We all studied the lost colony of Roanoke as part of history class when we were in school. I honestly don’t remember much about it. I remember that Virginia Dare, the first child born in the New World, was born in this colony. By this little girl’s third birthday, the entire colony had disappeared. Where did they go?
There are theories as to what happened to the colony, but do we really know why the colony disappeared? Matthew Keith has written a hard-to-put-down story about the disappearance of the colony of Roanoke. Could it have happened this way?
The story begins in 1856. Benjamin Croatoan has made an astounding discovery, the Magnosphere, but the residents of Roanoke consider it more dangerous than beneficial. Found guilty of treason and sedition, he is exiled. When the machine is aimed at Croatoan and turned on, he isn’t the only one who disappears.
In the present day, we meet Alex Croatoan. His mom and dad were the founders of a research company, Electro-Magnetic Technologies. Leaders in all the newest technological discoveries, they were looking for a way to travel from one place to another using energy beams, or teleportation, when Alex’s mom disappeared.
On the sixth anniversary of his mom’s disappearance, life once again changes for Alex. This time, his dad disappears. Alex is sent by to live with Silas, someone he just isn’t wild about.
On a visit to the house where he lived with his dad, Alex discovers his dad’s secret workshop/lab in the basement, and an entire new world opens up to him. He now knows what has happened to his dad and, possibly, to his mom. And he is going after his parents.
Is he ready for the people and the creatures he will encounter in a world completely unknown to him? Is he ready for what he will encounter in his own world? There are people who want what Alex has found.
In this tale of the lost colony of Ronoake, two basic truths jumped out at me: it is a mistake to jump to conclusions before you know the truth of what has happened, and home is where you choose to make it.
Road shimmers, teleportation, and vampires all make this tale of the lost colony one that is addictive. And for those of you who love romance, there is even a hint of a love triangle that spans more than one world. I’m really looking forward to book two in this series.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to buy your own copy, I have provided an Amazon link below that will take you straight to a page where you can purchase this book.
Amazon Link: Shimmer
Recommended Articles:
Pavement Shimmers, Vampires, & the Inspiration Behind the Lost Colony of Roanoke – Guest Post by Matthew Keith
Sway – a Review
Matthew Keith Interview – Nightmares, Inspiration, and a Nameless Character
Favorite Sentences
They’d fought viciously with no regard for their own well-being, their decapitated corpses testament to the degree of loyalty they’d shown.
He felt as if he were being pulled down by the heaviest water he’d ever felt, ripping him downward at such a rapid rate that he panicked, flailing his arms in an attempt to slow his descent, but he couldn’t move.
Because he was the descendant of some long-lost monster who happened to be the reason they lived like trogs in the darkest recesses of the earth?
As if vampires and giant cave-dwelling animals weren’t enough. there were cults down here too.
New Words Learned:
egregious – extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant
groused – complained; grumbled
hubris – excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance
insipidity – the quality or state of being insipid. So, what does insipid mean? If something is insipid, it is without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities
nocuous – likely to cause damage or injury; harmful; noxious
pander – to provide gratification for others’ desires
thrall – slavery
About the Author:
Matthew Keith is originally from Michigan, but in 2005, he moved to Kentucky to start a business. And he still manages a group of pizzerias in Michigan. In his spare time (I’m not sure how he manages to find any of this), he sings in a garage band with a group of friends.
He mainly writes thrillers. Shimmer is the first of four books in The Lost Colony of Roanoke series.
Watchers of the Night, published in April 2013, is the first book in the Watchers of the Night trilogy. It took him two years to write the first book. Indicium Rising, The Fall of Astralis, and Dreampire are the other three books in the series.
Sway, another book he has written, is a psychological horror/thriller tale.
