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Velvak's Victory
Survival of the fittest. Can a society living in the Stone Age defeat unwanted visitors from a technologically advanced world?
When Alec’s mom reports his math teacher for bullying, she has no idea what the consequences will be. Scared out of her mind, she decides to return to Bradapol to ask for help, knowing full well that this could lead to her execution.
Although Bradapol has never progressed past the Stone Age, they have learnt how to harness the natural elements through the Helper.
Alec’s name is changed to Velvak, and he befriends Lokjab, a young wolf. With that, an ancient prophesy is fulfilled. With the help of Edno, Velvak discovers his own natural gifts and talents, and has to learn how to survive on his own in this harsh world.
When the Security Council discovers that someone from another world is plundering Bradapol’s resources yet again, they decide to send Velvak to investigate. Trained warriors that were sent on previous occasions had simply disappeared. Does Velvak really stand a chance?
When Alec’s mom reports his math teacher for bullying, she has no idea what the consequences will be. Scared out of her mind, she decides to return to Bradapol to ask for help, knowing full well that this could lead to her execution.
Although Bradapol has never progressed past the Stone Age, they have learnt how to harness the natural elements through the Helper.
Alec’s name is changed to Velvak, and he befriends Lokjab, a young wolf. With that, an ancient prophesy is fulfilled. With the help of Edno, Velvak discovers his own natural gifts and talents, and has to learn how to survive on his own in this harsh world.
When the Security Council discovers that someone from another world is plundering Bradapol’s resources yet again, they decide to send Velvak to investigate. Trained warriors that were sent on previous occasions had simply disappeared. Does Velvak really stand a chance?
168 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2013
6 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
Eddie de Jong
9 books66 followersI have always been an avid reader. When I was a child, my mother would take us to the public library every week, and we were all allowed to lend three books. By the end of the week I had not only read my own books, but also those of my brother and sister. If I was really desperate, I would even try my mother's books.
Many a night I got caught reading under the blankets with a torch instead of sleeping. :-)
In 2011, I ended up in a job where I had to travel extensively across Africa. This meant that I spent evenings and weekends alone in hotel rooms. My wife bought me a Kindle to keep me company. WOW. Suddenly I had a huge selection of books that I could carry with me easily, and what's more, I could instantly get more, no matter in which backwater town I was stuck.
Dare I say it? I LOVE my Kindle!
Many a night I got caught reading under the blankets with a torch instead of sleeping. :-)
In 2011, I ended up in a job where I had to travel extensively across Africa. This meant that I spent evenings and weekends alone in hotel rooms. My wife bought me a Kindle to keep me company. WOW. Suddenly I had a huge selection of books that I could carry with me easily, and what's more, I could instantly get more, no matter in which backwater town I was stuck.
Dare I say it? I LOVE my Kindle!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 12, 2013
As I am the author of this book, this review is biased :-)
This is a great adventure story with plenty of twists.
Set in Bradapol, a world that is still un-spoilt by man, Velvak has to find ways to defeat unwanted visitors that don't hesitate to kill and torture.
Armed with only a bow and arrow, he goes up against villains with laser weapons. Can he possibly win?
This is a great adventure story with plenty of twists.
Set in Bradapol, a world that is still un-spoilt by man, Velvak has to find ways to defeat unwanted visitors that don't hesitate to kill and torture.
Armed with only a bow and arrow, he goes up against villains with laser weapons. Can he possibly win?
September 20, 2013
"Velvak's Victory" is a science fiction- fantasy novel with a dash of murder, mystery and the supernatural thrown into the mix. In this story Alec, a thirteen year old, bullied at school by his teacher is afraid of the repercussions if his mother takes action. But, when she finds out and demands Ron Greene's suspension all hell breaks loose. His family is murdered and the grieving Alec is whisked away to Bradapol, a land without modern technology where a prophecy has foretold that a stranger will arise as the Jafgerat , the chosen one, to save its people.
In Bradapol, Alec who's renamed Velvak partners with the wolf Lokjab, communicating by minspeak, and slowly develops abilities that will not only help him in his testing at the hunter/warrior games, but also when he faces the evil menace that wants to deplete their world of its natural resources. Can Velvak save Bradapol and survive? Will he obtain justice for his family's murder? These questions are answered in an adventure that's riveting from the beginning to the end.
The plot flows quickly and smoothly , tension mounting as Velvak faces one challenge after another, his life always hanging on the edge of disaster. Throughout there are a wealth of fascinating and realistic characters like Alec, each with a complex personality. Alec's a typical thirteen year old teenager with low self-esteem, angry and frustrated with the bullying at school, but with a natural affinity with animals. When he begins life in Bradapol, learning to be a hunter/ warrior, he's grief stricken and fearful, but soon adapts, growing more confident, determined and brave. Kenu and Lockjab are highly intelligent wolves who use minspeak to communicate with Velvak. Although both are very protective, Velvak's partner Lockjab is dedicated and loyal, selflessly defending him. Edno, a kind and caring hunter takes Velvak under his wing, seemingly blasé at times when demanding the best of his protégé.
Even the minor characters in this story leave a vivid impression with their commanding personalities,like Anne Alec's overprotective and self-sacrificing mother; Nanom the astute and practical healer ; Kana and Lenvo, his suspicious, but uncomplaining friends , and Jafkeg, brave and selfless. Memorable also are antagonists like the abusive bully Ron Green , the murderous drug dealer Moketsa, and the malevolent and depraved Miwuch.
Woven into this fascinating story is the author's use of unique and imaginative devices like the pangot, an earring that links the bearer to the Helper, the lifter, a natural mechanism for travelling and the magbar, a magnetic barrier, as well as natural abilities like minspeak, and unitravel.
All these provide a matchless dimension to a story that's thrilling, inventive and holds the reader enthralled from one chapter to the next. I highly recommend it and can't wait for the next adventure to unfold.
In Bradapol, Alec who's renamed Velvak partners with the wolf Lokjab, communicating by minspeak, and slowly develops abilities that will not only help him in his testing at the hunter/warrior games, but also when he faces the evil menace that wants to deplete their world of its natural resources. Can Velvak save Bradapol and survive? Will he obtain justice for his family's murder? These questions are answered in an adventure that's riveting from the beginning to the end.
The plot flows quickly and smoothly , tension mounting as Velvak faces one challenge after another, his life always hanging on the edge of disaster. Throughout there are a wealth of fascinating and realistic characters like Alec, each with a complex personality. Alec's a typical thirteen year old teenager with low self-esteem, angry and frustrated with the bullying at school, but with a natural affinity with animals. When he begins life in Bradapol, learning to be a hunter/ warrior, he's grief stricken and fearful, but soon adapts, growing more confident, determined and brave. Kenu and Lockjab are highly intelligent wolves who use minspeak to communicate with Velvak. Although both are very protective, Velvak's partner Lockjab is dedicated and loyal, selflessly defending him. Edno, a kind and caring hunter takes Velvak under his wing, seemingly blasé at times when demanding the best of his protégé.
Even the minor characters in this story leave a vivid impression with their commanding personalities,like Anne Alec's overprotective and self-sacrificing mother; Nanom the astute and practical healer ; Kana and Lenvo, his suspicious, but uncomplaining friends , and Jafkeg, brave and selfless. Memorable also are antagonists like the abusive bully Ron Green , the murderous drug dealer Moketsa, and the malevolent and depraved Miwuch.
Woven into this fascinating story is the author's use of unique and imaginative devices like the pangot, an earring that links the bearer to the Helper, the lifter, a natural mechanism for travelling and the magbar, a magnetic barrier, as well as natural abilities like minspeak, and unitravel.
All these provide a matchless dimension to a story that's thrilling, inventive and holds the reader enthralled from one chapter to the next. I highly recommend it and can't wait for the next adventure to unfold.
September 3, 2013
Velvak’s Victory by Eddie de Jong is a great read. Jong’s story is about young Alec who is bullied and loses his entire family on Earth. However Alec is of two worlds Earth and Bradapol. After his family has died he moves to Bradapol only to discover powers he never knew he possessed along with his new name. Along the journey to discover who he is, he is able to help others and overcome his fears. If you want to read something different that will keep you entertained and entranced through the whole story I would totally recommend you reading Velvak’s Victory.
August 10, 2014
The telling and the narration of this book just feel so stiff and uncomfortable. Even conversation doesn't flow naturally. Books shouldn't feel.. Well, scripted. Like the characters are actors just repeating lines with no emotion. And everything is kind of spelled out for us (except when pertaining to relationships. The part where we learn Alec's mom's name is just weird, it would have felt more natural to say "Anne, his mom," instead of just Anne. At that point she sounds like a stranger; she could have been a sitter for all we knew). There's no mystery as to actions. But we're never really told how characters feel. We see some of their thoughts (again, it's uncomfortable) but their feelings are never really mentioned. They feel very 2 dimensional I guess is what I'm trying to say. This is a quote
Everything is just sudden. There's no flow or suspense. It interrupts the whole story, you can't ignore how unnatural everything is. The story is intiguing enough and I'm sure with some editing the story can progress more smoothly. "“I’ll answer all your questions, but right now we need to get home first. I need a strong cup of coffee, maybe even something stronger. I also need a shower first.” It's just small things that can upset the flow or distract the reader from the story.
Everything is just sudden. There's no flow or suspense. It interrupts the whole story, you can't ignore how unnatural everything is. The story is intiguing enough and I'm sure with some editing the story can progress more smoothly. "“I’ll answer all your questions, but right now we need to get home first. I need a strong cup of coffee, maybe even something stronger. I also need a shower first.” It's just small things that can upset the flow or distract the reader from the story.
November 6, 2013
I didn't dislike this book, I just didn't really enjoy it. I think it might've been a little too young for me. I had added the book to my "to read" list. As a result, I received an invitation to read the book for free and write a review. I really thought I'd enjoy it, but I just couldn't get lost in the world. I don't know if it was me or the writing or some other factor. I just wasn't motivated to keep reading, except that I felt I owed it to the author to finish it and write a review.
The world is interesting, but it's not so different from Earth. It's hard to tell if the world is supposed to be another planet or another dimension. I found myself becoming frustrated that the world was so similar to Earth; I'm not sure why that bothered me.
I'm still debating on whether I believe the material would be appropriate for young teens (around the age of the main character, 13 years old), as there was a scene in which a young woman was taken away from her father and brutalized (there was not much detail, but it was still there). I know this isn't something that can or should be hidden from young people because it is a very real thing. I'm just not sure that it is necessary in books for young readers. At the very least, please know that such content is there before you decide to allow your child to become familiar with it.
All in all, I think this book is not for everyone. Unfortunately, I don't think it's really for me.
The world is interesting, but it's not so different from Earth. It's hard to tell if the world is supposed to be another planet or another dimension. I found myself becoming frustrated that the world was so similar to Earth; I'm not sure why that bothered me.
I'm still debating on whether I believe the material would be appropriate for young teens (around the age of the main character, 13 years old), as there was a scene in which a young woman was taken away from her father and brutalized (there was not much detail, but it was still there). I know this isn't something that can or should be hidden from young people because it is a very real thing. I'm just not sure that it is necessary in books for young readers. At the very least, please know that such content is there before you decide to allow your child to become familiar with it.
All in all, I think this book is not for everyone. Unfortunately, I don't think it's really for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2013
I received this book free from the author's website. No review was expressly asked, only suggested.
This book was written for Teens/YA so I might not be the best reviewer for it.
Velvak's Victory is about a teenager who, after having problems with a teacher in school, gets in more trouble when his mother learns about it. She seeks help with her people. We soon learn they are from another planet. From then on, Alec becomes Velvak and starts his training.
There is a lot of action but also some lengthy descriptions and explanations. The dialogs are strange at times but maybe it's because they all have the same voice, whether it is Velvak or the adults.
All along the first part, you get clues of things that are happening on Bradapol, things unknown to the inhabitants, and that's what kept me going. Although I didn't care much for the so called games, which in my mind was merely a tone version of the Hunger Games, I understand that all this had to be done for Velvak to be ready for the second half of the book, which by the way, I greatly enjoyed. The second part of the story was good and it kept me entertained. I liked the relation between the boy and the wolf and the way they fulfilled their mission. This is a good first book in a series. I believe we now know enough to understand Velvak and follow his future adventures.
This book was written for Teens/YA so I might not be the best reviewer for it.
Velvak's Victory is about a teenager who, after having problems with a teacher in school, gets in more trouble when his mother learns about it. She seeks help with her people. We soon learn they are from another planet. From then on, Alec becomes Velvak and starts his training.
There is a lot of action but also some lengthy descriptions and explanations. The dialogs are strange at times but maybe it's because they all have the same voice, whether it is Velvak or the adults.
All along the first part, you get clues of things that are happening on Bradapol, things unknown to the inhabitants, and that's what kept me going. Although I didn't care much for the so called games, which in my mind was merely a tone version of the Hunger Games, I understand that all this had to be done for Velvak to be ready for the second half of the book, which by the way, I greatly enjoyed. The second part of the story was good and it kept me entertained. I liked the relation between the boy and the wolf and the way they fulfilled their mission. This is a good first book in a series. I believe we now know enough to understand Velvak and follow his future adventures.
September 10, 2013
(This review may contain spoilers).
I kind of feel like this book read a little like an earlier draft. I really liked the ideas behind the book, but there were a couple of times when I felt that the story moved a bit too fast and was a little jerky in parts.
I liked Alec/Velvak as a character. I felt that his reactions to things were particularly realistic and I also liked the fact that his abilities took time for him to learn and develop, rather than him becoming really good with them straight away.
I did notice several errors in the book, such as missing quotation marks. I also found one instance where the story slipped into present tense. It also wasn't very clear when a character was thinking or not.
I liked Alec's growing friendship with the wolf. It wasn't really clear why his name was changed, though. I did like the concept with the earrings, too, though it wasn't clear what the exact relationship they had with the abilities was.
I think this was a pretty good start to a fantasy series. I'd probably be interested in reading the next book.
I kind of feel like this book read a little like an earlier draft. I really liked the ideas behind the book, but there were a couple of times when I felt that the story moved a bit too fast and was a little jerky in parts.
I liked Alec/Velvak as a character. I felt that his reactions to things were particularly realistic and I also liked the fact that his abilities took time for him to learn and develop, rather than him becoming really good with them straight away.
I did notice several errors in the book, such as missing quotation marks. I also found one instance where the story slipped into present tense. It also wasn't very clear when a character was thinking or not.
I liked Alec's growing friendship with the wolf. It wasn't really clear why his name was changed, though. I did like the concept with the earrings, too, though it wasn't clear what the exact relationship they had with the abilities was.
I think this was a pretty good start to a fantasy series. I'd probably be interested in reading the next book.
September 2, 2013
This is not my usual genre but was asked by the author to give a review. Velvak's Victory is a surprising blend of science fiction and fantasy. Young Alec finds himself tragically without a family and moved to his mother's home world where he discovers powers he never knew he had or that even existed. On the new world of Bradopol, he takes on the name Velvak and begins training to be a hunter. From there, he gets caught up in an adventure (no spoilers here!) that could almost be considered a hero's journey. He discovers power, friendship, truth and the real meaning of justice. Velvak's Victory is an imaginative and fascinating blend of Star Trek, Hunger Games, and Planet of the Apes. With more books to come in the series, it will be interesting to see Velvak's character continue to grow as he takes on a "chosen one" type role.
October 14, 2014
This is a YA adventure that takes place in a parallel dimension. The characters are nicely defined and it is well written. Therre is a variety of detail when needed. The book is well paced with action, suspense, and slower paced scenes.
The characters are either good or bad, with very little mixing. The main character Velvak, grows and changes throughout the book as he adventures on. Nicely done, that he doesn't just change, but events mold him into the new person.
Of note for younger readers (and their parents), there are some darker topics touched on that American readers might be bothered by. I doubt that readers from Europe or South Africa will be bothered by them. This is because the topics are not as common as they used to be here. I avoid spoilers in reviews, so parents read ahead of the kids, so you can be ready.
The characters are either good or bad, with very little mixing. The main character Velvak, grows and changes throughout the book as he adventures on. Nicely done, that he doesn't just change, but events mold him into the new person.
Of note for younger readers (and their parents), there are some darker topics touched on that American readers might be bothered by. I doubt that readers from Europe or South Africa will be bothered by them. This is because the topics are not as common as they used to be here. I avoid spoilers in reviews, so parents read ahead of the kids, so you can be ready.
September 8, 2013
Let me start by saying I don't care for science fiction books. My genre of choice is Fantasy. With that being said, this book was a complete surprise. The story was excellent and really pulled me in. There was only two things that didn't work in my opinion. The first was the concept of "Auto-run." I though that so much was put into the other items and concepts that this just seemed a little generic. The other thing was in chapter 6. There was a depressing part of the story. This part seemed to have no lead up. I was confused for a few minutes. Those were both just things I found that bothered me. I recommend this story to Everyone who likes Scifi or even fantasy. It seems more like a young adult book but it would be enjoyable by all.
November 7, 2015
I was given a free eBook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and rating. Velvak's Victory by Eddie de Jong is a great read. Jong's story is about young Alec who is bullied and loses his entire family on Earth. However Alec is of two worlds Earth and Bradapol. After his family has died he moves to Bradapol only to discover powers he never knew he possessed along with his new name. Along the journey to discover who he is, he is able to help others and overcome his fears. If you want to read something different that will keep you entertained and entranced through the whole story I would highly recommend you reading Velvak's Victory.
October 29, 2013
A science fiction/fantasy novel with mystery, murder, and supernatural happenings. A 13 year old boy named Eric is removed to another place when his family is murdered. His name is changed to Velvak, and he partners with a wolf that is a loyal friend (Lokjab) and they communicate by minispeek. The story flows quickly with one challenge after another. Eric/Velvak's abilities for survival improves as things move along. Entertaining story for young adults, that would be enjoyed by all ages. I would recommend this book.
June 16, 2015
I enjoyed this fantasy/sci-fi book. A great adventure from start to finish!
November 17, 2013
This is a very entertaining story. Velvak and Lokjab are great characters. I couldn't put it down and enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading more from this author.
November 24, 2013
This was an interesting story.
January 31, 2014
I will update my review...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews