“Lost on the Edge of Eternity” by Jonathan Floyd

• 12/27/2020
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Lost on the Edge of Eternity

Jonathan Floyd
Pathway Press (2021)
ISBN 9780962003172
Reviewed by Amy (age 16) for Reader Views Kids (12/2020)

“Lost on the Edge of Eternity” by Jonathan Floyd is paranormal thriller that takes readers on a ghostly adventure through high school and beyond.

The excitement begins when the guidance counselor of Brownville High, Bill Fellars, is visited by a former student, Randy Galphin. The problem? Randy is dead! Randy tells Mr. Fellars he and some others are stuck between worlds and they need his help passing over to the other side. Fellars is both intrigued and alarmed by the request. If news of this gets out, he could wind up in the psychiatric ward of the local hospital. On the other hand, if he doesn’t help, all these spirits will be stuck in limbo forever. The story unfolds as Mr. Fellars helps each of the individuals, who are convinced they were taken from this world too soon, to rectify the past, take care of some unfinished business, and even plot revenge on those who slighted them in life.

“Lost on the Edge of Eternity” introduces a variety of characters both living and dead. At first I thought there were too many characters and situations to deal with in one book without being redundant but the author successfully ties all the characters together though unpredictable circumstances and events. Readers will encounter characters they like, characters they don’t like and everything in between. A couple of my favorites were five-year-old Melissa King who died tragically trying to save her puppy from being run over and Chadwick Corley, the kid who was picked on by everyone in high school but was so obnoxious you couldn’t feel sorry for him. There were times when I seriously just wanted him to SHUT UP but I realized that I liked to dislike him as much as I liked to like some of the others (follow me?)!

Suicide, automobile accidents, combat, drag racing, drugs, hazing – these are just a few of the ways the formers students of Brownville High had their lives cut short. Some of the things they request before crossing over to the other side seem out of reach and nearly impossible but the writing is captivating, even if the scenarios are not realistic. Hey, it’s fiction and some things are just going to be outrageous. The small-town scene where everyone knows everyone gives the story an authentic vibe but it’s actually the outrageous that makes this such a good story.

Tony Cunningham, one of the characters, sums things up perfectly when he says, “Any way you cut it, being dead’s a real drag.” Author Jonathan Floyd turns the misfortune of being dead into a bizarre supernatural story. “Lost on the Edge of Eternity” is an unbridled look at life, death, peer pressure, fitting in, bullying, society prejudices and second chances. I highly recommend this book to Young Adults and older.