I've nothing against fanfiction, and I've nothing against Star Wars, LOTR saga, the Dragonflight series, etc.I believe it is a-ok to take INFLUENCE from your favorite authors and stories.Influence, however, does not mean you take your favorite stories, chop them up, change the names of the main characters, and call it your own idea. That's fanfiction.Sure, the kid is only 17 years old, but that's no excuse for not having an original idea. Has anyone ever read the Outsiders? That was written by an 18 or 19 year old girl and had FAR more character development and more overall FEELING to the book than this did. Age is no excuse, I'm sorry.No offense intended, but the kid needs to wean himself off the fanboi-hood of his favorite sci-fi and fantasy, sit down and think about his own ideas, take a few writing classes or practice, and then try again.