Into the Thinking Kingdom (Journeys of the Catechist, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Alan Dean Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 1999

Bound by honor, Ehomba has traveled through many exotic and perilous lands on a quest to save a beautiful princess he has never met from the hands of the evil Hymneth the Possessed. Through all their travels Ehomba has ignored the warnings he has heard from seers and psychics, foretelling of disaster and death if the quest was completed. Now that Ehomba and his traveling party have finally reached the destination of their epic journey, the kingdom ruled by Hymneth, will they be able to defend themselves against Hymneth's powerful and evil magic? Will they be able to rescue the princess and bring her safely home with their lives intact?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fantastical Journey of the Catechist series Foster began with Carnivores of Light and Darkness continues, as the plucky herdsman Etjole Ehomba carries on his search for a mysterious woman who has been kidnapped by the necromancer Hymneth the Possessed. In this installment, Ehomba and his two companionsAthe great black half-lion/half cheetah Ahlitah and the itinerant swordsman and treasure-hunter Simna ibn SindAseek a boat that will take them across the infamous Semordria Ocean. In Lybondai, a shifty, cigar-smoking merchant tells them the only place they can find such a ship is in the legendary port city of Hamacassar, far to the north. To get there the trio must cross many strange lands, including a dangerous marsh overrun by wild horses and a place where flowers fight for superiority. In Tethspraih they are arrested for having improper thoughts. In Phan City they barely escape with their lives when attacked by otherworldly spirits after the "witching hour," and in Netherbrae they free an intelligent beast named Hunkapa Aub from his human torturers. Though every obstacle falls a bit too neatly to Ehomba's native wit and his grab bag of enchanted items, the story's swift pace and Foster's boundless imagination deliver something very different from the usual fantasy quest saga. In these magical lands, Foster shows that character and common sense can be as important, and as powerful, as any magic.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Having passed through the kaleidoscopic landscapes of the Changing Lands, the herdsman Etjole Ehomba and his two companions embark upon the second phase of their quest to fulfill the mission of a dying stranger. Entering the Thinking Lands, Ehomba encounters exotic cultures offering subtle dangers and strange new experiences. Foster's latest series combines elements of epic fantasy with folkloric motifs in an engaging picaresque tale of a simple man's honor-bound journey into adventure. Libraries owning Carnivores of Light and Darkness (LJ 5/15/98) will wish to purchase this sequel.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Aspect; 1st edition (April 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446521361
• ISBN-13: 978-0446521369
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Dean Foster's work to date includes excursions into hard science-fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous non-fiction articles on film, science, and scuba diving, as well as having produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as "Star Wars", the first three "Alien" films, "Alien Nation", and "The Chronicles of Riddick". Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, computer games, and the story for the first "Star Trek" movie. His novel "Shadowkeep" was the first ever book adapation of an original computer game. In addition to publication in English his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel "Cyber Way" won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science-fiction ever to do so.

Foster's sometimes humorous, occasionally poignant, but always entertaining short fiction has appeared in all the major SF magazines as well as in original anthologies and several "Best of the Year" compendiums. His published oeuvre includes more than 100 books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable blend of simplicity and complexity!, May 19, 1999

By 

Ted Andress ([e-mail]) (Memphis, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Thinking Kingdom (Journeys of the Catechist, Book 2) (Hardcover)

One does not know the complexities to the simple man. The antihero herdsman in this tale, weaves the reader through the realities of living a simple existance intertwined with the fantasy of other-world imagination. With the last utterances of a dying stranger, Etjole Ehomba, shepard of sheep, curator of cattle, introduces the unwary reader into the mysteries of brotherhood and honor, of war and peace, of courage and duty. Together with two heartily enjoyable and very unlikely fellow travelers, Etjole leads us north into adventures that could only exist in the imagination of Alan Dean Foster!

As an avid, and almost singular, reader of hard science-fiction, this book came as a suprise and delight!

Thanks Mr. Foster!

4.0 out of 5 stars Very different set, August 8, 2009

By 

Carmen Walker "Snoopchic" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Into the Thinking Kingdoms (Journeys of the Catechist, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a good book series. Different, but I like to read different things...gets you thinking in different ways! I would recommend this series to anyone!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, Easy Read. Hard to put down, November 30, 2007

By 

J. Jannotti (Orlando FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Into the Thinking Kingdom (Journeys of the Catechist, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I found this book to be as compelling as the first book of the series. Maybe I had been away from Foster's books for awhile so I was not so jaded, but I found the pace of the book and the story to very well done.

If you are into a little bit different type of story (i.e. The Spellsinger Series) I think you will find this series enjoyable.