Discover → African American Fiction

Cyber Quest

By Ronn Koontz

Enjoying this book? Help it get discovered by casting your vote!

Worth reading 😎

Tron meets young Sherlock Holmes, a stylish graphic novel that introduces digital citizenship and responsibility to middle school readers.

Synopsis

Join Mackenzie and the Digital Guardians on an Epic Cyber Adventure!

When 13-year-old Mackenzie stumbles upon a mysterious message in her favorite game, she’s thrust into a thrilling digital world where she must join forces with a team of young heroes to protect the online realm from the sinister Shadow. Together, they face cyber threats, learn the importance of digital citizenship, and discover the power of teamwork and resilience. Will Mackenzie and the Digital Guardians succeed in their mission? Dive into "Digital Guardians: Cyber Quest" to find out!

Ronn Koontz’ 2024 book: Digital Guardians: Cyber Quest, provides a brand-new take on the graphic novel genre. Centered on 13-year-old Mackenzie, the story looks at the challenges that face today’s youth as they discover their roles and responsibilities in the online and real physical worlds.


This book is not presented in the traditional narrative style of other graphic novels, but is broken into separate chapters with summary and quiz breaks. This style is common as a teaching aid, which allows a class to review chapters together before moving on. However, this format disrupts the natural flow of the story and might impact the potential audience for the book.


If the book is intended as a classroom reader, it offers thoughtful topics such as “digital citizenship.”


If the book is intended for individual fun, some readers might be put off by the review and quiz format.


Graphically, the illustrations by Perry Leman are created with vibrant high-definition digital art. While the images are visually stunning and create a futuristic world of wild neon colors reminiscent of the cyber-world of Tron, you can still see the telltale signs of AI creations, such as facial anomalies and missing or misplaced hands, feet, and fingers.


The book also uses UPPER case text for most of the book. This feels like messages coming from an old-school computer screen, which is fun, but more often it seems like everybody is yelling.


I think the story would benefit by using a standard “Sentence case” in the exposition, dialogue boxes, and thought bubbles. It would also improve the visual aesthetic to fill the text boxes more organically. It can take a little more time to format the text, but will reduce blank space and make the images more dynamic. The story also mixes the use of thought bubbles and dialogue boxes, which might confuse readers. Are they thinking or speaking?


In summary of Digital Guardians: Cyber Quest, I commend Ronn Koontz for addressing the topic of cyber security and fostering the idea of Digital Citizenship, which is import for everyone. Ronn has a real passion for teaching and has created a fun, exciting story. As an artist, writer, and teacher, I give this book three out of five stars (3 of 5), but I am optimistic that additional updates will take the book to the next level.

Reviewed by
D.R. Martin

Oh sure, you'll read this, but you won't leave a comment, fine. D.R. Martin is the mind behind the Grim Chronicles series, which he dreamt up in Bangkok, TH. Youngest of 8 kids in a navy family, he has a BA in Film, an MA in Media, and lives with his wife, teenage son, and two cats in Chicago-land.

Cyber Quest

Written by Ronn Koontz

Read preview

Synopsis

Join Mackenzie and the Digital Guardians on an Epic Cyber Adventure!

When 13-year-old Mackenzie stumbles upon a mysterious message in her favorite game, she’s thrust into a thrilling digital world where she must join forces with a team of young heroes to protect the online realm from the sinister Shadow. Together, they face cyber threats, learn the importance of digital citizenship, and discover the power of teamwork and resilience. Will Mackenzie and the Digital Guardians succeed in their mission? Dive into "Digital Guardians: Cyber Quest" to find out!

Cyber Quest

Written by Ronn Koontz

Visit website
No activity yet

No updates yet.

Come back later to check for updates.

Comments

About the author

Ronn Koontz is a passionate storyteller with a love for digital worlds and their intersection with real-life challenges. With a background in music production and Information technology. Ronn brings a unique perspective to the world of graphic novels. This is their first graphic novel. view profile

Published on July 27, 2024

5000 words

Genre:African American Fiction

Reviewed by

Enjoyed this review?

Get early access to fresh indie books and help decide on the bestselling stories of tomorrow. Create your free account today.

facebook

or

google

Or sign up with an email address

Or sign up with your social account

Menu