Customer Reviews

The Secret Country

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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Eidolon is a secret country that is joined to Earth and is full of magical creatures. It is about a boy called Ben Arnold whose Mum is Queen of Eidolon and his Dad is from Earth. Ben is trying to save the Eidolon creatures from being caught by a man called Mr Dodds and his awful uncle Aleister. I am 8 years old and I think this book is excellent because it's a nice book for children and one of the best I have ever read.

Submitted by Olivia's Dad

Twelve-year-old Benjamin Christopher Arnold (Ben, to his friends) has always been quite an ordinary boy. Like many other boys of his age, Ben is going through the typical gawky stage - long, gangly legs; big feet; hair that never stays in place. There is one thing slightly abnormal about Ben, however. The fact that he has one brown eye, and one green eye; the result of an accident when he was a mere child in a stroller, where he fell victim to a nasty bruise upon his head. And, after an emergency trip to the hospital, emerged with one brown eye, and one green eye. Peculiar indeed, but no cause for worry. Ben's ordinary boy status is thrown for a loop, however, the moment he enters the illustrious Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium. Drawn into the shop by an advertisement for Mongolian Fighting Fish, Ben sets his sights on the prize, and does everything in his power to earn money for the two floundering fellows - from doing laundry, to mowing the lawn. But when he arrives at Mr. Dodds's Pet Emporium, clutching his freshly-made savings, Ben falls victim to a change of heart. And, as opposed to emerging from the store with his Mongolian Fighting Fish in tow, he purchases a scruffy, talking tabby cat by the name of Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel - also known as Iggy, or the Wanderer. It wasn't that Ben was interested in purchasing the cat. Quite the contrary, actually. But Iggy insisted that Ben take him home, and, feeling a sense of compassion towards the badly mistreated yowler, Ben hands over his savings, and retreats. According to the story Ben is told, Iggy has been kidnapped from his homeland known as the Secret Country. The Secret Country is a parallel world, where mythical animals run free, and beautiful scenery is plentiful. Teaming up, Ben and Iggy soon learn that Iggy is not the only resident of the Secret Country to find himself in the real world. In fact, it is quite obvious that various other creatures have become the victim of Mr. Dodds's get-rich-quick scheme of the mythical creature trade. In fact, with a little investigating, the two learn that Mr. Dodds has been stealing the creatures of the Secret Country, and selling them to England's rich socialites. It doesn't sound too horrible, but Ben soon learns that Mr. Dodds's actions are more harmful than even he realized. According to Iggy, the longer these creatures - whose connections to the Secret Country are quite more than skin deep - are away from their homeland, the worse things become for the Secret Country. In fact, as these creatures are removed, the Secret Country falls under an immediate threat, that could harm their existence. Ben doesn't want to see anything happen to these exotic creatures, but he feels that there is little he can do to assist them in their plight. When he learns that his mother is the long-lost queen of the Secret Country, and that Mr. Dodds's actions are contributing to her deteriorating health, however, he vows to save the creatures, and the country. Now, with his mother's in limbo between life and death, Ben accepts his role in the ancient prophecy of the Secret Country, and begins his quest to prove that he is more than worthy for his title as the Prince of Eidolon.

So often the synopsis on the back cover of a book promises thrilling adventure, spectacular characters, and a fantastical journey to an unexplored world. Yet, when you begin reading, you find that the story falls flat, and leaves you searching for more. So is not the problem with Jane Johnson's debut THE SECRET COUNTRY. Reminiscent of J.K. Rowling's lyrical language, Johnson has penned a tale that leaves you gripping the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Ben is an irresistible character, whose ordinary ways of life are relatable, and quite refreshing in a sea of novels depicting the "lifestyles of the rich and famous." His oddly colored eyes, and ability to see things differently through each one are imaginative and exhilarating to learn more about; while his penchant for succumbing to the pressures of the creatures and family around him make the reader not only sympathize with his character, but cheer on his bravery, as well. His oft-times tumultuous relationship with the snippy, bossy, yet totally lovable tabby, Iggy, is humorous, and quite refreshing. Iggy is fun, yet quite ornery at the same time. His determination to not only save, but to protect his beloved homeland is admirable; while his constant confusion regarding direction often makes the reader question how, exactly, he received the title of the Wanderer. While Iggy and Ben dominate the story, Johnson has also created a wide array of supporting characters, who certainly work to hold their own throughout the tale. From the evil Mr. Dodds - whom you can't help but love to hate - to the gorgeous selkie, Silver, whose unique identity, and ability to transform from seal to human girl - even if she's not yet a pro at the transformation yet - makes for an interesting character. Ben's family is also quite fun to learn more about. His father's constant cluelessness is humorous; while his Uncle Aleister is despicable in a way that makes you loathe and love him at the same time. And his mother - the long-lost queen of the Secret Country - is quite a confusing character, often causing the reader to raise their eyebrows as they struggle to learn more about the illustrious parent; while Ellie - Ben's older sister - and her love of garish make-up makes for a strikingly frightening, yet funny addition to the cast. An engrossing roller coaster ride that combines mythological and fantastical elements to create a thrilling debut. Bravo Ms. Johnson!

