Cloak

by James Gough

Thirteen-year-old bubble boy Will Tuttle lives a boring, friendless life trapped in a sterile Brooklyn apartment, suffering from mysterious allergies no doctor can explain. Fed up with his pointless existence he breaks free of the sterile bubble to explore New York City, not expecting to return alive. Along the way, Will discovers that his countless allergies have a single, bizarre source.

Suddenly Will is a target. When he's chased through Central Park by a cloaked assailant, a misfit team of bodyguards shows up to keep Will Tuttle alive. . . . And teach him how to blend into a society that isn’t supposed to exist.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Urban Fantasy, Action, Science Fiction

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2011

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

He was born in the Rockies, raised in the Dakotas, schooled in a mountain desert, trained south of the border and wooed by the big apple. He now lives in a forest near a great lake with three bright daughters, a brilliant wife and a dim-witted dog.

James has been an actor, an artist, an athlete and an advertiser. He’s thrilled to add author to his list. Besides writing, he loves to teach, is obsessed with strange foods and has always been an avid people-watcher.

Once, he saw a well-dressed possum in Grand Central Station and he’d be willing to bet that a night guard he met in Detroit was half pit-viper, but it’s so hard to be sure.

Reviews

[James Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, what did you expect? Of course I rated it well. But seriously, read it, enjoy it and have fun with it.

[Metaphorosis · Rating 2 out of 5]

reviews.metaphorosis.com

2 stars

A teen boy isolated by severe allergies begins to suffer from hallucinations - or so he thinks, before suddenly being plunged into the complex world of half-human, half-animal 'enchants'.

Cloak starts off well. The writing is reasonably strong, there's an interesting opening chapter, and a touch of humor. I like the cover and the interior art, too. It's unfortunate that the story fairly quickly goes slightly off the rails.

The book is intended as YA. and it hits that target fairly well. Excitement, not too much complexity, an interesting situations, and, of course, young people. Gough skimps, however, on characterization, plot, and consistency. The key characters are straight from central casting - a young innocent, a beautiful leader, a strong protector, a wise sage, a wild rebel. They're almost entirely two dimensional - the protagonist, Will, has a grouchy nurse (soon disposed of), distant parents (who play virtually no role), and all these new friends. No one is surprising, and, sadly, characters play entirely to their type - why SFF consistently thinks racism is acceptable if disguised as speciesism is a mystery to me.

Gough sets up a science structure for the enchants that's focused on DNA, but soon forgets that basis as the 'science' behind enchants spreads to instinct, philosophy, and technology generally. Pretty soon even that thin framework is given over for what is effectively unexplained magic - for example, super hearing somehow instantly makes one character a terrific athlete. The problem is compounded by quite a few inconsistencies in the application of what science there is.

There are other logical and historical errors - for example, mention of the "Dracul family" linked to Dracula. The legend of Dracula is in part on Vlad Dracul, but that was an epithet, not a name. While the writing starts strong, there are a fair number of instances of poor editing or grammar. More problematic is that while the book is packed with vivid scenes of unusual activity, they seem to exist almost entirely to create such scenes, rather than to move the plot. In one case, our heroes race around in a bakery truck, bread flying everywhere - though I could see absolutely no reason why they couldn't have traveled slowly with the goods well secured.

I wish Gough had spent more time on this story The writing is mostly good, and suggests there's a good novel in here that just didn't get out. However, there's also enough that's weak in here that I just can't recommend the book. Here's hoping Gough requires more of himself next time.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. It's got everything you need in a great book - and then some! From the concept of enchants to the intercultural learning that goes on; from diversity to travel - Gough has clearly layered this story with thought and care.

The story? It keeps you interested, rooting for Will Tuttle and half wanting to read fast, to get to the next page; half wanting to read more slowly, to better soak in the play of words and the new world Gough has drawn for us. I loved the possibilities of life for Will, and how he is brave, and kind, and always learning and adapting. I'm on my third read-through, and keep finding new things to think about.

