Customer Reviews

The Final Storm

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not too long ago, Aiden Thomas's life was depressingly normal. He was nothing more than a slightly overweight, geeky bookworm no good at sports or anything else remotely cool. He did have one friend - oddly enough, a popular kid, Robby - but when his Grampin got too sick to live by himself, and his entire family moved away, he lost even that. He was back to square one; worse - now he had no friends, and was alone in a new school.

Then, he found the Scrolls of Alleble, which whisked him away to the magical world of The Realm, where all the people are mirror images of those in this world. There he faced danger and peril; encounters the awesome power of King Eliam as well as the frightful power of the evil betrayer Paragor, and is changed forever. He becomes more than he ever imagined, as he gives his life over to the grace of King Eliam. However, as Aiden returns to his world, he receives a vision that chills him to the core: Robby's Glimpse - his best friend - in service to the evil Paragor!

When school opens in his new town, Aiden encounters Antoinette, a fierce, vibrant young girl with a talent for art and a powerful roundhouse kick. As the grace of King Eliam would have it, she and her family are also believers in King Eliam! Soon, Antoinette receives visions, signs she will be the next called into The Realm. Sure enough, Antoinette makes the same ethereal passage as Aiden, and encounters all the wonder of The Realm, as well as the grace of King Eliam.

And not a moment too soon, because Paragor has set dark wheels into motion, waking the dreaded Wyrm Lord and The Seven Sleepers as his end-game gambit to defeat King Eliam and take The Realm for himself. Antoinette and eleven other knights have been tasked with preventing this, but she is side-tracked by Aiden's desperate plea to find Robby's Glimpse, and persuede him to give his life to the King. She is partly successful: she tracks down Robby's Glimpse, a powerful, arrogant knight named Kaliam, battles him fiercely in combat - but is defeated, and imprisoned in Paragory, awaiting her doom.

As the end approaches, Aiden quests for Robby's soul in the real world, while Antoinette and the forces of Alleble prepare for their fiercest battle ever - perhaps their last. With the Wyrm Lord, The Seven Sleepers, and now the Scroll of Prophecy, victory is all but assured for Paragor; however, the myth of the Three Witnesses provides hope to the King's followers. It's told that in the end, King Eliam will raise the three greatest warriors The Realm has ever known to defeat Paragor. The only question remains: is this myth, or prophesy? Will the Three Witnesses be raised in time, or will The Realm fall into eternal darkness?

The Final Storm brings The Door Within trilogy to a resounding conclusion, as forces of evil and good collide with epic force. The final installment in the trilogy is much like Matrix: Revolutions, with the storyline splitting into equal parts as the war within The Realm spills over into the real world in very tangible ways, and this heightens the peril, as not only The Realm stands at risk, but all reality as well. Baston ends the series well, but not without fulfilling plot twists and teaser elements laid through the first two novels.

The Final Storm's greatest strength lies with its ties to real world elements, and though the other stories really lack nothing, after reading the final installment, I would've liked to see stronger crossover elements between the two worlds. However, thanks to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, we are now living in a "prequel" world, so it's very conceivable that Baston could look back and revisit The Realm to tell another tale: perhaps Grampin's first trip to The Realm?

For a classic fantasy truly worthy of the title Christian Epic, pick up The Door Within trilogy today.

My 10 year old read this whole series in 2 weeks and loved it. It is hard to find books he likes long enough to hold his attention. This was not a disappointment.

This is the best book I have ever read. What an amazing story. I do not even know where to start. Robby's Glimpes is now working with the evil Paragor and Aidan and Antoinette fight to save his life. He has been fooled by the great deceiver. Now his friends must find away to get him to listen to Eliam, the True King. While Aidan is in the natural world working on Robby, Antoinette is in Alleble working on Robby's Glimpse. The forces of good and evil, in this epic story, are clear and pronounced. You can feel your heart race as these two friends fight for their lives to save Robby. God's hands are most certainly in the hands of Wayne Thomas Batson as he wrote this story. Keep writing Wayne, we can hardly wait for more.

Definitely a thrilling closer. Still as safe but thrilling fantasy as the other two. WARNING! Do not read this book out of order in the series! But then, do not skip out on it! Personally, it is the best book in this series, and is fascinating for all ages.

Have you ever been into the Christian bookstore recently? All you see is piles of the next Left Behind, some series about Amish women, a great amount of Dekker/Peretti wannabes, and a great amount of Christian romance. For some that suits their taste buds. But for the fantasy/scifi person I am, that stuff does not at all interest me. With the resurgence of fantasy thanks to Jk Rowling's awesome series about a boy wizard, fantasy books in the reign of Tolkien/Lewis; the master of yesteryears are here to stay. I picked up the series quite randomly, after reading Legends of the Guardian Kings (an amazing series I highly reccomend for mature christian fantasy readers), what I found was a series that was a bit similar to Narnia but much different in its presentation of the awesome Glimpse concept and such great creatures as the mortiwraiths. There are awesome characters such as Mallik influenced by Tolkien lore. Plus there are heroines for the female readers that even male readers like me absolutely love named Antionette, because who does not love a girl who can kick serious butt. The fight scenes are exciting and there are many surprises within the plot, nothing is as predictable as it sometimes may seem to be. Interwoven with all these great characters, locales, and battle sequences; are great spiritual messages that all Christians can relate to! I highly recommend this series to all ages; especially to those who are suffering from Post Potter Depression (like me) and who ever faced the dilemma of finding a fantasy book within a Christian bookstore. Any age can read them, as everyone who has read Harry Potter and Narnia learned, that any good story can be enjoyed by those of all ages.
Also reccomended:Dragons in Our Midst By:Bryan Davis, Dragonspell by:Donita K. Paul
For more mature readers:Legends of the Guardian King By:Karen Hancock,Restorer by:Sharon Hinck and The White Lion Chronicles by: Christopher Hopper,

Now, at the end of the saga, Aiden, Antionette and Aiden's newly transformed friend, Robby must fight an evil that has been long withheld from the world by a prison under a fiery volcano. The Wyrm Lord. The original dragon. Whose flame is not stopped by any wall, any substance of the living world. It's sheer size is terrible, and it's cunning, impossible to stop. Along with the Seven Sleepers, the Deceiver, Paragor himself, and an army of soldiers. This is the Final Storm.

A great book that takes you deep into another world where evil is all around you. Swords,Dragons,and knights are everywhere as you take your first step into a world that fights for peace and justice. Join the battle that rages the land and be the one to stop the darkness.

Final Storm:

The Final Storm is an amazing finale to a whirlwind trilogy. Our villain Paragor is more powerful then he has ever been. Our heroic cast Aidan, Antoinette, and Robby have to stand up for the truth at any price. This conclusion is overflowing with adventure and excitement. It will have you laughing out loud, drying your eyes, and shivering at the thought of some of the descriptive dangers. This book and the trilogy itself are like chocolate for the soul. What an awesome message entwined within this wonderful and beautifully crafted world.

The Final Storm is the third in a trilogy of fantasy books for middle-age readers. If your kids are fans of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, they (and maybe even you) will probably love these books as well. The story is not too hard to follow, but is still masterfully woven together. The characters are very lovable and reading about their friendly antics is quite entertaining. It has great moral lessons and doesn't include the inappropriate material other books in this age group may have. The spiritual undertones in the book can be very much appreciated by believers, and maybe get unbelievers asking questions about God. This book is a wonderful fantasy tale that's perfect for kids from middle school to adult!

The Final Storm is a spectacular finish to a great trilogy. The evil Paragor has more power than ever, and things look bleak for Alleble and the followers of King Eliam. It is up to Aidan, Antoinette, and Robby, three teens from our world, to stand up for the truth, whatever it might cost them. This story is fraught with adventure, humor, danger, fear, sadness, and joy. Usually in any book, there is something I dislike. However, here I can find nothing to criticize. A must read for fantasy lovers, and even those who don't usually like fantasy may enjoy this well-crafted story with a powerful message.