At a time when there are a few texts that can stand in the line of canonical texts. “World of Dawn: Reveal” by Shawn Gale comes as an important competitor among them. The book is exceptional in its own ways for firstly, being a strong sequel to an already well-written book and secondly, for evolving the plot into something the readers could have never expected. “Reveal” is the second book in his “World of Dawn” series after “Arise”.

In the first book, the teenage protagonist, Tanner, and his friends Colby and Simon reach the world of dawn after the car accident. This world is nowhere close to the world they have been living in and it seems more like they have reached primitive times. This world is characterized by creatures of unusual sizes and the characters are taken aback seeing this totally different kind of world. This continues with a series of events one after the other which keeps the readers and the characters on their toes and because the author uses the first-person narrative, the reader almost gets directly involved and becomes a part of the group that the author has created. But when they hear one of the inhabitants speaking in their language i.e English, they are further shocked. The novel ends at a moment of suspense leaving many questions unanswered giving a clear hint to the readers of a sequel. This element of thrill. adventure and mystery give the readers a fresh new read and comes across more like a breath of fresh air.

The same air of freshness, mystery, and adventure continues in the sequel, “Reveal”. The author takes up the story from where he left earlier and the characters are further involved in the next adventures that await them. They find Ambrose to guide them through and reach unknown lands known as the Great sands. Here, they have further encounters and also have to bear the consequences of their decisions. Their first priority as all readers know is to get home but the readers see this change into the quest to save the world of dawn which is on the verge of an unalterable change. By the time the novel ends, the author gives a clear indication of another sequel. Yet, it can be concluded that the book is a coming of age novel where the readers can see the characters grow up and become mature.

The author also explores different themes like those of good and evil, friendship, resilience, and courage. 

The novel is packed with elements of fantasy and suspense that trigger the imagination of the readers and they find themselves transferred to the World of Dawn with Tanner and his group. This style of Gale’s writing is what differentiates him from the modern-day writers and qualifies him to be placed in the canon. 

He creates strong, lively, and well-developed characters who have all qualities of an average human, and their reactions in different situations are vividly explained by the author. This vividness adds to their being realistic and hence they appear closer to life. The plotline is finely paced and maintained throughout. The fact that the novel more or less revolves around the element of adventure is further supported by the style in which the plot unfolds. It has the ability to transform the reader from the modern world he is sitting into the world of dawn which kind of gives the reader a certain kind of escapism further giving him a refreshing and energizing experience. Such a plotline puts the book in the category of the ones that can not be put down before they are finished and they also keep the readers eagerly await for the next part of the book to appear.

These kinds of literary writings are the ones that can be read by children and adults irrespective of what age group they belong to. The younger group can enjoy the book owing to the adventurous element and the characters like Tanner being around their age and the elder group can find the narrative and storyline of their interest. The language and vocabulary that the author uses further ensure that the novel becomes popular among all. 

In the present time when literary writing has reduced substantially because of the technological boom and various media overtaking, books like “World of Dawn” emerge as texts setting up the standards for the modern-day fiction writing. Even for people who have lost or who do not have the habit of reading, this book has an ability to create an audience among them too. The different plotlines, the elements of both fantasy and adventure added by characters which do not at all seem to be the puppets of the author altogether add up to making the novel-writing next to perfection. 

Ratings: 5/5

Author Name:  Shawn Gale 
Book Title: World of Dawn: Reveal
Publisher:  Xlibris US (1 May 2018)                                            Buy Book: Amazon  Store                                                  Reviewed by : Akhila Saroha at The Literature Today