What do you think?
Rate this book
Soulworm
She was never meant to be sent into the strange parallel world known as Earth . . . but now, trapped inside the mind of a teenager like herself, she must find a way to save it from destruction. For years, Liothel has waited in vain for her powers to manifest themselves, so that she can become a full-blown Warder, defender of the realm of Mykia from the mind-controlling spirit creatures known as soulworms. But when a soulworm escapes from the Warden’s citadel through a magical portal into the parallel world of Earth, it is her spirit that, entirely by accident, is sent in pursuit. She finds herself, a helpless, unsuspected observer, in the mind of Maribeth, a teenage girl in the small Canadian prairie city of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, in 1984—and discovers the soulworm has possessed Maribeth’s best friend, Christine. Somehow, she must find a way to save Earth from the plague of death and destruction the soulworm and its offspring will release if allowed to spread across the unprotected planet. Only she knows the danger—and only she can stop it. “A wonderfully entertaining, imaginative, and well-crafted book for young adults . . . This book is well-paced and controlled and never becomes moralistic . . . A great read! Highly recommended.” – Saskatchewan Book Award Judges
258 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
About the author
Edward Willett
140 books113 followersEdward Willett is an award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for both children and adults.
Born in Silver City, New Mexico, Willett lived in Bayard, New Mexico and Lubbock and Tulia, Texas, before moving to Weyburn, Saskatchewan with his family when he was eight years old.
He studied journalism at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, then returned to Weyburn as a reporter/photographer for the weekly Weyburn Review, eventually becoming news editor. In 1988 he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, as communications officer for the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and in 1993 he became a fulltime freelance writer. He still resides in Regina.
Willett is now the author or co-author of more than 60 books, ranging from computer books and other nonfiction titles for both children and adults, to science fiction and fantasy for all ages.
His science fiction novel Marseguro (DAW Books) won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author. He has also won a Saskatchewan Book Award for his YA fantasy Spirit Singer. He has been shortlisted for the Aurora Award and Saskatchewan Book Awards multiple times.
His most recent novels include Worldshaper and Master of the World, the first two books in his new series Worldshapers, and The Cityborn, a stand-alone science fiction novel from DAW Books; the Masks of Aygrima trilogy, YA/adult crossover novels published by DAW and written as E.C. Blake; the five-book YA fantasy series The Shards of Excalibur, published by Coteau Books; and the stand-alone YA fantasy Flames of Nevyana (Rebelight Publishing). He's also the author of the Peregrine Rising duology for Bundoran Press (Right to Know and Falcon's Egg).
Other novels include SF novel Lost in Translation (DAW Books), Terra Insegura (sequel to Marseguro, DAW Books), Magebane (DAW Books, written as Lee Arthur Chane), YA SF novels Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star, Andy Nebula: Double Trouble, and The Chosen; and YA ghost story The Haunted Horn.
Shadowpaw Press recently released his short story collection Paths to the Stars and re-released Spirit Singer, a YA fantasy that won a Saskatchewan Book Award and other awards.
His non-fiction titles run the gamut from science books for children on topics as diverse as Ebola Virus and the Milky Way to local history books like Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw for Red Deer Press, awarded a Municipal Heritage Award by the City of Regina in the education category and A Safe and Prosperous Future: 100 years of engineering and geoscience achievements in Saskatchewan, published by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS). He's also written biographies for children of Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Andy Warhol, Orson Scott Card, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Ayatollah Khomeini.
You can find Ed online at www.edwardwillett.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @ewillett.
His is represented by literary agent Ethan Ellenberg (www.ethanellenberg.com).
Besides being a writer, Willett is a professional actor and singer who has performed in dozens of plays, musicals and operas in and around Saskatchewan, hosted local television programs, and emceed numerous public events.
He's married to a telecommunications engineer and has one daughter.
Born in Silver City, New Mexico, Willett lived in Bayard, New Mexico and Lubbock and Tulia, Texas, before moving to Weyburn, Saskatchewan with his family when he was eight years old.
He studied journalism at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, then returned to Weyburn as a reporter/photographer for the weekly Weyburn Review, eventually becoming news editor. In 1988 he moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, as communications officer for the Saskatchewan Science Centre, and in 1993 he became a fulltime freelance writer. He still resides in Regina.
Willett is now the author or co-author of more than 60 books, ranging from computer books and other nonfiction titles for both children and adults, to science fiction and fantasy for all ages.
His science fiction novel Marseguro (DAW Books) won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author. He has also won a Saskatchewan Book Award for his YA fantasy Spirit Singer. He has been shortlisted for the Aurora Award and Saskatchewan Book Awards multiple times.
His most recent novels include Worldshaper and Master of the World, the first two books in his new series Worldshapers, and The Cityborn, a stand-alone science fiction novel from DAW Books; the Masks of Aygrima trilogy, YA/adult crossover novels published by DAW and written as E.C. Blake; the five-book YA fantasy series The Shards of Excalibur, published by Coteau Books; and the stand-alone YA fantasy Flames of Nevyana (Rebelight Publishing). He's also the author of the Peregrine Rising duology for Bundoran Press (Right to Know and Falcon's Egg).
Other novels include SF novel Lost in Translation (DAW Books), Terra Insegura (sequel to Marseguro, DAW Books), Magebane (DAW Books, written as Lee Arthur Chane), YA SF novels Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star, Andy Nebula: Double Trouble, and The Chosen; and YA ghost story The Haunted Horn.
Shadowpaw Press recently released his short story collection Paths to the Stars and re-released Spirit Singer, a YA fantasy that won a Saskatchewan Book Award and other awards.
His non-fiction titles run the gamut from science books for children on topics as diverse as Ebola Virus and the Milky Way to local history books like Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw for Red Deer Press, awarded a Municipal Heritage Award by the City of Regina in the education category and A Safe and Prosperous Future: 100 years of engineering and geoscience achievements in Saskatchewan, published by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS). He's also written biographies for children of Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Andy Warhol, Orson Scott Card, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Ayatollah Khomeini.
You can find Ed online at www.edwardwillett.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter @ewillett.
His is represented by literary agent Ethan Ellenberg (www.ethanellenberg.com).
Besides being a writer, Willett is a professional actor and singer who has performed in dozens of plays, musicals and operas in and around Saskatchewan, hosted local television programs, and emceed numerous public events.
He's married to a telecommunications engineer and has one daughter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2023
Edward Willett is an author that once you read his books, there’s no going back, you will become a fan. There’s no way around it, and if this book is your first time reading one of his works, just keep that in mind and try to prove us wrong.
Soulworm. A weird word that grabs our attention to the possibilities of this book. Are we reading a scifi story? An horror tale? A thriller? What is it about? What’s the meaning or the intention behind the title? And that is a perfect start by itself for a book because we are already curious to know more about it and we haven’t even read a page!
With a quick, blaring start, and a powerful narrative style, we are buckled in for the ride that will be this book. Pun intended.
As per the genre, you will soon find out – and given that is almost Halloween – that Soulworm by Edward Willett will be a perfect pick for you, in this season. It has themes of exorcism, horror, and it’s uncanny how the plot and the characters go about. Chaotically, one might say, but the perfect word for it is “surprising”.
Imagine being the sharpest when it comes to reading and seeing other people, but being blind. Take a moment to process that. There is a character that can read other people so well, that she doesn’t need eyes to see them. How is that possible? Well, you will read about it and be impressed, or spooked out, because damn, she is too good in her ways.
We get a super interesting, gripping plot due to the mystery involved, the implications, the consequences if things go kaboom, and the wreckage that a car accident made. Is it all connected? To topple that, a silent war is going on and the enemy is a being that feeds over negative emotions, the Soulworm, and has a very strange way of being and of possessing their creators, yes, creators. Weird ugh? We told you that Edward Willett was an awesome writer.
I love the idea behind this soulworm thing. It’s a like a demon-virus-specter-being that everybody has except the pure and lighthearted, and that grows and reproduces the more you feed it with your negative emotions and then infects others. How specifically it does that? You will find out soon as you read it, and it’s an interesting approach to many topics, as you will see. The concept gives the book scifi, horror and fantasy vibes at the same time, which is not something easy to pull off.
Then in the midst of all the narrative induced scenario magic, because even though it isn’t, it reads a bit as fantasy, there are very intriguing personal dilemmas and conflicts, both within the characters and between the characters (and at times, both within and between at the same moment…), in a place where this cannot happen, so the tension grows the more you read about it and the more time passes. The author subtly reminds you of this and keeps the tension going in every other page, so this a high-stake book where in an instant, everything can go wrong, and if it goes wrong, it will be dire indeed.
Once you get into the meat and bone of Soulworm you will be struck by the brilliance of plotting of Edward Willett, as the contradictions are nothing short but brilliant. I will not spoil those to you, but I will give you a hint: The way the main characters must live, and what they must experience to be able to truly detect their enemy once it knows them will be the linchpin of things.
One incident, three people, two causalities, one death and a lot to fix between realities with the price being destruction, and the stake being annihilation. There are many wrong things, and there’s only one way to put things right, to burn your dearest friends alive. Yeap, you have heard that correctly. How? Well, you will have to read it to believe it.
Ok, there are certain things that can only happen with women, and that, is the lack of common sense in certain dire situations. There are scenes were you just want to slap the MC out of her lack of awareness of things, in a situation that clearly screamed “DANGER, RUUUUUUUNNNN YOU FOOL! ”, but hey, she is in love and people in love do stupid things. Adding to that, the MC has two souls and only one of them is able to face the danger they are all into, but there is a catch, a huge catch that will make this task, and book, even more impossible, one that we unfortunately cannot share without spoiling the fun of it.
The ability of Edward Willett to keep the tension all the way throughout the book and keep cutting to the chase is remarkable, and this is one of the great things that makes this book worth the read.
There is humor, sure, there are light scenes, yes, but the tension is always there in one way or another as the book just keeps pushing, so if you love thrillers, look twice at Soulworm by Edward Willett because it will not disappoint.
There are deeper meanings than we first understand, we discover as reading this book, because halfway through, the author starts to reveal to the characters, the MC in this case, that there is more to the world than just her mission and her vows (and that kisses are not as soul damning as she first thought), but there is a mission to fulfill that she must complete before anything and she has to risk it all, and then some more, to even have a chance to survive, because victory is another matter entirely, hahahha.
She is discovering a new world, she has to spurge a great evil that is bound to destroy everything in sight, without proper training, abilities, and she has what, three weeks to figure it out or die? Well… the odds sure at at odds with her, even before you factor her pessimism.
It might sound strange, but this doom-above-all-no-matter-how-much-you-try approach brought some newness to the plot and the reading experience, because there is no way, nor an instance where you are reading the book and you say or think: “She is going to make it.” Nope. She can barely keep up, so we might fail to admit, but we want to see how she will actually fail and what will happen to the world after she can’t stop that evil spirit/creature/demon/virus/thing . Weird? Yeah, but this is just how this book rolls, and don’t worry, it’s pretty cool, and at times, … spicy? Well, you will have to decide for yourself.
Having that said, and after having read the book, our conclusion is simple: If you like fantasy or thrillers, consider this book as your next read. If you like unpredictable plots, order it now. If you like twists and turns out of nowhere and don’t mind a pessimistic MC that tries her best despite being the weakling, well, this is the book for you!
Would I personally recommend anyone reading this? Oh yes. Soulworm is a book you want to read and chill with. So grab yours now and mind the flames baby, oh mind the flames.
Pros:
Excellent narrative and pace
Original and unpredictable plotting
A mixture of fantasy, romance and horror that works!
