Book & Author Details:
Scar of the Downers by Scott Keen
Publication date: February 27th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication date: February 27th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Branded on the slaves in the
Northern Reaches beyond Ungstah, the scar marks each one as a Downer. It
is who they are. There is no escaping this world. Still, strange things
are stirring.
Two foreigners ride through the Northern Reaches on a secret mission. An unknown cloaked figure wanders the streets of the dark city of Ungstah. What they want no one can be sure, but it all centers around a Downer named Crik.
Crik, too scared to seek freedom, spends his days working in his master’s store, avoiding the spirit-eating Ash Kings, and scavenging food for himself and his best friend, Jak. Until he steals from the wrong person. When Jak is sold to satisfy the debt, Crik burns down his master’s house and is sentenced to death.
To survive, Crik and his friends must leave behind their life of slavery to do what no other Downer has ever done before – escape from the city of Ungstah.
Two foreigners ride through the Northern Reaches on a secret mission. An unknown cloaked figure wanders the streets of the dark city of Ungstah. What they want no one can be sure, but it all centers around a Downer named Crik.
Crik, too scared to seek freedom, spends his days working in his master’s store, avoiding the spirit-eating Ash Kings, and scavenging food for himself and his best friend, Jak. Until he steals from the wrong person. When Jak is sold to satisfy the debt, Crik burns down his master’s house and is sentenced to death.
To survive, Crik and his friends must leave behind their life of slavery to do what no other Downer has ever done before – escape from the city of Ungstah.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Scott
grew up in Black River, NY, the youngest of three children. While in
law school, he realized he didn’t want to be a lawyer. So he did
the practical thing – he became a writer. Now, many years later with an
MFA in script and screenwriting, he is married with four daughters, two
of whom he homeschools.
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TOUR SCHEDULE
Scott's Top Ten Books Made into movies
It was really hard for me to narrow down this list. I’ve chosen only the movies from the books that I’ve both read and seen, and that I really liked both. For me, what’s most important in a movie adaptation is that the screenwriter and director bring out the correct tone or mood of the book.
- The Lord of the Rings – The books are my favorite series of all time, and I think Peter Jackson did a remarkable job whittling such an epic story down to three movies. I thought he was successful in remaining true to the heart of the story, while fitting it into the confines of the screen. That scene where Gandalf leads the Rohirrim down the hill to attack the Orcs at the end of The Two Towers? Magnificent.
- The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – I liked the later titles better, with The Deathly Hallows being my favorite. And they had to skip over enough info in the books so that I don’t feel bad about my kids watching them before they read them.
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – The version of this movie I like best is the one with George C. Scott. I feel like his portrayal of Scrooge was amazing, and I thought the movie captured the feeling of the story, which is frankly one of my favorite stories. “Mankind was my business” is one of my favorite quotes.
- World War Z – I saw this movie first, and thought it was great. Then, I read the book, and I really liked that too. Sure, the movie didn’t follow much of the story at all, but I feel like the heart of it was there. Plus, it made the experience of reading the book that much more enjoyable for me.
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – The John Malkovich/Gary Sinise adaptation is excellent. The story is sad, yes, but the screenplay (written by Horton Foote) was spot on.
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – I thought that the most recent version of this was so good. It held true to the spirit of the book, the casting was good, the score was evocative. Much better, in my opinion than the older BBC version.
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – Great book, great movie. Interestingly enough, the screenplay for this was also written by Horton Foote. I remember first watching the movie in high school, and thinking I would be bored because it was black and white, but I found myself taken away by it.
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende – I just actually read this (even though I saw and loved the movie as a kid), and I realized that the movie only really covered the first 100 pages of the book. Still a good movie, though, and the book was fun too.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – Even though the most recent movie adaptation varied the plot more than the others, it most accurately captured the dark, mystical tone of the novel.
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy – This post-apocalyptic story was haunting . It was depressing, but the desolation seemed authentic given the circumstances of the story.
Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
- Signed copy of Scar of the Downers
Tour organized by Xpresso Book Tours
Thanks for being on the tour! :)
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