Prophecy The Books

Prophecy is the second installment in the New York Times and World Wide Bestselling series The Symphony of Ages. While Rhapsody was a decent start of the series, Prophecy picks up where Rhapsody left off with a few "dreamy," scenes that reveal more of our fellow characters.
Rhapsody sets off to return a dragon claw that was found in Ylorc, while Achmed and Grunthor travel down beyond Ylorc and discover a few hidden treasures.
Ashe is flushed out more during the beginning of Prophecy, and Rhapsody is still the beautiful oblivious woman she has become after walking through the core of the earth. The two Firbolg discover a secret place filled of unfinished, magical relics and an ancient Dhracian, a guardian of the dangerous Sleeping Child (a little girl-like figure made of living stone). While Rhapsody rushes off to save a Religious leader and try to help Ashe reclaim his soul from the Rakshas. Grunthor (who is claimed to be the "key-character," of this novel, rarely shows) but he does play a big part near the stories end. Achmed is just as repulsive yet charming as ever, playing the role of annoying everyone insight and doing as he pleases. But you feel the fellowship of the three grow stronger, the stitches between them drawing together, forming a tight bond of utter friendship and loyalty.
The story unfolds quite nicely, and it has a nice, fast pace with artistic/creative writing that is pleasing to read. Haydon is such a talented writer that you can totally get engrossed in her book. The characters seem so real, it feels as if you are in the same room with them.
While a lot claim that Prophecy has no plot, or Rhapsody is an annoying "Mary Sue," these things are not exactly true. Prophecy does set it's point as trying to kill the Rakshas and set-up for the next book to come (Destiny). Rhapsody is simply trying to make-up for what she lost, and is still trying to keep her innocence. Though something's I do disagree upon. But don't let this disappoint you or chase you away from this book. Prophecy is very well-written, and once again has me grabbing for my dictionary and thesaurus. This is a fantasy novel, and come with some of the trappings of such a genre (romance, adventure, suspense, friendship, duty, good-against-evil and nice battle scenes). But The Symphony of Ages is different from regular fantasy series. It contains such elegance, and makes you feel one with the character, feel what they are feeling, and care for them. Often times most characters in fantasy series are dull, and don't capture your attention like Rhapsody, Grunthor and Achmed do.
So as many people have said before, Haydon is one of the best fantasy writers out there. And you don't want to miss her Symphony of Ages series ether. So pick up Prophecy and try it. And if you enjoyed the Symphony of Ages, try The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme.

Romance, Magic and Adventure, does it get any better?? I think not. The suspence and mystery only improve the story and the visions created by this author are magical and action packed. I truly enjoyed this book.

The heroine is frequently called intelligent, but never proves this. Despite her intelligence, she's completely unaware of the effect her utter physical perfection has on everyone that meets her. She is called fair and compassionate despite being haughty and judgemental.

However, the absolute worst of it is any interaction that involves Ashe. Aside from the fact that he comes off as a player character someone rolled up for a d&d campaign (see, I'm this half-dragon...), his presence turns any chapter from fantasy to bad romance.

If you seriously browse the romance section when choosing a book, you may just love this, though.

This was a good add on to the Symphony of Ages trilogy. Comparing it to the first book Rhapsody it was well done. The flow of the story was pretty fast and not slow because the writer jumped around quite often with one plot to another but with sometimes longwinded. The characters still there but a bit less of Grunthor. The good side about the characters is how Ashe is one person in the beginning then he is discovered to be someone else. Elizabeth Haydon throws in some funny plots also that I just could not stop laughing about. From my opinion I will look at the good and the bad.

Good Sides to the Book
1. Flow is pretty fast and well written.
2. In some portions of the book you get a very intimate and sensual writing. Parts of the book are a bit graphic if you must know.
3. Characters are well written. The plots of each character sometimes are angry, happy, sad, sexual, and at times funny.

