Conductoid - Scars of the Dominatay

By: M.B. Lehane
Illustrated by: Aaron Pocock
Publisher: Pounce Publications
Publication Date: March 1, 2025
ISBN: 978-1763594500
Reviewed by: Diana Coyle
Review Date: October 17, 2024

In Conductoid – Scars of the Dominatay by M.B. Lehane, we meet Jack McKay, a thirteen-year-old who has an extremely vivid imagination. He’s not a big fan of academics, and because of this finds himself drifting off into daydreams more times than he’d like to admit during school. This happens so regularly that detention is a very common after school activity for him. Even more annoying is he must write “I must not daydream” hundreds of times as a punishment during his detention.

No one seems to understand Jack and why he vividly daydreams so much. Not even Phoebe, his non-identical twin. She feels they are polar opposites and that not only is Jack a moron, but also irresponsible on so many levels. But there’s something very odd about the dreams Jack has. When he returns to his daydreams, he goes back into his fantasy world of being a Conductoid – a being that is an exception to the Universal Rule and who has endless potential in everything he pursues. Everyone, including his best friend, Ty, tries reeling Jack in from his dreaming all the time, but the question remains are these just daydreams or something more substantial?

A significant question that stood out regarding this story was why did Jack daydream so much? Was he so bored with his academics that he was daydreaming as a coping mechanism to get through his day? Was there something more to these extremely vivid dreams? Especially, considering every time he dreamed, he entered the same fantasy realm that was rich with details and characters. Everyone deemed Jack as a prankster and even his sister labeled him stupid. No one seemed to give Jack the time to explain what was going on in his head every time he escaped back into his dream realm.

The hand-drawn pencil illustrations by Aaron Pocock provided throughout the story were just as much detailed as the storyline was. The depth and intricate details of each rendering were a magnificent bonus for the readers to enjoy as they turned the pages. Each illustration was a mini piece of art within itself.

Quill says: Conductoid – Scars of the Dominatay by M.B. Lehane is one book that can be enjoyed by teens and adults alike. It’s a novel that blends multi-dimensional characters, rich fantasy realm details, and intricately hand-drawn illustrations for readers to savor during their time within these pages.