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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
I love getting to see more of this world. The perfect amount of suspense, kept me captivated. Love how people come in and out of the story. Also, really love that the book is focused on the adventure and not a love story. I appreciated Rachel getting more of the spotlight in this book too!
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood
Brandun Mull doesn't get enough credit.
A few weeks ago, I attended a forum at the Salt Lake CominCon FanXperience for authors Brandon Sanderson and Brandon Mull. Both are a local (to Utah) authors, both are BYU grads, both write fantasy, both are New York Times bestselling authors, and both are at about the same place in their careers.
And yet it was clear, in watching the Q&A, that while there are many similarities, each writes for a different fan base that has guided the kind of writing they produce. Where Sanderson's successful completion of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, as well as a fair measure of success in his own right, has brought him a substantial fan base among adults (I stood in line for the forum next to a couple women who had driven from California to get into a con where they could actually meet Sanderson, San Diego's ComiCon having gotten too large and difficult to get into), Mull's fan base is substantially younger and, I surmised as I listened to question after question aimed at Sanderson while Mull sat alongside him patiently, less likely to show up at a con.
To those fans, Mull is to Sanderson what minor league baseball is major league: a step within the genre from one level of depth to the next.
That step--from fantasy fiction designed for a young reader, more heavily weighted with archetypal characters, a more action driven plot, and focused on protagonists in their early teens--is why I think Mull does not get the credit he deserves. His readers are just discovering fantasy for the first time, and Mull knows exactly how to talk their language. He understands, to quote Neil Gaiman (who is summarizing G.K. Chesterton), that "Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
During the Salt Lake FanXperience forum with Sanderson, Mull was asked what he first read that got him into reading and into fantasy. Mull cited The Tales of Narnia, and indeed it is hard not to see C.S. Lewis in all Mull writes.
Lewis famously explained why he wrote fantasy for children when such might scare children. "Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. . . Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let villains be soundly killed at the end of the book.”
And Mull's stories are all about soundly killing the villain.
In [b:Seeds of Rebellion|11254850|Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, #2)|Brandon Mull|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388247992s/11254850.jpg|16181497], Jason returns to Lyrian carrying information crucial to the cause of all who oppose Maldor's tyrannous reign. He is also looking for Rachel, the girl pulled from his world at the same time as him and from whom he became separated before being sent back to Earth surreptitiously. Jason wonders if he will be able find her, pass on the information before it is too late, and whether his role in the quest is over.
Meanwhile, on the run from Maldor's agents, Rachel finds new friends and new talents that will mark her as a powerful force in the fight for freedom. Together, Jason and Rachel and their allies will begin a quest to raise the free people of Lyrian against Maldor's growing reach. With hope growing dim, they will set out on a journey across lands wild and unknown to find the knowledge they need to raise a full scale rebellion.
[b:A World Without Heroes|8306745|A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1)|Brandon Mull|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388338606s/8306745.jpg|13155786] introduced us to Lyrian; Seeds of Rebellion reveals how complex, diverse and, at least from Jason and Rachel's perspective, strange Lyrian really is. If Mull takes his lead from Lewis to craft a tale for adolescents, then he turns to Jonathan Swift's [b:Gulliver's Travels|7733|Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344534942s/7733.jpg|2394716] for creative inspiration for the peoples created by Lyrian's wizards. Each stage of the quest seems to pass through some land people that are anything but entirely human.
Mull's tale is exciting, archetypal, and hopeful. Aimed directly at young, growing adolescents and teens, it's an excellent selection for an afternoon under a tree during summer break. If you've not found Mull before, pick up the Beyonder's now, whether for your kids or to read to them, and don't be surprised if you find yourself enjoying it along with them.
A few weeks ago, I attended a forum at the Salt Lake CominCon FanXperience for authors Brandon Sanderson and Brandon Mull. Both are a local (to Utah) authors, both are BYU grads, both write fantasy, both are New York Times bestselling authors, and both are at about the same place in their careers.
And yet it was clear, in watching the Q&A, that while there are many similarities, each writes for a different fan base that has guided the kind of writing they produce. Where Sanderson's successful completion of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, as well as a fair measure of success in his own right, has brought him a substantial fan base among adults (I stood in line for the forum next to a couple women who had driven from California to get into a con where they could actually meet Sanderson, San Diego's ComiCon having gotten too large and difficult to get into), Mull's fan base is substantially younger and, I surmised as I listened to question after question aimed at Sanderson while Mull sat alongside him patiently, less likely to show up at a con.
To those fans, Mull is to Sanderson what minor league baseball is major league: a step within the genre from one level of depth to the next.
That step--from fantasy fiction designed for a young reader, more heavily weighted with archetypal characters, a more action driven plot, and focused on protagonists in their early teens--is why I think Mull does not get the credit he deserves. His readers are just discovering fantasy for the first time, and Mull knows exactly how to talk their language. He understands, to quote Neil Gaiman (who is summarizing G.K. Chesterton), that "Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
During the Salt Lake FanXperience forum with Sanderson, Mull was asked what he first read that got him into reading and into fantasy. Mull cited The Tales of Narnia, and indeed it is hard not to see C.S. Lewis in all Mull writes.
Lewis famously explained why he wrote fantasy for children when such might scare children. "Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. . . Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let villains be soundly killed at the end of the book.”
And Mull's stories are all about soundly killing the villain.
In [b:Seeds of Rebellion|11254850|Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, #2)|Brandon Mull|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388247992s/11254850.jpg|16181497], Jason returns to Lyrian carrying information crucial to the cause of all who oppose Maldor's tyrannous reign. He is also looking for Rachel, the girl pulled from his world at the same time as him and from whom he became separated before being sent back to Earth surreptitiously. Jason wonders if he will be able find her, pass on the information before it is too late, and whether his role in the quest is over.
Meanwhile, on the run from Maldor's agents, Rachel finds new friends and new talents that will mark her as a powerful force in the fight for freedom. Together, Jason and Rachel and their allies will begin a quest to raise the free people of Lyrian against Maldor's growing reach. With hope growing dim, they will set out on a journey across lands wild and unknown to find the knowledge they need to raise a full scale rebellion.
[b:A World Without Heroes|8306745|A World Without Heroes (Beyonders, #1)|Brandon Mull|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388338606s/8306745.jpg|13155786] introduced us to Lyrian; Seeds of Rebellion reveals how complex, diverse and, at least from Jason and Rachel's perspective, strange Lyrian really is. If Mull takes his lead from Lewis to craft a tale for adolescents, then he turns to Jonathan Swift's [b:Gulliver's Travels|7733|Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344534942s/7733.jpg|2394716] for creative inspiration for the peoples created by Lyrian's wizards. Each stage of the quest seems to pass through some land people that are anything but entirely human.
Mull's tale is exciting, archetypal, and hopeful. Aimed directly at young, growing adolescents and teens, it's an excellent selection for an afternoon under a tree during summer break. If you've not found Mull before, pick up the Beyonder's now, whether for your kids or to read to them, and don't be surprised if you find yourself enjoying it along with them.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In Mull’s “Seeds of Rebellion” readers are returned to Lyrian to find the threat of Maldor—the last and great wizard in this fantasy world, supposedly—stronger than ever. This is the second book in a planned trilogy and the book does feel like it’s the middle installment. There was no closure in the first installment, “A World Without Heroes”, and thus “Seeds of Rebellion” picks up where the last book left off and the plot chugs along, sometimes uphill.
Like in the first book, there is not a ton of character development to “Seeds”. Rachel, teenage girl from our world (called a Beyonder), is given more point-of-view chapters but I don’t feel like I know her any better than I did in book one. She and Jason are much more capable this time around, their allies in Lyrian are offering them training so they can be useful in fights and there is romantic tension between the two characters. Other than that, the only struggle Rachel faces is whether or not she should go home or stay in Lyrian to fight the good fight. This would be interesting if Jason had not wrestled with the same predicament in books one. He’s back in Lyrian after being unceremoniously forced back to our world, his return trip to Lyrian is this time his choice and that is honorable. That’s where is development ends, though.
The supporting characters are interesting and distinguishable. Each one has their own trepidations toward playing the hero in a world where heroes do not stand long against evil. Most of the cast, except for Galloran (aka the Blind King) who deploys selfless courage and no reluctance to sacrifice himself for the greater good, is a reluctant hero. In a way, their reluctance makes the characters believable and relatable. Not everyone is a master swordsman either, which makes the fight scenes believable because the heroes do stumble and make mistakes. Characters like Ferrin also sit in the grey area—until recently he was an agent of evil but now he’s defected to the side of good. Ferrin has his doubts and that keeps readers on edge. Will he betray the group or will he not? Turn the page and see!
There is lots of action, narrow escapes, but also moments for the characters to interact. I don’t mind the lull periods in the story between the action. Lyrian is a beautiful world from Mull’s capable and fun imagination, I like this place. Readers experience the world through what Jason and Rachel see, but we’re also provided backstories and more information from the native characters during the lull periods. Often children and young adult books are heavy on the action and there is less breathing room, “Seeds” finds a balance. Albeit I will admit that at times the scale does tip to boring, but only slightly, and that didn’t bother me much.
Like “A World, “Seeds” rests on Lyrian to hold the reader’s attention. And Lyrian does a fine job. There are beautiful set pieces and cool creatures. Mull did not settle on relying on a lot of the trappings of the first book, instead building on his foundation. He expanded the lore and geography of Lyrian and that’s what keeps the pages turning, discovering new races and locales. Readers get a more in-depth understanding of the seedmen and their society. The Torivors (talked about and glimpsed at the end of book one, also called lurkers) are dangerous creatures no one wants to mess with. There are zombies too, but Mull did not reinvest the wheel with these guys. He more than makes up for the generic zombies with his twist on giants, a twist I rather enjoyed and thought creative. Many more interesting groups of people wait for the reader to meet. Mull also succeeds in touching on the politics of war and a totalitarian state. “Seeds” is not heavy on the politics but the different factions, their reasons for staying away from the war and isolating themselves, their strategies for dealing with the threat of Malor, are interesting enough.
Look, this is a quest book. “A World” transcended that label to an extent by adding a few twists here and there that can surprise readers. However, “Seeds” settles itself into being a quest story and it feels comfortable to me. Nothing is complex; the evil wizard Maldor needs to be brought down so the world can be at peace, in response a ragtag band of heroes rises up in a bid to take the uber bad down… Hurrah! A prophesy loomed in the background during book one but now guides the way for our heroes because success is not certain and the heroes need direction. Prophesies in fantasies like the Beyonders series are over used and I was hoping the series wouldn’t use it as a crutch to propel the story, too bad but I’m over it. That’s all there is to the story. Get past the simplicity, the prophesy reliance, the linear narrative and you have fun.
Overall, Brandon Mull’s “Seeds of Rebellion” is a fun and delightful read. There is nothing ground braking about the narrative and story but that shouldn’t detract from the enjoyment of Lyrian and its inhabitants. I’ll be picking up the concluding volume in 2013.
-----------
"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." - Stephen King
http://clintondharding.com
Like in the first book, there is not a ton of character development to “Seeds”. Rachel, teenage girl from our world (called a Beyonder), is given more point-of-view chapters but I don’t feel like I know her any better than I did in book one. She and Jason are much more capable this time around, their allies in Lyrian are offering them training so they can be useful in fights and there is romantic tension between the two characters. Other than that, the only struggle Rachel faces is whether or not she should go home or stay in Lyrian to fight the good fight. This would be interesting if Jason had not wrestled with the same predicament in books one. He’s back in Lyrian after being unceremoniously forced back to our world, his return trip to Lyrian is this time his choice and that is honorable. That’s where is development ends, though.
The supporting characters are interesting and distinguishable. Each one has their own trepidations toward playing the hero in a world where heroes do not stand long against evil. Most of the cast, except for Galloran (aka the Blind King) who deploys selfless courage and no reluctance to sacrifice himself for the greater good, is a reluctant hero. In a way, their reluctance makes the characters believable and relatable. Not everyone is a master swordsman either, which makes the fight scenes believable because the heroes do stumble and make mistakes. Characters like Ferrin also sit in the grey area—until recently he was an agent of evil but now he’s defected to the side of good. Ferrin has his doubts and that keeps readers on edge. Will he betray the group or will he not? Turn the page and see!
There is lots of action, narrow escapes, but also moments for the characters to interact. I don’t mind the lull periods in the story between the action. Lyrian is a beautiful world from Mull’s capable and fun imagination, I like this place. Readers experience the world through what Jason and Rachel see, but we’re also provided backstories and more information from the native characters during the lull periods. Often children and young adult books are heavy on the action and there is less breathing room, “Seeds” finds a balance. Albeit I will admit that at times the scale does tip to boring, but only slightly, and that didn’t bother me much.
Like “A World, “Seeds” rests on Lyrian to hold the reader’s attention. And Lyrian does a fine job. There are beautiful set pieces and cool creatures. Mull did not settle on relying on a lot of the trappings of the first book, instead building on his foundation. He expanded the lore and geography of Lyrian and that’s what keeps the pages turning, discovering new races and locales. Readers get a more in-depth understanding of the seedmen and their society. The Torivors (talked about and glimpsed at the end of book one, also called lurkers) are dangerous creatures no one wants to mess with. There are zombies too, but Mull did not reinvest the wheel with these guys. He more than makes up for the generic zombies with his twist on giants, a twist I rather enjoyed and thought creative. Many more interesting groups of people wait for the reader to meet. Mull also succeeds in touching on the politics of war and a totalitarian state. “Seeds” is not heavy on the politics but the different factions, their reasons for staying away from the war and isolating themselves, their strategies for dealing with the threat of Malor, are interesting enough.
Look, this is a quest book. “A World” transcended that label to an extent by adding a few twists here and there that can surprise readers. However, “Seeds” settles itself into being a quest story and it feels comfortable to me. Nothing is complex; the evil wizard Maldor needs to be brought down so the world can be at peace, in response a ragtag band of heroes rises up in a bid to take the uber bad down… Hurrah! A prophesy loomed in the background during book one but now guides the way for our heroes because success is not certain and the heroes need direction. Prophesies in fantasies like the Beyonders series are over used and I was hoping the series wouldn’t use it as a crutch to propel the story, too bad but I’m over it. That’s all there is to the story. Get past the simplicity, the prophesy reliance, the linear narrative and you have fun.
Overall, Brandon Mull’s “Seeds of Rebellion” is a fun and delightful read. There is nothing ground braking about the narrative and story but that shouldn’t detract from the enjoyment of Lyrian and its inhabitants. I’ll be picking up the concluding volume in 2013.
-----------
"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." - Stephen King
http://clintondharding.com
This book is great. I’m in love with the characters, they’re pretty lovable and the story is just getting more and more interesting
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An interesting sequel. I almost feel like it's unnecessary to read the last book, because my mind says that everyone is just going to die.
Final Rating: 3/5 stars
Final Rating: 3/5 stars
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have to admit that I didn't like the first book in the series nearly as much as Mull's other series Fablehaven. The second book in the Beyonders was interesting and I enjoyed the characters more. Jason has made it back to his world but wants to return to Lyrian to help the other Beyonder he left there. Once he returns, he and a bunch of rag tag heroes are trying to save the country from an evil magician. There is a lot of action and adventure, as well as character development. Mull's typical humor is sprinkled throughout. For those who want a good fantasy story, then this series might be the ones for them. I think both boys and girls would like this, although I think boys might like the fighting and guts more. I like the struggle between good and evil and in particular, one character, who used to be on the bad side but now is on the good side, or is he? I would recommend this for 6th grade on up.