Caveat emptor: I'm very hard on fantasy novels because of the sheer number I read. It takes a lot to get my attention as brilliant. A 3/5 is actually a pretty decent review from me for Christian kids fantasy. (I'll save 5/5 for the most brilliant)

Breakdown:

Intended age level: marketed for teens

Actual age level: 10-14.

Writing Style: 4/5 - Like many current teen books, this book is more suited for the younger set. But the writing style is solid. The dialogue is a little... I don't know, modern? for this style of book, and some characters can drone on a little long or say things that could be shown better, which is why I give it 4/5.

Characters: 3/5 - I'm tired of teenagers who are being all angsty about moving right before entering another world. (I've only seen it done well a couple of times) If you're looking for an emotionally impacting book, don't expect it from that. (The best impacting part is the relationship between two of the brothers when one is captured late in the story - not their struggle with their home/family they left behind)

Plot: 3/5 - Okay. Teenagers have to save the world because of a prophecy. Been there. Seen that. Ad infinium.
I'm more interested in the plot of the nameless. Very interesting. Emotionally compelling, not too on the nose, kept me reading when otherwise I would have put it down.

Worldbuilding: 4/5 - I won't say it's the most original I've ever seen, but it's mixed in pretty well, and definitely has had a lot of research put into it. Old myths are used in this other-world but they are not tied into the real world - how did the myths get here - very strongly. (Compare to Stargate, in which the myths and reality are tied very closely together)
I liked the word-magic though. Probably not original by any means but it feels original, which is good.

Content: 5/5 - Clean to the point of stumbling over itself trying to ensure that the parents of the MC are involved enough to substantiate a 'good relationship'. Felt that was unnecessary but whatever. XD Some very muted fantasy violence but not inappropriate for age level. ( )

It was OK but too boring for me. I like a fast pace book. Im sorry if you liked the book. Give me reason to reread it and I will. ( )

The Book of Names is a bit like Narnia at its base with the idea that people from 1 world are transported to another as well as having Christian symbolism in it. However this world is very different and comes out of Norse roots. This book is considered young adult and I'd agree with that though say maybe a little older range due to the sorrow of the situations as well as a bit of goreyness.

The Good:
First off this is a well written book. The author definitely knows what he is doing, and very rarely goes off on tangents from the story he is weaving.

I love that this story is based on Norse mythology. It is one type of mythology that we don't really hear a lot from.

This story keeps you wanting to read more through the last page of it, and the section about The Tower of Ravens and the other action scenes are very well done.

You learn a lot more about the world than you really need for this story giving the world of Karac Tor some depth.

The Bad:
Though the action scenes are very good there really aren't that many, maybe 3 or 4 in the entire book.

When I started reading this book I got a few chapters in and was wondering if it was a Christian book. There wasn't really any sign at that point that it was, but the family was a mess, and the boys talked about how they wanted to swear, but their dad wouldn't let them. Later it was much improved however.

Product placements...Okay I know that the author talked about things like the kids "wii", "narnia books" and other things like that to connect with the culture, but I just don't see the need.

The end kind of drizzles out. You've got this awesome battle...then very little actually occurs for the rest of the book. This sets it up for the second book, but I felt more could have been done at the end.

At times the descriptions of positions in the world can grow confusing, not horribly like Dune at its start, but enough to throw you off a bit.

The Ugly:
Okay, first of all I must say I do not know if the author has read The Prydain Chronicles (which is an excellent fantasy series from the 50s by Lloyd Alexander), but a few of his characters aspects seem to have come almost directly from it. Don't know if it would really be considered plagerism, but it made the characters seem much less 3 dimensional for me. Read on if you want to know specifics...
**Character Spoiler**Cruedwyn Creed is a bard with a sword that vibrates and heats up when he lies. In The Prydain Chronicles, Fflewdur Flam is a bard with a harp which has its strings break when he lies. Also Flogg is a gnome that says things like "stumblings and bumblings" while Gurgi from Prydain Chronicles says things like "crunchings and munchings"
**End of Spoiler**