We interviewed author James Gough, here: http://www.wanderingeducators.com/bes....


Highly recommended!

[DoodlePanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This start of this book was really well written, promising a great story. Unfortunately it went a little downhill as the book progressed, but it was still an enjoyable read.

My main problems was some far fetched logics. I don't quite understand how the enchants actually can exist/function, though that might just be me missing the point.

I also felt that the further I got into the story, the more enchants were "listed" as if to prove that enchants could come as any animal, which got a bit tedious.

The book could also need a little editing, as there were some grammatical errors, thought not enough to put me off.

In the end I decided to give it 3 stars as I feel the idea behind enchant seems original.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book, and I'm glad I did. I gave it 5 stars because it did what I love about my favorite books, it pulled me in on a great journey and I didn't want to put it down from the beginning. The characters and story line were creative and so unique. It was a fresh idea, and I loved it. I hope that the characters can come to life again in another book!! Congrats James Gough, well done!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

WRITING STYLE: 3.5
PLOT: 4
PROTAGONIST: 4
CAPTURED MY INTEREST: 3
ESCAPE FACTOR: 3
OVERALL: 3.5

Really enjoyable! On the younger side of YA and lots of fun. I did not see the villain coming. I wish that Gough had described the enchants a little better, I kept flipping through images of full animals, to full humans, to half breeds like that super creepy movie The Island of Dr Moreau. Overall great book, I'm looking forward to future ones.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

YA fantasy isn't my favorite genre but I thoroughly enjoyed Cloak because the concept intrigued me. And because I like books with animals as the main characters, like Watership Down and Raptor Red. Has anyone NOT noticed the strong resemblance between certain people and animals? Well, at last someone explains the secret! Thank you, James Gough.

[Jamie E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. I'd recommend it to pretty much everyone I know (my 10 yr old nephew, 35 yr old Gaiman fans, 60-something yr old mother). It has a less-sophisticated Gaiman feel w/o being a rip off. Glad I started off 2012 with a good book!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. My only critique is that sometimes the description of things got in the way of the story.

[Dragonfriend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. It involves a teenager who isn't who (or rather what) he originally thought he was and a bunch of half-animal people he meets. The 'science' behind it is totally not scientific and very unimpressive, but when you get past that, it has a decent plot and good writing. I thought the main character was very likeable. He also wasn't overly dramatic or overly obsessed with teenage romance, as is too often the case with young adult books. I liked the way it ended. I'm also a big fan of ants, so personally I was thrilled by there being ant-people. I thought Will's friends (the bat-people) were funny and wish they had been more a part of the book. If he wrote a sequel I'd read it.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are not always as they appear, especially if you are Will Tuttle. Raised in a bubble because of his extreme allergies he has lived a sheltered life, but that is nothing compared to the changes that happen when he finds out that his “hallucinations” are real.
A wonderfully creative world that describes old myths and legends in an entirely new way, Cloak is enchanting from beginning to end.
(Rated G for all audiences, it has some violence but mostly to imaginary creatures.)

[Alicia Huxtable]

Definitely enjoyable

Interesting concept for a story that really made for a great read. I loved the characters and how they grew during the story. I'll be sure to keep reading this series

[Kyra Dune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Book

I was intrigued by this story right from the start. It was a lot of fun following Will on his journey into the world of enchants. The story held my interest all the way through and I just really enjoyed reading it.

[Dorothy Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read

Unusual place setting. Great character development. As I was reading I could actually see the scene in my mind. Very enjoyable

[karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing I dislike was the last sentence: too cliche.

[Cornflower Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time

[Jackie Ensley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really picked a weird one with this book

[Page]

I remember liking this book when I read it many years ago, but now I can’t find a copy anywhere and my kindle copy disappeared. So strange.

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://thebedsidebooksblog.blogspot.c...

Cloak by James Gough.

