Gary Hoover (3)

Land of Nod, The Child is the third book in the trilogy from Gary Hoover. Though this review is for the third book I will comment a bit about the trilogy as a whole.

I found the idea to be engaging though at times I felt the story was either dragging or had a few scenes that served very little purpose. All in all I think the writing improved steadily through the series, from the characters to the flow of the story. I have gotten away from reading fantasy and this trilogy will not keep me away show more from other fantasy but it also did not make me want to dive back into another series.

I would recommend this to teens and some young adults. For me, what was missing from this that most great fantasy or science fiction has was some kind of larger statement about society, culture, life, whatever. These stories certainly accentuate positive ideas and traits but they seemed to be smaller in scale than what I want to read. That said, if someone got something "bigger" from it, great! That is what is fun about these kinds of books, different readers bring different perspectives so take different things away.

Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads' First Reads. show less

This was an entertaining story of a teenage boy who finds himself in a strange new world. Although the humour in this book didn't really appeal to me I really liked the story and was drawn in by the mystery surrounding Jeff's father.

I think this was my favourite book of the trilogy. I found it gripping and exciting. The story running through all three books was interesting and engaging- and I think this was a great end to an enjoyable series.

Land of Nod, The Artifact by Gary Hoover is the first book in the Land of Nod trilogy. Ever since Jeff Browning's father mysteriously disappeared, Jeff's been having strange and terrifying dreams. When he's searching in his father's office for a necklace given to Jeff by his father, he finds a portal. Jeff's curiosity is piqued to the point of finding out where the portal leads, and if it's where he'll find answers leading to his father's whereabouts.

This was an imaginative story with show more strange creatures in a strange land. Jeff meets new people who are willing to help him; for his new friends believe Jeff to be the prophesied one. I felt this story was alright and is a great story for middle grade children. show less