Customer Reviews

The Book of Names: A Novel (Legends of Karac Tor)

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I hadn't heard a great deal about these books before a particular friend kept recommending them to me, but now I can see why he did. This first book, for instance, has wonderful writing, deep characters (I really got into them!), and an awesome plot and adventure. The Barlow family goes through severe grief, wonderful joy, and many other emotions throughout, looking to God for answers, and it made the book one of my top favorites. Any reader of fantasy (or even deep legend) should read this series!

Who are Hadyn and Ewan Barlowe - the sons of a famous (slightly infamous) history professor or Champions of Karac Tor? Are these two teen brothers following the instruction of their father or are they answering the call of the great Aion? Do these two brothers have the strength to reach beyond the pain of death and conquer despair? These are only a few of many questions that can be answered by D. Barkley Briggs' novel, The Book of Names.

D. Barkley Briggs has created an enchanting tale indeed! The Book of Names takes two very average teen boys and transports them into the world of Karac Tor. All along their fantastical adventure the two young men have to reach beyond themselves and learn how to capture a strength greater than their own dreams to return home. The spiritual analogies are so seamlessly woven into the story that I would often have moments of insight flash into my mind long after I laid the book down!

In Briggs' tale, there is a battle between those who know they are named and loved and those who have become captive to a nameless despair. The struggle subtly builds in intensity until you find yourself anxiously cheering the Barlowe brothers to victory. This is beautifully written and amazing story of courage and strength that carries you on an exciting journey and leaves you begging for more!

I enjoy a good fantasy story, something that can whisk me away and let me get absorbed in another time or place and separate myself from my reality for a little while. I have found that in The Lord Of The Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and even Sharon Hinck's Sword of Lyric series (better known as The Restorer series) and now I can add D. Barkley Briggs Legends of Karac Tor series.


I quickly became immersed in the characters - 4 brothers moving to a new place with their dad, trying to adjust to life since the death of mom. The two oldest boys get sucked into another place through a portal on their new property... and then they find out that they are supposed to be "The Champions" for this place. All they want is to get home, some people are trying to help them while some don't want them to go - and there in starts the major conflict...


This book deals with many issues that I find incredibly important including the significance of your name and what it means and also finding your place and your giftings in the body of Christ. Dean addresses these issues in an eye-opening way that makes you stop and think about it. Well written with amazing attention to detail in his new world "Karac Tor" - I highly recommend this book for any fantasy lover (or enjoyer, or dabbler, etc...)!

The Book of Names is the debut novel by D. Barkley Briggs. It is the first in a trilogy set in the Hidden Lands. The protagonists are brothers Hadyn and Ewan Barlow. They, with their father and twin younger brothers, have moved to Missouri after the death of their mother. Though their grief over the loss of their mother is key to the story, the plot is much more complex and satisfying.

While Hadyn is completing a chore for his father, he and his brother find a stone arch. An invitation to adventure is delivered by four strange birds, and they soon find themselves in the Hidden Lands. They meet up with the Grey Monks and are sent to the capitol where they may find answers to why they were called. Their journey is filled with trials and betrayal, but the boys also discover magic within them. They are caught up in the battle against an evil witch who is stealing the names-and hope, from the young people of the Hidden Lands.

Briggs has a very light touch with the morals. Sorge, the grey monk who guides them on their journey is a wellspring of riddles and sayings, but he let the riddles speak for themselves. The Book of Names is published by NavPress as Christian Fiction, but it would be a pity for anyone to miss this terrific story because of the Christian label. The story is a tale of the struggle between good and evil. God, church and prayer are mentioned, but author Barkley Briggs does not let them overwhelm the story. There is no preaching here.

I very much enjoyed this book. I will be watching eagerly for the next book to be released.

Armchair Interviews says: An excellent first book in a trilogy set in the Hidden Lands.

D. Barkley Briggs has penned a rousing fantasy packed full of Norse and Celtic mythology with a hearty dose of Arthurian legend. With a wide range of emotions, he moved me from the sadness of loss to the giddiness of comic relief, all the way to the excitement of heart-pounding tension. Strap on your armor, pull out your sword, and get ready for an adventure.

Since I first saw The Book of Names advertised on the hiddenlands website, I couldn't wait to read it, and when it had arrived I was so excited! It is an amazing book, full of mystery and suspense and some humor. The four Barlow brothers are adjusting to a new life when the oldest two get involved in a whole new adventure full of strange yet intriguing creatures. I loved the characters; each one's unique personality, and how each one grew througout the book. I liked how through this adventure the brothers become more confident about who they are. As a 15 year old, this is exactly the type of book I love to read, full of adventure and mystery with a modern flare. It leaves you hanging with suspense so I can't wait to read the second book! Dean Briggs did an amzing job on this book. I have to say this book/author has been added to the top of my list!

In Independence, Missouri, grieving the loss of their mom, Haydn and Ewan struggle to move on past her death. Ewan dreams of an arch, which seems to be calling for him to come. When he finds the arch, he walks through it and realizes he came through a portal to his dream realm of Karac Tor. More philosophically pensive about their "Velveeta Cheese" lifestyle having already ended, Haydn worries about Ewan, so he follows him through the arch.

As they explore this strange realm with no Nyquil, soccer or Kansas City nearby, they begin to meet locals such as Flogg the gnome, Sorge the warrior monk, and Asandra the Mirling. The siblings also learn that Karac Tor is under siege from the malevolent Sorceress Nemesia. The brothers know now why Ewan dreamed of the arch; they are the desperate last hope of the forces of good to defeat the evil one and her treacherous minion.

THE BOOK OF NAMES is a terrific first book coming of age fantasy starring two likable young men having no time for grief as they are thrust into a situation and a world totally unprepared Hayden realizes he is just a sophomore not a superhero. The story line is fast-paced from the moment the two quite different in outlook siblings cross through to Karac Tor and never slows down although the ending is overwhelmed with too many unresolved threads (setting up future books apparently). Still save the world teenage fantasy fans will appreciate the brothers Barlowe no longer traveling on I-70.

Harriet Klausner

Haydn and Ethan Barlow lost their mother to cancer a year ago. Both boys are still struggling to come to terms with life without her. After their mother's death, their father moved the teen boys and their 9-year-old twin brothers to a secluded farm in Newland, Missouri. While clearing a large briar patch at the edge of their property, Haydn and Ethan discover an ancient stone arch covered with mysterious runes. The arch acts as a portal between worlds. Ethan and Haydn find themselves transported to Karac Tor, a world in crisis.

In Karac Tor, a person's name is their greatest treasure. The names and deeds of each person who will ever live in Karac Tor are recorded in the Book of Names, but recently names have been disappearing from the book. Children from all over Karac Tor have gone missing - simply vanishing into the night.

The boys just want to find a way home, but some in Karac Tor believe that Hadyn and Ethan are an answer to prayer; that the boys are Champions to deliver them from the growing evil. The brothers quickly find themselves pursued by the evil forces that they're being asked to fight.

The Book of Names starts out rather sluggishly, but once Hadyn and Ethan arrive in Karac Tor, the book is difficult to put down. Ethan and Hadyn are both extremely likeable and believable characters. They're very scared when they arrive in Karac Tor, and I found this to be refreshing. Neither brother jumps right into a hero's role. They're regular teenagers who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, and their reaction to this is quite appropriate.

I thought that the book peaked a little too soon. There is a very exciting battle towards the end of the book, and this is then followed by several chapters of traveling. While the book ultimately ends with a great cliffhanger, I felt the lull in between disrupted the flow of the story a little.

The Book of Names provides a promising start for this new young adult fantasy series. It also conveys an excellent underlying Christian message, but at no time does it feel preachy. This would be an ideal choice for teenage boys, as they will probably relate to one or both of the main characters.

When their mother dies, the Barlow family moves to a new home in rural Missouri, and Hayden hates it. Now he has the chore of clearing the briar patch back of the house with a hatchet and shears. His brother Ewan helps him, and they both really resent the job until four blackbirds fly over and drop four thin, metallic tubes, each bearing the same message, "You have been chosen for a life of great purpose. Great adventure awaits you in the Hidden Lands."
After finding an ancient stone marked with a series of crude, oddly angled slashes and dots, Hayden and Ewan find themselves transported to a strange world of magic and mythology. D. Brkley Briggs is a new writer for me, and I'm anxious to read more. Lovers of fantasy won't want to miss this one.

I can't help feeling I've read this book before. It liberally samples from any number of fantasies down the years to create a story with the well-worn feel of a favorite pair of shoes. You likely can tell by my metaphor that I have mixed feelings about this novel. It's not that this is a bad book--quite the opposite, it has some very good moments and a few genuine surprises--but overall it's a Frankenstein novel of the best of fantasy.

Brothers Hadyn and Ewan Barlow have been moved from their comfy city life out to the country by their widowed father, who dreams of being a bachelor farmer...or something. As it turns out, that "or something" centers on family secrets of academic research, cultural metaphysics, and unprovable theories about early Viking missions criss-crossing pre-Columbian North America.

Next thing the boys know, they are whisked through a portal into a world of magic and intrigue. That's the first fantasy this novel cannibalizes: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Not surprisingly, this book proves to be Christian allegory. The author brings in massive elements of prayer and faith as sources of power. He also conflates the death and return of Baldur, from Norse myth, with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Naturally I assumed this was going to be the thread of the novel, and probably its series as well. Not so. As the boys collect a league of heroes around them to undertake a salvific quest, the parallel with The Fellowship of the Ring is unmistakable. Among those heroes, Cruedwyn Creed and Flogg are transparently copied from Fflewdur Fflam and Gurgi, respectively, in Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three.

Also, the boys carp after home constantly, even after establishing how miserable they were there. I couldn't help but think of Dorothy, whose similar mewling distracted me while reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In jagged contrast to that simple fairy tale, frequent physical conflict and intricate swordplay repeatedly put me in mind of the Conan the Cimmerian novels of Robert Howard.

Then, though the book starts as a Viking story out of Das Rheingold, it shifts. Celtic references, particularly as filtered through the Wiccan religion, become prominent. And King Arthur allusions peek heavily through. All this Arthuriana in a Christian fantasy inevitably had me thinking of Stephen Lawhead.

Still, even with this Easter egg hunt of fantasy references, I couldn't help reading the whole book. The quest is entirely bog-standard, but fun. As the Barlow brothers piece together secrets not only of this new and fantastic world, but of their own family and themselves, they prove to be engaging characters caught up in a story that doesn't let the reader go.

Allegorically, the main thrust seems to be an invective against fashionable nihilism, which the author suggests, is a power play by infernal forces. The principal villain persuades teenagers to give up on everything and mope around ceaselessly. In case this is conveyed too subtly for the audience to grasp, some of the major monsters the villain uses to threaten the world are poorly defined creatures called "Goths."

Perhaps I'm too widely read to approach this book with fresh eyes. Perhaps the teen audience the author aims for won't be burdened with my store of literary backlog and will lose themselves in the wonder of the story. Maybe my criticism isn't useful to the people this author wants to reach. Then again, perhaps the audience for a book like this already reads fantasy and won't appreciate paying money for a book they've already read. It's hard for an old guy like me to tell.