A little about the author

James Gough was born in the Rockies, raised in the Dakotas, schooled in a mountain desert, trained south of the border and wooed by the Big Apple. He now lives in a forest near a great lake with three bright daughters, a brilliant wife and a dim-witted dog. His debut novel, Cloak, was born from a single question: Why are there so many myths, legends and stories about talking animals? It smelled like a cover-up. So he dug deeper. What he found surprised even him. Some discoveries just need to be written about.
James has been an actor, an artist, and athlete and an advertising creative. He is thrilled to add author to the list. Besides writing, he loves to teach, is obsessed with strange foods and has always been an avid people-watcher. Once, he saw a well-dressed possum in Grand Central Station; and he is willing to bet that a night guard he met in Detroit was half pit-viper, but it is hard to be sure.

Plot summery reviewed
"Thirteen-year-old bubble boy Will Tuttle lives a boring, friendless life trapped in a sterile Bronxville mansion, suffering from mysterious allergies no doctor can explain. Fed up with his pointless existence he breaks free of his bubble to explore New York City, not expecting to return alive. Along the way, Will discovers that his myriad allergies have a single, bizarre source.

Suddenly Will is a target. When he's chased through Central Park by a cloaked assailant, a misfit team of bodyguards shows up to keep Will Tuttle alive. . . . And teach him how to blend into a society that isn’t supposed to exist."

Slow to start this is an excellent read. I began looking forward to a straight forward sick boy gets over sickness and goes out on an adventure and that's what you get. The adventure is well structured and develops at a steady pace. Will begins his slow immersion into the mysterious world of enchants and immunes. Will is the last immune in existence and his discovery sets of a series of events that revels a different explanation for long past events that have big implications on a lot of normal's and enchants.
enchants being people with the characteristics of animals, such as Kaya a feline enchant who's protective and aggressive nature are overshadowed by will by her unusual markings and her tail!
Mostly will is being transported to a 'safe house' which doubles and a hospital/mini-city for enchants. There he makes some friends and some enemies and discovers who he is and how he fits into the world he is now a big part of.
I liked this book and would read more like it if there we're any. The writing was easy to read and for me a good fantasy with some real life elements makes a story like this the best as its easy to pretend that it could be real. There could be enchants out there and that's why we read to immerse our selves in to fantasy worlds like in cloak.

My star rating is: four

Posted 28th April 2013 by suzanne gardenier

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gough is a good friend of our from our college years and I was thrilled to hear he had a novel out. The story is engaging and fun with some great descriptions and characters. Here is why I gave it a three:

1)I recognized elements from almost all boy quest books I've ever read. I'd be reading and yell out to my husband, "This part reminds me of Artemus Fowl (young, smart boy left alone to his own devices by parents who are out of the picture; later looked after by a large and hulking figure; able to see a world not normally seen by mere mortals). Oh, this is like Harry Potter now (young boy thrown into a world he'd never imagined but becomes the central "chosen" figure immediately and defends the realm because of special gifts). Now I see Star Wars (don't want to blow the scene but it was Aniken turning to the dark side all over again--not the main character, mind you)." I also saw elements from Eragon and many other books. Oh, and it also reminded me of the T.V. show Grimm. I don't know if Jim is well versed in these books and shows and unconsciously pulled from them as he wrote or if I'm seeing things that aren't there.

2)Gough's training as an ad man comes through in the descriptions of the characters and settings. It's a very visual book which has it's advantages but also detracts from the story because you have to stop the narrative to get a sense of the character. I think this would be a better movie where you could see the character in an instant as the story was progressing.

All in all I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my friends as a fun read.

Great job, Jim, on your first novel and I can't wait to see what follows!

[Leo Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as part of my Amazon Prime membership, where you are able to check books out of their "lending library." This has been a godsend, since it has introduced me to many new writers whom I would otherwise never have met. And Gough is one of them.