Bad Side
1. Rhapsody at times is still in her life saving mode. Even when trying to kill the demon she questions should she do it. The writer makes the plot in those parts londwinded.
2. Parts of the book too much sex. I am not too interested in sex and intimate parts. Maybe once or twice but not 5 times or more. I just laughed when the writer kept writing about making love again and again.
3. The ending is quite abrupt. Not a very well ending but this is a trilogy so if you want to read more okay ending but if you wish to stop the ending leaves you hanging.

Overall the book is very well written. This wasn't a fast book slapped together it was fairly well done. I still enjoy this book and the first because there are funny parts when a person is all the sudden nice then turns it a wild monster. Makes me laugh at times. Ashe half dragon is funny when he lets his dragon side take control. If you like fantasy total fiction and a sensual story this book is good but read it with the rest of the trilogy. If you are wanting just one book and lots of guts, gory, and killing then you will partially satisfied but not completely. If you are thinking of a book for dragons, death, pirates, or just plain action you might be disappointed. This book is best read along with the trilogy so you understand the whole story.

I really wanted to like this book. I liked "Rhapsody" well enough and thought that it had a lot of potential as a first novel. Unfortunately, "Prophecy" is a huge step backwards for Haydon.

The Good: Haydon has a knack for vivid description. All of the locales in the novel are evocative and well written. She's also a pretty fair action writer, as these things go. Her world is well developed and interesting. Rhapsody's Naming magic is generally interesting, as are the general elemental magic abilities. Several of the minor characters (Elynsynos, Lord Stephen, Lord Trystan) are better than the main characters.

The Bad: Haydon strips all of the endearing character traits from her two best characters, Achmed and Grunthor, and turns them into annoying charicatures. Instead, the entire book focuses on Rhapsody.

This is a huge problem, because Rhapsody is a fundamentally uninteresting character. She's "perfect" in every way: perfectly beautiful, perfect student, perfect lover, perfect friend, perfect warrior, perfect diplomat, etc., etc., ad nauseum. Her only "flaw" is that she doesn't realize how beautiful she truly is, and is self depricating because of it. Of course, that never makes any difference, because she never fails at anything she attempts and ends up getting the perfect man anyway. The only plus here is that she spends less of this book going from emotional equilibrium to indignant rage at the drop of a hat. Speaking of Ashe/Gwydion/Sam, he's an empty suit for Rhapsody to have sex with.

I mentioned above that Haydon's descriptive writing is strong. This is outlined all the more because her dialog is utterly insipid. Achmed answers everything with an annoying question or a "cutting" quip (such as when he shows a diplomat several examples of fabrics and wines that are of a manufacture the diplomat has never seen before. The diplomat asks, quite reasonably, where Achmed acquired them. Achmed's withering response to this perfectly reasonable question? "Don't be an idiot"). However, even that pales in comparison to the "banter" between Rhapsody and Ashe. If teen couples in ice cream parlors cooing "I love you!", "No, I love you more!" cause you to roll your eyes, stay far, far away from this book.

Finally, there are structural issues with the book. Not a lot happens in the first place, but the story slams to a halt when Haydon decides it would be worth the time to have Rhapsody and Ashe have sex for 35 pages. No really. They continue to have sex and coo at each other intermittently for the final 200 pages of the novel. In addition, a minor character is raped, "Rosemary's Baby" style, in teeth gratingly awful detail (note to fantasy authors: most of us don't read fantasy for vivid descriptions of rape, it's unpleasant). The demon that rapes this character looks exactly like Ashe, yet when Rhapsody discovers this she's so perfect that she never has any difficulty around Ashe. Apparently she has no imagination.

Anyway, after this interlude we get a false climax, where the novel seems like it's over. But it isn't. It continues for another 130 pages, most of which is setup for the third novel in the trilogy and could easily have been put elsewhere (like in the third book).

In addition, Haydon writes mostly in third person limited. However, at certain points she switches,without warning, to third person omniscient. This book needed to be locked in a padded room with a savage editor for about a month. Several hundred pages could easily have been shaved off of it.

