The Man in the Box

by Andrew Toy

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 of his secret world, but will the cost of abandoning his family prove too high?

Genres: Relationships

207 pages, ebook

First published November 28, 2012

About the author

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...

Reviews

[Andrew Toy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 want in a book! There are some funny parts, and I even got a little emotional once in a while. It gets pretty violent (gory) in the end, but it's not useless... it's there for a reason. And the ending... Wow! I never would have thought of it myself. When things are still spiraling out of control with just a couple of pages left ... I must have had my nose just inches from the book, trying to keep stable. One of the best fictional books I've read in a LOOOONG time! It's lots of fun and it's got something for everyone. I will be very disappointed if it isn't made into a movie soon. (I can totally see Steve Carrell from The Office playing Robbie Lake.) Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK!! Thanks.

[Didi Oviatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rating

I loved the premise of The Man in the Box. Andrew Toy really concocted a unique story line, with an over flowing amount of fantasy, family drama, mystery and more. When I read the description, as well as seen the beautiful cover (just wow) I was thrilled to dive into it! It was a bit of a slow burn at the beginning as the characters were developed and the setting was drawn out. I struggled a little to get sucked in, I couldn't really place why I felt the detachment either as it really is very well written.

It wasn't until about half way in when I realized that I just didn't like the main character much. There was something about his personality that rubbed me the wrong way, which is really the only reason I didn't give this book five stars. Robby seemed a bit juvenile to me... arrogant, immature, he had sort of a false sense of entitlement about him. If he were a real person, I don't think I could force myself to get along with him if I tried.

THAT SAID, the story in and of itself was great. Robby's life is quickly spiraling. His family is distant, he lost his job, and plans for travel had to be canceled due to the financial hardship. It seems everything around Robby is doomed for failure. Then he finds 'The Box'. It appears to be nothing more than a discarded cardboard box. Robby climbs inside, as a way of hiding from life at the moment, and he's transported to this wondrously dangerous place of make-believe. It's a place he'd created in his imagination as a teen, so when he finds himself there and everything is so real, Robby is memorized by it. There's everything one can possibly imagine there, including dinosaurs, giant bugs, zombies or 'deadbeats' as he calls them, and more! The weird part is that when Robby comes back to the real world he bares the marks left by his adventures. The cuts and bruises he brings back with him are as real as can be!

Robby becomes obsessed with The Box, and with the adventures there. When others find out, it becomes a bit of a battle. Robby's life soon becomes a fight on the outside as well as the inside. Lives are in danger, people cross lines, and everything spirals in both the real world and The Box world.

I really liked Robby's wife, Rosalynn. She's down to earth and holds their family together through it all despite Robby's consistent mental distraction with his hidden second life and the people inside (I don't want to give that little secret away, but it's an angle that I struggled with). All in all it was an interesting read, and I'll likely be checking out more of Andrew Toy's stuff as it comes along.

Thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Matt Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[deb · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story, the *concept* of this book is fantastic. While a boy has grown into adulthood, his left-behind imaginary world has grown up as well, and when he unwittingly stumbles back into it, it is no longer the tame, delightful escape he enjoyed as a child.

Sadly, the book never lives up to this wonderful potential. It's difficult to accept that the protagonist is a husband and father since his dialog, both spoken and internal, sounds far too much like that of a 12-year old. None of the characters exhibits any emotional depth.

Serious editing may have helped. Certainly it would have eliminated the majority of wrong-word choices splashed about. Some of the most egregious of these:
"inflamed" used in place of "flaming"
"comprehension" used instead of "concentration"
"resided" used for "subsided"
"concerning used when "worrisome" was wanted

And then there are bits like this, when a woman's young child has been taken from her to be put into a pit with monsters and panthers. Her reaction? "… the woman screamed with every amount of terror she could involuntarily muster …"

If you decide you can endure the poor writing and non-existent editing, be aware that while most of the time the story reads as fantasy, there are a few places where it sounds remarkably like a thinly-veiled sermon warning against the evils of computer-gaming (or tv watching, if you're of an older generation).

I understand the desire to make a solid story from a great idea, but the author would have done both his readers and himself a great favor if only he had waited until his abilities matured to a point deserving of what he imagined.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robbie Lake’s life spirals out of control as the economy drives its nails into the coffins of the editing and publishing worlds. But Robbie doesn’t like things to be out of control, and now the child who used to retreat into imagination finds himself retreating into… a box.

Instead of waking to Seattle’s gloomy rain, Robbie finds himself in a curious village with no memory, no past, and strange hints of an epic future. Hailed as the possible savior of the world, he makes friends, enjoys a pleasing respite from his daily cares, and then… wakes up again.

As Robbie’s presence in his rebellious daughter’s life, or his silent son’s, seems increasingly irrelevant, it’s not hard to see the temptation to retreat into the world of his box. But soon the reader's wondering how close that temptation might veer toward addiction.

The story’s dark with many real-world issues threatening Robbie. Meanwhile even his perfect alternate universe starts to fall apart. Lyrical beauty gives way to gory threat, and Biblical hints and allusions intertwine in the fall of a world whose maker has left the throne. But there’s also hope, leading to an ending that’s neither too sweet nor too sour.

