Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure

 

The world of Minecraft comes to life in this thrilling adventure!

Gameknight999 loved Minecraft, but above all else, he loved to grief—to intentionally ruin the gaming experience for other users.

When one of his father’s inventions teleports him into the game, Gameknight is forced to live out a real-life adventure inside a digital world. What will happen if he’s killed? Will he respawn? Die in real life? Stuck in the game, Gameknight discovers Minecraft’s best-kept secret, something not even the game’s programmers realize: the creatures within the game are alive! He will have to stay one step ahead of the sharp claws of zombies and pointed fangs of spiders, but he’ll also have to learn to make friends and work as a team if he has any chance of surviving the Minecraft war his arrival has started.

This action-packed tribute to the worldwide computer game phenomenon is a runaway publishing smash and the perfect companion for Minecraft fans of all ages.

Amazon Customer Review

  Challenged my 8 year old and taught online courtesies

by Kerry A

My 8-year old finished this in 5 days. He said it deserved 5 stars. The ending left you hanging a bit. I guess that leaves the option of a sequel open. He didn’t notice the typos/edit errors, I noticed one confusing sentence in the first 6 pages or so that I read to him to prove the reading was not too challenging for him. I don’t need literary perfection, just something that holds his interest and challenges him a little; it’s getting harder to find books he’ll really dig into when they don’t have pictures or comics anymore, but this one worked. He said none of it scared him, I guess because he has so much experience with the game itself. Another one of the Minecraft novels also caught my eye, but in checking out the writing, the main character was criticizing his parents a lot – trying to stay away from that theme which is so prevalent in some of the kids books these days. Keeping kids positive about school, teachers, parents and family members is hard enough without the influence of books.

Kindle, Paperback & Audio from Amazon

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A Novel Way To Explain Online Bullying To Your Children
Using Minecraft As A Tool & Not A Weapon

“What did I do to deserve this?” asked Mark Cheverton’s 7-year-old son with tears in his eyes.

A short while prior, Cheverton, a former public school teacher of 15 years and an engineer with GE, made the decision with his wife to buy the video game Minecraft for his son, who begged his parents for many months.

“The decision to buy Minecraft turned out better than my wife and I could ever have hoped,” he says. “The game features positive creative and building aspects that are excellent for young children, including resource gathering, exploration, crafting and combat. My son became greatly admired from other children who played the game, and I loved playing the game with him, too.”

Cheverton’s son made plenty of friends. However, it wasn’t long before one of the visitors to his son’s server destroyed everything the child created in the Minecraft universe. The online bully recorded the destruction and posted it to YouTube. The public humiliation was complete – and it would happen again.

As a result, Cheverton wrote “Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure,” (markcheverton.com), which is based in the Minecraft universe and explores how to deal with bullying.

“Since publication, the book has had a tremendous impact on children who play Minecraft, including my son,” says Cheverton, who explores how fiction has taught children how to use the game as a tool and not a weapon.

•  You can use narrative to teach children how to play ethically. After six months, Cheverton finished his novel and was able to read it with his son. Before the novel, he’d tried explaining to his son why being bullied wasn’t the boy’s fault, but the message didn’t get through. Reading the novel with his son, however, worked.

•  The idea has also got children writing their own fiction. The idea of writing a book within the Minecraft universe really took off. That first Christmas, the book made it to No. 29 in Amazon’s top 100. It was then picked up by a publisher and recently made it to the New York Times Bestseller’s list.

“Now, I have multiple books being published in 15 countries and being translated into seven different languages,” he says. “More importantly, the book has inspired young children who love the game to do their own writing in the context of Minecraft.”

•  A book about a videogame can get kids reading. “This has been a strange journey – from buying the game for my son to how much of an impact the novel has made,” Cheverton says. “I have received email after email from parents who can’t thank me enough for getting their children to read again. While video games like Minecraft can foster positive lessons and skills for children, reading is an essential skill for lifelong learning and self-improvement.”

About Mark Cheverton

Mark Cheverton (markcheverton.com) majored in physics and math as an undergraduate in college and went on to teach in public schools for 15 years. While teaching he earned a master’s degree in physics. He later went worked for GE’s Global Research Center, where he researched laser welding , 3D printing, machine vision, process monitoring and machine control. He began writing his Minecraft series to help explain difficult lessons to his son, now 11. Those lessons include taking risks, a willingness to try something difficult and how to be brave. His first book, “Invasion of the Overworld: Book One in the Gameknight999 Series: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure,” addresses the sensitive topic of bullying.

