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About Russ

Russell Stoll writes fantasy and sci-fi for young adults and older folks who still dream in color.

Published work

Quiznot cover Quiznot
The Smithson School was supposed to help Timothy Starr control his strange new powers, not put his life in jeopardy.  Learn more

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Newsletter

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Make Good Art

June 1, 2016 | Russell Stoll 0

I loved this commencement address from Neil Gaiman, one of my heroes. Enjoy.

Another nice review

June 22, 2015 | Russell Stoll 0

Catherine Rose Putsche just added a nice review of Quiznot on her blog. Here’s an excerpt:

What a wonderfully crafted story! I was pretty much hooked from the start and look forward to reading more books in this planned trilogy. Russell Stoll has successfully created a thrilling young adult/sci-fi/fantasy book with a likable heroine that the reader can get behind and root for as he is strong, brave and loyal. The only disappointment I had is that I must wait to hear more of Timothy’s adventures and can’t wait to see what they entail. I expect an exciting epic to be awaiting this heroine.

I hear you all. Write faster, Russ.

Nice review from Joe Crowe at revolutionsf.com

May 15, 2015 | Russell Stoll 0

He writes,
“Quiznot blends elements of The Last Starfighter and X-Men and a little bit of the sadly canceled TV show Tower Prep. It’s about a kid who discovers he has powers, and enigmatic people at a mysterious school with kids who also have strange stuff. The whole product is just enjoyable, a hero’s quest mixed with teen-outsider melodrama.

“Give this one a shot. It’s new characters and a new story that will remind you of classic stuff. It’s an all-ages story with a creature that reminds me of Lockheed from X-Men. So that’s a few bonus points right there.”

Here’s a link to his blog: RevolutionSF.

X-Men meet the Stepford Wives

January 8, 2015 | Russell Stoll 0

I just received a wonderful review for Quiznot from Bethanie Armstrong over at her blog Bethanie’s Blog–Reviews and Faves. Thanks Bethanie!

Quiznot by Russell Stoll

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi

And WOW!! I don’t know how else to explain this book. It has hit the Bethanie’s Fave list. I immensely enjoyed this book. Each page I turned I had no idea what would happen next. It was extremely unpredictable and I loved it! Most of the time I like predictability, bu this time it didn’t happen. I was just fine with that.

I still wonder what happened to a certain character in this book, but luckily this is only Book One. I am so excited that I have more to look forward to, and will hopefully have my question answered. Now, I will have to say this. The way the book started off, I thought it was just going to be another boring book about people doing strange things. I was SOOOO happy to find out that I was completely wrong!

Oh my goodness! This book had a huge mixture of things to it. It reminded me of X-Men meet the Stepford Wives. When I said that to my husband he imitated his mind being blown–Ha Ha! He is not an avid reader like me. I was able to get him into reading at one point and every-once-in-a-while I can do it again. I am going to try with this book. I think he would enjoy it.

Mr. Stoll has written a great Sci-Fi book that I would recommend for any age from about 13 and up. It is definitely a young adult novel. What a grand adventure awaits the reader who chooses this book!

WRITING AND STORYLINE

The writing I only found a few mistakes in, but the storyline was impressive. Mr. Stoll wove so much into this book sometimes it was hard to keep up with until you read a few pages in and suddenly realize what has happened. That was the only part that kind of threw me. But once I figured it out, it made every bit of sense. In my opinion it connected the aspects of the book.

One other thing. Some readers care and others don’t. There are very few expletives in this book, I only remember about two. They are very lite.
I don’t ever give much up about a story, because I don’t want to spoil it for another reader. It is kind of like a movie that you want to see and you don’t want anyone to tell you anything about it. You want to find the surprises yourself. This book is full of them. You will enjoy it! By the way, my favorite character was Max. 🙂

Happy reading!

~Bethanie

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary exchange was made.

Don’t you love paper

December 11, 2014 | Russell Stoll 0

Finally, the print version of Quiznot is available from Amazon.

The perfect holiday gift. Hint, hint.

And we’re live…

September 26, 2014 | Russell Stoll 0

My debut eBook, Quiznot, finally went on sale today on Amazon.com. Look for the print version in a month or so.

I’m kind of speechless now, just soaking in the moment. For now, more thanks than I can express verbally to my wife Jennifer for putting up with me as I pursued this crazy journey.

Prosecco tonight.

quiznot_paperback_large

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About Russ

Russell Stoll writes fantasy and sci-fi for young adults and older folks who still dream in color.

Works in progress

Rift Rider, Future Time series, Book 1
Young Adult (YA) Time Travel Fantasy — 2025
(20K out of 70K words)

Dragons Alive, Future Time series, Book 2
Young Adult (YA) Time Travel Fantasy — 2025

Writer’s resources

Books on craft
Spellbinding Sentences
Building Great Sentences

Podcasts for writers
Joanna Penn

Other online resources
Great Music to Write By

© 2025 Russell Stoll