This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Something of a Tall Tale by Christopher C. Tyler follows Joe, who has some very big shoes to fill after the passing of his jet-setting father, Paul Cvozbo. It turns out that the shoes might be even bigger when, while in pursuit of escapism, Joe meets Biff, a bonafide Bigfoot “In the flesh—or fur I suppose.” Joe is shocked further when, instead of having his memory fried, he accompanies Biff and a Frog-Man named Franky to the American Legends Organization for Restricted Exposure, only to find Joe's father is known to them. Joe's first mission produces more questions than answers and turns up more folkloric beings that run the gamut from thunderbirds and anthropomorphic lizards to water creatures with, literally, bubbly chatter, and even the prospect of aliens. The deeper Joe and Biff dig, the more truth there appears to be in the brazen stories Joe's father shared, as well as who his father truly was.
Christopher C. Tyler wastes no time pulling us directly into Something of a Tall Tale, kicking the adventure off near the start. Joe is a likable character and even though he is totally blind-sided by what he starts to uncover, he never comes across as someone whose motives or authenticity we would question. He is thoroughly developed and a protagonist that we are happy to root for. What I really love is that Tyler gives equal treatment to ancillary characters, and, without turning their backstories into lengthy soliloquies, we walk away feeling as if we know them, even if it was just for that moment. These are often intertwined with the atmosphere of the scene, such as a story about a character who has an encounter with the Devil in the same chapter where Joe stares into a fire much more comforting than the belly of Hell. “A trapped pocket of sap would occasionally pop and send a flurry of embers skyward where they would dim before fading away, guiding Joe’s eye to the swath of stars that stretched across the big Texas sky." Excellent storytelling, plenty of twists, and a fantastic ride. Very highly recommended.
