I had the great pleasure of reading John A. Heldt's newest offering The Fountain in its mobi iteration.

As one of those many readers who have enjoyed all, now 21, of his works, I was excited to check out the newest book. As always, Mr. Heldt's work does not disappoint. The Fountain does take a different tack from previous works. 

Here we find our main characters, the Carpenter siblings, travelling back in time to 1905. The difference is that they do so via a fountain of youth. I found this an intriguing idea. They are able to live a new life as young adults without losing the accumulated knowledge of their advanced chronological ages. Taking a line from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome :"Think of the possibilities."

One of Mr. Heldt,s gifts as a writer is to endear the reader to his characters quickly with seemingly minimal effort. I was immediately engaged, I was invested in these three siblings. The second chance they are given is such a thought provoking theme. I could put myself in their places easily and consider (fantasize actually) what I would do. Though I usually lose myself in Mr. Heldt's work, The Fountain took me deeper than usual. I was immersed in this story. 

I have commented on other books by Mr. Heldt, how often there is some part of the story that relates directly to my personal experience. Most of the time it is physical locations where I have lived and have some personal connection which makes the story more personal to me. This time however, the connection is more personal, I truly identify with one of the characters. I won't share which one here, this is supposed to be about the book after all. But I am somewhat mystified as to how Mr.Heldt's work so often ties to my personal life. 

I said I was immersed in this story and an example is when Cassie tells her beau Bill "I made You look" she actually made me look too. I bet she made a lot of people look. 

Set around the historic San Francisco Earthquake, The Fountain begins another compelling story arc I can't wait to continue. Enjoy!

Mike