I had intended to end the review with a section devoted to the moments of unintentional comedy. My favorite is when Rhapsody enters a forest and uses her naming magic to know the forest's exact dimensions, take strength from the forest, and know the positions of four expert trackers that are following her. However, several days later she is ambushed by a platoon of the same trackers and is taken utterly by surprise. That happens within the same chapter, by the way. However, I can't in good conscience recommend the book on those grounds because the comedy scale drops in the later stages. I couldn't even muster up more than a groan when Haydon used the phrase "make love" just about every other word during the "sex romp" portions.

The bottom line here is that the only thing stopping this book from being forgotten in the Harlequin Romance section of your local book store is a little bit of tarting up with magic, dragons, and several hundred pages of unnecessary length. Do yourself a favor and read any of the myriad other fantasy writers who do it better.

How would you feel if you were a cat who has lived in peace in the forest with a clan for many months. But, a prophesy from your warrior cat ancestors is now haunting your dreams, saying that you must save your fellow cats from utter destruction. This is how Brambleclaw, warrior of ThunderClan, must now embark on a journey to find the answer he needs to figure out the prophesy.
The setting of the story is present day and takes place in the forest, a small town, and the coast. The main characters of the book are Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw, cats of ThunderClan, Stormfur and Feathertail, cats of RiverClan, Crowpaw, young apprentice of WindClan, Tawnypelt, a she-cat of ShadowClan, and Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw's sister.
The plot of the story is about Brambleclaw, a warrior cat of ThunderClan who must find the answer to a new and grim prophesy foretold to him by his warrior ancestors in his dreams. He later finds out that he must now journey to the coastline to seek the answer he needs to save his clan and all the other clans of the forest. He is accompanied by cats from the other clans, for they have had the same dreams as him. Now six cats must journey to the coastline so that they can "listen to what midnight tells them" before all four clans of the forest are destroyed by an unpredicted threat.
The theme of the book is about how important teamwork can be. Unfortunately I don't know what the title of the book stands for. The pacing of this book is really fast and the authors craft is excellent because the author leaves cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, encouraging you to keep reading. I don't think this book is in a Christian perspective because when cat die they don't go to heaven, they go to StarClan. I have no negative opinions of this book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and fantasy books.

All of the Erin Hunter books are great! I just love them and have read them many times over. I am not a reader, I hate to read!!! But give me a Warrior series book and leave me alone for a few days. They are the best. Thanks Erin for opening up a new world for me.

Warriors are my favorite books. I'm trying to get them all. Thank you for your help in my quest. Midnight is actually one of my favorite Warrior books.

I am attached to all of the characters in the Warriors series as they are full of all the emotions you go through in life.

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

Like all of Joel Rosenberg's books, you have to wonder how close we are to this really happening. A frightening view of what no longer would seem impossible.

this book all has to do with the fantasy of the end of days promoted by the christian church -they have always been into a lot of ridiculous ideas in order to make money including their belief in a creator -this book continues the use of fear to mold people into being afraid to think for themselves-it is part of a very evil conditioning that will never help the human race evolve-

WOW! What a book!! Joel Rosenburg really out does himself with this one. If you've read the previous books and know the characters, this one will sadden, amaze and shock you. One of the best authors around in my opinion.

Dead Heat is a gripping thriller that captures the reader from the first chapter. Reading about the end times prophecy as current events, made it impossible to put down. Hopefully, that state of affairs will not disable our nation as in the book, but Dead Heat made me aware that we must be ever vigilent to stop those who seek to destroy Israel and the United States. Thank you Joel Rosenberg for giving us a deeper understanding of the prophecies in the Bible and a glimpse of how we can have a brighter future in Christ.

Following on the heels of The Copper Scroll, possibly the most positive book in the series, Dead Heat is certainly the most negative. In the introduction, Rosenberg states that this book is the final one in the series originating out of The Last Jihad, which was not initially meant to be part of a series at all. One might suspect that Rosenberg might, once again, be persuaded to continue the series, as he has before, but after only a few pages his determination to end the series becomes quite clear. Dead Heat is a story that has no plot beyond the utter destruction of its principle characters. Three-hundred-seventy-four pages appears to be what it takes to destroy everything. Still, it's no a book to be put down and forgotten about. The writing is as sophisticated as the previous books. Is it worth the read? Certainly, but not if you're feeling depressed and have a gun in the closet.

The group meets amysterious tribe of mountain cats, who keep Stormfur prisoner so they can fufill their own prophecy.
A sad, interesting and detailed read, worth re-reading.

Get lost in the world of cats. The author does a great job discribing tribes of cats in the mountains - cats with different anscestors and different lifestyles. This book is a good for young audience as well, of course, as for cat lovers who often wonder how cat percives our world.

Check also The Dog Who Rescues Cats: True Story of Ginny, The

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

Are you a fan of the Warriors series? If you are, Moonrise will surely interest you. Moonrise continues the journey of the 6 cats to complete a prophecy set by their ancestors to save their forest and also how the cats in the 4 clans left in the forest are coping. The 6 cats come upon strange cats that are in a tribe. The tribe cats think that Stormfur, one of the Riverclan cats on the journey, is also their prophesized cat that says that he will defeat the tribe cat's enemy, Sharptooth.
While all of this is happening to the prophesized cats, the forest cats are in distress. There isn't enough prey in the forest for them because of the humans and cats are dying because of starvation and illness. Some cats have even gone missing and the other cats are starting to spread rumors about why they might be missing!
Moonrise is one of the best books I've ever read with lots of suspense and action. There is a huge twist in the story but you're going to have to read it to find out what it is! Happy reading!

This book follows the traveling cats as they try to make their way back to the forest. Again, a very strong, page turning book and I loved every bit of it. Some parts were harder to read than others as trouble follows the cats, but as usual, that only leads to more adventure and really keeps your interest. Addictive and highly entertaining. Can't wait for the next book.

The hand-in-glove fit of Christian and Islamic eschatology is made perfectly clear in Antichrist: Islam's Awaited Messiah. For anyone who understands or desires to understand the end times from a Christian perspective, knowledge of what Muslims await is chillingly essential. Islamic eschatology laces precisely into what Christians anticipate in the end times...only forming the negative side of the Christian eschatological equation. A long needed, and bone chilling expose. Well, well worth the read. It will impact and expand your understanding of end time possibilities.

I find the propaganda in books like this to be disturbing. If you have read the Bible, you know this "rapture" "end of time" stuff is NOT the message Jesus preached. Those who believe it are wasting their time hating instead of following Jesus' command to love one another.

The Bible is not a book of science or prophecy. It is a book of faith by a loving God.

WHEN you see the black flags feverishly waving in the air, you had better run as fast as you can. As Sheikh Kabbani stated: "Hadith indicate that black flags coming from Khorasan will signify the appearance of the Mahdi is near!"
God help us! We're heading for a serious dilema; none that we've ever read or seen in past history. The Bible foretold us and gave us clear warnings AND indications (symbols) of the radical Islam religion.
Joel Richardson's extensive studies in both the Qur'an(with the Sunna/Hadith) and the Holy Bible shows that he sees the remarkable parallels of both the antichrist (Ad Dajjal) and the false prophet described in the Holy Bible and the Qur'an (w/Sunna & Hadith). There is a strong description of the antichrist in Joel's book, which has been defined by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 and described by John in Revelation 13 and Revelation 20. As I write this review, I see the changes in communication between Saudi Arabia, USA and Rome (Vatican), all after the USA president left Jerusalem.

You will realize that the bad guys in the Bible are the good guys in Islam and the good guys in the Bible are the bad guys in Islam.

This book along with Walid Shoebat's "Why I Left Jihad" give such revelation to biblical prophecy and current world events. Astounding. Must read to understand the times we live in now.

