GoneAway into the Land, by Jeffrey B. Allen

I was asked to write a review of GoneAway into the Land by Jeffrey B. Allen. Since I'm not big on fantasy stories I wasn't so sure I'd be a good one to review this book. But let me tell you, this book absolutely blew me away! GoneAway into the Land will be the next Lord of the Rings, I kid you not! The story starts out with a 12-year-old boy and his family who suffer the trauma of dealing with an abusive father and husband. The father is a beast and truly becomes one once they leave the World and end up in the Land, looking for John’s sister Marny, who has been abducted by the beast.
ZingZongLand is a land of confections. How cool is that? Any type of confection you can imagine. It seems like a paradise until greed and power of a few take over.
Allen’s wonderful art of description makes you forget you’re in a land of make-believe. Instead you are entrenched in this “candy land” of sorts. Of course, you are also entrenched in the horrors and battles because Mr. Allen so vividly describes them.
The Land and its civilizations are virtually destroyed in the process of fighting the greed and power. John and his mother are in the midst of it all as they search for Marny. And, during the process, they find another lost wonder. To tell more would be to give away the story and I enjoyed this book way too much to ruin it for someone else.
This is an easy read because of the lightness Allen keeps despite some of the horrors experienced by John, his family and the friends he meets along his journey. There are times you will laugh out loud! Personally, Albertson was my favorite character. I wanted to take him home with me.
You will be on the edge of your seat to the very last page. And, if you react as I did, you will be anxious for Allen to finish the sequel. I can’t wait to read Into the World and my guess is that we’ll be seeing a film version one day. I highly recommend this book for both young and older adults.
Great job, Jeffrey B. Allen! Keep up the good work!