The Witch Port Video Game by Leonard Bassed - Book Tour & Review
Leonard Bassed
* YA *
Title: THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME
Author: Leonard Bassed
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 108
Genre: YA
Author: Leonard Bassed
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 108
Genre: YA
Leonard Bassed had no plan to write a novel titled THE WITCH PORT
VIDEO GAME when he set out to create a movie script with a similar
name. “I had written the pilot script first and I kept the same ending
for the novel…everything from the script I wrote found its way into the
finished book version of ‘The Witch Port Video Game,’ said
writer-singer-actor Leonard Bassed. “I was able to spend more time
developing the characters and their world…the whole thing was just such
an organic experience and extremely enjoyable, creative for me.”
THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME tells the story through the lives of three
ordinary teens who live in the fictional town of Cradle Creek, USA – a
small town they hope to one day escape, attracted by the bright lights
and promise of the Big City. All three are students at a prestigious
performing art school with hopes of one day making names for themselves
in the entertainment world.
Mr. Bassed continued about his story, “A chance encounter the three
have with a girl named Bianca Morris threatens to derail their plans.
Bianca introduces them to an enticing video game, ‘The Witch Port Video
Game’. This encounter, coupled with the arrival of the MacQuoid
brothers sets in motion a series of bizarre events that spins their
lives into chaos and disarray as the three head into a world of sorcery
with an ultimate fight for survival.”
As a young boy growing up in South Africa, Leonard dreamed one day of
working in the arts. He wanted to write, to act, to sing. While drawn
to acting and song writing, he was also a good story teller. “The
auditions I would go out for as an actor were never reflective of the
kinds of roles I was after to play. It was this realization that led me
to writing the pilot script which I planned to pitch to TV and movie
producers. But, once I finished the script I’d grown too attached to
the characters and the wonders of their world that ultimately led the
script into the shape of a full novel,” he went on to say.
PRAISE
“While the book’s final moments leave us with a rather sudden, enigmatic ending, an end note does indicate a sequel Witch Port Igniting the Coven on
the horizon. For those who enjoy the entertaining literary chemistry
that results from inquisitive teens and their foray into the mysterious
world of sorcery, Bassed’s venture should prove an intriguing reveal.”
–Pacific Book Review
“Filled with cheeky references to famous pop-culture stories of
sorcery and mixed with some classic teenage angst, this book is a
fast-paced, suspenseful story. The novel’s premise that some teenagers
gain special powers through a video game is an updated, modern take on
magic and suits the story quite well for a 21st-century setting. The
author sets up the story mechanisms so that everything that happens
through the students’ video game play also happens in real life. The
author states that this novel was originally a screenplay, and those
elements shine through, from the descriptive settings to the fast pace
in which the action occurs on the page. It will be interesting to see
how the protagonists grow with their powers in the sequel.”
–The U.S. Review of Books
Book can be purchased at the author’s web site at www.leonardbassed.com
______________________
My Review
The Witch Port Video Game is the first book in a new YA series about a trio of friends who find their lives turned upside down when they meet a strange girl named Bianca while out on the town one night. Bianca introduces them to a "video game" called The Witch Port, and as soon as the teens plug in, things get weird.
The three friends must now learn to grow into their new-found sorcery before the ones who seek their power extinguish it for good.
I found The Witch Port Video Game to be a fast-paced, intriguing novella that mashes up old-school witchcraft with videos games and brings readers a modernized, fun story. It's fresh while still feeling nostalgic and familiar (think similar to Charmed).
The only downside to the book is that it is a bit quick in terms of pacing, and I feel like we don't get enough of a feel for the characters. I'm hoping they get a little more fleshed out in book two. Also, this one does end a bit abruptly, but it leaves readers wanting more.
The one thing I had a hard time with was the dialogue. I'm not sure if it was a formatting issue, but the dialogue between characters isn't separated, so it all sort of bleeds together, and it made it a little difficult to figure out who was speaking.
I rather enjoyed The Witch Port Video Game, and I'm looking forward to book two.
4 stars!
“I begin to hear an eerie
chant being recited in unison as the first three naked women make it to the
dark summit. Holding long, makeshift brooms, in their right hands, they chant:
“Drink the flight broth, wood in hand. Burn the root ...” An elderly woman with
lanky hair picks up the goblet, takes a sip of its contents, and inhales the
smoke of an already burning smudge stick. The chanting continues: “Then dive
from the cliff...” This is perhaps the most startling scene I’ve ever
witnessed. The woman runs off the edge of the cliff, seemingly to plummet to
her death, but I hear “Not by wind nor by wings, airborne sisters thou shall
soar.” Suddenly, the woman who vanished off the cliff reappears, hovering in
mid-air on a broom. She begins cackling, and the louder her cackles, the higher
she floats. Soon a host of other women mimic her actions, cackling into the
night air.” – By Leonard Bassed
·
This is one of my favorite excerpts from my novel, ‘The Witch Port Video
Game’ because of the imagery it conjures.
·
My novel begins with Martin’s recollection of a vision he once had. In the
vision women are seen diving of a cliff and flying on their brooms, true to the
stereotypical portrayal of witches in the media and western folklore.
·
The women are depicted inhaling something resembling a smudge stick this
leaves the reader unsure whether they’re indeed flying or having some sort of
hallucinogenic experience brought on by the smoke.
Writer-actor-singer Leonard Bassed was born in the town of
Middleburg, Mpumalanga and raised in Johannesburg. He started taking
vocal lessons at age eight and studied drama throughout his high school
years. A mentor encouraged him to pursue an acting career. Leonard
went on to complete acting classes in both South Africa and later Los
Angeles. Currently, when not writing or singing, Leonard continues to
study acting techniques with the renowned Margie Haber Studio in
Hollywood. In his free time, he enjoys travel, reading and movie going.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://leonardbassed.com/Facebook page for author: https://www.facebook.com/leobassed/
Twitter page for author: https://twitter.com/LeonardBassed
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