Review by Tammy Doherty
Fifteen year old Hadyn Barlow has recently moved to a new town after his mother died. He doesn’t like the new house, the new school where he has no friends, and he especially misses Mom. His father gives him the chore of clearing a huge bramble patch. Hadyn makes a game of it, cutting tunnels into the thorny growth.
One afternoon, while Hadyn and his thirteen year old brother, Ewan, are working, four large black birds swoop down from the sky. They fly into one of the bramble tunnels and disappear, but only after dropping four scrolls at the entrance. Each scroll contains the same message:“You have been chosen for a life of great purpose. Adventure aw aits you in the Hidden Lands.”
The boys are bewildered by the scrolls and baffled even more by the disappearance of the birds. Where did they go? Further investigation reveals a stone arch, a megalithic runestone. Mysterious inscriptions further fuel their sense of adventure. They keep the scrolls and arch secret from their younger twin brothers. Finally they’re forced to ask their father for help deciphering the inscription on the stone arch.
The night they tell Dad about it, Ewan has a dream that leads him out to the stone arch. He plays a tune on his flute, one he learned in his dream, and the archway becomes a portal. He passes through and only later finds out that Hadyn follows him.
The boys come out in the land of Karac Tor , each arrivings in a different location. Ewan follows a gnome to an Abbey; Hadyn follows Ewan. There they meet the monks of the Gray Abbey and learn about Karac Tor’s need for a Champion to defend the kingdom against the Devourer. The monks believe Hadyn and Ewan are those Champions. The boys simply want to go home.
Together with three companions from the Abbey, the boys set out for the capital city, to see the governor in hopes he can send them home. And so begins the adventure.
What I liked about this book is that Christianity, current social issues, and historical facts and myth are woven together in a thoroughly entertaining manner. There are hints of influence from other famous works, beginning with the arrival in a strange land and journeying to find the way home (a la Wizard of Oz). Names and legends in Karac Tor are connected with our own world, many of them Celtic in origin. All of this makes Karac Tor feel familiar and real.
As the Barlow brothers travel, they learn about the history of Karac Tor and the current crisis. A witch, Nemesia, has placed a spell on the teens of Karac Tor, convincing them to forsake their identity and become part of her Nameless horde. These teens follow her mindlessly, heedless of the cost to their lives. In fact, they believe despair is the ultimate goal. All of the people of Karac Tor are slipping into despair. The adults have forgotten, or have turned their backs on the Holy Ways . Some regions suffer drought, others flooding, and many are turning to pagan rituals in hopes of restoring Order.
The Christianity of the story is evident. Karac Tor struggles to maintain balance between Order and Choas, between the mercy of Aion and the wrath of the Devourer. Long ago, the first man, Yhu Hoder, came to Karac Tor. He was a friend of Aion, who is the son of Olfandr. Yhu rebelled and drank forbidden waters. His punishment was to record the future of Karac Tor in the Book of Names. The Devourer took advantage of Yhu Hoder’s bitterness and shame and convinced him to kill Aion. But Aion came back to life, and Kr’Nunos, the Devourer, was banished to Hel.
I was sucked into this story immediately. Briggs makes the reader sympathize with Hadyn’s misery of losing his mother and moving away from his friends. But he doesn’t dwell on it, jumping quickly into the mystery of the runestone and from there catapulting the reader along with the Barlow brothers into the Hidden Lands.
Although NavPress describes the book as “a fantasy fiction story for readers of all ages”, I would recommend this book for ages 12-16, and adult fans of such fantasy fiction as Lord of the Rings. The themes of despair, grief, hope, loyalty and betrayal are slightly more grown up than younger readers may be able to understand. That said, I think even readers ages 8-12 would enjoy the adventure of this story.
Age Range: 8-12
Genre: Fantasy
Part of a Series: Book One in the Legends of Karac Tor series.
Pages: 397
Publisher: NavPress
Released: 2008
ISBN: 978-1-60006-227-8
