My Buy Essay

“The Magician’s Nephew is chronologically the first book in the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. Set about 50 Years before the events in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, it describes how the land of Narnia came into being.

If you watched the recent movie “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, you might have wondered about two details: why does a wardrobe lead into the magical land of Narnia, and why does Lucy find a lantern burning in the middle of a forest?

“The Magician”s Nephew” answers these questions (though I will not give the answers away in this review) and many more. The novel contains the genesis (literally) of the entire Narnia cycle.

The story begins in late 19th-century London, when two children, Polly and Digory accidentally enter the secret study of Digory’s eccentric uncle Andrew while exploring a passage that connects the attics of several houses.

The uncle is actually a magician, and he tricks Polly and his nephew into performing an experiment involving magic rings. These rings transport the children into the “Wood between the Worlds”, a quiet forest that contains numerous small pools serving as gates to other worlds. Polly and Digory jump into one of the pools and explore the ruined city of Charn, where Digory is faced with a great temptation. A sign on a small bell next to a sleeping woman proclaims:

Make your choice, adventurous Stranger,

Strike the bell and bide the danger,

Or wonder, till it drives you mad,

What would have followed if you had.

Digory is unable to resist and strikes the bell, which has momentous consequences. The sound awakens the woman, Empress Jadis, who had destroyed the entire city of Charn with a curse thousands of years ago. She manages to follow the children to London, and scenes of hilarious mayhem ensue.

Eventually, the two children, the uncle, the cruel Empress and a cabbie and his horse are transported back to the Wood between the Worlds and from there to a new world that is just coming into being - Narnia.

The creation of Narnia is described in poetic detail, and afterwards Digory has to atone for his earlier mistake by resisting another temptation - the fruit from the forbidden tree. The history of Narnia begins, but the shadow of evil (the Empress will one day return as the White Witch) and the future necessity of Aslan’s sacrifice are already hinted at.

Sound plays an important role in this novel: there is the drowsy stillness of the Wood between the Worlds, the barren silence of the city of Charn shattered by the bell, the harmony of the celestial spheres and the creative song of Aslan’s voice. All this makes “The Magician”s Nephew” a true prelude to Narnia.

Fern’s Dragon is a wonderfully fun read that stimulates the imagination of both young people and the young-at-heart alike. It is a good mystery-fantasy story that is artfully composed.

Fern is a bright, artistic young girl who is utterly fascinated with dragons. One day she created a masterpiece with beach sand and loved it so much that she was reluctant to leave her dragon, Nogard. When her mother brought Fern to visit Norgard, they were shocked to discover he was missing. Later that night, Fern is visited by Norgard, who begs for her help in saving dragon-kind.

Little Fern finds herself leading the last of the race of dragons, following clues and trying to piece together a way to save the dragon king &ndash the only dragon with the power to stop the catastrophe about to fall.

David Wills has done a superb job on this children’s book. His use of colors and visually stimulating words is sure to spark the imagination. The light ending will leave a smile on the readers’ face.

I highly recommend this book to parents, as they are unlikely to become bored with their children begging to have the story repeatedly read to them. I know I certainly enjoyed it.”

ISBN# 1413770177

Publisher: Publish America, Inc

Author: David Wills

Going Deeper by Jean-Claude Koven is certainly a nicely presented, hard-cover book. This fiction fantasy has an obvious inclination to aid readers who are embarking on their personal spiritual quest.

The main character, Larry, is going through a break down, of sorts. He decides the best cure is to retreat into nature. The problem is that along the way, Larry begins to hear the voice of his dog speaking like a guru. Unsure if he is going completely mad, he continues in shock until he is able to absorb the shift in reality. Between Zeus, the talking dog, and being visited by a variety of spiritual guides, Larry learns the answers to his many questions about life, meaning, destiny and more.

One could say this is definitely a unique story line! Personally, I found the book difficult to read, as it was a little too deep, sometimes tedious and occasionally the story line seemed a little ridiculous. I truly believe it was the authors intent to include a vast amount of information that may guide spiritual seekers, but it is written with some elements of humor and zest. Jean-Claude has been on an extensive journey of his own and elements of many belief systems can be seen throughout the book.”

ISBN#: 0972395458

Author: Jean-Claude Koven

Publisher: Prism House Press

A stimulating adventure! Sabine Muir has written a wonderful children’s story that can be read many, many times. This is a time-travel, Christian fantasy novel that reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite childhood books, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.

Here, the main character, Mathew, is a young boy growing up under difficulties that are quite uncommon from his piers. Mathew’s father is missing, his mother has begun a new romance and bullying at school weighs heavily upon his young shoulders. Mathew thought he could escape it all during his stay at his Aunt and Uncle’s tranquil family farm. Unexpectedly, Mathew and his cousins are thrown into an adventure when they accidentally enter a mystery gateway into to a world of Kings, Queens, Castles and ghosts.

