Prequel Novella's

A post on Project Mayhem recently was talking about the different ways that authors are trying to attract readers to their books, including the idea of writing a novella to grab the readers attention.  I had received a free copy of Seven Wonders Journals: The Select and decided to give this one a go to see if it spurred my interest for Book One Colossus Rises.  The full blog post from Project Mayhem  is here:   http://www.project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-cupcake-of-teaser-new-ways-to-find.html 
and if your intersted you can start reading book one here http://www.sevenwondersbooks.com/
From Goodreads:  " It's the year 1894, and thirteen-year-old Burt and his father are on an archaeological expedition gone wrong. After a tumultuous boat ride, Burt and the archaeologists find themselves stranded on what seems to be a deserted island. That is, seems to be deserted until Burt starts hearing music that no one else can hear . . . and blacking out with no explanation. Maybe there is something to Burt's father's expedition after all? All but tortured by his surroundings, Burt ventures to find out. He can only hope to survive." 

The story ends on a cliff hanger.  We can only assume that things didn't go well for Burt cause the author leaves us with "something nearby" and then "I think I hear"  where the journal suddenly cuts out.  

 I also received an excerpt for Book One Colossus Rises, which included the first two chapters.  




 Here is the summary from Goodreads of Colossus Rises
"Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die.
One Mission
Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to cure him.
One Problem
The loculi are the relics of a lost civilization and haven’t been seen in thousands of years.
Seven Wonders
Because they’re hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."

This book takes place sometime way into the future from the prequel. So, my thoughts are that both of these are heavy on the mystery surrounding these loculi.  However, I can't say that the prequel novella hooks me on to the first book in the series.  The Select could have been its very own book and would have made for an interesting read on its own.  In terms of whether The Select ties into the next book.  I would say kind of.  The subject matter is the same.  Boys who find themselves in interesting predicaments and appear to be about to die.  It's just the jump in time periods and characters doesn't seem to tie into the first book.  Maybe it will in future books but again The Select would have made an interesting book all on its own.   I will however be looking for the Seven Wonders series.  I kinda like stories that talk about ancient worlds and I'm up for some mystery.