Erika Sorocco

Freelance Reviewer

Though it may seem like something of a ripoff of Harry Potter, The Secret Country: The Eidolon Chronicles truly stands alone as a brilliant novel, seemingly 'inspired' by Harry Potter, Tolkien etc.

Written in third person, Jane Johnson A.K.A/ Gabriel King A.K.A/ Jude Fisher, takes the reader through an enchanting tale of the adventures of a boy named Ben Christopher Arnold, who, in his infancy, accidently changed the color of his right eye. Then, some years in the future, he sets his sights on two Mongolian Fighting Fish. When he finally raises the money, he is 'convinced' by a talking cat, to buy it instead. The cat, Ignatius Sorvo Coromandel, (you can call him Iggy) turns out to be from another world, and 'wandered' into Ben's (Note: This does take place on earth) world, where he was promptly kidnapped. Everything from there onward is perfect blend of adventure, humor, horror, possible romance, and friendship. This is a genius book for both boys and girls, and a sequel is in the making. This is a must read for anyone who likes: fantasy, action, cats, dogs, most magical creatures and talking cockroaches.

This story is about a boy named Ben Arnold who is relatively normal, but then he buys a talking cat named Iggy. Iggy is from a magic country called Eidolon, where there's dragons, magic, talking animals, and fairies. Ben finds out that his mother is the Queen of Eidolon, so he is prince, even though is father is from earth. "The bad guy" in this book is the Dodman (who exists also in the human world) and Old Creepie (who is someone VERY close to Ben, but I won't tell who) and they are trying to take over Eidolon and it's magical creatures. This book was soooo good, I finished it in an hour because I just HAD to figure out what would come next! :)

The writing is well done, it is a fun read, and it is hard to stop reading. I read the first chapter and REALLY wanted to get back to reading it but first had to finish the other book I was reading.

Gotta love a "children's" story that introduces the basics of platonic ontology (not entirely guised, either!) to my kids! Started reading: ran into talking creatures, then a world that is "more" real (via magic) than the "shadow" world that our protagonist lives in (socrates' analogy of the cave), where suffering and evil conflict as compassion and love eventually engages and empowers our just-your-average-kid hero into a reluctant but necessary struggle to keep the powers of blinded brute force at bay. Started reading as bedtime story (anyone else use that excuse to keep reading our kids' books??) but had to finish book myself just because it was impossible to put down. From notes on author (whose other great gift to us was helping JRR T. get published?!) could expect no less...Still was completely blown away by how engaging the narrative was! Have read Magyk and Septimus of late, and found that this was an wonderful cross (between harry potter's England and the fantastical magical world of the former. BRING IT ON! Need more in this series please...and a couple of movies would be just honky dory fine. ENCORE! ENCORE!

This is a great story about Ben, a talking cat named Iggy and some additional magical creatures. I think that people should read this book all over the world. Very easy to read, it got dragons, wood spirits, goblins. All the wonder creatures that are in the best magical stories.

I think and hope you will enjoy this story as much as I did.

PS: This letter is from Maya.

PPS: I cannot wait till the next book comes out.

Since this is the first book in what will become a series, the first third of the book was a little slow as the author set up the characters and the events that will shape the series. But once the action started I couldn't put this book down. Think Narnia meets Lord of the Rings. I'm 28 and I still found this book highly enjoyable...I think kids and teens will love this book as well. I'm actually a middle school teacher so I read a lot of books for young adults and children. I will definitely be reading book 2 when it comes out!

The really sad thing about this book is that I really liked the first half. We then entered the second half and I was full of anticipation because we were going to see Eydolon but then we entered and we learned almost nothing new. All we learned was that there was a prophecy about Ben and Ellie. Other then that we get introduced to a bunch of new characters that save Ben's life and the heroes foil the evil guys plans. There is no character development unless you count all the characters becoming flattened versions of their original selves. It just seemed that the author didn't know what to do and decided to just kept on adding characters until something clicked in her mind. Unfortunately the end is terribly rushed and everything comes to such an abrupt end you are left saying WHAT? But what's really disappointing about the book is that the book has such a good foundation and it just fails to deliver.

The Secret Country is a worthwhile addition to the fantasy bookshelf for young readers. Written with humor and warmth, plus a deep knowledge of the fantasy genre, it moves briskly, throwing its young hero from the domestic frying pan into the Narnian fire with barely time for a night's sleep.

Because she is committed to moving her story along quickly, Johnson tends to "tell" more than she "shows" in the early pages of the story. Her hero tells a lot about his family before you get to see much of them in action. The cat narrates the whole background of Eidolon in one gulp. And yet it takes the protagonist a long, long time -- almost the whole book -- to figure out what his mother's situation is, something that is obvious to the reader quite early on. Maybe Johnson wants her reader to have the satisfaction of being smarter than her hero!

The main reservation I have about this book is that it is not terribly original -- though the books it echoes are wonderful books. In tone, it recalls Nesbit's fantasy books of 100 years ago. In plot and theme (and unfortunately its attitude toward girls) it mimics C.S. Lewis. Some of the details are (sorry, Jane Johnson, but you should know better!) too similar to Harry Potter. The "My Father's Dragon" books also came to mind several times, as did the works of Alan Garner and Susan Cooper and Dodie Smith and so on. (The little references to Tolkien, on the other hand, were charming.)

Still, this is a fine read, and I look forward to the sequels.