The Aedyn Chronicles book 1: Chosen Ones by Alister McGrathSo this was the typical, brother and sister are staying at grandparents’ house and get transported to another world through a portal. There’s a prophecy (which isn’t really described) that deliverers will come. The land they are going to is the “promised land” that the people went to after their old home was destroyed (think Exodus). Over time people have disposed the rightful king and replaced him with 3 evil lords who’ve been reigning for 500 years (yeah, they’re old dudes). Gaius, another really old dude (think OT prophet), is a messenger of the Lord of Light and helps guide the brother and sister to lead the slave rebellion after they get captured by the evil lords and both manage to escape (one with the help of slaves, the other by introducing gunpowder and then sabotaging the cannon made to use it). The good guys triumph. The evil lords are overthrown and the slaves are freed, but there are hints that the true source of evil has not been conquered and needs a son of the true king to come and conquer it.I felt like the prelude to the rebellion was for the most part well-written, and then like McGrath got tired of writing and rushed the ending and/or he wasn’t sure how to write battle scenes or his publisher was threatening him with bodily harm if they didn’t get a manuscript within 24hrs. I think I had 5 times where I found myself going back to read the previous paragraph because I was like, what? How did we get here? Did I miss something? But no, he just jumped from one major part of the action to the next. I still have no clue how the slaves inside the castle revolted. In one line it says they’re locked up with guards, and then all of a sudden it says that the slaves inside the castle are joining the fight! I know this guy knows how to write. Tim actually recognized his name because he’s a famous theologian. You don’t get to be a Dean of Theology at a school without being able to write. Now the question is how often he writes fiction…I’m guessing not often. Maybe he’s been doing too many summaries lately because that’s what the last part of the book really felt like. Maybe he’ll learn some more before the next book in the series comes out. (Did you catch the pun/allusion in the name of the series?) This book was obviously written for small children. I can see maybe a five year old liking it. However, the story was quite dull as I plodded my way through it. The author's descriptions were lacking in detail and so simplistic that I found it difficult to imagine the supposed splendor of the land. This book was frustrating as you're never drawn into the story. Unnecessary details are given out, characters are introduced that contribute little to the story. Glad I got this book for free.
What do You think about Chosen Ones (Aedyn Chronicles #1) (2010)?
Was a pretty good book, I enjoyed it, but it ended a little short for me. Nicely written though.
—Moe
Solid YA Christian fantasy. Will read the next one to see if the series is worth continuing.
—Tasha
Good read for kids. Older folk will find it rather cliche and predictable.
—nae