Book Review: Conflicting Webs by Darlene Quinn

6 Ways Reading Brings Joy To Our Lives
A Good Book Can Transport Us To Other Worlds, Or Reveal More About This One, Author Says

The options for latching onto a great book – whether a classic by Victor Hugo or the latest bestseller by John Grisham – appear limitless these days.

Printed books remain popular, but e-readers provide additional choices. We can still visit bookstores and libraries, but a seemingly infinite selection of titles is available for ordering online.

And, despite periodic worries about the reading habits of the young, a Pew Research Center study released last year showed that young adults, ages 18-29, were the group most likely to have read a book in the previous 12 months.

It’s not surprising people are still eager to lose themselves in a richly plotted novel, a well-researched biography or any title on a favorite topic, says Darlene Quinn, an author whose latest novel, “Conflicting Webs” (www.darlenequinn.net) is the fifth in her standalone Webs Series, which features stories steeped in family issues in today’s rapidly paced world.

“Reading is beneficial for everyone, whether we do it for entertainment, to pass the time or to learn,” Quinn says. “We can grow and change from the first page to the last page, and anywhere in between. A love for reading can open a lot of doors.”

Quinn, a lifelong lover of books, suggests six ways reading brings joy to our lives:

•  Relaxation factor. After a busy day, down time with a book can be a rewarding way to segue into bedtime. “Putting up your feet with a cup of tea and a timeless story can make the stress melt away,” Quinn says. “What better way to unwind?” The beauty of ending the day with a good book is that you can still have mental stimulation even as you seek a distraction from personal issues, work concerns and the unexpected complications of life.

•  Universal appeal, personal experience. People can read the same book, yet come away with an experience that is distinct for them, Quinn says. That puts her in agreement with Edmund Wilson, the American literary and social critic, who observed that “no two persons ever read the same book.”  Quinn says we often alter what is written – or at least our interpretations of it – to reflect our situations, personalities and opinions.

•  Tech savvy welcome, but not required. E-readers are popular these days and it’s not hard to understand why, Quinn says. They bring numerous benefits to the reading experience, such as the ability to instantly download new books or change the type size on the screen. But tried-and-true print versions of books remain strong and it’s nice to be able to grab a book without charging its battery or bringing along a power cord, Quinn says. “And as far as I’m concerned, you just can’t beat the intoxicating aroma of fresh book pages,” she says.

•  To infinity and beyond. Trains, planes and automobiles all have limits on where they can take us. Books don’t. A science fiction novel can whisk us away to an alternate universe. A historical novel can plunk us down in the middle of the Salem witch trials. In the movie “Toy Story,” Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase was “to infinity and beyond.” That aptly describes the reach of books and the power they have to transport us. “Right in our hands we have the passageway to a new world, a new language or a new understanding,” Quinn says. “We can be anywhere and we can be there at any time.”

•  Lessons within the pages. The opportunity to expand our creativity and knowledge is what reading is all about, Quinn says. Name a topic and a book exists that can help you learn more about it. The options are numerous – music, history, art, geography, exploration, science, nature, religion and more. “My goal has always been to be a lifelong learner and books are a fantastic asset for achieving that,” Quinn says.

John Green, author of such works as “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Paper Towns,” has said, “Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood.” Quinn says that might be the best reason of all to read.

“The feeling that someone else knows our struggles and relates to our lives can give us a sense of completeness, and help us realize we aren’t the only ones who feel or think the way we do,” she says.

“Reading can make us happy when we are sad. It can make us laugh when we are depressed. And it can excite us when we are disheartened. Those are great accomplishments for such a simple activity.”

About Darlene Quinn

Darlene Quinn (www.darlenequinn.net) is an author and journalist from Long Beach, Calif., whose novels about deceit, intrigue and glamour in the retail fashion industry were inspired by her years working in management with Bullocks Wilshire Specialty department stores. Quinn’s novels are steeped in family issues in today’s rapidly paced world. Her latest is “Conflicting Webs,” the fifth book in her epic Web series. Previous titles in the standalone series have been “Webs of Fate,” “Webs of Power,” “Twisted Webs” and “Unpredictable Webs.”

Endorsement for Conflicting Webs

“Darlene Quinn has done it again, writing a tension-filled story that kept my attention from the very first page to the end. Conflicting Webs weaves an intense story full of intrigue, questionable motives, and unforgettable characters. A compelling storyline with a series of twists keeps the reader engaged, wondering if the story will lead to a happy ending. You won’t be disappointed.”

—Dete Meserve
President, Wind Dancer Films
Author of Amazon Bestseller “Good Sam”