Smoke

A Novel

By: Dan Vyleta

Narrated by: Allan Corduner

Readers of the Harry Potter series and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are sure to be mesmerized by Dan Vyleta’s thrilling blend of historical fiction and fantasy, as three young friends scratch the surface of the grown-up world to discover startling wonders—and dangerous secrets.



“Dan Vyleta writes with intricacy and imagination and skillful pacing; never once would I have considered putting his book down. In the manner of both a Dickens novel and the best young adult adventure stories (the Harry Potter series among them). . .his ending, which I wouldn’t dare reveal here, is a real firecracker.”—Jennifer Senior, The New York Times


Welcome to a Victorian England unlike any other you have experienced before. Here, wicked thoughts (both harmless and hate-filled) appear in the air as telltale wisps of Smoke.

Young Thomas Argyle, a son of aristocracy, has been sent to an elite boarding school. Here he will be purged of Wickedness, for the wealthy do not Smoke. When he resists a sadistic headboy's temptations to Smoke, a much larger struggle beyond the school walls is revealed. Shortly thereafter, on a trip to London, Thomas and his best friend witness events that make them begin to question everything they have been taught about Smoke.

And thus the adventure begins... You will travel by coach to a grand estate where secrets lurk in attic rooms and hidden laboratories; where young love blossoms; and where a tumultuous relationship between a mother and her children is the crucible in which powerful passions are kindled, and dangerous deeds must be snuffed out in a desperate race against time.

Interesting story with believable characters

I struggled to get into it at the beginning but was engrossed by the 100th page

A unique tale in a dystopian Victorian England

A fantastic concept of story, vibrant characters, and an amazing performance from the narrator carry this story through the moments where story telling, in itself, falls a touch short of entertaining. a solid addition, still yet, to anyone library.

Masterpiece vs just book

I like the idea of smoke but implementation leaves a great deal to be desired. It seems an author tried to write a masterpiece instead of just a book

Please please make this into a movie!!!

The special effects of this were to be made into a movie would be incredible!

Listened to the end, but...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really "time well-spent." While I was intrigued at the beginning, the story began to lag seriously about half way through and then got really tedious by the last 25%. It was a chore to listen through to the end which I did because it took until the last 30 minutes to find out what the point had been, or was.

What could Dan Vyleta have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It would have been helpful to have had at least some sense of what was going on by the mid point.

Which scene was your favorite?

An interesting set of scenes occurs while the three young protagonists are underground in a coal mine. But this location and ancillary characters prove not to be central to the plot and the author deserts them entirely as he moves on.

Do you think Smoke needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No! The premise is too farfetched, confusing, and not particularly engaging though the characters are relatively well conceived and fleshed out. In a sense, this book felt like very a interesting group of characters in search of a REAL story...a compelling narrative. I kept thinking what J.K. Rowling could do with them!

Any additional comments?

Big time disappointment though the performance was quite good.