And he is excellent. I really enjoyed the world he had built up. It is a relatively complex urban fantasy world where half-human/ half-animal enchants live among us. So the world seems more akin to Artemis Fowl or Buffy than Harry Potter.

The concept is craftily drawn, and Cough gives us just enough detail to make things memorable. My sole complaint is that he hits us with too many forms. I think he cold have pulled this off with, say, five or six lineages of animal than the barrage that hits us at Grimm's Hospital. and, sometimes, this distraction gets in the way of character development. For instance, Rizz's fun-loving but snarky personality sort of gets lost in the shuffle as he and Will tour the complex. This seems to be a place where he could have profitably used a copy editor to point things like this out to him.

But, when all is said and done, I enjoyed the book. It felt like I was reading a Pixar production. While definitely not the book's target audience, which I take to be young adults, I found it enchanting. The world well-constructed and consistent. And, most importantly, the characters believable.

My guess is that Gough will be a writer to look out for. He has mad skill. And writes well.

More at Leo's Blog: leo-walsh.com.

[Gabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gough’s book is well written, exciting, as well as creative and fresh. The scenes created, such as St. Grimm’s Hospital, are appealing and different from the typical locations often presented in novels about animal-human interaction. The characters invented, Will, Dr. Noctua, and especially the descriptions of the rest of the enchants, are interesting and almost believable. The incorporation of factual history into fiction is intriguing, and is written in in such a way that the history seems to explain away any of the plot holes that could have arisen. The character development was very thorough, but gradual, so that the reader receives the impression of getting to know the character, just as the protagonist Will does. The imagery used is compelling and vivid.

The plot seems to take a while to start after the initial surprise of Will’s new life. Many scenes feel like fillers that are placed there simply to take up time and relate the day-to-day things before the action starts. However, once the action does start it is very detailed and the descriptions become images, not words. The shocking plot twist at the end comes maybe a bit too suddenly, but it does tie up all the loose ends, and explains the mysteries that had been growing from the beginning. The large amount of acronyms and lists of things that needed to be known to understand the lingo occasionally made the conversations slightly difficult to follow.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories of youth, mystery, animals, secret societies, and fantastic figurative language.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mythology has long fascinated me, so when I saw this YA book on Pixels of Ink, I couldn't wait to read it.

At first, I had a hard time shifting from the prologue to the chapters, they seemed to be totally unrelated, but after a few more chapters, I did find the connection. The story starts off rather slow, but if you will plow through for a chapter or two, suddenly you will find it very hard to put down. The story and the adventure were amazing, and the world so believable, by the time you were half way through, you were chuckling and wondering if some people you know were really ... under a cloak.

This has got to be one of the most fun books that I have read in a long time. There were a few slow spots, but sooner or later, the details worked their way into the story as being important to the plot. Just when you THINK you know who the informer is and who is to blame ... the story takes a roller coaster twist and leaves you gasping.

This book is probably fine for younger kids, especially boys, but there is quite a lot of fighting and violence. It is quite a long read, but the story reads fairly easily.

For Full Review: http://www.oscarlettreviews.blogspot....

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up to three stars. The plot here is that Will lives in a bubble since he's allergic to anything made after 1960-something. But he's bored with his bubble life so he escapes the bubble and heads out into NYC. (Side note: why are all these children's fantasy books set in New York or London? Doesn't anything magical ever happen in, say, Sacramento?) He notices that some of the people he's meeting aren't actually people. They're half animals, but nobody else seems to notice.

The first half of this book was pretty much same-old, same-old. Take the plots from every juvenile fantasy novel published in the last five years, stick them in a blender, and you'll get this book. It borrows heavily from Harry Potter, Rick Riordan's books, and Artemis Fowl, plus probably many others I haven't read. I only kept reading because the book was highly recommended by a friend of mine.

But things picked up in the second half and it got a bit more creative. As Will tries to figure out who his friends are, he's in for a few surprises. There's also a whole interesting section on communicating with creatures who don't share a language.

If you've read the better children's fantasy books and are still hungry for more, give this one a try.

