Landon Snow and the Island of Arcanum

Once again, R.K. Mortenson shows creativity and growth in the field of writing. Landon and his sisters are swept away on a sea voyage adventure in Landon Snow, Book 3, and the Island of Arcanum. Landon is on a mission to rescue the animals of Wonderland. They are held captive on the Island of Arcanum. Characters from the first two book return to help out. Mortenson offers a superb Christian series sure to please both adults and children.

I will admit that it took me about four months to get through the latest Landon Snow book: LANDON SNOW AND THE ISLAND OF ARCANUM. This book is definitely a slight step down in some ways from Mortensen's last installment: LANDON SNOW AND THE SHADOWS OF MALUS QUIDAM, which was all the way around amazing. This one though, had me shutting the covers a few times because, well, I was bored. Landon Snow and his family head up to Button Up, and while Landon, Holly, and little sister Bridget are visiting the local library when they are sucked into another world, floating along an immense ocean in a pirate ship. They soon discover that they are to rescue the animals of Wonderwood from the evil island of Arcanum. Once Mortensen gets the reader to the island, things pick up pretty swiftly and I found myself easily flying through the last few chapters as the adventure unfolds and Mortensen really writes at the top of his game. Some of my biggest problems I had were with how long we spend on the pirate ship simply exploring. Yes, it is nice and all - but it just goes on for chapter after chapter - until we're roughly a 100 pages in. The other problem I had was with Landon crying every other minute. It seems like every few seconds Landon is getting choked up with emotion - over seeing Ditty, over the animals being captured, over seeing his old friends, over saying goodbye to his old friends, on and on and on, cry, cry, cry. Those corny moments really drove me nearly crazy. But those things I can ignore for the greatness of the last few chapters - especially the build-up for the next book, LANDON SNOW AND THE IGNEUS FOREST. So overall, trudge through the beginning for the great ending chapters. I really hope that he next book finds Mortensen improving some more and going back to the feel of SHADOWS. Until the next library trip...

Written for the upper elementary school age child, Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum is book three in Reverend Mortenson's series. Landon Snow and his sisters, Holly and Bridget, are drawn into another world when they visit the Button Up Library. Characters from the first two books in the series reappear in this current installation when the three siblings are transported to what appears to be another time period, that of Noah's Ark. All the animals from a place called Wonderwood have been sent to the island of Arcanum where they are held captive by the evil presence of Malus Quidam. Landon and his sisters learn of the animals' disappearance when they are confronted by the arrival of a vessel on their lonely ocean that seems to be Noah's Ark and is manned by friends Landon has encountered before, Vates, Epops, Trumplestump, Wagglewhip, Melech, Hardy, Ditty and Ludo to name a few. The mission Landon and his compatriots must complete is an important one to the world of Wonderwood and carries much danger with it. Can Landon and his troupe save the animals of Wonderwood and return them home again? Or will Malus Quidam succeed in destroying the whole group and drawing them into his evil world? Children will find Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum entertaining, especially if they read the first two books in the series, Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle and Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam, prior to reading this third installment in the series.

This is book three of the Landon Snow series, and is a great alternative to Harry Potter or other stories about witches and witchcraft. Landon Snow and his sisters, Holly, and Bridget, are visiting Grandma and Grandpa Snow in Button Up when they decide to visit the public library. To their surprise while the library is open, no one seems to be there. They hear water dripping, as if the roof is leaking and there's a puddle on the floor, but since they have just come in from outside, they know it isn't raining. Bridget is holding Landon's Bible when the pages start to rise and fall, stopping at the story of Noah and the Ark. Suddenly the waters begin to rise and Landon, Holly, and Bridget are off on a new adventure. Suspend your belief in reality, and come along on a trip to the Island of Arcanum. You'll meet Wagglewhip, Battleroot, and a talking horse named Melech. Dangers abound, and sometimes it seems like Landon, Holly and Bridget will fail in their mission. Kids will love the Landon Snow series, and so will adults. Think Christmas gift, for the young fantasy lovers on your list.

Landon Snow, his two sisters Bridget and Holly and his parents are visiting their relatives in Button Up, Minnesota. When they arrive in the library, it suddenly fills up with water and a stone boat allows them to survive the experience. They sail into uncharted waters followed by an ark, which at first they believe is Noah's but soon know it came from their Wonderworld friends. Together with the three children they sail to the island of Arcanum. There they will gather the animals that were taken from Wonderworld but first they must battle the Arcans, inhuman evil monsters who feed off of fear instead of food. The animals are under an enchantment to obey the Chief Arcanum who worships the shadows of Malus Quidam, the prince of darkness. Once they break the enchantment with the help of the Auctor who is in their hearts and soul, they fight the Arcans with freedom for all at stake. R.K. Mortenson's latest Landon Snow adventure is a great fantasy even though the protagonists use no sorcery. Their belief in the Avatar sustains them through the darkest times and young adults will enjoy this cross between Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. Reference to the other books in this series will have readers wanting to go to their nearest bookstore to obtain them. Harriet Klausner