- Paperback: 346 pages
- Publisher: iUniverse (19 Aug 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0595329586
- ISBN-13: 978-0595329588
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16 x 2.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,354,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Masked Destiny (Gay Youth Chronicles)
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Product Description
Product Description
Masked Destiny is the story of Skye, a high school athlete determined to be the Alpha male. Skye's obsessed with his own body, his Abercrombie & Fitch wardrobe, and keeping those around him in their place. Try as he might, he's not quite able to ignore the world around him, or the plight of gay boys who cross his path. Too frightened of what others might think, Skye fails to intervene when he could have saved a boy with a single word. The resulting tragedy, wise words for a mysterious blond boy, and a unique opportunity combine to push Skye toward his destiny.
Oliver is young, a bit pudgy, and interested in little more than his books and possibly his first kiss. As he slowly gains courage, he seeks out the friendship of Clay, his dream boy, in hopes they will become more than friends. Oliver is sought out in turn by Ken, who warns him Clay is not at all what he seems, but Ken, too, has his secrets. Oliver must choose between them and discovers danger, a link to boys murdered in the recent past, and the answers to secrets he'd never dreamed.
About the Author
This is the eleventh novel published by Mark A. Roeder. To date he has written and published Ancient Prejudice Break To New Mutiny, The Soccer Field Is Empty, Someone Is Watching, A Better Place, The Summer of My Discontent, Someone Is Killing The Gay Boys of Verona, Keeper of Secrets, Do You Know That I Love You, This Time Around and The Vampire?s Heart. Information on his novels can be found at markroeder.com.
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6 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A SPIRITED INSTALLMENT OF THE YOUTH CHRONICLES
25 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
MASKED DESTINY is Mark Roeder's latest offering in his Gay Youth Chronicles. The series of books covers a time span of over twenty years. The Chronicles are comprised of eleven (so far) novels with interconnecting story lines and characters. MASKED DESTINY is the third book in a thread dealing with gay teen murders and the supernatural.
As with Roeder's other novels, MASKED DESTINY is told in the voices of its primary characters, in this case, Skye and Oliver. These are two extremely different teens both working in the local (Verona Indiana) farm supply store. It is 1997 and the school year has just begun.
Skye is a sixteen year old, pumped-up, football playing jock, determined to establish himself as the school Alpha-male. His passions are his own incredible body and his Abercrombie & Fitch wardrobe. Skye enjoys checking out the other athletes in the locker room but he's convinced himself it's merely to compare his muscular development against theirs. He's in denial and it never occurs to him that he's gay. Skye doesn't realize it, but he's destined for great things. However, it will take the help of a mesmerizing stranger to guide him down the right path.
Oliver is a pudgy shy fourteen year old struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality. He's introverted and suffers from low self esteem. Oliver tries to overcome his insecurity and self-loathing by joining the local gay youth group. Things begin to turn around for Oliver, and he finds himself having to choose between, Clay, the boy of his dreams and, Ken, a cute sixteen year aggressively pursuing him. Ken is charming and romantic, but is he really who he claims to be?
Through the course of this novel Skye and Oliver grow as individuals and, even though they seem to have nothing in common, become good friends. But things aren't always as they seem in Verona. Mysterious forces and long forgotten secrets could spell disaster for our protagonists. A world of spirits and angels exists in this community and it's up to Skye and Oliver to try and make sense of the situation.
This is the first of Roeder's novels I've read that involves this particular sub-plot. And while the haunted themes of this novel make for a slightly different reading experience from previous Chronicle installments, the overall result is familiar. Once again, Roeder has valuable lessons to teach his teenage audience, the most important being: respect and like yourself. I might mention that this particular lesson isn't lost on Roeder's more mature readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed MASKED DESTINY and I intend to go back and read the other two novels dealing with supernatural themes: SOMEONE IS KILLING THE GAY BOYS OF VERONA and KEEPER OF SECRETS. Roeder does a wonderful job of making the boys here believable. In fact, I think Skye is possibly Roeder's finest creation. He's vain yet noble, conceited yet fair-minded, He's far from perfect but he has a kind and dependable heart. He is a fleshed out hero for all gay boys, of any age, to look up to.
As with Roeder's other novels, MASKED DESTINY is told in the voices of its primary characters, in this case, Skye and Oliver. These are two extremely different teens both working in the local (Verona Indiana) farm supply store. It is 1997 and the school year has just begun.
Skye is a sixteen year old, pumped-up, football playing jock, determined to establish himself as the school Alpha-male. His passions are his own incredible body and his Abercrombie & Fitch wardrobe. Skye enjoys checking out the other athletes in the locker room but he's convinced himself it's merely to compare his muscular development against theirs. He's in denial and it never occurs to him that he's gay. Skye doesn't realize it, but he's destined for great things. However, it will take the help of a mesmerizing stranger to guide him down the right path.
Oliver is a pudgy shy fourteen year old struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality. He's introverted and suffers from low self esteem. Oliver tries to overcome his insecurity and self-loathing by joining the local gay youth group. Things begin to turn around for Oliver, and he finds himself having to choose between, Clay, the boy of his dreams and, Ken, a cute sixteen year aggressively pursuing him. Ken is charming and romantic, but is he really who he claims to be?
Through the course of this novel Skye and Oliver grow as individuals and, even though they seem to have nothing in common, become good friends. But things aren't always as they seem in Verona. Mysterious forces and long forgotten secrets could spell disaster for our protagonists. A world of spirits and angels exists in this community and it's up to Skye and Oliver to try and make sense of the situation.
This is the first of Roeder's novels I've read that involves this particular sub-plot. And while the haunted themes of this novel make for a slightly different reading experience from previous Chronicle installments, the overall result is familiar. Once again, Roeder has valuable lessons to teach his teenage audience, the most important being: respect and like yourself. I might mention that this particular lesson isn't lost on Roeder's more mature readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed MASKED DESTINY and I intend to go back and read the other two novels dealing with supernatural themes: SOMEONE IS KILLING THE GAY BOYS OF VERONA and KEEPER OF SECRETS. Roeder does a wonderful job of making the boys here believable. In fact, I think Skye is possibly Roeder's finest creation. He's vain yet noble, conceited yet fair-minded, He's far from perfect but he has a kind and dependable heart. He is a fleshed out hero for all gay boys, of any age, to look up to.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Masked Destiney
9 Oct 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As usual I give Mark A. Roeder, high marks for this well written teenage coming of age novel. The two main characters Skye and Oliver are telling their seperate stories. They are not romatically involved with each other, but they work together, they go to the same school and do some socializing together. The story is fast paced, and keeps you wondering until the last word is spoken oops written. There are a lot of old friends in this story. Which is nice, as we get to see these old friends' characters develop. We come to love them even more. I am waiting for Mark's next novel with great anticipation.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Well written, great characters, but a bit too far-fetched
2 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having read a couple of other books in Roeder's "Gay Youth Chronicles" series, I picked up "Masked Destiny" already knowing it would be well written and feature realistic characters with whom younger readers could relate. On that level I was not disappointed, though I feel Roeder has pushed his story lines more than a bit beyond believeable, with the inclusion of ghosts, angels and a town where it seems every other teenager in town turns out to be gay or bisexual.
"Masked Destiny" tells the story primarily of two teen boys who narrate the novel. There's Oliver, a 14 year old pudgy gay boy with self-esteem issues, and Skye, seemingly the stereotypical ego-driven 16 year old football jock, who work together at the feed store in small town Verona, Indiana. Skye lives with his sister and small nephew, as his parents have separated and moved elsewhere, and is obsessed with working out, competiting, and remaining one of the primary "Alpha males" at the high school. Skye figures that Oliver is probably gay, but doesn't bother him about it, and actually kind of gets a kick out of it when Landon, the team's manager and towel boy, "checks him out" as he comes out of the shower each day at practice. Skye world changes after he fails to intervene when he later sees Landon being gay-bashed by two teammates who resented being stared at, then becomes a target himself when Landon ambushes Skye and Greg (one of his attackers) with a gun, shoots Greg, chastises Skye for not coming to his aid, and then takes his own life. Witnessing another bashing after a Halloween party, still wearing his mask from the party, Skye steps in to run off the attackers, and becomes a bit of a legend at his school. Meanwhile, Oliver finds out some disturbing information about a cute boy he meets at a gay youth group, which ties into stories about ghosts at an old mansion and the murder of some gay boys years earlier.
I give the novel four out of five stars. Likely a great read for teens who like "ghost stories", or fans of Roeder's series as a whole.
"Masked Destiny" tells the story primarily of two teen boys who narrate the novel. There's Oliver, a 14 year old pudgy gay boy with self-esteem issues, and Skye, seemingly the stereotypical ego-driven 16 year old football jock, who work together at the feed store in small town Verona, Indiana. Skye lives with his sister and small nephew, as his parents have separated and moved elsewhere, and is obsessed with working out, competiting, and remaining one of the primary "Alpha males" at the high school. Skye figures that Oliver is probably gay, but doesn't bother him about it, and actually kind of gets a kick out of it when Landon, the team's manager and towel boy, "checks him out" as he comes out of the shower each day at practice. Skye world changes after he fails to intervene when he later sees Landon being gay-bashed by two teammates who resented being stared at, then becomes a target himself when Landon ambushes Skye and Greg (one of his attackers) with a gun, shoots Greg, chastises Skye for not coming to his aid, and then takes his own life. Witnessing another bashing after a Halloween party, still wearing his mask from the party, Skye steps in to run off the attackers, and becomes a bit of a legend at his school. Meanwhile, Oliver finds out some disturbing information about a cute boy he meets at a gay youth group, which ties into stories about ghosts at an old mansion and the murder of some gay boys years earlier.
I give the novel four out of five stars. Likely a great read for teens who like "ghost stories", or fans of Roeder's series as a whole.
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