The Fall

Rating System: 1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten 2 star = poor; a total waste of time 3 star = good; worth the effort 4 star = very good; what writing should be 5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others THE CONTENT: This is a story for ages 8 - 12, though as an adult reading it with my kids I'm enjoying the series too. Nix's Abhorsen trilogy is for teens and his Keys to the Kingdom series is also for ages 8-12. THE STORY: Tal is in a bind. His father has been missing. His mother is ill. And his family doesn't have a strong Sunstone to elevate their position and provision. It falls to Tal to provide for his mother and little brother by seeking out a sunstone. But there are forces in his way that stop him from achieving these goals. It doesn't help in the opening scene that he falls from the Red Tower in his attempt to gain a stone. The fall leads to adventure Tal never would have thought possible. THE CHARACTERS: Tal is a likeable kid caught in a bad situation. He wants to do the right thing and provide for his family, but he just can't. We empathize and sympathize with him as a character. The rest of the cast is equally likeable in their own way and those that are meant to be disliked are definitely dislikeable. Overall, a great cast of characters that add to this story of Tal's quest THE SETTING: Not your typical fantasy world, but that is one reason why I love reading Garth Nix's books. . .there isn't anything typical only new and imaginative about them. The world is richly described in just the right words that a short paragraph leaves an easily visualized scene in one's head. THE PLOT: A nicely constructed quest story, which leaves our character no choice but to follow certain paths. Helper characters and hindering characters line his path that lead to a world we experience with amazement just as Tal does. The progression is logical and a well paced story. There is plenty of action in this story! Creatures that want to eat people, treacherous "natives" and more. OVERALL: My 8 year old and I are thoroughly enjoying this story and each chapter cliff-hanger keeps us turning the pages. NOTE - This is the first of 6 books. You must keep reading! The first book resolves very little if anything. We are in the 2nd book now and the same great story/writing continues on there.

I saw the ad of The Seventh Tower in one of the Star Wars Jedi Apprentice Books, which I'm also a fan of. It seemed interesting since it was incooperation with Lucas Books. I was so excited when I first bought this. I read that this novel takes place in a very dark world covered by which they call, the veil, covers the suns light. Tal is one of the Chosen of the Castle, where he lives. There are 7 orders (levels) of the Castle, there is the Violet, the highest, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, the lowest and the Underfolk, the servants. Tal desperatly tries to climb the Red Tower to get a primary sunstone, which holds sunlight and produces magic, to save his family. Tal crosses the veil and falls into a world of ice and darkness. Tal meets Milla, an Icecarl sheild maiden who will become his friend. I really enjoyed this book because there is lots of excitement, adventure and mystery. I recommend this book to all people, espescially to the bookworms out there. I am currently reading book 2 of this series.

Sixth Grade White HeathThe Seventh Tower :The Fall by Garth Nix They say the first book in every series is the worst ... all it does is talk, describe the setting, no adventure. Well, I don't know if "they" say that , but I do. The Fall which is the first book in the series The Seventh Towers broke that rule. This is a great science fiction book and series. In the book The Fall , Tal is faced with many challenges. Tal's dad gets lost on a mission and is presumed to be dead, his mom is sick, it seems like his elders are picking on him and his little brother got caught by a shadow spirit, the servants of the powerful in his castle. All Tal's problems would be solved if he could get a sunstone, his peoples' only source of light. When following Tal's crazy uncle's idea,Tal decides to climb one of the seven towers of his home, the castle in the sky, and into the veil where sunstones grow plentifully. Here's where the book gets its name; Tal falls out of the veil onto the planet below his precious castle where he meets the Icecarls. There, Tal meets a crazy bully of a girl trying to prove herself so she can become a Shield Maiden. A Shield Maiden is a warrior who travels all over the ice in search of a battle. Like I said, she's crazy. It seems all Milla, the crazy girl, wants to do is kill Tal. They're bound together on a quest to get 2 sunstones, 1 for Tal, 1 for the Icecarles. Milla continued being mean to Tal even though Tal and his shadow guard save her from a monster that lives on the ice. Tal's shadow guard wasn't as powerful as an important person in the castle but it helped heal Mila's wounds. The shadow guard is also useful because shadow guards are feared by all Icecarls. This was a truly a good science fiction book. I personally can't wait to read the next book in the series. I hardly even minded that it left me hanging at the end. I usually hate it when the author does that, but this is an exception. I give this book two thumbs up.

This is the perfect kids' introduction to Garth Nix. Though published by the same people as the "Jedi Apprentice" books, this one is both more complex and considerably darker.The young hero, Tal, is searching for a sunstone so that he can undertake a ritual quest, and solidify his family's position in the favored classes of his darkened world. If he fails, he and his younger siblings and his ill mother will be relegated to servants for the rest of their lives. But an enemy is trying to thwart Tal's attempts, and he must try to get a sunstone on his own-with disturbing results.The levels of differentness in this book are spectacular, though not as much so as Sabriel-one can hardly expect something so advanced for readers of Jedi Apprentice! Tal is a thoroughly human and sympathetic character, and as he grows more desperate the reader wants him to succeed more. Compared to the kids' fantasy usually published now, this is a gem. I wish I could give it 6 stars!

The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix has a refreshing new portrayal of characters that is not typically seen in books for this age group. The book is not beholden to the stereotypes of male strength and violence and female compassion, as one typically finds. Rather, both genders portray a complete range of personalities; from the compassionate male hero to the violent girl (Milla) that wants to kill Tal but resists out of loyalty to her clan and because she gave her word to her clan's (female) leader. The story line itself is interesting and shows no inconsistencies that leave the reader wondering if the book was ever edited. This the first book in a total of six in the series. My only complaint is that this book is not a complete story in and of itself as are the Harry Potter books or Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series. It leaves the reader hanging at the end with no idea of when part two will be written. But that is a minor complaint and inspite of that I highly recommend it. In todays world it's important that boys have compassionate male heros and understand that females can be just as violent as males. Likewise, girls have to understand that boys aren't weak just because they aren't physical and that girls can be strong both physically and mentally. Of course, the book also has it's share of underhanded people (both male and female) along with the snobs, the cheats, the genius teetering on the edge of insanity and plenty of fantasy creatures to round it out. In short, as far as the characters go, the book is an accurate portrayal of life. And the story is a wonderful fantasy.