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10) Falls The Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman. "This day we fight for justice, for Christ's poor, for the weak of England, for the promises broken and the trust betrayed..." This was Simon de Montfort at his best, on the eve of the famous battle of Lewes. A man ahead of his time, he was a disinherited aristocratic Frenchman who talked his way into an English earldom and into marriage with a sister of the English king, Henry III. A charismatic obstinate leader, de Montfort became outraged at Henry's incompetence-and his inability to keep his word. Simon the Righteous soon found himself the champion of the common people, earning the undying hatred of the king who demanded blind loyalty. 9) The Godwars Trilogy by Angus Wells In the time of the beginning, when the First Gods created all things, they brought forth two children, Tharn and Balatur, lesser gods, to walk upon the new world. But Balatur was arrogant, Tharn was consumed with madness, and the First Gods were forced to condemn them both to an eternal, deathlike sleep, lest they destroy creation. Now a mysterious wizard seeks to awaken the mad Tharn. Only the young scholar Calandryll has the knowledge and skill to stop the evil wizard's plan. 8) The Chosen by Chaim Potok In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love. (This is not a conventional children's book, although it will move any wise child age 12 or older, and often appears on summer reading lists for high school students.){I think the advice to keep this book for children 12 and older is a bit silly. I read and analized this book in class when I was 10 and it has stayed with me ever since] 7) Harry Potter 1-4 by J.K. Rowling Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter has had his hands full during his first four years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As if studying spells and pleasing professors isn't enough, Harry has heard evil voices in the walls, rescued petrified students, fended off convicts escaped from wizards' prison, and played elaborate and grueling games of Quidditch. Between school sessions, he summers with the horrendous Dursleys, who seem to want nothing more than to crush our hero's spirit. Only time will tell how Harry will manage the certain dangers and escapades in store for him over the next few years. [Okay, so maybe rating this over 'The Chosen' is a bit much, but I simply coudn't put the books down for a spare second! And I was the one in my family that was convinced I was going to hate it.] 6) Chronicles of the Shadow War by Chris Claremont- Story by George Lucas In Shadow Moon (book 1), war and chaos have gripped the land of Tir Asleen. An ancient prophecy reveals one hope: a savior princess who will ascend to the throne when the time is right. But first, a Nelwyn wanderer must face forces of unimaginable malevolence and dangerous, forbidden rites of necromancy that could bring back a powerful warrior from soulless sleep. In Shadow Dawn (2) the momentous Ascension of Princess Elora Danan should have brought peace to the Thirteen Realms. Instead, an intense Shadow War rages, spearheaded by the evil Mohdri. He has dispatched his dread Black Rose commando assassins to capture Elora... In Shadow Star (3) Pursued through a land of shadow predators by the dreaded Black Rose, the Deceiver's commando assassins, Elora and her allies must reach the free city-state of Sandeni. There they will be reunited with old friends: the brownies Franjean and Rool, the eagles Anele and Bastian, and the young warrior-scribe Luc-Jon. But Sandeni is besieged by mighty armies fueled by the Deceiver's sorcery, warrior wizards, and engines of evil magic. With defeat all but certain, Elora must convince the Sandeni people to continue the fight. 5) The Zion Covenant by Bodie Thoene (I found this review at Amazon.com) Parallels to today's world, October 5, 2001 Reviewer: Marty Pope from Wichita, KSs The Zion Covenant should be mandatory reading for all high school history students. I learned so much about history immediately preceeding WWII! Even more important, it is so relevant to our current times. The parallels are amazing in many instances, for example: the boatloads of refugees that no nation would accept - recent news reports told of a boat of Afghan refugees off Australia that no nation wanted to accept. Finishing book 6 shortly after the 9-11-01 tragedy, I found more parallels: terrorist training camps in the desert, terrorists sent out to many nations. I see the world through different eyes because of these books. Bodie Thoene's writing is fast-paced, full of detail. I could scarcely put them down. 4) The Giver by Lois Lowry In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price. 3) The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Narnia is the land of enchantment, glory, nobility--home to the magnificent Aslan, cruel Jadis (the White Queen), heroic Reepicheep, and kind Mr. Tumnus.Begin at the beginning, as Digory and Polly are tricked into a strange other world, which becomes, even as they watch, the great Narnia. Return again and again with four other children--Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy--who are to play such a vital role in Narnia's history. Finally, enter the whimsical land one last time to witness the end of Time, and the beginning of something new: "world within world, Narnia within Narnia." 2) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion. On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo dissapeared bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the wizard, the hobbits Merry, Pippin and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider. 1) Star of the Gaurdians by Margaret Weis [This reveiw was taken from amazon.com- and it portrays how I feel about these books exactly!] Reviewer: Erik Flowers I have read this series many times, and each time it is a different journey (much like Sagan listening to a fugue of Bach, I pick out different lines each time that I follow throughout, usually unintentionally). For me, the core of this book is not about the "sci-fi" elements (which there are few) or even the fantasy elements, but rather the emotional journeys and relationships between the books characters. It seems that Weis was more concerned with portraying how people deal with the ideas of fate and destiny; the emotions that they feel when confronted with life; the love and hatred felt between confused and blurred boundries; and how the choices a person makes shapes their destiny, whether they know it or not. I am about 3/4 the way through "The Lost King" right now, and the book is affecting me in a different way than before. I have read the series 4 times previous to this, and each time I take away something new and different. For me, they are not just books, but sacred works of literature. |