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The Elixir of Freedom
Book One in THE LIGHT FINDER LEGENDS Series. A Young Adult Utopian Novel that has become an Amazon Bestseller in two categories and has received three 5-star reviews and two 4-star reviews from Readers Favorite.
A JOURNEY OF AWAKENING THAT WILL STIR YOUR HEART AND SOUL
A LOVE STORY FOR NATURE AND LIFE ITSELF
A TALE THAT ECHOES THROUGH ALL TIMES AND PLACES
Finding the Light that Defeats Darkness
When 21-year-old Ravi's twin brother Vik is captured by the Mine Master's men and taken to work in the coal mines which are also polluting the air in his town, he seeks help from the old legends of Raam. There, he learns about the secret of the Heart of the Sun which is said to defeat all enemies.
L Ravi embarks on a journey to find this light, which takes him deep into the forest, the dark mines, and his own heart. Guided by the lovely Verda of the Forest People, he discovers a powerful elixir, made of sap and sunlight, which holds the key to freedom for his brother, his town, and his own life.
The Elixir of Freedom is a mythic tale that suggests a path to real freedom for all of us.
The Elixir of Freedom is in the new category of Visionary Fiction, which uses story to paint a vision of a better future. It is a young adult utopian novel. The journey of the novel's heroes mirrors our own quest to find real solutions to doubt, fear, bad habits, and even the pressure of time. The Elixir of Freedom depicts a powerful experience of light that transforms the characters and their world. Like other Visionary Fiction books, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Celestine Prophecy, and The Alchemist, it reflects universal human values that stretch us and connect us to something more!
A JOURNEY OF AWAKENING THAT WILL STIR YOUR HEART AND SOUL
A LOVE STORY FOR NATURE AND LIFE ITSELF
A TALE THAT ECHOES THROUGH ALL TIMES AND PLACES
Finding the Light that Defeats Darkness
When 21-year-old Ravi's twin brother Vik is captured by the Mine Master's men and taken to work in the coal mines which are also polluting the air in his town, he seeks help from the old legends of Raam. There, he learns about the secret of the Heart of the Sun which is said to defeat all enemies.
L Ravi embarks on a journey to find this light, which takes him deep into the forest, the dark mines, and his own heart. Guided by the lovely Verda of the Forest People, he discovers a powerful elixir, made of sap and sunlight, which holds the key to freedom for his brother, his town, and his own life.
The Elixir of Freedom is a mythic tale that suggests a path to real freedom for all of us.
The Elixir of Freedom is in the new category of Visionary Fiction, which uses story to paint a vision of a better future. It is a young adult utopian novel. The journey of the novel's heroes mirrors our own quest to find real solutions to doubt, fear, bad habits, and even the pressure of time. The Elixir of Freedom depicts a powerful experience of light that transforms the characters and their world. Like other Visionary Fiction books, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Celestine Prophecy, and The Alchemist, it reflects universal human values that stretch us and connect us to something more!
- GenresFantasy
220 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2016
About the author
M.R. Neer
7 books14 followers5-Star Reviews in Readers' Favorite:
"A story that warms the heart"
"A really amazing story... read the first page and I was hooked."
"A classic literary effort."
Michael Neer (aka M.R. Neer) writes fables and legends about the quest for the secrets of life. He believes that universal values are awakened through stories. He has enjoyed a long career of organizing words in creative ways as an English teacher, curriculum specialist, magazine publisher, book editor, and long-time teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique. He has won awards for journalism, newsletter writing, and teaching, and makes his home in Fresno, Calif. The Elixir of Freedom is his first novel, and it is the first of six in The Light Finder Legends series. His latest series is The Cat's Purr Fables, described as Wise Tales for a Healthy Happy Life in the children's fables category.
"A story that warms the heart"
"A really amazing story... read the first page and I was hooked."
"A classic literary effort."
