Cider - Shop now
$12.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, May 12 to Nashville 37217 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Saturday, May 10.
In Stock
$$12.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$12.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Penny Luker
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Truth Finder Paperback – January 21, 2013

by Penny Luker (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$12.00","priceAmount":12.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"9Kmdt3ogomm9DtLIHqiupp0G1rHOxZUxE%2Fud8jNu6de3CupvISceI3BeqokueBfHJh8vdErs39fusMsrXNmJzVQOGBf0KAiZko58cfY2FDXJdvEJhUifc1aQE7NVgmtPRei65i5e%2B4UNn0%2FCH7dAcw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Vrail is a Truth Finder on Earth in the fifth millennium. Those living with special gifts, are vulnerable to exploitation and even imprisonment.Vrail develops his gift as he learns to find his place in a violent and unstable world.
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Reading age
    1 year and up
  2. Book 1 of 3
    Future Earth
  3. Print length
    180 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Dimensions
    5.83 x 0.41 x 8.27 inches
  6. Publication date
    January 21, 2013
  7. ISBN-10
    1291644253
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1291644258
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lulu.com; First Edition (January 21, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1291644253
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1291644258
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.83 x 0.41 x 8.27 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Penny Luker

Penny Luker

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Penny Luker has been writing all her life. She has published a fantasy trilogy: The Truth Finder, The Visualizer and The Healer. Four books of short stories: Missing, Pebble on the Beach, The Mermaid and Lady in the Woods. Three poetry books: Nature's Gold, Autumn Gold and The Shadows of Love and five children's books. They are The Green Book, Tiny Tyrannosaurus, Pablo the Storytelling Bear, Desdemona, the dragon without any friends and Picnic in the Park.

Penny Luker lives with her husband and two rescue cats in Cheshire and enjoys spending time with her family, painting and playing the piano.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
30 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Eric Lahti
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read minds at your own peril
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Penny Luker's The Truth Finder is a YA story about a young man far in the Earth's future who can read minds and communicate telepathically. In this world there are others with similar gifts such as the ability to create mirages of sorts. Throw in a pinch of political intrigue, a shot of coming-of-age story, and a dash of magical swans and you have a very rich YA story that avoids the traditional pitfalls of talking down to its audience. Our protagonist, Vrail, is not out to save the world from the shadowy forces of danger. He's not the most powerful person in the world. He's, arguably, not even the most powerful person in his village. And that right there is a powerful way to tell a story; rather than making the main character so amazing that he becomes a charicature or something to strive for but never attain, Luker tells us a story that we can fit ourselves into. It has a lot of moving parts - coming-of-age, political intrigue, hints of things that started normal but became magical - but Penny pulls it most of the way together.

    I say most of the way because there are some dangling threads left at the end. The primary story is told, but bear in mind the subtitle of the book Future Earth Book 1. It simply wouldn't be proper to finish everything at the end of this. Besides, if the whole story was told there'd be no reason for a sequel and I'd personally like to see more of the story. Here's to looking forward to Future Earth Book 2.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ian
    4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Hooked on This Series
    Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    4.5 Stars

    This book was a delight to read from start to finish. The concept of the truth finder as a character was a neat one, a boy with mind-reading powers, struggling to come to terms with his abilities and their effects on people. The novel is a coming of age story; it follows along with him as he develops his abilities, and learns to shield himself from the psychic pains he can bring himself and others without greater control. He must also face mounting obstacles from the outside world as he and his powers grow, including those who are anxious to put those powers to serve them, whose ends aren’t nearly as noble as our hero’s.

    I very much enjoyed being inside the head of Vrail, our hero; his character is very well realized and easy to project myself into as a form of wish-fulfillment. His resolve to not only hold on to his humanity in a world gone mad, as various camps prepare for war against one another, but to become more-than-human, in the sense of the self-mastery one might expect of a spiritual master, is as much my journey as it is his, or so it feels by the end. That’s quite a gift for a book to leave you with, this desire to take your own humanity to the next level despite a world that will do much to ensure your fears prevent you from going too much further down that path.

    I also thought the blending of sci-fi and fantasy elements extremely well done. Despite being a largely agrarian world, legacy technology left over from a prior age where the planet nearly destroys itself is featured throughout. Each time it makes an appearance it points up the story, adding sparkle like glitter in a fairy godmother’s costume.

    The book ends abruptly for a stand-alone novel. But this is clearly part of a series, and that is frequently par for the course.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • M. Slavidou
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, well written. Recommended.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very enjoyable story. It is set far in the future, in a world where things are very different from today in many ways, but human intrigue and emotions remain the same.

    The main character, Vrail, is a most likeable young man. Straightforward and honest, he seems ill-suited to the times, but it is a good reminder of what human beings can be if we so choose. I enjoyed the plot, which was easy to follow, and found the dialogue very engaging.

    I have two criticisms. The first is that the book didn't seem to come to any conclusion - it just stopped. I am hoping that this is because there will be a continuation in the second book of the series. The second regards the behaviour of Lord Stark. He seems incredibly kind for a cold-hearted dictator, and I thought his portrayal was a little naive.

    However, this is a minor point in the story as a whole, and I did not find it detracted from my enjoyment of a story that kept me interested from start to finish.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Martin Septim
    4.0 out of 5 stars This book had a lot of nice ideas. I enjoyed the concept of mind reading ...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book had a lot of nice ideas. I enjoyed the concept of mind reading and how power can be a burden taken advantage of by others. An enjoyable tale for fantasy readers.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Robert
    5.0 out of 5 stars ENJOYABLE
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Having raised four daughters who now have teenagers of their own I am always searching for books I feel would be suitable for them. I read many and most I reject - either I think they are simple or they do not hold my attention. THE TRUTH FINDER is on my A list and highly recommended. It is thought provoking, stimulating. and futuristic with enough modern touches to make it feasible. Mind reading, telepathic powers, villains, all combined into one good story that is guaranteed to keep a young mind wondering and turning the pages. Enjoyable.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Kayla Howarth
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting futuristic story
    Reviewed in Australia on January 28, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A world destroyed. Humanity starting over. Warring cities. Famine, poor health and no help.
    This is Vrail's world. After the loss of his father, when Vrail is just a teenager, he wants nothing more than to live his life like everyone else. He wants to make money by doing something he loves (art) and he wants to live a normal life. But Vrail is not normal. He's a Truth Finder; the most powerful Truth Finder anyone has ever known.
    He can hear everyone's thoughts, even communicate with others through their minds. People want him to use his powers for selfish reason wherever he goes. Vrail learns that is is imperative for him to hide just how powerful he is, or the consequences for him would be dire.
    The Truth Finder by Penny Luker is consistent with writing, dialogue and fluency. I first found the dialogue to be a bit stiff and unrealistic. However, the consistency in which it's written, leads me to believe this was done on purpose as the language of the future. There's no slang, no casualness to it.
    The book was done in two halves. The first half of the book focuses on Vrail's teenage life, the second half ten years later. I found the gap of ten years abrupt and a tad confusing, but was quick to get over it considering it was explained quite briefly that life did not change for Vrail over those ten years.
    The realism in which Luker portrays humanity at it's worst is believable. The greedy will always be greedy, there will always be war and there will always be need- all because of the human instinct of self preservation.
    There seemed to be a lot of side story lines that I wouldn't have minded being explored more, with less focus on the history of how the world came to be.
    All in all, it was an interesting read.
    Report
  • Lesley Hayes
    5.0 out of 5 stars An enthralling read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Knowing this book was primarily aimed at young adults, I wondered how much I would enjoy it, but within a very few pages I was gripped by the narrative. Although the story in this future world is set in the fifth millennium there are fascinating parallels with our modern age. I couldn’t help feeling that Vrail’s gift (which doesn’t always seem such a gift to him, especially when he first recognises its wider impact) is almost a natural extension of the instant connection we have now via social media, where in a sense we do constantly ‘read each other’s minds.’ In this future world there are other unusual talents that have possibly developed from brain experiments conducted in the ruined past: a growing number of ‘visualisers’ can shape-shift and create deceptive illusions for others. Those who have been born with this gift are feared, exploited, and persecuted in a world still not ready to accept the potential transcendent leap. I loved the curious juxtaposition between a reimagined antediluvian civilisation that has grown out of the ashes of a destroyed 21st century world, and a futurist society which has retained many of its technological advantages while functioning within a largely feudal system. Penny Luker manages with great skill to pull this off without too many obvious flaws of logic – or perhaps I was so enthralled by the story that I threw logic to the wind and went with the flow. The character of Vrail is superbly drawn. He grows into adulthood retaining the integrity he has developed as a child, learning at his father’s knee the responsibility that comes with his telepathic powers. I felt for him, having lived my own life as something of a truth finder. Intuition can be a double-edged sword, and Vrail’s talent is in demand by the forces of both the good and the powerful. Seeing into the perverted depths of an evil mind while assisting in the pursuit of a particularly vile criminal takes Vrail to some dangerous edges, both mentally and physically, and these events are well drawn, realistic, and beautifully written. The storyline presents a number of dilemmas for Vrail, which are cleverly resolved by the end. Nevertheless, as a reader there is relief in realising that in some ways his story is only just beginning. This is the first book in what I guess could be as long a series as Penny Luker’s imagination can stretch. I feel certain that any young adult who reads this will be eager to read more. I am impressed, and highly recommend this book.
    Report
  • Tom
    4.0 out of 5 stars Futuristic but believable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A well-written tale of a possible future aimed at the YA audience. The author has managed to create some wonderful characters, great imagery and an all too believable scenario of Earth some milleniums from now.
    I believe it will be a popular story with the target market, because the hero is likeable and it is easy to feel an empathy with him on his journey.
    I must make it clear that I am way beyond the YA age range, so my review is aimed at encouraging new readers - and trying to help my fellow authors. With that in mind, my only reservations come, not as a reader, but as a writer and reviewer.
    It is the author’s choice to use ‘single’ or “double” quotation marks for dialogue. When a character has a thought, it should not be shown in quotation marks, because it is not spoken - it is a thought.
    Penny has come up with a superb scenario with her main character’s ability. If I was given the choice, I think I would suggest that all the ‘thoughts’ in the story were shown in italics which would negate the need for highlighting them in any other way. It would mean that the thoughts and the speech would both stand out clearly, but look different. The reader would learn early on which was thought and which was speech.
    Aside from my fixation with such punctuation, even for a slightly older guy, I liked the story and if I was a YA, I’d probably like it even more than I did. Great work Penny!
    Report
  • Maria
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth Finder.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    4.5 rounded to 5.
    I really enjoyed this YA fantasy. I thought the tone and writing was perfect for the age group targeted, it was a great story with interesting characters.
    I especially liked that although it was set in the future and there had been disastrous wars making areas of earth inhabitable, it was not too bleak with people living as savages, like many other books in this genre. Humanity and civilisation survives. There are schools and employment in the new cities and the farmers work with scientists to increase yields on the land that can still be farmed. There are tyrants but people try to get on with everyday life.
    A lot of thought went into creating this "future" world and events appeared logical within it. There were a couple of little touches I particularly liked, especially as they were referred to without over labouring the point -
    The 'visualisers' were forced by the government to create the illusion that the city was far smarter than it was and to hide the derelict, run down buildings.
    Most people thought the 'life device' they wore was a good thing as it did things like detect illnesses early on. A few thought they went against civil liberties.
    The central character, Vrail was believable and likeable as he struggled with his gift of being a truth finder and works out the best way to use his power for good. He was a loyal,brave and thoughtful character with a supportive group of friends.
    The writing is straightforward with clarity. The story is entertaining and complete but also introduces a range of characters, giving the author plenty of scope to make this into a series.
    An enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series being released.
    Report
  • Sharon
    5.0 out of 5 stars At last an easy to follow futuristic book!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    At last an easy to follow futuristic book!
    As soon as I began the book I wanted to be like Vrail, imagine being able to read the thoughts of others? I don't think I would have used it the same way the character did. It is a talent he uses wisely, his integrity and honesty remains throughout the story. Vrail sometimes wishes he didn't have the skill but when he learns how to control his Truth Finding skills he accepts his fate..
    I was wary to begin with as I don't read this genre. I find futuristic novels too unbelievable. Not with this one, The Truth Finder, set in the fifth millennium seemed a little too far- fetched for me, at first, then what a surprise when it made me feel as if it was in the Middle Ages. The descriptions of characters and places were a joy to read. I struggled a little with Vrails thoughts, possibly italics would have helped. Even so, the book as a whole was great, easy reading and filled with great characters.
    Report