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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
My recollection of this book (and its entire series) is indistinct, but positive. In my memory the stories they tell are a cheesier version of Indiana Jones which include a large family of varied children.
Loved this book when I was a kid! Read it when I was 9 or 10, I think. The mystery was a lot of fun, and even though the book is a little Christianity-pushy, it fit smoothly with the lore and climax of the book.
After reading this a middle schooler, I didn’t really remember much about it. But I’ve been looking for clean, faith-based, well-written middle grade/YA books for my kids to read, and weirdly they are few and far between unless they are fairy tell retellings or Amish (nothing against either of those but they just aren’t my kid’s taste). So when I found these at a thrift bookstore, I jumped on them. My boys really enjoyed them and they were quick reads. They even recognized the scriptures that were quoted. But the book isn’t cringe-worthy in its preachiness. It’s actually unapologetic (as Peretti always is) in its discussion of the spirit realm and scripture, as are the characters. They are knows to be Christians from the beginning and they don’t try to overtly preach but they also don’t shy away from praying. We loved it. And now on to the rest of the series!
A fun nostalgic throwback to the series that started my love for adventure stories. Not the most well-written book, but a good time nonetheless. 3 stars from me!
I forgot that the big reveal at the end is literally DEMONS but okay frank peretti go off i guess xD
This book really does deserve one star – two, maybe, at a push. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The Door in the Dragon’s Throat is a story surrounding the Cooper family and their colleagues in the pursuit of biblical archaeological finds. In this case, it takes place in the fictional middle eastern country of Nepur, run by a greedy oil mogul who is also the president of the nation. He hired them to come there and explore this anomaly in his nation that had claimed the lives of more than 50 people easily from four different markedly European nations.
Here is my biggest warning: You also can scarcely get through a page without the author very pointedly reminding you that the Coopers are Christian, and therefore above the perils that Nepur has to offer because their God is superior. While I knew going in that Frank Peretti is a Christian author (I’m a big fan of his Hangman’s Curse book, which is much better written), I wasn’t anticipating this level of preaching to the reader. It’s VERY preachy pretty consistently. I begrudge no one their faith, but if you’re already a Christian reading this, you’d better be interested in reading a church sermon rather than a novel showcasing a Christian family of archaeologists. And trust me, I’ve definitely heard more interesting sermons.
During the first chapter, the Coopers arrive and begin the story by brushing off rumors and myths and cautions of a man who has lived in the country and known of all the deaths that has occurred at this ruin. They brush it all off, quoting bible verses and telling the man that their god is greater than whatever aboriginal gods might be there. This struck me as remarkably disrespectful and unprofessional. Especially as archaeologists, they should absolutely be willing to take into account these stories that he wanted to tell them as opposed to brushing them off without a care. Sure, they had probably been told some about it and done some research about the expeditions that had come before, but would it not be better to hear it from the mouth of a native who’s actually concerned for your safety?
They also proceed to essentially make fun of the man, Gozan, who they force to go with them into the cavern when he’s terrified of adding himself to the list of the dead that the place has claimed. They offer absolutely no words of comfort to him. I’m sure it’s probably meant to show that they have confidence in their God, but good gracious, couldn’t you at least try to be a little sympathetic toward him? If you’re trying to bring someone into a religion, it’s always best to lead by example. This really was just not the way to go.
They also get attacked by a king cobra in the first chapter, which is then killed in the second. Just for the record, king cobras literally DO NOT LIVE in the middle east – especially not in desert regions. King cobras live in forested regions where there’s usually a river or lake nearby in more temperate regions, and are generally found in parts of India, China, and southeastern Asian nations. This lack of accuracy was a major warning sign for me.
From there, it is slowly but surely revealed that it isn’t a door belonging to Nimrod but, in fact, it’s a door. TO HELL. That’s right folks – a mailing address for Satan himself. Through the almightly GLORY of God, the door is shut again and the world is saved from all the demons of hell. Literally, the action is boring and pointless, not to mention punctured by appeals to God and bible quotes and characters reminding themselves that they’re the children of God and are therefore protected.
As if to top off the entire thing, the prose is really just pretty boring and simple. I know it’s meant to be a children’s book, but even children enjoy a book that has fun wordplay and characters that have a personality. There really were no personality traits for any of the Coopers beside being Christian and therefore good personified and Gozan and the President were not and were therefore evil personified. It was just not a good book, honestly. If you want Christian children's fiction, there are much better books.
The Door in the Dragon’s Throat is a story surrounding the Cooper family and their colleagues in the pursuit of biblical archaeological finds. In this case, it takes place in the fictional middle eastern country of Nepur, run by a greedy oil mogul who is also the president of the nation. He hired them to come there and explore this anomaly in his nation that had claimed the lives of more than 50 people easily from four different markedly European nations.
Here is my biggest warning: You also can scarcely get through a page without the author very pointedly reminding you that the Coopers are Christian, and therefore above the perils that Nepur has to offer because their God is superior. While I knew going in that Frank Peretti is a Christian author (I’m a big fan of his Hangman’s Curse book, which is much better written), I wasn’t anticipating this level of preaching to the reader. It’s VERY preachy pretty consistently. I begrudge no one their faith, but if you’re already a Christian reading this, you’d better be interested in reading a church sermon rather than a novel showcasing a Christian family of archaeologists. And trust me, I’ve definitely heard more interesting sermons.
During the first chapter, the Coopers arrive and begin the story by brushing off rumors and myths and cautions of a man who has lived in the country and known of all the deaths that has occurred at this ruin. They brush it all off, quoting bible verses and telling the man that their god is greater than whatever aboriginal gods might be there. This struck me as remarkably disrespectful and unprofessional. Especially as archaeologists, they should absolutely be willing to take into account these stories that he wanted to tell them as opposed to brushing them off without a care. Sure, they had probably been told some about it and done some research about the expeditions that had come before, but would it not be better to hear it from the mouth of a native who’s actually concerned for your safety?
They also proceed to essentially make fun of the man, Gozan, who they force to go with them into the cavern when he’s terrified of adding himself to the list of the dead that the place has claimed. They offer absolutely no words of comfort to him. I’m sure it’s probably meant to show that they have confidence in their God, but good gracious, couldn’t you at least try to be a little sympathetic toward him? If you’re trying to bring someone into a religion, it’s always best to lead by example. This really was just not the way to go.
They also get attacked by a king cobra in the first chapter, which is then killed in the second. Just for the record, king cobras literally DO NOT LIVE in the middle east – especially not in desert regions. King cobras live in forested regions where there’s usually a river or lake nearby in more temperate regions, and are generally found in parts of India, China, and southeastern Asian nations. This lack of accuracy was a major warning sign for me.
From there, it is slowly but surely revealed that it isn’t a door belonging to Nimrod but, in fact, it’s a door. TO HELL. That’s right folks – a mailing address for Satan himself. Through the almightly GLORY of God, the door is shut again and the world is saved from all the demons of hell. Literally, the action is boring and pointless, not to mention punctured by appeals to God and bible quotes and characters reminding themselves that they’re the children of God and are therefore protected.
As if to top off the entire thing, the prose is really just pretty boring and simple. I know it’s meant to be a children’s book, but even children enjoy a book that has fun wordplay and characters that have a personality. There really were no personality traits for any of the Coopers beside being Christian and therefore good personified and Gozan and the President were not and were therefore evil personified. It was just not a good book, honestly. If you want Christian children's fiction, there are much better books.
This book is definetly a keeper and I consider people to read it. If you were with your father in a very deadly cave what would you have done if you were stuck in there for days no weeks no months it will have you on the edge of your seat!!!
Having read a couple of [a:Frank Peretti|5544|Frank E. Peretti|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201100294p2/5544.jpg]'s adult books, I wasn't expecting much from this juvenile one, so I wasn't disappointed.
It had a few interesting plot elements, An American archaeologist and his teenage children go on an expedition to a fictitious Middle Eastern country, with three capable but characterless assistants, to explore an ancient cave with a reputation of being cursed. They were accompanied by a representative of the government, which hoped they would find treasure there. He switches character from fearful wimp to bold and unscrupulous villain at the drop of a hat, with any number of other roles as well. The villains are less convincing than Enid Blyton's, though in that respect the message of the book is clear -- Americans good, foreigners bad.
None of this probably matters very much to children aged about 8-10, who seem to be the target readership. Some children's books are enjoyable for adults as well -- the books of C.S. Lewis, or Alan Garner, for example. But this isn't one of them.
It had a few interesting plot elements, An American archaeologist and his teenage children go on an expedition to a fictitious Middle Eastern country, with three capable but characterless assistants, to explore an ancient cave with a reputation of being cursed. They were accompanied by a representative of the government, which hoped they would find treasure there. He switches character from fearful wimp to bold and unscrupulous villain at the drop of a hat, with any number of other roles as well. The villains are less convincing than Enid Blyton's, though in that respect the message of the book is clear -- Americans good, foreigners bad.
None of this probably matters very much to children aged about 8-10, who seem to be the target readership. Some children's books are enjoyable for adults as well -- the books of C.S. Lewis, or Alan Garner, for example. But this isn't one of them.
Archaeologist Jake Cooper and his teenage children, Jay and Lila, arrive in the Middle Eastern country of Nepal to explore a mysterious hole known as The Dragon’s Throat. According to local legend, a cursed door lies inside the foreboding desert cavern, and all who try to open it will face certain death. Sustained by their faith in God’s protection, the Coopers descend into the depths of the Dragon’s Throat to discover what lies behind the door. Their journey is one marked by adventure, terror, and all manner of spiritual forces, bringing the Coopers face to face with an enemy only the Lord can vanquish.
I read this book as a child and was excited to introduce my 6-year-old to this series, and to this author my husband and I both love. The story was more frightening than I remember but I loved the strong sense of place, the blending of spiritual and historic themes, and the kid-friendly introduction to spiritual warfare. Though heavier than what we would normally read with Charleston, our whole family appreciated this Indian Jones-style story of good vs evil and are looking forward to reading more in the series.
My Rating: 4 Stars.
This review first appeared on my personal blog, https://kendranicole.net/august-2021-quick-lit-fiction-reads/
This review first appeared on my personal blog, https://kendranicole.net/august-2021-quick-lit-fiction-reads/
Please visit my site for more book reviews: https://kendranicole.net/category/book-corner/
This was our read along this month. I really enjoyed this, Peretti is my all time fAvorite author and this is the only series of his that I have yet to read, I believe. So I am very excited about the chance to share his writing with my children. This was very much an adventure story, but also a faith story. The mystery revolves around a prophecy that ties into Revelation. It's Biblical and dark, but still child appropriate. Looking forward to reading the next one.
I honestly remember very little of this book but I remember liking it.