Readers with an editorial frame of mind might struggle with some odd word choices and tortuous sentences, but the plot is seriously intriguing and the story’s well told—a nicely odd and original grown-up Narnia perhaps, and an interesting read.

Disclosure: I was lucky enough to be given a free ecopy of this novel during the author’s blog tour.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 return. As his reality is turned upside down and as his dreams become reality, Robbie Lake must decide what is more important, his family or a whole civilization?

Andrew Toy has created a unique and interesting story that spans several genres from mystery and adventure to fantasy. Robbie Lake is a modern-day adult Peter Pan, as he travels back to his childhood fantasy world which has grown into a terrifying land in his absence. Toy’s debut novel will leave readers talking and will make them instant fans of his storytelling abilities. This will sure to be a must-read for every adult that once created a world of their own when they were young, just by using their imaginations.

Notes: Andrew Toy sent me a pre-published copy for me to review. To learn more about this book and the author, please visit his website: http://adoptingjames.wordpress.com
This review was originally posted on my site: http://ariesgrlreview.com

[Mark Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a lot of trouble reading this book--on the order of while I was reading it I spent two weeks hospitalized and couldn't read more than a few pages of it in that time.

The concept is well-constructed. Our main character, Robert or Robbie, has just been fired from his job as a book editor, and through a series of events he winds up looking for a place to hide in the company warehouse, crawling into a cardboard box to elude security, then falling asleep. He finds himself in another world which, we gradually recognize, is the make believe world he created as a child, filled with dinosaurs and pirates (well, pirates are mentioned, although I don't recall encountering any) and all the adventures a preteen boy would envision--except that in his absence it has all gone haywire, ghosts are terrorizing and killing people at night, the population (some of whom are children of the imaginary people with whom he played) is terrified, and there hope lies in him. Robbie has been awaited for decades, as he promised he would return, and now it is believed that if he can get through the jungle and across the sea to the island to sit on his throne, all will be restored.

He is awakened by something in the real world, and returns home, where we begin the real-world story. He is now unemployed, although he has some potential leads for a job. His wife Rosalyn is dying of cancer. They had intended a Hawaiian vacation, but now cancel that in view of their situation. His daughter, 16 if I remember aright, is in a rebellious phase including an older boyfriend and a tendency to slip out to go to parties. However, Robert is drawn to that other world, and particularly to the girl, Sarcadui, he met there. He returns to the office to find the box, and so begins living in two worlds.

About midway through the book I began to feel like neither story could end well. I became less and less motivated to find out what would happen next. I was watching a man spiraling down into an all-consuming fantasy world while his real life was falling to shreds. I didn't want to watch.

The book is well edited and well written, with very few technical issues. The story has a lot of action and a lot of variety, with numerous surprises. It ends reasonably well--not a happy ending, but not the anticipated disasters, either. The portrait of a childhood fantasy world left to its own devices has some very interesting aspects, although it could have gone further. When the fantasy world begins invading the real world, things get a bit crazy, but ultimately Robbie succeeds in putting everything in its own place.

Still, I doubt I'll read it again.

[Cherese A. Vines · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[WTF Are You Reading? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Toy's "The Man In The Box," speaks to the heart of every adult who has stared longingly out onto a sunny day and wished with all their might for even the smallest escape from the implosions of life. Robbie Lake, it seems is a man lucky enough to do just that; when he unwittingly stumbles upon a portal to the land of Reveloin.
A land where he is no longer the harried father of a disconnected son and a rebellious and ungrateful daughter. He can never be fired, and the demands of being a husband do not exist.

In Reveloin...Robbie Lake is God.

What readers are presented with in "The Man In The Box," is an honest to goodness adventure. While Toy's writing is engagingly expressive and intelligent; he still manages to imbue his work with the carefree wonder of childhood fantasy.
The contrast provided by the seemingly bland drudgery of Robbie's existence in this realm, and the nonstop action and vitality of Reveloin serve to lure readers into a story brimming with surprises.
Robbie is such a likeable character that it is easy to develop a very strong emotional attachment to him very quickly.
He is everyman in one life. Dependable, low profile, head down, and nose to the proverbial grind stone. In the other however, he super, extra, and all the good things that send ghosts flying and make the hearts of lovely maidens flutter.

It has often been said that "to whom much is given...much is expected." As fate would have it, this is true for our beloved Mr. Lake.
Not only does he have to deal with ghosts, panthers and all manner of beasties in the wild new land of his creation. He must make the hardest choice of his life. Personal freedom in Reveloin or the bonds family on this plain.

Think you know what Robbie chose?
Well...
It's not that simple.
The realm of Revelion is not playing fair
and neither is FATE!

To see this review as it appears on my blog: http://www.wtfareyoureading.com/2013/...

DISCLAIMER
This is meant as a review of a literary work.
The author of said review was in no way compensated for her opinions.
All books/ebooks provided were done so pursuant to the provision of the review provided.

[Robin West · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 real world. This book has adventure, humor, and fantasy. It jumps back in forth between his time in the real world and his time in the box. It is one of those books where you felt like you were on the adventure with the characters. It is also one of those books where you are reading reading reading and all is going well and then bam awesome happens. The End is definitely worth the journey. I highly recommend this book.

[Michele]

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

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow