Friday, December 01, 2006

Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum

It's time again for the book of the week for the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. This looks like a good series for those who are looking for an alternative to Harry Potter type books.



Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum by R.K. Mortenson.

About the book:
Landon Snow’s life has been anything but boring and commonplace. Ever since he got swallowed up by a book not too long ago, (yes, a book, and a magical one at that), he’s been opened up to a whole new world of wonders and sights. He’s traveled to the faraway, magical land of Wonderwood, met talking animals, books, and chess-pieces, encountered strange but brave warriors, and taken advice from a sage, mystical poet who can sense the future. Life will never be the same as a mysterious library in boring old Button Up, Minneapolis becomes a portal for adventure, excitement, and breathtaking feats of courage.

His travails haven’t been without danger though, as he’s battled the nefarious, shadowy forces of Malus Quidam, battled to free his sister Holly from his dark magic, and struggled to set the people of Wondewood free. That – and trying to be a normal kid all at the same time, with all the normal things kids worry about: his sometimes annoying sisters, fitting in at school, making good on the football field…

That’s where we find our young hero in his latest adventure, Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum. Landon’s school, Winterwild Middle School, is embroiled in heated grudge match against their gridiron rivals, Tangleriver Middle. Landon’s just been handed the pigskin on a dive play up the middle, determined to burn former classmate Jake – a linebacker who’s a little too cocky for his own good – with a dazzling combination of speed and agility.

What he’s not counting on is another one his patented visions – right in the middle of the game, for Pete’s sake! Instead of a football field full of players, Landon finds himself surrounded by strange, talking animals speaking in a foreign tongue, on a dark, Stygian night. Of course – bam! – the vision goes away, and the confused Landon finds himself flat on his back, tackled once again by Jake, his vision fading into a dreamy nothingness.

The vision is just the start of Landon’s new adventure, and even as his family travels to visit his grandparents in good ole’ Button Up, Minneapolis, he mulls over what it means, and what may lie ahead. Of course, without fail, he and his sisters Holly and Bridget find themselves in that magical library again, and no sooner do they arrive, it happens – The Book Of Meaning starts flipping its pages, the entire library floods to the brim with water, and just when they are sure they’re going to drown – they find themselves in the middle of an ocean on an abandoned ship, headed for a new adventure!

This new installment in the Landon Snow series simply adds to a growing movement within Christian young adult fantasy to return the magic to storytelling. R. K. Mortenson writes a well-crafted. enjoyable tale that feels so much the beloved Narnia Chronicles, (this one especially evoked memories of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), but still retains its own originality. It doesn’t merely borrow elements of Lewis’ classic tale; it reshapes them into a timeless story that’s very relevant to kids today.

About the Author:

R.K.Mortenson is an ordained minister with the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. He has been writing devotional and inspirational articles since 1995. He currently serves as a navy chaplain in Florida and lives with his wife, daughter and son in Jacksonville.

At his publisher's site, Barbour provides a few good links, two as recent as last week, about Randy's adoption experiences, the second link goes to the Landon Snow short at Clubhouse magazine.

Randy got the idea for this series one late night, when flute music woke him from a sound sleep. As he stood at his window, trying to locate the source of the sound, he spied a library across the lawn. Suddenly, he envisioned an eleven-year-old sneaking out of his bed and stealing to the library in the dead of night...And thus Landon Snow was born.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey....those words look familiar....

I'm honored! :))

Anonymous said...

Actually, not to cause confusion..
but I left that up there, not Kris...

Anonymous said...

Actually, not to cause confusion..
but I left that up there, not Kris...

Anonymous said...

Actually, not to cause confusion..
but I left that up there, not Kris...

Anonymous said...

Woa. Sticky button. Sorry; you can delete all the rest of those!