The Mahdi is supposed to either return as the hidden imam (Sheia) or simply come (Sunni) to bring peace and justice to the earth for a period of 7 years. Jesus Christ will be there to support the Mahdi by doing great signs and wonders. At the end of 7 years, the Dajjal will come to earth to deceive the inhabitants of the earth to cause them to turn away from Islam by doing deceiving works; like causing it to rain in lands that have been in drought and bring forth fruit bearing trees because of the famine. He will ask the inhabitants of the land if they will now believe on Him after doing these deceiving miracles. This Dajjal will also raise people up from the dead, and again ask the inhabitants if they will believe on him. If they still refuse, then they get cast into this river of fire that follows the Dajjal. The story ends with Mahdi beating the Dajjal at Medina.

That is the condensed Muslim version of the end-times.

The characters to Muslims are:

Mahdi: Saviour of the Islam world
Jesus Christ: great prophet
Dajjal: Anti-Christ

Satan is preparing the Muslim world to accept the antichrist and the false prophet even now in their teachings.

Satan is already preparing the Islamic world to reject Christ at the end of the 7 year tribulation by teaching now of his coming and saying that the one coming is a fraud, and antichrist, the Dajjal.

It use to really puzzle me where the bible says that the armies of the earth will gather to fight against the Lord. I use to wonder "How can this be?" "How can anybody think they can fight against God?"

After listening to what Muslims are being taught, finally I understand how people people will actually think they can fight against God. They won't believe it IS God they are fighting. They will think it is the Dajjal, the antichrist they are fighting!

Scripture Comparison in the Bible

1- Scripture teaches us that there will be an anti-christ during the 7 year tribulation that will destroy many through peace.
Islam teaches there will be a messiah called the Mahdi that will rule for 7 years to bring peace and judgment to the earth.

2- Scripture teaches us that there will be a false prophet supporting the antichrist doing signs and wonders.
Islam teaches Isa (Muslim Jesus) will be supporting the Mahdi doing signs and wonders.

3- Scripture teaches at the end of the 7 year tribulation, Jesus Christ will come and establish his kingdom on this earth and he will rule with a rod of iron. He will cast the antichrist and his followers into the lake of fire.
Islam teaches the Dajjal will come to deceive Muslims and try to get them to convert to him. Muslims call him the antichrist.

Islam teaches at the end of the 7 years the Dajjal will come to this earth as the antichrist and will perform miracles to deceive Muslims, such as:

1a- Bringing rain because of the drought. (scripture teaches that God will use drought as judgment, Jesus restores the earth during this period)

1b- Islam teaches the Dajjal will bring forth fruit bearing trees. (scripture teaches of great famine, Jesus restores the earth during this time)

1c- Islam teaches that the Dajjal will ask the Muslims if they will convert and believe on him after these miracles. (You can make the assumption that people will become believers in Christ during the tribulation, because of various things scripture says along these lines)

1d- Islam teaches the Dajjal will also raise people from the dead and then ask the Muslims to convert and believe on him. (we know Jesus was raised from the dead and the dead in Christ will rise on that day)

1e- Islam teaches that any that do not convert to the Dajjal, the Dajjal will throw them into the river of fire that follows him wherever he goes. (scripture teaches Jesus will cast unbelievers into the lake of fire)

1f- Islam teaches the Dajjal will be defeated by the Mahdi at Medina. We know Jesus defeats the antichrist.

So you see that the characters that Muslims think is:

(a) Mahdi the messiah that rules for 7 years, is actually the antichrist

(b) Isa is the false prophet (Isa-Muslim Jesus whom Muslims consider to be ONLY a great prophet, but not greater that Muhammad)

(c) Dajjal the antichrist, who comes at the end of the 7 years is actually Jesus Christ.

rubbish. when freaks will realize that christianity islam and judaism is one and the same thing with minor technical variations and not condemming each other as heathens. this foolishness has been going on for too long. first it was the evil jews and now its the evil muslims. humans will never stop to discredit, destroy, humiliate, villify a competing religion. well this immaturity needs to taken to task and i ask all people here to really GROW UP!

Erin Hunter continues the saga of the clan cats. The perils of the new home are explored and we are set up for the next part of the saga. Hunter held my interest and fed my need to know more about these cats whom I have grown to love and admire. I am hopelessly hooked. My husband is amazed by the story. Every school should have this collection.

This book was received in most excellent condition and shipped very promptly! I was extremely satisfied!

Last Book in the second series of Warriors, and I absolutely adored it. It only took me three hours to read, and made me cry and go 'awwwww' so many times!!
I simply can't wait to get the next series, Power of Three, and am hoping it's as good as the first two series.
Although, the ending did seem a bit rushed, overall it was a very enjoyable and satisfactory end to a lovely series.

For starters, I'm a big fan of the warriors series. I love the way Erin writes and the way she is so kind at her book talks. These series are amazing! I recomend them to everyone.
I was so excited for this book and had to wait forever! And the wait was worth while. This book is one that you can't put down, with an excellent ending. Although it may sound a little violent, it is a great end to the New Prophecy series.
This book would have to be my second favorite in the series, after the Darkest Hour. I encourage anyone who has read the other books to read this one.

This last book in the second series of Warriors Novels is as good as all of the rest!! I love cats and find these novels so interesting I can hardly put each book down until it is finished!!!

Wonderful and sad, with some new material.
Deaths and secret affairs are abound, in this wonderful book. I'm definately re-reading this one.

Warriors #1: Into the Wild (summer reading) (Warriors)

This series of books has turned my 12 year old daughter into a serious reader. She has read 11 of the books and I am about to order more! I find her reading first thing in the morning and late into the night. The books are clever, mysterious and dramatic. About clans of wild cats, and in particular one clan's battle to survive and raise the next generation of warriors. Great read for boys too.

THis Warrior Series of books by Erin Hunter is a series not to be missed. I bought books originally for my grandaughter and soon became as hooked as she on this story. We have several cats and this book adds to the understanding of them. After you read the first book you are forever hooked on Rusty who becomes Firestar. Don't let another day pass before you get started. You will be a fan for sure.

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

Have anyone ever wondered how the world is perceived by animals? How about cats? What do they think? What would they say if they could talk? This book is all about the world of cats. It's all about their thinking, their acting, their adventures, their emotions, and their whole suspenseful life. Erin Hunter is a master of suspension. This book will lure you in and have you cling to it until the very end. This suspense is a large part of what made me a Warriors fan. The ending leaves you hanging with tension, and wanting to read more.

I did not read previous books in this series but I certainly intend to. If you haven't already, I suggest reading the whole series from the begging to the end. At least that is what I am going to do. For anyone who has already read them all I suggest another amazing cat series titled Why Some Cats are Rascals. This is actually where my cat adventure reading started. You'll be amazed at how delightful these rascals are! Read all these books and you are bound to get addicted to them, I promise.

OK, I admit it. The main reason why I wanted to read this book was because it supposedly exposed the possibly of a sexual relationship between American's best-documented seer and the young lady who documented the psychic's trance readings, Gladys Davis.

And, I was not disappointed. The book describes readings in Cayce's psychic source encouraged sexual union. Naughty, naughty, especially considering that Edgar was already married and was also 27 years older than Gladys.

Evidently, the two of them had, in a long ago past, been one soul. Like Shirley MacLaine in The Camino, Gladys and Edgar had once been one androgynous being--the readings say female because female was stronger--and they had been separated into a male and female half. Eventually, in some future lifetime, they would unite into a whole again.

To my delight, this book has many more tidbits of intriguing information that I, in my years of fascination with Edgar Cayce and his trance readings, had never heard about, for example, that inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla met with Cayce because of their interest in electricity and the psychic.

Neither did I know that Cayce, in trance, had invented a perpetual motion machine that unfortunately, was never successfully manufactured partly because it did not have the required mental energy of high-spiritually-minded people. Verrry interesting!

Read it! The book is jam-packed with titillating details "never before revealed" about Cayce's personal and professional life. It's all here--from Atlantis to an overview of Cayce's healing philosophy!

One of a number of biographies on Cayce, all of which I have found fascinating: There Is a River: The Story of Edgar Cayce, Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet, and Edgar Cayce: Mystery Man of Miracles.

Carol Chapman, Award-winning photographer of the Divine in Nature: With Quotes from Edgar Cayce and author of When We Were Gods: Insights on Atlantis, Past Lives, Angelic Beings of Light and Spiritual Awakening.

The Edgar Cayce legacy offers a new hope to civilization. Many texts have been written for those who would hear, and written well. Sidney Kirkpatrick offers an outstanding new level in writings of Cayce. It is a textbook that one does not wish to put down before finishing, and immediately picks it up to re-read. It is a terrific text and an invaluable assessment of Cayce and his work. I have nothing but the highest praise for Kirpatrick.

This book is very comprehensive and well-written. It is extremely informative about the life of Edgar Cayce. Highly recommended!

This book is very interesting. If you are a Cayce fan then this book is right up your alley.

Because Kirkpatrick presents Edgar Cayce at every turn as a full-blooded human being, he gives Cayce's triumphs and tragedies a dimension that rises above mere journalism. This book is a classic in its field.

An alright, but still worthwhile read where the Clan cats find their home and a place to communicate with StarClan.

This is an amazing book. Like all the others,Erin puts a suprise in this book...

My fifth grade son loves this series. He read the first book in the series at the library. The others seem to always be checked out so I went ahead and bought him the rest in the series. He loves them!

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

We enjoy this whole series very much each time they come out and look with expectancy for the next one.....

Blaise B. review of The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy by T. A. Baron, October 2, 2002
T.A. Baron's work transports you to a magical world. A world filled with magic and fantastic creatures. This is a place that in an epic battle between good and evil, which will decide the fate of all the worlds; Spirit, Mortal, and in between.

The only one who can stop evil from destroying everything is Tamwyn, the true heir of the great wizard Merlin. However, at the same time, he is the one that can destroy everything he holds dear; the Child of the Dark Prophecy! To save his world, Tamwyn will have to find the truth within himself, and whether he has what it takes to be a wizard and a hero. In the first of Baron's trilogy, he will come to question the meaning of his name; "Dark Flame". Will he be a shadow that brings about the end of the world, or the light that can save it?