The characters are very well thought out and fleshy
Surprises at every corner
The ending was excellent
Cons:
None
Lesson of the book: Don’t let the title and pride get to you
Cover score: 8.5/10
Book Score: 9.0/10
Click to get your book on Amazon US || Amazon Ca || Kobo || Scribd || Apple || Author’s Site
Soulworm. A weird word that grabs our attention to the possibilities of this book. Are we reading a scifi story? An horror tale? A thriller? What is it about? What’s the meaning or the intention behind the title? And that is a perfect start by itself for a book because we are already curious to know more about it and we haven’t even read a page!
With a quick, blaring start, and a powerful narrative style, we are buckled in for the ride that will be this book. Pun intended.
As per the genre, you will soon find out – and given that is almost Halloween – that Soulworm by Edward Willett will be a perfect pick for you, in this season. It has themes of exorcism, horror, and it’s uncanny how the plot and the characters go about. Chaotically, one might say, but the perfect word for it is “surprising”.
Imagine being the sharpest when it comes to reading and seeing other people, but being blind. Take a moment to process that. There is a character that can read other people so well, that she doesn’t need eyes to see them. How is that possible? Well, you will read about it and be impressed, or spooked out, because damn, she is too good in her ways.
We get a super interesting, gripping plot due to the mystery involved, the implications, the consequences if things go kaboom, and the wreckage that a car accident made. Is it all connected? To topple that, a silent war is going on and the enemy is a being that feeds over negative emotions, the Soulworm, and has a very strange way of being and of possessing their creators, yes, creators. Weird ugh? We told you that Edward Willett was an awesome writer.
I love the idea behind this soulworm thing. It’s a like a demon-virus-specter-being that everybody has except the pure and lighthearted, and that grows and reproduces the more you feed it with your negative emotions and then infects others. How specifically it does that? You will find out soon as you read it, and it’s an interesting approach to many topics, as you will see. The concept gives the book scifi, horror and fantasy vibes at the same time, which is not something easy to pull off.
Then in the midst of all the narrative induced scenario magic, because even though it isn’t, it reads a bit as fantasy, there are very intriguing personal dilemmas and conflicts, both within the characters and between the characters (and at times, both within and between at the same moment…), in a place where this cannot happen, so the tension grows the more you read about it and the more time passes. The author subtly reminds you of this and keeps the tension going in every other page, so this a high-stake book where in an instant, everything can go wrong, and if it goes wrong, it will be dire indeed.
Once you get into the meat and bone of Soulworm you will be struck by the brilliance of plotting of Edward Willett, as the contradictions are nothing short but brilliant. I will not spoil those to you, but I will give you a hint: The way the main characters must live, and what they must experience to be able to truly detect their enemy once it knows them will be the linchpin of things.
One incident, three people, two causalities, one death and a lot to fix between realities with the price being destruction, and the stake being annihilation. There are many wrong things, and there’s only one way to put things right, to burn your dearest friends alive. Yeap, you have heard that correctly. How? Well, you will have to read it to believe it.
Ok, there are certain things that can only happen with women, and that, is the lack of common sense in certain dire situations. There are scenes were you just want to slap the MC out of her lack of awareness of things, in a situation that clearly screamed “DANGER, RUUUUUUUNNNN YOU FOOL! ”, but hey, she is in love and people in love do stupid things. Adding to that, the MC has two souls and only one of them is able to face the danger they are all into, but there is a catch, a huge catch that will make this task, and book, even more impossible, one that we unfortunately cannot share without spoiling the fun of it.
The ability of Edward Willett to keep the tension all the way throughout the book and keep cutting to the chase is remarkable, and this is one of the great things that makes this book worth the read.
There is humor, sure, there are light scenes, yes, but the tension is always there in one way or another as the book just keeps pushing, so if you love thrillers, look twice at Soulworm by Edward Willett because it will not disappoint.
