Justin Leslie Author Page

Deep Thoughts by Justin Leslie…..I just finished MA5 (Max Abaddon 5) The Crystal King. The book is much darker than I intended it to be. But stories have a way of doing that sometimes. I still need to finish the Epilogue, which I always do as the series has an overarching theme.

I will state I feel this book really pulled away from where it started. I believe the fact that most of it occurs on the Plane accounts for that. A new world, and it really digs into the heart of the Old Gods. If you paid attention to the Epilogue in MA4 it sets the stage.

There was a lot of thought put into writing this one. MA3/4 are both rides while this book really dives into things. It’s just a different ride…, literally…,

We find new characters and new places blending together in the larger world surrounding Max. I’ll state I have two new additions to the character family that will be around for some time that I categorically enjoyed writing. Long story short, I could have written an entire book about the pixie king…

It’s a story of personal growth as well. I was watching the Harry Potter special on HBO, and something occurred to me. (Yes, I enjoyed the movies and books. They are prolific either way. Yes, when I was a soldier in Afghanistan, we would huddle around and watch the films, so there, I said it. I like Harry Potter. I also like Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey, soooo…… I have eclectic taste.)

They talked about each book and how they go from this fun-loving group in a rather amusing yet serious story, only to shift to a dark serious tone. I immediately started thinking about Max and his crew in MA5. When we first met him, there was barely a chapter that went by without them drinking to the point of me getting one-star book reviews from angsty readers that didn’t approve. Now he barely has time to tie his shoes, let alone act as he did when we first met him.

Long story short, this is one of those books that has a feel to it. It even forced some changes moving forward on MA6, which I will be talking about later as it gets back to the heart of MA3/4 now that Max has taken his first trip to the Plane. Basically, back on Earth.

Cheers and Happy New Years!