"The sort of book you might find yourself inadvertently dreaming about..."

• ASIN: ‎ B0CSRNZNY2
• Publication date: ‎ January 18, 2024
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 356 pages
• Genre: Supernatural Adventure Fiction

The BookViral Review:

An affecting and thrilling adventure with a mythic heft I Am Max sees the return of the young Sasquatch’m in a story that is sure to capture your imagination.

It’s often a failing of the Supernatural Fiction genre that the plot threads of a novel are layered to the point where it becomes ponderous and impenetrable, but in developing his narrative for I Am Max Davis demonstrates an unerring understanding of the genre and what will connect with his readers.

Readers of Davis’ novels will already be familiar with Max and know him for the wonderful character he is. He’s appeared in MAX: Hide and Seek Champion of the World and Dying Breed alongside his human friends Medford Haley and Derek ‘Dak’ Deklan but this time around it is all about Max and this is his journey as he searches for Gai and learns the full extent of his supernatural abilities.

On this level, I Am Max packs enough surprises to captivate an audience of young readers whilst providing much in the way of deep reflection that will keep adult readers engaged. Davis’ narrative has great energy and a lot of creative thinking has gone into its construction.

It’s a novel written with infinite care with Davis giving us a palpable sense of Max’s transition. It’s the buoyant heartbeat beneath his narrative and yet he never loses sight of the fact that he’s writing a supernatural adventure story.

Without a strong plot to pull us through, stories like I Am Max run the danger of becoming just a series of incidents but Davis is surefooted in developing his plot which is underpinned by precise and simple characterizations that bear us along on a current of enchantment. But I Am Max is not a saccharin story and amongst the camaraderie Max builds with his new tight-knit family Wuff, Dax, Boo, Cha and Chi there is the lingering sense of tragedy at the loss of Tah. On this level there are nods to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan stories reminding us that people and animals can live in harmony if we behave with kindness and mercy while showing reverence for nature. Davis takes these ideas and others seriously but doesn’t feel clumsily superimposed.

The sort of book you might find yourself inadvertently dreaming about after reading I AM Max is unreservedly recommended!