There are deeper meanings than we first understand, we discover as reading this book, because halfway through, the author starts to reveal to the characters, the MC in this case, that there is more to the world than just her mission and her vows (and that kisses are not as soul damning as she first thought), but there is a mission to fulfill that she must complete before anything and she has to risk it all, and then some more, to even have a chance to survive, because victory is another matter entirely, hahahha.
She is discovering a new world, she has to spurge a great evil that is bound to destroy everything in sight, without proper training, abilities, and she has what, three weeks to figure it out or die? Well… the odds sure at at odds with her, even before you factor her pessimism.
It might sound strange, but this doom-above-all-no-matter-how-much-you-try approach brought some newness to the plot and the reading experience, because there is no way, nor an instance where you are reading the book and you say or think: “She is going to make it.” Nope. She can barely keep up, so we might fail to admit, but we want to see how she will actually fail and what will happen to the world after she can’t stop that evil spirit/creature/demon/virus/thing . Weird? Yeah, but this is just how this book rolls, and don’t worry, it’s pretty cool, and at times, … spicy? Well, you will have to decide for yourself.
Having that said, and after having read the book, our conclusion is simple: If you like fantasy or thrillers, consider this book as your next read. If you like unpredictable plots, order it now. If you like twists and turns out of nowhere and don’t mind a pessimistic MC that tries her best despite being the weakling, well, this is the book for you!
Would I personally recommend anyone reading this? Oh yes. Soulworm is a book you want to read and chill with. So grab yours now and mind the flames baby, oh mind the flames.
Pros:
Excellent narrative and pace
Original and unpredictable plotting
A mixture of fantasy, romance and horror that works!
The characters are very well thought out and fleshy
Surprises at every corner
The ending was excellent
Cons:
None
Lesson of the book: Don’t let the title and pride get to you
Cover score: 8.5/10
Book Score: 9.0/10
Click to get your book on Amazon US || Amazon Ca || Kobo || Scribd || Apple || Author’s Site
September 29, 2023
The Review
This was a memorable and captivating read. The author did an excellent job of world-building in this book, touching upon the fictional world that Liothel hails from and the mythos of their culture and society as a whole. The way he was able to integrate this new world into our own and showcase how their powers and worldview manifest within the minds and world of these teenage girls was incredible. The tension that builds and the way the battle brewing between Liothel and the Soulworm entity mirrors the growing drama between Maribeth and Christine was fantastic to see play out on the screen.
The fantastic storytelling of the author’s fictional world and the imagery found within the writing style of the author's work made this a thrilling and enthralling read. The way the action and suspense of this YA read plays into the theme of finding one’s purpose in life, making this a heartfelt and memorable reading experience that is not to be missed.
The Verdict
Mesmerizing, engaging, and thought-provoking, author Edward Willett’s “Soulworm” is a must-read sci-fi meets fantasy YA read. The twists and turns in the narrative, as well as the infinite world of possibility that is presented to the protagonist of this story, make this a crafty and creative read that is impossible to put down.
This was a memorable and captivating read. The author did an excellent job of world-building in this book, touching upon the fictional world that Liothel hails from and the mythos of their culture and society as a whole. The way he was able to integrate this new world into our own and showcase how their powers and worldview manifest within the minds and world of these teenage girls was incredible. The tension that builds and the way the battle brewing between Liothel and the Soulworm entity mirrors the growing drama between Maribeth and Christine was fantastic to see play out on the screen.
The fantastic storytelling of the author’s fictional world and the imagery found within the writing style of the author's work made this a thrilling and enthralling read. The way the action and suspense of this YA read plays into the theme of finding one’s purpose in life, making this a heartfelt and memorable reading experience that is not to be missed.
The Verdict
Mesmerizing, engaging, and thought-provoking, author Edward Willett’s “Soulworm” is a must-read sci-fi meets fantasy YA read. The twists and turns in the narrative, as well as the infinite world of possibility that is presented to the protagonist of this story, make this a crafty and creative read that is impossible to put down.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews