Flight of the Eagles (Seven Sleepers Series #1) [School & Library Binding]

Gilbert Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1994

Josh Adams, 14, awakes from a 50-year sleep. Ancient prophecy commands him and the other Sleepers to unite in battle against the evil priests, and combat the doubt that threatens their faith.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Fourteen-year-old Joshua Adams wakes from a fifty-year sleep to find that he has escaped nuclear war--and that the genetically altered races of Earth now hail his awakening as the first fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.For of old it was sung that the Seven Sleepers would awaken to unite their strength with Goel and join in battle against the wicked priests of the Sanhedrin. But the choice of Josh and each member of the quest is a dangerous one. He must survive not only the peril of the Sanhedrin but the doubt that threatens his faith and, ultimately, his commitment to Goel, his spiritual champion.Gilbert Morris began a high school teaching career in 1956 after first pastoring several Southern Baptist churches in Arkansas. In 1962 he was named to the staff of Ouachita Baptist University, where he taught English and later served as department chairman. After twenty-four years at Ouachita, he accepted a position at World Evangelization College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He retired in 1990 to write and publish full time.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

GILBERT MORRIS has written numerous novels for both adults and young people. After teaching high school, pastoring several Southern Baptist churches, and chairing the English department at Ouachita Baptist University, Gilbert retired to write and publish full-time. He has written more than 200 novels, including the Seven Sleepers series for youth. He lives in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with his wife, Johnnie.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 250 pages
• Publisher: San Val (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613886178
• ISBN-13: 978-0613886178
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,431,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gilbert Morris is among today's most popular Christian writers; his books having sold nearly six million copies worldwide. He specializes in historical fiction and won a 2001 Christy Award for the Civil War drama Edge of Honor. Once a pastor and English professor who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas, Morris lives with his wife in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Even Blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, May 17, 2003

By 

Nathan Dickey (Greenleaf ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flight of the Eagles (Seven Sleepers Series #1) (Paperback)

Flight of the Eagles, book #1 in the Seven Sleepers series is a sci-fi thriller as well as a fantasy epic. Not many fiction writers blend both science fiction and fantasy in the same novel, and Gilbert Morris succeeds at blending the two very distinctly different genres, although it is not a seamless blend. In the first parts of this novel, a nuclear war strikes the entire globe and silo labs and time capsules are described. Later on in the novel, the protagonists team up with a giant, some dwarfs, and gnomes, and battle with evil humans and monsters using swords and arrows. The protagonists also commit their lives to a divine, supernatural being. This is quite possibly the most unusual and interesting book I have ever read.

The storyline concerns an ordinary 14 year-old boy named Joshua Adams who is self-concious concerning his clumsiness and self-image. Then a girl named Sarah Collingwood, who is Josh's age, comes to stay at his house while her parents travel to Africa as missionaries.
Then a global nuclear war strikes. Josh's father wakes him up the night of the first nuclear strikes. Josh finds himself in a race against time, along with his parents and Sarah, to his father's silo lab. When they arrive at the concrete building. Josh's father explains to them that the world as they knew it would end that very night because of the global nuclear war. Josh is put into a time capsule deep inside the silo building and Sarah is whisked away to seperate capsule. Josh's father explains to him that when he awakes from the time capsule, he, along with several others, will find himself on a planet altered by nuclear devastation.

50 years later, Joshua Adams is awakened by from his sleep by and old man named Crusoe. He later discovers that the genetically altered races of Earth hail his awakening as the first fulfillment of ancient prophecy which states that seven sleepers would arise in Nuworld to unite their strength with Goel and join in battle against the forces of evil that threaten to dominate Nuworld. Josh learns that he, along with six others, would become the only hope of Nuworld.
He teams up with Crusoe, a giant named Volka, and two dwarfs named Mat and Tam, and together they embark on a dangerous quest through Nuworld to find and awaken the other sleepers from the Oldworld, one of which is Sarah, who is the second sleeper. Together they continue the quest to find the other five sleepers.

The third Sleeper is Jake Garfield, who is a redheaded boy of about 14 years old. His character isn't developed very much for some reason.
The fourth Sleeper is 15 year-old Dave Cooper who is very confident concerning himself and how he relates to others, and who can be both optimistic and pessimistic depending on the situation.
The fifth Sleeper is 14 year-old Bob Jackson whom everyone calls Reb. He has a very distinct character as someone who enjoys thoroughly the lifestyle of a cowboy. He is a southerner whose favorite historical figure is Stonewall Jackson.
The sixth Sleeper is 13 year-old Abigail Roberts, who is a rich girl who is used to having whatever she wants. She is not a very likeable character at first, but later on her character is developed positively.
The seventh and final Sleeper is 12 year-old Gregory Jones, whom everyone calls Wash. Seeing as he doesn't come on the scene until the last parts of the book, there is not much time for his character to be developed.

Throughout the course of their quest to find and awaken the Sleepers, Josh and his companions encounter many dangers. The evil priests of the Sanhedrin are a constant and potent threat to their survival, and other dangers besides are encountered, such as giant killer bees, highly dangerous marsh lands, monster attacks, a perilous desert, and more. This novel's climax involves a huge battle fought between the seven Sleepers with their Nuworld companions and the armies of the evil Sanhedrin warrior priests. One of the seven Sleepers is killed in the battle, then brought to life again by Goel, the spiritual leader of the Sleepers. One of the main Nuworld characters dies, and there is a surprise ending which will indeed surprise you.

Flight of the Eagles is a promising beginning to the Seven Sleepers series. The storyline is excellent, and most of the characters are well-developed. I have rated this book with 4 stars because some of the characters are not as developed as others. Still, I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi or fantasy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea, but lacking in plot and consistency, July 23, 2004

By 

B. Jenkins "Bethany" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flight of the Eagles (Seven Sleepers Series #1) (Paperback)

When I first read these books several years ago, I fell in love with them. The whole idea with the time capsules proved very interesting, and it's neat to read a book where some modern-day technologies are combined with old weapons and other 19th century things. I also believe the seven sleepers are well defined and clearly mature throughout the books.
One thing that constantly annoyed me while reading was the inconsistency. The ages tend to switch every once in a while, and little things such as hair color, eye color, and other physical features. These were things I didn't pick up when I was younger that I noticed this time. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that the books are short but at the beginning of each one it focuses back to this book and describes how it all started and not the end of the previous book, and in each one the ages and physical descriptions are described.
The biggest problem I have with this book and the rest of them is very close references to The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. Example: in The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis they tie the prince to a chair while he goes crazy from a spell. In this book they tie one of the characters to a tree and much the same thing happens. Also in other books, especially The Final Kingdom there were names exactly or almost exactly out of The Lord of the Rings (Beorn, Morder, and one very close to Celeborn). Again, I didn't pick up on these things when I was younger.
I highly reccommend this book to anyone under the age of 13. If you're older and looking for a good read, try the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings, they're more geared toward older audiences and the ties to Christianity are better woven in the plots. Also, in the Seven Sleeper Series, after the second book they become very similar: save another tribe, move on the the next one. They are great books but geared toward smaller audiences.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Recommended!, January 18, 2003

By 

C. M. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flight of the Eagles (Seven Sleepers Series #1) (Paperback)

One of the few examples of Christian fantasy/sci-fi-- besides the Chronicles of Narnia-- that I've been able to read without cringing. I have high standards for what I read, and this series, of which this book is the first, lives up to them very well. The Christian element is definately there but it doesn't bludgeon you over the head, unlike some other books. Some elements in it have been taken from other books, but it's not obvious and it doesn't detract from the story. The characters are original and interesting, and they go through obvious changes throughout the series-- they don't remain static at all. The plot is an interesting idea, as well, and the setting adds the final touch needed to make this a great series. The ending is poignant and touching-- I get tears in my eyes every time I read it. I'd definitely recommend buying this book if you like the fantasies of C.S. Lewis, Tolkien and their ilk.