Customer Reviews

Leepike Ridge

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
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N.D. Wilson is a master of description. In reading Leepike ridge you will find yourself smiling and enjoying his sentence structure in ways you never thought possible, even if you are already a Dickens fan. If you are up in the middle of the night due to a nasty bug bite itching like crazy you will still be happy for the extra time to finish this delightful story.

I picked up this book because I loved the 100 Cupboards trilogy by N.D. Wilson. This is the first novel by this author, and he kept the story the way he wanted it instead of selling out to get a book deal earlier than he did. I am glad he did. I was amazed by this book for a few reasons. First, as a debut novel it is very polished and far more coherent than some first novels I have read. Second, the complexity of the story and twists in the plot were unique, new, and drew the reader in and kept you reading. The story is almost addictive. Twice I stayed up reading when I should have put the book down to get a good night's rest. Third, it is so different from his other series; few authors this early in their careers show such diversity and skill. I am very impressed overall with the writings of N.D. Wilson and with this book, Leepike Ridge in particular.

Thomas Hammond is eleven years old. His father died a few years ago, and now one of his teachers wants to marry his mother and move into their strange house. The Hammond's house is chained on top of a rock ledge, up a long staircase. Thomas and his mother have a fight over her suitor. Thomas slips out during the night and ends up floating down the creek, near his house, on a giant piece of packing foam. He soon finds himself washed under his ridge. Everyone says he is dead, but his mother does not believe it. In this strange underground world he encounters a corpse, four graves, a tomb and buried treasure. But can he find his way home again?

This is an incredible story by N.D. Wilson and I think readers of all ages will become enchanted and enthralled as they read it. Well done.

Nathan Wilson's first children's novel is a good read. Combining some of the themes and struggles common with modern youth together with familiar imagery and characters from classic fiction (Tom Sawyer & the Odyssey, at least), Wilson weaves a yarn that is sure to capture imaginations to the end (even if it is somewhat predictable for the parents who might be reading it). It is a winning premise for sure, with the remains of an ancient civilization and culture right in what could be, with a little imagination, just about anyone's backyard.

Unfortunately, I found Wilson somewhat inconsistent. He oscillates between detailed description of some elements and glossing over others. While the main protagonists are fairly well developed to the point where the reader is able to sympathize and, at least to a degree "enter in", the villains all felt cardboard and unthreatening (mind you, it is written for a younger age where most parents would not want the evil characters to be too realistic and detailed). The final confrontation in the book, the "showdown", is over so quickly and predictably that it is far overshadowed by the events of the flooded river toward the beginning of the book.

There are some genuinely well crafted and poetic turns of phrase in this book but unfortunately they are likely to be lost on some of Wilson's younger readers. This is not a comment against Wilson including such prose but rather this reader and parent is hoping that Wilson's tribe would increase and that one day children's literature would again be the kind of literature that can be enjoyed by those who are children at heart.

All in all, for Wilson's first foray into this genre, based on the quality of this story, it will not be his last. This was a very good story and one which makes me expect his future works will only get stronger.

This was a very readable first novel by young author ND Wilson. The scenario and setting are creative and interesting, though the villains are rather predicable (though not overly so). We do get a few surprises.

I won't get into plot details as I don't have the book beside me as I write and I read it 6 months or so ago, but I would like to say I enjoyed this book myself, as did the 13-year-old boy I gave it to as a gift.

Looking forward to the next book by this author - very good job on your first one!