Sabine Muir’s use of factual, historical legendary characters brought the Canmore Dynasty to life - an era that is quickly fading from all memory. The author’s research and understanding of the historical era is evident in this excellent piece of work. Her fascination with this particular section in time has produced several works of fiction.

‘Mathew and the Highland Rescue’ is only the first in a series of adventure books. A delightful light read for the adventurous and young-of-heart. I look forward to reading her next published work.”

Publisher: Publish America, Inc.

ISBN#: 1413759165

Author: Sabine Muir

Moon Child by Simone Maroney is a larger sized adventure, fantasy novel with 55 chapters. The story line involves complex relationships between six main characters, which are delicately balanced leaving room for intrigue.

Hanna, the chief character, was selected from birth by the Goddess, given special training and endowed with ‘gifts’ the elders call the ‘Memories’. As Hanna goes through many travelling adventures, she becomes respected and known as the ‘One’ a ‘Reader’ and a ‘Healer’.

Her father, a priest and a shaman in the village tries to protect her while making Hanna learn to stand on her own. Manon, a dear friend and fellow ‘Healer’, helps Hanna find a position in the same village that tried to kill her. Raer, her childhood friend, whose brain was inadvertently injured during play, becomes a valuable aid to Hanna and her adopted village. Janna, Hanna’s archenemy, keeps people at attention with her evil and treacherous behavior. A little romance is thrown in with Jio, also known as ‘Maih’, who is actually Janna’s brother.

So much is going on in the book that readers may find themselves stopping to retrace a few pages. I enjoyed reading this novel and found that it reminded me a little of Clan of the Cave Bear &ndash because of the tribal differences, traveling and ‘gifts’ the chief character endures. Sometimes being selected by the Gods brings a tumultuous life!

ISBN#: 1933157046

Author: Simone Maroney

Publisher: Draumr Publishing

Pariah, written by muti-talented artist and author Timothy Goodwin, is a science fiction, fantasy novel that incorporates some very clear ideas to what is wrong with today’s world. The characters are colorfully portrayed and the battles were very well written.

Eric, the main character, is a victim of an abusive father and endures extreme poverty as a young adult. He is eventually diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and grows into what could be called a normal life. He meets and marries a wonderful woman and her son embraces Eric as his father. Eric loves his life despite the difficulties in finding a good job and unfulfilled dreams to relocate his family to a place where his wife would not suffer from allergies so badly.

Eric becomes involved in a motor vehicle accident and wakes up in a wildly different place called the Itarri. He is later told that this is a space ship and he is light years - and possibly another dimension - from the life he once knew. Everyone on board expects Eric to become someone else when he regains his senses. Seemingly on the brink of insanity, he experiences “fragmentation” &ndash when memories of other lives collide - but eventually works his way back to sanity only to discover that he is actually a clone.

In a desperate attempt to do whatever it takes to return to a time and a life he cherished so dearly, Eric undergoes intensive training. The reader is taken on fantastic space travel and time travel adventures, battles with foes, scenes with gods, demi-gods and an old flame that is incredibly vindictive are good spices for a great read.

At times I found myself confused, but I know from experience that books I have reread many times are those that challenge the mind and intrigue the reader to return. The ending has an interesting twist, which I think readers may suspect early on, but the work is written so well that it will leave them guessing.

ISBN#:1413713025

Publisher: Publish America, Inc.

Author: Timothy Goodwin

Quest for the Source of Darkness, Patricia Perry’s first novel, has an action fantasy story line with a strong mystery theme and an interesting romantic twist. This is no short novel, at 422 pages you’ll be kept entertained for quite a while.

The main hero character is a strong and gifted woman who is stricken with a form of memory loss. Little flashes of memory come to her, but she is frustrated with not knowing who she is and what her origins are. All she can remember is her name, Ramira.

Baffled in a tumultuous world of elves, dwarves and desert nomads, whose inability to co-exist peacefully could spell doom for all. They are forced to work together to battle the evil Mahn and his minions, a variety of demons from the low demons called Kreetch to the terrifying Vox, who are capable of possessing a body and torturing its soul for centuries.

The Elf Kings, Alyxandyr and Gard, and their royal peers - the Dwarf King, Seven, and the rulers of the Herkahs, Zada and Allad - converge together at the gates of grand city of Bystyn. Together their people find solace in numbers while they prepare to battle the sourcerous evil. Ramira discovers her power and learns that she is not meant to be alone. There is also a powerful seer and the hidden elf magic to aid her &ndash but they all must grow in strength if there is to be any hope at all.

Patricia does not explain things in this novel. Instead, the book expertly unfolds little tantalizing bits to the reader at just the right pace. Quest for the Source of Darkness is a larger-sized book that will take the reader on fantasy adventure for many days.

ISBN#: 141377427X

Author: Patricia Perry

Publisher: Publish America

Some Enchanted Autumn by Linda Andrews is an excellent gift idea for the Halloween season. Vampires, skeletons, spiders, witches… they are all here &ndash but this is definitely not a children’s book.

One town, founded by the same wagon train during the pioneering days of the North American continent, holds a secret that could destroy them all.

Divided by a bitter and ancient rift, it becomes two rival towns &ndash Pumpkin and Holly. These folks take their holidays seriously, but none more so than Pumpkin’s residents do.

Lonnie, who is running both from herself and from facing her pompous and boring boyfriend, returns to Pumpkin - her hometown. There she meets Nicholas who is both more wonderful than her wildest dreams and as frightening as her childhood nightmares. Together they are assigned the difficult task of discovering the “Prankster’s” identity and the reason’s why that person is set on keeping the ancient rift between the towns alive.

Nicholas and Lonnie harbor a steamy and slightly erotic passion for one another, which they do their best to keep in check. Their family ancestors, after all, were the main players in the rift that continues to tear the towns apart.

I would classify Some Enchanted Autumn as a fantasy-fiction, paranormal-romance novel with comedic elements. Although it begins with a bit of confusion, the story rises in pace until I felt unwilling to put the book aside. This 238-page book is not the author’s first endeavor. In fact, Linda has written two other books, The Christmas Village and Ghost of a Chance.

ISBN#: 1-55410-287-1

Author: Linda Andrews

Publisher: Zumaya Publication

This is definitely a fantasy novel. Being a Tolkien fan, I found many days of enjoyable reading here in J.S. Harrison’s world. This is a place that is crowded with Fairies, Leprechauns, friendly Trolls and Ogres, Wizards, Knights, Dragons, Vampire assassins, large evil black rabbits and ghouls along with Men, Dwarves, Elves and Trofkins.

With an anti-racist sentimism, the author places many different races together to embark on a journey that may bring hope to the people of Werdanbabadood and to save their world from the Evil Wizard, Sardego. This strange mixture of people go through many trials and adventures to find the Knights, only to arrive at a time when so few were able to come to their aide. Regardless of the odds, they carry on and work together in a desperate effort to break the magic staff of Sardego and end his war mongering.

Though everyone plays a very important part in the interwoven web of events, it is the Trofkins, a tree-dwelling people of writers and lovers of food and mischief, who are the heroes of the world. This race was thought unlikely to produce heroes, being a people of many social constraints and clear definitions of what is proper or not. Yet with war on their doorstep, they had little choice but place their only hope in their young chieftain-to-be, the one Trofkin who seemed the least likely to be responsible enough to accomplish this dangerous task. Young Willowby goes far beyond any expectation the Trofkin could have had for even the greatest of their kind. He proves his worth to himself and his people and gains the necessary confidence to rule with a fair, yet just hand.

I very much enjoyed J.S. Harrison’s writing style. It was like being drawn into a big sitting room with a large fireplace, where a deep grandfatherly voice tells the story of Willowby Went. Then without realizing it, I felt sucked into the scenery and it was if I had become the cameraperson at a real, live historical event. It was an effort to put aside the book to carry on with my own tasks!

Keep an eye out for future work by J.S. Harrison folks! I have a feeling he’s going to be one of the ‘great’ writers of our era.”

Author Todd McClimans is a 5th grade teacher and young father, who lives in Nevada with his family. Todd has been writing short stories for his students for more than 10 years and The Elf Prince is his first novel. Currently, Todd is working on a sequel to this book and has two other book projects ahead in his future.

All the elements for a wonderfully mystical tale for youth, and for those with youthful minds are here in this novel. Haunting dreams, caring creatures of the forest, magical swords, a quest to defeat wickedness and free its captives along with humorous moments and unique characters - truly, it is all here. Each of Todd’s characters is pressed to find their individual strengths, to accept the uniqueness of their abilities and learn respect for things they once held reservations about.

There are three main characters in The Elf Prince. “Tenii” is a half-breed Man-Dwarf and just might be the most interesting wizard readers will have met in a long time. “Petra”, a gorgeous young fawn, has a persistent and doggedly determined nature that saves them all more than once. Finally there is “Dantin”, the 11 year-old half-breed Elf-Man Prince - who along with his two courageous friends endeavor to break the dominance of Dantin’s cold-hearted, ruthless uncle. They cannot do this alone and are aided more than once by their friends: Tierra, the she-elf Princess and Byron, the leader of a tribe of Dwarf warriors.

I have to say this was an excellent novel. Scene transition moved smoothly from one to the next in a realistic and engaging style. I completely enjoyed each stage of the tale and did not want it to end. The gorgeous book cover is certainly an asset to The Elf Prince, which pictures one of the two intricately carved magical medallions that play a part in the tale.

ISBN#: 1-4137-8553-0

Author: Todd McClimans

Publisher: Publish America