admin Silence is rarely treated as something meaningful in fantasy. It is often the space between action, the pause before something dramatic begins. But in Ruben and the Curious Cosmonaut by A R Marchant, silence is not empty. It is alive, layered and full of information. It is something to be listened to, not ignored. And … Read more
Heroism in fantasy is often loud. It arrives with swords, declarations and chosen destinies. But in Ruben and the Curious Cosmonaut by A R Marchant, heroism is something quieter: careful, uncertain and deeply human. It is the kind of courage that does not announce itself, but holds steady when everything else begins to fail. Ruben … Read more
In many fantasy stories, change arrives through force: battles fought, commands shouted and destinies declared. But in Ruben and the Curious Cosmonaut by A R Marchant, the universe listens differently. It does not respond to volume. It responds to intention. And more specifically, to quiet intent: the kind of focused, careful attention that does not … Read more
Some fantasy stories shout with battles, prophecies and chosen heroes. Others whisper and change the reader anyway. Ruben and the Curious Cosmonaut by A R Marchant belongs firmly in the second category. It is a middle-grade fantasy that does not rely on spectacle for impact. It builds its power through silence, attention and emotional truth. … Read more
There is a character in The Great Disguise Chronicles who I think about more than any other. Not because he is the most active in the story, but because of what he represents. What he quietly insists on, simply by being present. His name is Baba Jaan. Baba Jaan runs The Great Disguise, a costume … Read more
When most people picture the hero of a children’s adventure story, they picture a certain kind of child. Loud, confident, instinctively brave. Someone who runs toward the thing everyone else is running from. Someone who always knows what to do. Ruben is not that child. That wasn’t a creative decision made at a desk. It … Read more
Here is the version of the story I could have told you. A seasoned marketing director in his fifties discovers an unexpected creative calling. He writes a children’s book. It gets published. He reflects warmly on the journey. The End That version is accurate and almost completely useless. So let me tell you the other … Read more