Title: The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Lost Girl

Author: Steve LeBel

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Publication Date: May 2016

Description (from Goodreads)

This is the prequel to the award-winning fantasy The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty that won 16 awards for excellence.

All of God Town is in an uproar. A child has been lost. The Town mobilizes, and an exhaustive search is carried out, but as the day wears on, the fear grows that little Emily may be lost forever.

Despite growing evidence, the gods continue to resist the idea little Emily has wandered into the woods, a place feared by even the gods themselves.

Yet, a young god named Bernie isn’t afraid, and with the help of his friends, Suzie and Lenny, they embark on a rescue so daring no god would ever consider it. They will search the woods, and, if necessary, they will even search the deadly area beyond The Town known as the Unknown Territory.

It’s a fascinating tale of a most unusual hero on a courageous quest.

 

My Review

I received a free ecopy of this book from the author for an honest review.

It has been a while since I read  The Universe Builders: Bernie and the Putty but I remember it well because it’s one of my favorites. I was thrilled, of course, to read and review Bernie and the Lost Girl while I’m waiting for the next full length novel about Bernie.

Steve LeBel has created a world full of gods who are more like humans than we would imagine. They are more peaceful than humans and have their own town that is safe, and everyone is happy to stay there and not explore the rest of their world. Well, almost everyone. Bernie and his mom live close to The Woods and he likes to go into them and explore and has found some interesting animals. When four-year-old Emily disappears and it has become obvious that she must be in The Woods or beyond, Bernie is the first to volunteer to look for her.

Because this novella is so short, there isn’t a lot of character development; however, there is enough for this to be a stand alone book. If you read Bernie and the Putty first, the same characters are in it and are well developed.  Bernie, the main character, is a young god who has been through a lot in his short life.  His friends, Suzie and Lenny, are scared but they can’t let Bernie go alone into The Woods so they decide to help him look for Emily.

Bernie and the Lost Girl is well written and full of adventure. I definitely recommend this book for readers of all ages. I can’t wait for the next one!

Available on Amazon.

 

About the Author

Businessmen are serious people, right?  Not always. Steve LeBel — hospital president, technology entrepreneur, algorithmic stock trader — is definitely not serious.

Not when he writes.

Whimsy overcomes him at the word processor. And whimsy is at the core of his novel, The Universe Builders, which he tells with a unique balance of seriousness, humor, and imagination.

LeBel lives in Muskegon, Michigan with his wife Marge, and Mindy and Dexter, their cats.  When not writing, he is planning his next trip, cussing out the stock market, doing tech support for friends, or dreaming up new plots for The Universe Builders.

Book Site:  TheUniverseBuilders.com
Email:  [email protected]
Facebook Fan Page:  facebook.com/SteveLeBel.Author
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Twitter: @SteveLeBel