Richard Denning

I have a soft spot for time travel stories. There's just something about them that I've always enjoyed, whether it be traveling through flumes with Bobby Pendragon or traveling through time and space in a TARDIS, I've just always liked them. That being said, I enjoyed reading 'Tomorrow's Guardian' by Richard Denning. It has a good mix of adventure, history, and comradery and should catch the eye of the pickiest readers-- young, pre-teen boys-- while still being a fun read for other sci-fi show more buffs.

If you're a stickler about writing styles, then I have to warn you. While Denning is a fine writer, it gets a bit 'blocky' in places. For example, there are certain pages that are filled with monologues of text or that have a great deal of description that we really don't need as readers.

Aside from that minor issue, however, his dialogue was spot on. There are a handful of instances where you will find yourself laughing or at least smirking at the characters interaction, especially when it comes to my personal favorite character- Septimus Mason.

Speaking of Septimus, it's hard to believe that characters so drastically different could work so well together on paper, but they do! Denning has a wide range of ages spread throughout his novel. For example, main character Tom is an 11 year old English boy who wants nothing more than to be normal. Septimus Mason, the Han Solo of the novel, is a quick witted Welshman in his mid twenties (and my favorite character). Then we have the three heroes taken out of their time, two military men who fought in very different wars and a maid who started a great historical fire. Their ages vary, but even so, they all get along so well on paper! I don't remember a scene where it seemed odd that 11 year old Thomas was hanging around with people who were far older than him. Of course, this could have to do with the fact that Thomas reads older than he is and as he learns more about his destiny, he steps up and takes the lead.

One thing I have to point out is that this novel is written by a European author. There are some terms and phrases that those outside of Europe may not understand. If you are like me and watch a lot of BBC shows, then these references shouldn't phase you. Younger readers or those who don't partake in the fantastic entertainment coming from the BBC might want to keep Google handy for some terms that pop up in this novel.

As opposed to time traveling through made up worlds, the majority of the time travel that takes place in 'Tomorrow's Guardian' is done to historical venues. We see a battle between the Brits and the Zulu's, a sea battle set during WWII, and even the great London fire. I enjoyed the variety of the various historical locations, even if I didn't know a lot about some of the battles witnessed by Thomas and the gang. Where will Thomas go in future books? We can only imagine!

'Tomorrow's Guardian' is best suited to a reader looking for an action packed time travel adventure. It's not something I'd recommend to older teens unless they are into sci-fi or time travel, but if you're looking for a good read for a pre-teen or tween-- keep this in mind! The action elements are attention grabbing, the characters are people I'd love to be friends with, and overall, this time travel romp is just plain fun to read! This book gets 3.5 out of 5 stars show less

Richard Denning has written a humdinger.The action starts on page one and builds and ebbs throughout the book. It's this constant building and releasing of tension and action that keeps the reader on the edge of her seat.

The characters of Ben and Freya are well developed. They are so very different from each other but together they just work. I adored them both. Evil is personified in Dantalion, the demon. His introduction was enough to keep me nervous about his inevitable return. I did have show more a few issues with the name 'Dantalion', though - for some reason I kept thinking of a musketeer. That's probably just me.

The 'Power Words' and 'Historical Note' at the back of the book were both great additions and I'd like to play on that a bit. The five 'power words' I would use to describe this story are: riveting; powerful; exciting; magical; compelling. Even after reading all 374 pages, I wanted more. Thankfully The Last Seal is the first in a series. I can't wait for the next one. Boys and girls from middle school age to adulthood will be totally captivated by Mr Denning's book. show less

Initially they seemed like really vivid nightmares- suddenly Tom would be fighting in the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879, watching his men get massacred or drowning on a U-boat or burning in a fire. Then things got even weirder as Tom kept experiencing these weird déjà-vu type moments, reliving moments that he swore had already passed just minutes before. Each episode was followed by a fainting spell, and while Tom's parents thought he suffered from some form of epilepsy, Tom simply believed show more he was going mad. That is, until the night Seamus appeared in Tom's room and tells Tom that he's a Walker, a person capable of traveling through time.

Seamus takes Tom to the Institute, where they fight to preserve the flow of time, preventing evildoers from using time to their advantage. Tom is given the option of keeping his powers to help fight the good fight or have them removed and return to being a normal kid. But before he makes his decision, they need his help saving the lives of three other Walkers. It turns out Tom's "nightmares" are more than just nightmares, and only he has the power to do something about them!

I had the awesome opportunity to read this book, compliments of the author, Richard Denning! One of the things that immediately caught my attention when reading this book is how quickly the storyline progressed beyond the initial plot. As I began reading, I had assumed the book would focus entirely on the rescue missions, drawing them out into lengthy adventures that would fill the book. That, however, was not the case and the storyline progressed into an even larger plot before I was even halfway through the book. I love when books manage to keep me on my toes! Overall, the end of the story was a bit predictable (how often does the evildoer actually win?) but the story itself was a unique and entertaining read that kept me guessing as to what they would do next!

My background on British history is rather weak, so after reading this book, I did a little research on the events that occurred in Tomorrow's Guardian (e.g. the Great Fire of London) and I was impressed by the accuracy of Mr. Denning's work! He didn't simply select a historical event and create a fictional situation based upon it, but he even developed his story around actual events that occurred, such as the fire beginning at the baker's house and everyone escaping out of the upstairs window except for the maid. So not only is this book a time-travel adventure tale, but it's also somewhat educational (Well, for the first half)! The second half of the book breaks into the concept of alternate realities based on different outcomes in past historical events. It's interesting to think of the major impact that changing one event could have on the world!

All in all, the book is very well written. The book was written for teens, so it's an easy read. The content is G-rated, and there was a pleasant lack of an adolescent love theme, which many authors seem to be using as a crutch to hold up weak and worn out plots these days! The characters are well developed, and their reactions when they arrived in 21st century London were funny. Seeing as Tom is only 13, there's plenty of room for sequels! The plot is refreshing (Finally! A teen book without vampires!) and keeps the reader engaged. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, entertaining adventure! show less

A nice coming of age story set in 6th century Britain that focuses on a group of young men who yearn for war only to find that it’s not as glorious as they thought it would be. Touching on love, friendship, betrayal and courage, it could easily be for a young adult. I enjoyed the story and cared about what was going to happen next but it was rather lacking in historical details.