[Amy]

This book is a typical boy adventure, like others have mentioned. It was one of the enjoyable of that genre. I love the idea of humans given creature instincts, and how they are hidden by a "cloak" from the majority of the world. Their world is totally hidden from humans, or neps. It is an interesting idea. It gets to the point where the world is so vast; as silly as it sounds one wishes there is more to the world than what we see. That there is a world beyond what our eyes see. Books that give us the dream that there is something more are always something to look forward to.
If all we have to do is lift a veil to see what is truly there, that would be amazing. A departure from what we see is what we get. :)
The writing and the writing style were good. The different sorts of animals and the way they intertwine with folklore and points in history are all laid out quite nicely.

I am unsure if there is a second part to this series, but if there is I wouldn't mind having a go at it. It would definitely entertain.

[Derek Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty easy to get into kids/teen type book.

Not to say that only kids would enjoy this. I really enjoyed it. It kind of reminded me of reading Percy Jackson or better yet Artemis Fowl books.

I found the main character to be a bit too stereotypical for this type of book, but these days it is pretty hard to really pin down something that sounds different without just hitting another stereotype.

The flow of the book was nice and I liked the progression of the story. There certainly were elements that just did not click until described at the end. I like that. I like to have all the nice loose ends falling about and trying to figure them out myself.

I like it if I do figure them out.. but not too early in the story. But to have them fall into place right where the author intended it to go. That just speaks for the author. So... well done.

A good read. Quite clean and interesting tale.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

SLIGHT SPOILERS

Not a bad book. Why 3 instead of 4 or 5 stars? For one, you can't help but compare this story to the HP series, which is the unfortunate price every YA series will have to face from here on. There are MANY (too many?) parallels between Will and Harry. Although the plot is different enough to be somewhat fresh and interesting, the HP similarities are still distracting. Second, and my biggest complaint, is that the hero's "talents" are not fully fleshed out. The primary and initial talent quickly becomes unnecessary to the plot and new ones crop up as needed to help save the day.

If sequels are written there is potential for the series to grow into its own. As a stand-alone book, it is just ok. That isn't to say that the target audience (which is way younger than I) won't enjoy it. I'll certainly suggest it to my kids when the time comes.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting, creative and an incredible first novel! I usually try to avoid fantasy, but this young adult novel was too hard to put down after the story took off in the first few chapters. Gough has a vivid imagination that shows in this story of Will Tuttle, a young man who constantly had to deal with health issues and allergies until he discovers that he is an "immune" in a world of animal enchants. As he learns about the enchant world, he is also being protected by an elite protection force that understands the power that Will has as an "immune" now, the last of its kind. New surprises in each chapter, this book really draws you in and keeps you for lots of excitement.

Not quite to the level of Harry Potter, but young readers and adults alike will love to read this one. I hear Gough has already started writing book 2. I'll be watching for that one too!

[Mel B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Has some obvious copy editing problems.

Story is about a boy who is so allergic to everything that he lives in a bubble. He is in fact allergic to anything made past 1960. It initially sounds ludicrous but that is later explained.

He gets drawn into a world of half human / half animal people called enchants. (Stupid name in my opinion because while the name comes from something else it somehow implies the transformations were magical when they weren't really.)

I would also liked to see whether Will ever gets to see his parents again, because they'd given up on him. But I don't think I'd bother with the next book, if there is one.

[Bob Sipes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy is not one of my mainstay genres; however, based on recommendations I acquired this book in Kindle format and read it on my HP TouchPad. This book sucked me in and did not let go. The young protagonist strikes out for a day of adventure and changes his life. The author does a good job of backing up the fantasy with historical references that make it not only plausible(in a fantasy world), but enjoyable. The boy, his protectors, and his new friends are all characters that are enjoyable and compel you to keep reading. This book is light reading without many plot twists, but it is past-paced, descriptive, entertaining, and left me wanting a sequel!