude had such a great personality! Zach’s feelings of isolation and loneliness were laid out pretty well, and I liked that he had such a strong relationship with friends over the internet. I’m sure most of us bloggers can relate to that! Other than those two characters, though, I didn’t feel any connection with others in the story.
Zach’s romance with Emory, the boy he meets while astral projecting, seemed extremely unnatural—they meet, and two days later are professing their love for each other. Even for a paranormal romance, I felt it was way too unrealistic (I actually snorted when Emory told Zach he loved him! I just couldn’t believe it!).

The mystery aspect of the story was a bit predictable, and Zach’s “I have to be a hero” attitude got stale after a while. Still, I managed to finish the book easily in two hours, and was content with the (somewhat unbelievable) ending. Though I can’t say that I completely enjoyed Shadow Walkers, others, especially younger readers, might find the suspense of the shadow world fascinating.

2.5/5 stars(less)

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Jun 09, 2011 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult, paranormal-fantasy, glbt

Why I read this: I love the paranormal novels Flux has been putting out lately, so I jumped on this one when I heard about it.

Plot: For how short this book is, I felt like there was a pretty good plot line that involved almost a dual plotline. The main story is that Zach is looking for his brother Gilbert by using astral projection, a new talent he has found with the help of some interesting incense. In the astral realm he finds another boy who he connects with instantly, but also a creepy octop...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Lexi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: yaygayya, young-adult

There were lots of things to like at the beginning for me. And then... Enter Astral Projection. Followed by an unconvincing kidnapping plot, lots of random plot devices that never get tied back in and a romance (yay gay!) that didn't feel grounded in anything. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't recommend it either.

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Jun 05, 2011 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, glbtq, young-adult

Book wasn't one of the best Brent Hartinger book I have read, but it was very enjoyable and a quick read. I really hope there is a sequel to it, as I would love to know some more about the boys' relationship. Very happy about the epilogue, which gave me just enough info to be satisfying, but still wanting more.

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Oct 04, 2011 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Made the mistake of reading this book on a recommendation from the radio. Really interesting premise and idea that the soul can seperate from the body in another realm, but overall it just creeped me out and I didn't really like that the main character was gay.

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Oct 19, 2011 Bradley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I try hard to support LGBT authors. And I really love Brent Hartinger's Geography Club books and his writing for After Elton. But this book was absurd. It was about kidnapping and astral projection and it had me rolling my eyes.

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Oct 21, 2012 Erichae rated it 2 of 5 stars

So unpredictably not up to par. There was something missing, there were words unsaid there was emotions not felt, the novel is just so flat. These characters are flat but the plot is so whimsical.

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Jun 22, 2011 Rebecca rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, glbtq-ya, mock-printz-2012, read-in-2011, ya-lit, paranormal

Meh. Plot holes, lack of character development, overall bland style. While I've enjoyed Hartinger's other novels, and his writing online, this one just didn't do it for me.

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Feb 03, 2011 Suzanne Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Liked the ideas behind this--astral projection--but it felt a little young to me, even for YA. Nice to see a male protagonist in a YA for a change!

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Mar 26, 2011 BCPL Youth Services Librarian added it

Shelves: glbtq, romance, fantasy

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

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The Backlot Gay B...: Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger	1	8	Apr 11, 2013 03:38am

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Fantasy

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Young Adult

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Glbt

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Fantasy > Paranormal

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Science Fiction

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Romance

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Glbt > Queer

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Fantasy > Supernatural

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Fantasy > Magic

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About Brent Hartinger

I am Brent Hartinger, and I live to write.

For the last twenty years, I have made my living writing just about everything that involves words.

My most famous book is probably my 2003 novel, Geography Club, which has been adapted into a feature film starring Scott Bakula, Marin Hinkle, Ana Gasteyer, Cameron Deane Stewart, Justin Deeley, Ally Maki, Andrew Caldwell, and Nikki Blonsky. It'll be released...more

More about Brent Hartinger...

Books by Brent Hartinger

The Order of the Poison Oak (Russel Middlebrook, #2)

Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies

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Shadow Walkers

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