The Reach of Children


Fiction - Supernatural
89 Pages
Reviewed on 04/28/2014
Buy on Amazon

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.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lee Ashford for Readers' Favorite

The Reach of Children by Tim Lebbon is uniquely unlike any of Lebbon’s other books that I have read. Not a horror story, The Reach of Children is a tragically poignant study of a preteen boy and his father as they try to cope with the untimely death of the boy’s mother. A too-young victim of cancer run amok, the death of the woman has a profound effect on both the boy and his father. The first 80% or so of the book is told from the boy’s perspective, as he tries to make sense of his mother’s death. The final chapter is told from the father’s perspective as he faces regrets, unwarranted guilt, and the oblivion found in a bottle.

The Reach of Children showcases Lebbon’s talent as he brings to life the raw emotion these two characters experience while they each seek a way to cope with their new reality. The unfathomable intensity of their private pain is shared only with the reader, as each is afraid to talk to the other about their loss for fear of revealing too much of themselves. With The Reach of Children, Tim Lebbon has demonstrated a far greater scope of talent and writing ability than I previously had realized was his. I consider Lebbon to be an excellent writer of horror. Apparently, he is also an excellent writer of contemporary or realistic fiction. The Reach of Children is not a story you will read; it is a slice of life you will experience. You might want to keep a box of tissues handy.