I picked this up expecting a clumsy, second-rate children's fantasy on the order of Eragon. I was proven wrong within the first few pages; I couldn't put this book down!
Barron manages a well-thought-out and surprisingly-sophisticated fantasy adventure rivaling some adult fare that's out there. And while he borrows some classic themes, characters and plot elements from archetypal mythology and other fantasy epics (such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Earthsea), at the very least the references are subtle and well-done (unlike Eragon, in which the plot is very obviously a medieval version of Star Wars IV: A New Hope). He also includes strong political, social and religious undertones that might well be commentary on the present day.
Child of the Dark Prophecy tells the tale of three young people who prove vital to the survival of their world, the magical, tree-shaped realm of Avalon. The beginning outlines neatly the backstory from Barron's Merlin series, and the prophecy made by the fabled Lady of the Lake (that a child will be born who will bring about the fall of Avalon and only Merlin's true heir can stop him), and introduces the heroes: Scree, an boy who can turn into an eagle creature at will, who is entrusted with Merlin's staff; his adoptive brother Tamwyn, who is certain he is the dark child of the prophecy and has been searching desperately for his missing brother; and Elli, a slave girl-turned-Drumadian Priestess who meets Tamwyn while escorting the spoiled, self-centered, soon-to-be head of her order to see the Lady of the Lake. Before long, they are drafted by the Lady herself to find Merlin's staff and stop an evil sorcerer from creating a powerful artifact capable of bringing an even-more-evil god to Avalon.
While the plot is complicated, it's not overwhelming, and the characters are engaging; Tamwyn brings to mind both Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter, being the conflicted hero who is still unsure whether he is good or evil, desperate to find the family he has left and the father he never knew, and far too trusting in the Lady's prophecy (like Harry in the fifth and sixth books, he will not listen to advice that a prophecy is not necessarily the final word on the future and can be changed). Yet, he also has a bit of Han Solo and Ron Weasley in him; he's a bit roguish, spending most of his time acting as a wilderness guide, and is a total klutz (for which he is mercilessly teased by his companions).
Some of the minor characters are great to read about as well (like Nuic, Elli's companion, a pretentious-yet-wise little mountain sprite with a sharp tongue and centuries of knowledge on everyone else. Fans of the Dresden Files may be reminded of Harry's caustic, ghostly companion Bob).
Barron's religious undertones are mostly in their infancy in Child of the Dark Prophecy, but we are introduced to the conflict between the Drumadians (an order founded by Merlin's mother and sister who bring to mind Wicca and other non-mainstream nature-based belief structures with their respect for all forms of life and harm none philosophy) and a new sect lead by a seemingly-good priest, reminiscent of Order of the Phoenix's wicked Professor Umbridge, living near the Lady of the Lake (who seems to think that humans are superior to all other creatures and therefore what's best for us is best for everyone, even if that means killing others or destroying their home and culture... a commentary on the occupancy of Iraq, perhaps?)
J.K. Rowling may get all the credit for reinventing the intermediate section of the bookstore for parents as well as their pre-teens, but she's not the only one who can spin a good yarn that both adults and kids will like.

I completely and honestly disagree with J. Austin ( a reviewer above )this book was amazing. The great tree of Avalon had hidden meanings, developed characters and setting, and actually does make a good statement about caring for the environment. Also, how can the author be being preachy if it is written through the eyes of characters in the book? Its not like he is actually saying "we should care for the environment" Fantasy lovers like books of unique animals and deep dark mystery. also the author makes a statement about caring for the environment just by having such an unusual setting. It shows that with so many creatures living in one place you should respect them all including the trees land and water. I am a total fantasy fanatic and I loved Harry Potter, Ella Enchanted, Of two Minds, and Both Sides of Time (all great books by the way) and I respect your opinion about not liking the book J. Austin but I don't understand how you can like fantasy books and not like this one, complete fantasy. I don't think your reasons are very valid either. You must not be a fantasy fanatic. But anyone out there if you are a ff then this book is totally awesome. Don't forget any of my other previously mentioned books! -emy

This story is about a seventeen year old boy who needs to save his world from an evil dark sorceror. Tamwyn, the main character, is brave, adventurous, clumsy, and sort of unlucky. He's brave and adventurous because he protects his friends and does what's right, most of the time, plus he likes to explore his world. He is very clumsy and is seems to be that every time it talks about him he is tripping over things which puts some humor into the book. Tamwyn is sort of unlucky, he's like a black cat, everywhere he goes something bad happens either to the people or the town. This leads him to think that he is the prophesized Dark Child that is supposed to bring the end to Avalon, his world. I could really connect with the author's characters. It seemed like I was in the story with them. I've read T.A. Barron's 'The Lost Year's of Merlin' series and I enjoyed both that series and this book. I look forward to reading his other books about Avalon. This book is for grades 6-10. Its a great action adventure book and I highly recommend it.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get past the first chapter because I was so disgusted and angered by the intensely obscene violent reference toward the very first female character introduced in the book. This reference was highly INNAPROPRIATE for the intended age group: smashing her baby on the rocks so he could rape the mother holding the child. Gratuitous and completely unnecessary. Makes me wonder about the author, although his credentials look good on paper! Disgusting. Will never take the chance with him again and will certainly not allow my boys to read his work.