All in all I found this to be a good fantasy book which is worth a read, and I wonder what Briggs may do in the books following it. Now that he has set the stage for adventure the story can really begin. ( )

Haydn and Ethan Barlow lost their mother to cancer a year ago. Both boys are still struggling to come to terms with life without her. After their mother’s death, their father moved the teen boys and their 9-year-old twin brothers to a secluded farm in Newland, Missouri. While clearing a large briar patch at the edge of their property, Haydn and Ethan discover an ancient stone arch covered with mysterious runes. The arch acts as a portal between worlds. Ethan and Haydn find themselves transported to Karac Tor, a world in crisis.

In Karac Tor, a person’s name is their greatest treasure. The names and deeds of each person who will ever live in Karac Tor are recorded in the Book of Names, but recently names have been disappearing from the book. Children from all over Karac Tor have gone missing – simply vanishing into the night.

The boys just want to find a way home, but some in Karac Tor believe that Hadyn and Ethan are an answer to prayer; that the boys are Champions to deliver them from the growing evil. The brothers quickly find themselves pursued by the evil forces that they’re being asked to fight.

The Book of Names starts out rather sluggishly, but once Hadyn and Ethan arrive in Karac Tor, the book is difficult to put down. Ethan and Hadyn are both extremely likeable and believable characters. They’re very scared when they arrive in Karac Tor, and I found this to be refreshing. Neither brother jumps right into a hero’s role. They’re regular teenagers who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, and their reaction to this is quite appropriate.

I thought that the book peaked a little too soon. There is a very exciting battle towards the end of the book, and this is then followed by several chapters of traveling. While the book ultimately ends with a great cliffhanger, I felt the lull in between disrupted the flow of the story a little.

The Book of Names provides a promising start for this new young adult fantasy series. It also conveys an excellent underlying Christian message, but at no time does it feel preachy. This would be an ideal choice for teenage boys, as they will probably relate to one or both of the main characters. ( )

When I was younger the whole Christian theme of the Narnia books went completely over my head as have many similar themes in books since. So, when I was offered the opportunity to read The Book of Names, which is promoted as a "Christian fantasy”, I figured I'd give it a shot even though I'm not religiously minded myself. All in all I'm glad that I did. Yes, it did do a bit of preaching and there were things that I didn't agree with (mainly the bits about pagans) but overall I thought this was an entertaining quest type fantasy.

In this story present time brothers, Hadyn and Ewan, are dealing with the emotional shocks of both losing their mother and having their father move them and their twin younger brothers from their city home to the wilds of rural Missouri. While clearing brush from a reclusive part of their land Hayden and Ewan make a discovery that brings them a destiny they never would have thought possible.

I think the main strength of this book are the brothers Hayden and Ewan. I really enjoyed these characters and felt they had a lot of depth. The world building was good and I liked some of the more unique ideas of the mirlings and the watchers. There is something that, I think, is much more apparent to me as an adult than would be to the age group this story is more directed at (I'm thinking 10 and up) outside of the religious bent and that is a similarity to themes I've read in some of the other fantasy series aimed at this same level, such as the Chronicles of Narnia and Lloyd's Prydain series. I suppose the similarities could be coincidental but they stood out to me. At the same time that similarity could make this a story to recommend to young fans of those series. The only real drawback I could find with the book was that after the ending climactic scene there are a few more chapters which dragged along that I feel could have been either shortened or even put entirely into the planned sequel. A little too much description coupled with disjointed, although important scenes left me with a feeling of disgruntlement which I think could have been avoided by ending a little sooner or in a different way.

Overall I felt this to be a well written religiously based fantasy with nice flow (up until the end), interesting characters and a decent, if somewhat predictable, storyline that I would recommend for boys and girls ages 10 and up whose families do not mind a bit more prevalent peachiness than what is usually found in today's contemporary fantasy. ( )