Michael Neer (aka M.R. Neer) writes fables and legends about the quest for the secrets of life. He believes that universal values are awakened through stories. He has enjoyed a long career of organizing words in creative ways as an English teacher, curriculum specialist, magazine publisher, book editor, and long-time teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique. He has won awards for journalism, newsletter writing, and teaching, and makes his home in Fresno, Calif. The Elixir of Freedom is his first novel, and it is the first of six in The Light Finder Legends series. His latest series is The Cat's Purr Fables, described as Wise Tales for a Healthy Happy Life in the children's fables category.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 6, 2017
*I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway*
2.5 stars
This book was just ok. The reason I round up to 3 stars was because at no point did I feel like it was a chore to finish reading the book. The story was nice but what I really disliked was the writing style. I really struggled figuring out what age group this was written for. I felt like it was written as if it was being read to a really little kid, but at the same time I think you would have to be at a middle school reading level to be able to read it. So basically I think little kids might like it read to them but older kids that could actually read it would maybe find it boring or too childish.
I do enjoy young adult books as an adult. They usually make for easy reads with interesting fantasy stories. This was not one of my favorites and I do not think I would want to read the next book in this series. The style of writing was just too childish for me. I would get super annoyed in conversations where after each little sentience it was said jane, said john, said jane, said john. I also felt like they gave us little detail on the characters or the time or place. The only way I knew the age of the characters was because it was in the description on the back of the book, but it was not actually in the book itself. Also, I could never really figure out if they were in a fantasy world or just on earth but with magic? It was weird how things like that were left out but other things were super over explained.
Overall this is a kids book and I would not expect anyone over the age of 10 or 11 to really enjoy it.
2.5 stars
This book was just ok. The reason I round up to 3 stars was because at no point did I feel like it was a chore to finish reading the book. The story was nice but what I really disliked was the writing style. I really struggled figuring out what age group this was written for. I felt like it was written as if it was being read to a really little kid, but at the same time I think you would have to be at a middle school reading level to be able to read it. So basically I think little kids might like it read to them but older kids that could actually read it would maybe find it boring or too childish.
I do enjoy young adult books as an adult. They usually make for easy reads with interesting fantasy stories. This was not one of my favorites and I do not think I would want to read the next book in this series. The style of writing was just too childish for me. I would get super annoyed in conversations where after each little sentience it was said jane, said john, said jane, said john. I also felt like they gave us little detail on the characters or the time or place. The only way I knew the age of the characters was because it was in the description on the back of the book, but it was not actually in the book itself. Also, I could never really figure out if they were in a fantasy world or just on earth but with magic? It was weird how things like that were left out but other things were super over explained.
Overall this is a kids book and I would not expect anyone over the age of 10 or 11 to really enjoy it.
July 25, 2017
A bit new agey, but a good read.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
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April 1, 2016Neer’s Elixir of Freedom is a journey of discovery for young Ravi. His brother is kidnapped and forced to work for the Mine Master, digging coal. Following the guidance of old legends, Ravi sets out to find the ‘Heart of the Sun’, and free his brother from the mines. His goal is to hopefully talk sense into the Mine Master, getting him to free the people captured to work in the mines, and to do something about the smoke polluting the towns close to the mine. Along the way, Ravi gets help from several people, from the peddler Gleme, to the Forest Guardians, to a dwarf named Nuri.
Fun stuff: I loved that this story uses the Indian saga of the Ramayana for its inspiration. So many books like this use Christian themes, which gets old after a while. All spiritualities and religions have valuable lessons to impart, usually along a very similar vein. One of the biggest lessons in this novel is the notion of living and working in harmony with nature. I also learned something I didn’t know, namely that a substance called coke is made from coal, and is used for heating homes and efficiently running steam engines. The word ‘coke’ kept coming up in odd contexts, so, of course I had to go look it up. Haha, who knew :P
I read this story to my cubs, ranging in age from 6- 14. They all enjoyed it, but it was the youngest who most adored it, suggesting to me it is best geared towards ‘tweens’. A seven to twelve age range. Their favourite parts were when Ravi and Verda had to confront illusions while traveling in the misty swamp, and when the pair found the Heart of the Sun. The kids made the rather astute observation that people need the strength of others in order to best overcome adversity. Alone, Ravi and Verda could not overcome their illusions, but they helped one another do so.
Not so fun stuff: As an adult reader, there were times when the writing seemed too ‘simple’, and sometimes too wooden. Ravi’s challenges never seemed that great, or challenging. The characters’ Indian names did not mesh well with the very British sounding village names, in my mind at least. The kids either didn't notice or didn't care, except for serious Ben. As an adult, something else that seemed jolting to the story flow was the use of dozens of different dialogue tags. Declared, surmised, pondered, continued, responded, interrupted, added, praised, proposed, smiled, and growled are just a tiny fraction of those used. Some did not make sense either. You cannot smile words. A few uncommon tags scattered throughout would have been better, with a healthy mix of said and asked. A hundred different tags can be confusing.
All that being said, Elixir was still a fun read, especially for the kids. Seeing their enjoyment as we read the story, well, that’s something priceless, that is. If you, or your kids, like movies like Warriors of Virtue, or The Neverending Story, or the books of CS Lewis, be sure to check out MR Neer’s Elixir of Freedom!
Fun stuff: I loved that this story uses the Indian saga of the Ramayana for its inspiration. So many books like this use Christian themes, which gets old after a while. All spiritualities and religions have valuable lessons to impart, usually along a very similar vein. One of the biggest lessons in this novel is the notion of living and working in harmony with nature. I also learned something I didn’t know, namely that a substance called coke is made from coal, and is used for heating homes and efficiently running steam engines. The word ‘coke’ kept coming up in odd contexts, so, of course I had to go look it up. Haha, who knew :P
I read this story to my cubs, ranging in age from 6- 14. They all enjoyed it, but it was the youngest who most adored it, suggesting to me it is best geared towards ‘tweens’. A seven to twelve age range. Their favourite parts were when Ravi and Verda had to confront illusions while traveling in the misty swamp, and when the pair found the Heart of the Sun. The kids made the rather astute observation that people need the strength of others in order to best overcome adversity. Alone, Ravi and Verda could not overcome their illusions, but they helped one another do so.
Not so fun stuff: As an adult reader, there were times when the writing seemed too ‘simple’, and sometimes too wooden. Ravi’s challenges never seemed that great, or challenging. The characters’ Indian names did not mesh well with the very British sounding village names, in my mind at least. The kids either didn't notice or didn't care, except for serious Ben. As an adult, something else that seemed jolting to the story flow was the use of dozens of different dialogue tags. Declared, surmised, pondered, continued, responded, interrupted, added, praised, proposed, smiled, and growled are just a tiny fraction of those used. Some did not make sense either. You cannot smile words. A few uncommon tags scattered throughout would have been better, with a healthy mix of said and asked. A hundred different tags can be confusing.
All that being said, Elixir was still a fun read, especially for the kids. Seeing their enjoyment as we read the story, well, that’s something priceless, that is. If you, or your kids, like movies like Warriors of Virtue, or The Neverending Story, or the books of CS Lewis, be sure to check out MR Neer’s Elixir of Freedom!
June 22, 2016
The Elixir of Freedom: The Light Finder Legends is Volume 1 in a series written by M.R. Neer. It is a mythical story about a young man who seeks the secret of the Heart of the Sun. In the land of Gaia, state of Bengalia, there lived a couple who raised their twins, Vik and Ravi, in the mountains and taught them to observe and trust nature. They left the fishing town of Twining to live peacefully on crops like fruits and vegetables. But when Vik is kidnapped and taken to the coal mine ruled by the Mine Master, Ravi sets out to rescue him as inspired by the legend of Raam who used the Heart of the Sun to defeat the 10-headed Ravan. The Mine Master operates the mines that pollute the air and he is a formidable enemy. Can Ravi find the Heart of the Sun and save his brother?
M.R. Neer’s The Elixir of Freedom: The Light Finder Legends, Volume 1 is a visionary fiction work that should appeal to all kinds of readers. When Ravi sets out to find the Heart of the Sun and save his brother, he goes on an adventure where he meets a friendly peddler, the forest guardians, and a dwarf. Without any tangible plan of how he is going to rescue his brother, except for the inspiration of an old legend, he meets Verda, one of the forest guardians who will accompany him on his quest. This is a story that warms the heart and, at the same time, it reminds us of the need to appreciate nature. Author M.R. Neer has a vision of the future and it is a beautiful picture. As Ravi goes on a quest to find the light that will transform his world, we are reminded of all the quests that we have to go on throughout our very own lives.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews