I agree with David Morrell that this is one heck of a good idea for a novel! In a nutshell, it’s a "James Bond" type tale with a climax reminiscent of "The Matrix’s" flair for bending reality and it’s really hard to put the book down after about page 20. With all the action scenes, running gun battles and explosions this story has all the makings for an action packed, big-screen movie. Before you start reading this one, make sure you have a large bucket of popcorn and a large drink at hand.

Stacey Cochran has the makings of a best-seller with "Amber Page and the Legend of the Coral Stone." It is a thrilling, action packed adventure that keeps the reader entertained, enthralled and hooked from its opening paragraph to its last words. Readers of all ages will fall in love with Amber Page as she transforms from a sweet first grader to a crime-fighting, superhero with the power to save her family and the world. Cochran has created characters that the reader will undoubtedly identify with and root for, whether it's the Amber, the heroic Rio, the hard-working Donna or the well-meaning Mike. I look forward to more adventures from Amber, as well as "Amber Page" the movie starring Dakota Fanning as a slightly aged Amber. A job well done!

I just received my copy of this today and devoured it in one sitting. So you can tell that I really enjoyed it. It's a very engaging story that made me laugh in places, cry in others and left me satisfied at the end.

If I can make one criticism of the book it's that there is the odd error in grammar or spelling. The one that really grated is the use of "shined" instead of "shone" in places. There were other minor errors but only a few and I've seen worse things slip by in traditionally published works.

Still it is well worth reading and I do recommend it.

My only major gripe is that I have to wait until Winter 2007 for the next volume.

David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood and creator of Rambo

“This is one heck of a good idea for a novel.”



Simon Wood, author of Accidents Waiting to Happen

“Amber Page is a Da Vinci Code for the junior high generation.”



Jeremy Robinson, bestselling author of The Didymus Contingency

“The story grabs you from the moment an old man with piercing eyes smashes his walker through a school bus window and delivers the message that propels the book forward, ‘the legendary coral stone is destined for you.’ The story’s grip doesn’t loosen until Amber’s pitched battle for the fate of the world with the nefarious S.H.R.O.U.D. organization is complete. An entertaining, fast-paced read featuring a hero like no other—a powerful, seven-year-old girl who’s not afraid to throw down with the bad guys. Highly recommended.”



Ken Brosky, Editor-in-Chief Brew City Magazine

“Amber Page picks you up from page one and doesn’t let go. The nonstop action and layered plot keep you turning pages until your thumb is sore. There’s something to be said about a book that can hook readers from the first page and keep them hooked until the very end. Funny, smart and unpredictable, Cochran’s newest is proof that the action thriller is still a powerful force.”



Mark Jeffrey, bestselling author of The Pocket and the Pendant

“A fine first volume of what promises to continue to be a quantum fable of spy intrigue, adventure and thought-provoking speculation on the nature of the universe.

For starters, the realistic depiction of Amber's broken family and poverty combined with the way Amber’s everyday experiences in school ‘rang true’ lent believability to the tale. This is a key foundation of fantasy that many authors simply ignore, but which Cochran smartly builds on as a cornerstone. He has very clear empathy for Amber, her mom, her dad and their situation in life—and thus the reader does as well. When fantastical elements—such as the nefarious S.H.R.O.U.D. organization and the Coral Stone of the title—are introduced, they then have immediate validity, because they appear to exist in a ‘real world’ that we can all recognize.

Cochran also manages to weave in intellectual concepts such as quantum mechanics without getting over-complex or wordy. Young readers will be able to clearly understand these concepts through his use of something he calls ‘The Line’—which physics buffs will recognize as the ‘weirdness barrier’ between the bizarre actions of subatomic particles and the macro world at large we can all see. The Line is crossed in our observable world by certain individuals such as Amber and the Stone—and a certain mysterious old man with a walker who figures prominently in the tale.

The motif of ‘universal true freedom’ is explored nicely through things as simple as a stoplight which controls whether a classroom can talk or not. A metaphor for the clamping, smothering controls we’ve all experienced in the world, they are perhaps nowhere as vivid as in our early classroom experiences. Amber is presented as a champion of true freedom by openly defying this control mechanism, and she is certain to go on repeating her actions in ever-widening arenas with greater consequences for all.

Lastly, the classic death and rebirth of the hero motif is also presented in fine detail at the end of the novel. Cochran isn’t afraid to kill characters when needed, or have them undergo extreme transformations, even at an early age. And again, he accomplishes both believably.

So let me enthusiastically recommend Amber Page and the Legend of the Coral Stone for your bookshelf as a rollicking adventure and fantasy tale and speculation about the world we inhabit all wrapped into one!”