Requiem, Changing Times

Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
450 Pages
Reviewed on 10/18/2019
Buy on Amazon




Author Biography

Russell Parker was born in Bountiful, Utah. As his father was safety manager he had to move around until his senior year of high school, when he came to Cache Valley, Utah to stay. He married the most wonderful woman in the world and they are the parents of four fantastic kids, with one crazy dog.
Russell played all kinds of sports and was an outdoorsman until an accident brought him to writing. A writer since high school, encouragement brought his stories to life.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Requiem, Changing Times by RJ Parker is an action-packed adventure with humorous dialogue, delightful characters, and a coming of age journey. Clint thought the worst he had to deal with was having to tell his mom and stepdad that he was sent to the principal’s office for disrupting class ... then a mysterious stranger arrives looking for him and he’s attacked by an imp. When his parents go away on a trip, Clint and his siblings are left in the care of his eldest sister just as strangers from another world enter his life with the claim that he will lead them to the Requiem. Clint doesn’t know anything about what they want but that doesn’t stop dangerous beings from coming after him and attacking those he loves. To protect his family, he’ll need to rely on these mysterious strangers for help and understand why he’s the one everyone seeks.

The story centers on Clint and his family during the absence of the parents, which allows for plenty of chaos to unfold, self-discovery, and sibling bonding. Each of the siblings has their own personality and struggles with each getting their own journeys and moments, with the majority focusing on their relationships with each other and how they band together with plenty of scenes that provide heart. The dialogue is fun and fitted to the characters with those from the other world who have a noticeable accent with Parker using pop culture references, jokes, and sarcasm woven for humor and key personality traits. The story has several witty one-liners throughout that are delightful and clever, with specific characters such as Nix who have effortless means of humor. The world provides a range of dangerous and complex creatures such as ogres, trolls, vampires, and more moving into the human world as these beings come after Clint. Requiem, Changing Times is a coming of age tale with supernatural beings, action-packed scenes, heartfelt family moments, and humorous characters.

Romuald Dzemo

Requiem, Changing Times by R. J. Parker is an urban fantasy novel with a cast of interesting characters. The news isn’t good. Channel Ten News is reporting on economic turmoil that is spreading worldwide, with governments declaring bankruptcy and war becoming a reality in many nations. Congress is worried about the rumors of an impending plague. In Asia and Africa, leaders have declared a state of martial law. For Clint and Corbin, it is just another unusual day at school and they notice the changes that are happening both in school and around them. A strange man follows them, claiming he is looking for Clint and then there is an attack by an imp. Coming home doesn’t even prove to be the safest option as strangers from another world arrive with their allies. The talk is about The Requiem and Clint and Corbin, together with family, are about to be pulled into a deadly adventure. No one is sure of coming out alive.

This is a mesmerizing story that follows two young characters who have been friends for life and an adventure they never planned for. The characters are elaborately developed, especially the two key characters. From the beginning, readers are aware that something strange is happening with the social problems facing nations, but the focus quickly turns to the young key characters in the story. I enjoyed the dialogues and loved how Clint and his friend struggle to make sense of the things that are happening around them and how they get involved in the deadly adventure. The prose is good, the pacing just right, and the narrative is rich psychologically and emotionally. R. J. Parker uses strong imagery to give readers images of where the story takes place. Requiem, Changing Times is well-plotted and beautifully written.

Christian Sia

Requiem, Changing Times by R. J. Parker is a well-written and entertaining story that begins with a normal day in school for Clint and Corbin and quickly leads into events that spiral out of control, a story that features alien beings, humanoids, trolls and imps all in fury armor, and other creatures. Different kinds of beings are on earth on the quest for the Requiem and Clint and Corbin get caught up in a conflict they never imagined, even faintly. Then there are Banks and O'Neil, aliens whose world is threatened and who find themselves on earth in a battle against the bad guys. They take a particular interest in Clint, his best friend, and his family. But can they protect Clint and his family and how can Clint help them recover their world?

Filled with adventure and a lot of fun episodes, Requiem, Changing Times is deftly written and features multidimensional characters. There is a battle for a power that doesn’t belong to earth but that battle is taking place on earth. Clint is an unlikely character with a key role to play and it is interesting how the kids develop a relationship with the aliens. A sense of danger pervades the entire atmosphere. From the time the characters are attacked by an imp, I became interested in the story, wanting to know the role that Clint plays in a war that isn’t of his world. He is the key to finding the Requiem and he is clueless about why both the bad guys and the good guys are after him. R. J. Parker uses suspense intelligently to create reader interest and humor fills the pages, enriching dialogues and scenes that are brilliantly written. R. J. Parker is a great storyteller and I can’t wait for the next book from this author.

K.C. Finn

Requiem, Changing Times is a work of fantasy fiction penned for young adults by author R. J. Parker. Combining fantasy, magic, mystery and science fiction with an urban setting, in this story we meet our central heroes Clint and Corbin at the start of a very strange day. Best friends for life, we meet the teen boys after a brief prelude of strange creatures and top-secret dealings, and then the aliens and their allies and enemies converge on the boys’ normal day. Though they aren’t sure at all about the rumors and the whisperings of the Requiem going on around them, they have to admit that they’re now involved in a mystery as big as the universe itself.

Author R. J. Parker mixes intelligent and emotive teen drama with an exciting and enthralling alien plot to create a spot-on YA adventure novel. Clint and Corbin begin as your average jokey boys, but their emotional journey is cleverly developed as the trials and tribulations of the plot hit them. Parker’s combination of plot and character reaction and development makes the whole novel feel realistic despite its zany twists and horned imps, giving resonance and relatability to the teens’ angst and how they work through their feelings. O’Neill and Banks, their protectors, are also stellar characters with many hidden depths that are revealed during the well-paced plot. Overall, Requiem, Changing Times is a high octane adventure with plenty of heart, delivered with excellent prose quality from a very talented author.

Rabia Tanveer

Requiem, Changing Times by R. J. Parker is the story of people from different worlds and different platforms, but all of them have the same goal: to protect their respective worlds. This is the story of two aliens who are trying to protect their world, but they have no idea that they will be responsible for so much more. Banks and O’Neil are not from this planet; they come from a faraway place where things are not going so well. They are desperate to find a way to not only protect their planet but to save everyone else too. So when they come in contact with Clint, his family and his friend Corbin, they know that they have to do everything in their power to save them too. That marks the beginning of a journey for Banks, O’Neil, Clint, and Corbin as they try to figure out a way to save themselves and fight an evil that seems to be too powerful for them to defeat. What are they going to do?

Imps, aliens, animals that can talk and people who just don’t understand; this is the perfect young adult story that will be loved by all. I loved Banks' and Clint’s characters; they were wholesome and exceptionally well-crafted. They are the sort of people others rely on, they are the people who become the backbone of their families and help other people in their lives. The plot was perfect; it allowed the characters to grow to their full potential, enhanced their quirks and made them into strong contenders that commanded the attention of readers. I loved the flow, it was perfect for the story, the narrative was well done, and the complexity of the story was enough to keep me riveted and wanting more. I cannot wait for more from these characters!