Customer Reviews

Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having read the first book in this series multiple times--twice by myself, and once out loud to my wife--I was very excited about reading this--and I was not disappointed, either.
The story of Leven Thumps is the story of a young boy who discovers the existence of a mysterious land known as Foo--the place where dreams are literally made--and learns that that land is about be merged with reality (with disastrous consequences) unless he stops it. Leven is aided and instructed in his quest by a young girl named Winter (who can freeze things), a furry little creature named Clover (who can hold entire universes it seems in the pocket of his cloak), and a character named Geth (who is the ruler of the land of Foo but has been imprisoned inside a toothpick).
The first book in the series dealt with these characters journeying to Foo and destroying the gateway between Foo and our world.
The second book, this book, finally deals with Foo itself, and the wait, evidently, has been very worth it.
Unlike the Harry Potter books in which every volume starts off as expected with "Another Year at Hogwarts...," this volume kicks off only hours after the ending of the previous volume, and probably only covers a few days at most, as the characters race across the bizarre world of Foo to get to the Turretts of Foo, so that Geth can be restored to his real form before the toothpick he's trapped in hardens forever and ends his life.
The story is expertly intercut with stories of other characters still back in reality--including Winter's soulless adopted mother, Leven's vengeful legal guardians, a janitor who discovers ANOTHER very different living toothpick, and a concerned trashman in search of his missing neighbor, Winter.
There's a lot going on in this book--it's a hard book to summarize--but it all unfolds in a clear, understandable, fast-paced way, and leads up to one of the most triumphant resolutions ever...and then some.
The first book in the series may have been guilty of occasionally telling instead of showing, but in this volume Obert Skye seems to have taken all (relevant) previous criticism to heart, and crafted a book that almost always shows and never tells, in which not a page or a paragraph or a word is ever wasted.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book with a unique plot, unique characters, and good laughs. It was well worth the wait, and I expect the third one (which I for one certainly buy) will be as well.
Buy it, buy it, buy it. "Leven Thumps" is a series that will be read by kids (and young at heart adults) for centuries to come.
It's classic.

Obert Skye (if that's his real name....) is indeed showing to the world what a talented author he is. He really hits home with the second installment of the Leven Thumps series. Poor Leven never seems to get much of a rest, this book is no exception it starts out fast and furious and keeps going all the way up to the cliff hanging end.

The writing is clean ( parents should have no problems with their kids reading this book) the action is intense and non stop and the characters are fun and full of life. How could you not like a main character that is a tooth pick? This book is very imaginative and very cleaver. I wish it didn't end and I really wish I didn't have to wait another year or two for the next one.

This book is fun to read, so much so that it has laugh out loud moments. Obert Skye has a gift for writing. His story is concise, unpredictable, coherent, and a joy to read. The characters are worth reading about and do a nice job drawing you into their story. Fun for all ages. I highly recommend this book and the series.

Leven is back in an adventure that only an Offing can have. Now in Foo, the land of Dreams, Leven, Winter, Geth, and the irrepressible Sycophant Clover have several purposes to accomplish. Leven has destroyed the gateway and Sabine but now he must contend with Sabine's crafty Rant henchman, Jamoon. (A rant, as we all recall, is a creature whose left half lives in a flux of incoming dreams being invented by humans)... and of course there is Sabine's Rings of Plague roaming around that love to stir up trouble for the residents of Foo. Meanwhile, in reality, a janitor named Dennis has encounter the darker side of Geth, a toothpick named Ezra who intends to use Dennis to get him back to Foo. The major task at hand though is that Geth has to be restored from his toothpick status to that of the crown Prince of Foo, and must be restored before his body permanently hardens and his soul is lost forever.

But fate has something to say about their course of actions...and fate can be a cruel mistress at times.

Immediately Winter and Leven are separated. Leven must contend with all sorts of trials and tribulations to get back with her and in tandem Winter has to fend for her life against Jamoon. Geth must find a way to get to the turrets when he volunteers to leave Winter in an attempt to locate Leven and Clover... and the worst thing comes to pass when Leven unknowingly discovers a key and releases the worst of all secrets that Foo has to hide... something that could irrevocably change the face of Foo as we know it.

"Leven took off running just as the liberated secret pulled itself erect, tilted back its head, and screamed."

"Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret" continues in the vain of it's predecessor with skill and agility. The hi-jinks of Clover and Leven's relationship are still full of priceless quips, the understanding between Leven and Winter is still endearing, and what's better is the dynamics between everyone and Geth....that people can feel such utter empathy for a small sliver of wood is priceless. The introduction of Dennis and Ezra adds a nice future element of doom as well. With Skye's quick wit, the evolution of Leven's confidence, and all sorts of unorthodox twists and turns, this addition to the world of Foo proves once again to be one of the most original and unique feats of storytelling to date.

And I personally can't wait for the next book... the final pages of this had me gasping... the secret is truly one that will rock the foundations of Foo, and I intend to be in on it when Skye continues his fabulous narrative.

Have you ever wondered about what's on the other side of your dreams? Well if you do this is the book for you. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Leven, who is the destined savior of Foo (a magical world were humans dreams are stored.) and with the help of his friends will keep Foo from danger. His friends are geth (the rightful king of Foo who has been turned into a toothpick), clover (a 3 inch tall sycophant who is the guardian of Leven), winter (a girl who has the power to freeze things), and many other characters.

Obert Skye the author did a very good job describing the book. His ability to put pictures into words in phenomenal! I recommend this book to anyone who has taste in fantasy and comedy books. The only flaw is the cliffhangers he puts in the book, but it builds up suspense and makes me want to read more. It may be long (350pg.) but it is excellent and very well written and I can't wait for the next book.

You can find this book in almost any book store and it is allowed for younger children. The best part of this book is how there are many things I've never heard of so it's cool to find out about something new. You can go to [...] and email the author Obert Skye and ask him questions about the book and plus it has information on the upcoming books. This is my favorite book and I hope you like it too.

Leven thimps two is one of the most imaginative greatest book i have ever read and i have read a lot of good books. I know i alot of people will think i'm CRAZY if i say thisbut i think it is better then harry potter :)

Levin Thumps and the Whispered Secret is full in intrigue and excitement until the very end. Levin, in Foo this time, encounters a new and intriguing world that he is forced to confront. The rules of reality don't apply, and he has to adapt. I loved it!!!

This book takes place in, "Foo" which is a world where the dreams of people in reality are manipulated and lived out. If Foo ceases to exist, then dreams - and also hope, would cease as well, causing ereality to collapse. There are inhabitants of Foo who want to unite our world reality with Foo and make a doorway between the worlds thinking that by taking over earth, they would have great advantage and their circumstances would improve. However, in their quest for power they fail to understand that doing so would destroy them and everyone else.

This exciting fantasy story is written from the point of view of a very kind and brave boy who is about 13. He has lived a terrible and abusive life, but somehow has retained his strength and goodness. In this new world where he finds himself, he struggles to understand this new world (as does the reader if he has not recently finished book one in the series) and tries to save his friends and "Foo" itself.

This quest is full of constant twists and turns in a richly written story. The characters will delight you as you learn their personalities and the little idiosyncracies of this place called Foo. The villians are perfectly raunchy. The heroes are loveable but not infalliable, and the side characters are true characters with many details that may not be noticed in a first reading.

Best of all, you will never feel that it is slow or boring. Being part of a series or trilogy, the ending leads into the beginning of the next book, but you will nonetheless not feel left hanging. Only hankering, for the next volume to appear!

I strongly recommend it and feel that it is appropriate for children who are younger if they can read it, as my 6 year old loved hearing it on CD. There are uplifting morals to the story and no cursing or intense scenes, although some sections can be a little scary for suspense or violence. The imagination this took to conceive and will help build in your children, is excellent as well. In addition teens loved it as well.

Enjoy his books and read them both. The first is delightful and sets the tone for the second. The second takes it up a notch higher and is even more fun!

When I sat down to write a review for "Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret" I sighed to myself and shook my head, for a number of reasons. #1, I know that the book would be better upon a second reading. #2, the first book in the series was so good, almost a classic! And, finally, this book did get a lot better in the end... but that, alas, does NOT make up for the beginning.

Even in my review for the first book in this series, I noted that Obert Skye often violated the "show, don't tell" rule. Well, he does it again in this book. Tenfold. Many things that could have been explained through dialogue or action are told for painstakingly dull paragraphs. Not only that, he talks down to the reader in many cases. He doesn't trust his readers to understand him, especially in dialogue, so he has to put a little explanation afterwards. For example, there is a scene where Leven and Clover tie up a beast called an Onick. This is a blurb from right after they tied it up:

" 'Do you think it'll wait for us?' asked Leven, referring to the onick."

Skye should trust his readers enough to know that already. Not only that, he also reminds us over and over again that Dennis is dull and people ignore him. It's constant, and it's too much. And, to conclude the negatives, the dynamics of the land of Foo (the creatures, places) are introduced so awkwardly that it's hard to read the first half, which is at times a mess of long explanations and "WTF" events.

The book does get better though. The Dennis/Tim Tuttle chapters were always very interesting, and most of Winter's chapters were as well. The split story made it sometimes confusing, due to some pointless characters and chapters, such as the time spent on Albert Wlech. He was insignificant to the story, but was still included for some reason beyond me. Back to the positives, though. Once Leven snags an Onick to ride, his rescue sequence of going into Morfit is nothing short of "page-turning-excitement" and the climax is very good, complete with vivid imagery that this series never lacks, even when it hit its low point in the beginning of this book.

I love this series, and I hope that I will one day read this book again, and come back with a new review, saying how much better it is upon the second read. Until that day, I have to say that while I enjoyed it, it could have been far better.

And one more note: Obert Skye, my friend, be careful, for I feel that you are trying too hard to be Lemony Snicket-esque in some parts of the story. Stick to how you did "Gateway," and you can make the world (both Reality and Foo) a better place.

So, since I love Leven Thumps (the series), I've thought long and hard about what to give this book, and decided on...

7/10: Do better next time, please.

Great price for the book, and very prompt delivery. Received in excellent condition. I would use this seller again.