Isle of Swords [Hardcover]

Wayne Thomas Batson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

A young lad awakens on an island, alone and brutally injured, with no memory of his past.

Captain Declan Ross searched for riches that will free him and his headstrong daughter, Anne, from the piracy business forever . . . Bartholomew Thorne, an infamously ruthless pirate, seeks to destroy Ross and any who stand in his way of the legendary treasure hidden by a mysterious order of monks.  With these intriguing characters and many more, Wayne Thomas Batson weaves a spell-binding adventure filled with high-seas drama where battles rage, storms brew, a long-dormant volcano awakens, and a sea creature slithers in the deep as pirates race for a cliff-top fortress.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Isle of Swords is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award. --Mom's Choice Awards

About the Author

Wayne Thomas Baston is the author of five best-selling novels:Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire, and The Door Within Trilogy. A middle school reading teacher in Maryland for eighteen years, Wayne tailors his stories to meet the needs of the young people he cares so deeply about. Wayne writes adventures set in imaginative locals because he believes that on a deep level, we all dream of doing something that matters and that we all long for another world.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1ST edition (September 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400310180
• ISBN-13: 978-1400310180
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wayne Thomas Batson was born in Seabrook, MD in 1968. During the early years he tortured his older brothers and sisters, doing those things that only younger siblings can do to get on your nerves.
He attended Gabriel DuVal Senior High School and wrote this for his Yearbook
Senior Goals: To become a professional writer or artist. During the high school and early college years, he played lead guitar for a rock band called "Contagious." They were catchy, but apparently not enough to get a record deal.

Having completed the rigorous Holmes English Literature Curriculum, he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1991. In 1996, he received his first graduate degree in Counseling. He has continued his studies with 36 credit hours of graduate-level Reading courses.

Wayne Thomas Batson has spent the last fifteen years teaching Reading and English to middle schools students. He pioneered the active instruction of Strategic Reading in Anne Arundel County and has written Reading and English Curricula for Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, and Howard County Public Schools. Most recently, he helped develop the Challenge Reading Curriculum for advanced readers in Howard County, Maryland.
Wayne Thomas Batson lives in Eldersburg with his beautiful wife of eleven years and his four wonderful young children. Besides dividing his time between family, teaching, and writing, he likes to read, golf, play PS2, travel to the beach, play electric guitar, and create 3D artwork.

Wayne Thomas Batson is the Bestselling author of five adventure novels including the fantasy epic Door Within Trilogy and the pirate duo Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire. A middle school Reading and English teacher for 18 years, Batson loves to challenge--and be challenged by--his students. So, when he began writing stories to supplement the school district's curriculum, it was his students who taught their teacher a lesson. Batson's students were so taken by one of the stories that, over a thirteen year span, they pushed him to make it into a full-length novel. That story became The Door Within. Since then, Batson's students continue to be his frontline editors. Says Batson, "Two things you can count on from middle school students: Intelligence and Honesty. Kids are so much more perceptive than a lot of us 'Big Folk' give them credit for. And when something's not write in the story, they'll tell you about in very clear terms." Batson is teaming up with author and friend Christopher Hopper for a new book series, The Berinfell Prophecies. The first book, Curse of the Spider King, hit bookstores in October 2009. It promises to turn the traditional "portal fantasy" on its head, posing the question: What would happen if the fantasy came to us? Batson believes his books appeal to so many kids and adults because, at a deep level, we all long to do something that matters, and we all dream of another world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rollicking Roller Coaster Ride on the Atlantic!, August 27, 2007

By 

James Somers "Author" (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isle of Swords (Hardcover)

All hands on Deck for this wonderful new Pirate adventure from Christian Fantasy author: WAyne Thomas Batson. Now, pretty colors and fancy packaging are no replacement for a great story--which this is, but I have to say "This book even LOOKS great!" I couldn't resist it when I saw it on the book store shelf. It's the kind of hardcover novel you want to keep around for your kids...Anyway...How is the story?

Let me say that WAyne Batson keeps the action coming and the suspense as well. Every chapter ending made me have to keep turning pages--even when I knew I just had to get in bed! The story centers upon the pirate ship: William Wallace and its captain Declan Ross. The captain and crew, along with Ross' spirited teenage daughter, finds a young man who has been beaten and left for dead. The young man has amnesia and his subplot trying to recover his identity runs parallel with the action as the William WAllace eludes the British Navy and the fiercest pirate captain you're likely to read about any time soon. Bartholomew Thorne is searching for the famed treasure of Constantine on the Isle of Swords and he'll do anything (literally) to get it.

This action packed adventure has a visceral intensity to it that wasn't even found in Wayne's previous series: The Door Within (and I loved that series!) Isle of Swords sets sail into dangerous waters and never lets up for a minute. There are many fun characters and every one of them is fleshed out. Mr. Batson's high seas discriptions of life onboard these pirate vessels made me feel like I was there and that is exactly how a great story should make you feel. By the time you finish the last page of Isle of Swords, you will be glad you joined the crew of the William Wallace on this adventure, but you'll be sad that the sequel isn't out yet!--James Somers, author: The Chronicles of Soone.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Adventure, September 24, 2007

By 

Barbara Warren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Isle of Swords (Hardcover)

I always approach a Wayne Thomas Batson book with a sense of adventure. This one was no exception. Declan Ross didn't choose to be a pirate, but his daughter, Anne, is hooked by the lifestyle. With a disposition to match her fiery red hair, Anne knows how her father feels, but she loves the pirate life too much to give it up.

Her father's ship, the William Wallace, puts to shore in a bay claimed by Bartholomew Thorn, the most detested, brutal pirate of their time, and Anne finds a young man, beaten half to death. He doesn't know who he is or how he came to be there. Declan names him Cat. Then Declan agrees to help Padre Dominguez search for the treasure of Constantine, and Cat begins to remember his past. To add to their troubles, Bartholomew Thorne is hot on their trail.

Batson's books are packed full of excitement. Fans of all ages will enjoy his heartstopping adventure with a clear message of right and wrong. His memorable characters make the action extremely realistic. Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A swashbuckling tale!, October 14, 2008

By 

mom o' 6 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isle of Swords (Paperback)

Who is he? Where did he come from? Captain Declan Ross finds a young man nearly beaten to death on the beach clutching a bag containing a green jewel. Does he dare take him on board the William Wallace or is he a crew member of the infamous pirate Bartholomew Thorne, the Captain's enemy?

Within the pages of The Isle of Swords, Wayne Thomas Batson creates a tale of intrigue, danger and adventure. Though the character of the Captain's daughter, Anne, is a little hard to believe, this story is one where the reader can feel the creaking of the ship, taste the salt of the sea spray and hear the wind whistling in the sails. This book will entice readers of all ages who love a good pirate story!