Customer Reviews

Timescape: Dreamhouse Kings, Book #4

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Things just became a little more complicated for Xander and David King. Not only is their mother still missing, but a sobering look into the future reveals that much more is at stake. As Xander and David search for answers within the time portals they find an unexpected ally who sheds more light on the house and the greater mission they have been called to. With a renewed sense of purpose the King family decides to turn the tables and go after Taksidian to put a stop to the evil plans he has put into motion.

As this series unfolds I continually find myself in awe of Robert Liparulo's ability to not just write amazing stories, but also his ability to get better with each offering. Timescape is easily the best novel of the Dreamhouse Kings series, showcasing the most intense action sequences and the most gut wrenching suspense we've seen. Two of the time portal scenes were actually crafted from ideas students entered into the Dream the Scene contest on Liparulo's website. In masterful fashion, Liparulo pulls out all the stops making these scenes the most memorable of the series so far.

In a young adult market saturated by commercialism, mediocrity, and unoriginality it's refreshing to find a series like this that is not only fun to read but also challenging and engaging. These are the kind of books families can love and share together, and no matter your age you will find yourself easily immersed into this marvelous world of adventure that Liparulo has crafted. Once again Robert Liparulo reminds me of the beauty of story and why I love to read.

Fast paced scifi adventure from start to finish. I can't remember when last I felt compelled to finish a book without putting it down, it was that good. Surprisingly so as I read "Timescape", the fourth installment, as a stand-alone, not having realized it was part of a series. Mr. Liparulo has penned a gripping tale about a mysterious house, the family that resides there, time travel through portals and all sorts of mysterious happennings. Written with the young thinking adult in mind. An absolute treasure - can't wait to read the entire series.

Intriguing premise undone by all too clever gimmick.

The intriguing premise is having our heroes live in a house full of time portals; the gimmick is having each book cover a single 24 hour time period. As a result, our heroes spend half of their time in a state of steadily increasing exhaustion due to everything that is continually coming at them, which might not be so bad if they didn't spend the other half of their time complaining about how exhausted they are!

Other reviewers have complained about the lack of character development, but that is unfortunately the inevitable consequence of the gimmick. Seriously, how much could someone's character develop in only 24 hours? (Revealing character is another matter, but there isn't much room for that, either.) Others have complained about the lack of references to Christianity in what is supposed to be an overtly Christian book, but again the gimmick is to blame. A hurriedly offered prayer, a short Bible quote, a quick moral lesson is about all anyone in this book has time for. Heck, at this rate we won't even get around to Sunday (again?) until book SEVEN (if there ever is one)!

Note: There is a warning at the beginning to read House of Dark Shadows, Watcher in the Woods, and Gatekeepers before reading this book and going on to read Whirlwind and Frenzy, which is no doubt good advice. I believe I was able to pick up the thread by the end, but that certainly wouldn't be the preferred way to sample this series.

Too bad. IMHO Robert Liparulo is clearly a talented writer, but he attempted a gimmick too far.

This is book number 4 in a series. I did not realize it was part of a series when I received the book. I opened the cover and in bold type it said Stop and do not continue until you have read the first 3 books. So, I ordered the other 3 books and have read them all in the past week. The books are very uniquely written. Time travel, adventure, and full of suspense. It was very hard to put the books down. My fourteen year old daughter and my 19 year old son have also read the books and throughly enjoyed them. These books appeal to a wide age group. I am thinking it maybe a bit to suspensful for my 10 year old. Mr. Liparulo awesome job!!! Looking forward to reading all of his books.

So far every book in the series has had the same flow and feel to it, which I like. I feel as if I am reading one long story, rather than four fairly short books. This is both a plus and a minus to me. I am thoroughly enjoying the story, but I do wish I could read it all in one go. I do not want to have to wait another year for book #5! This series of books were geared towards young teens, but as a 39 year old adult, I too find these books to hold my attention quite well. I also would like to mention that the books have a nice aesthetic value - not that it really matters in the whole scheme of things, but they look good, feel good to hold, and are made of a very durable and sturdy material.

I only have one complaint, and it isn't really a complaint, it's just what I would like to see more of. The premise of the series is a family has moved into a new to them, old house that has many strange occurences. Strange people pop out of apparently nowhere and kidnap the mother of the family in the first book, and in each subsequent book the husband and children are trying to find their mother and bring her back home. In doing so, they discover magical doors in their attic that take them to random places in time. I think I would enjoy these books a little bit more if more time was spent in each historical areas that the magical doors take them too. I feel that the trips they make are a bit too short. But, I can understand why they're such short trips, because everywhere they go they are in serious peril and have to get out quick. Still....it'd be more interesting to delve a little deeper into the histories.

The Dreamhouse Kings series is a fast paced adventure that centers around a house that has portals to different points in time. From the first page your heart is pounding and you are worried about the characters you come to care about (David, Alexander, Victoria, Jessie, Keil, Nana, and Edward (Dad). They come through each successive challange a little battered and worn, but there is little time for recharging.

This latest in the series begins with the house pulling on Nana, trying to pull her through one of the portals. Victoria (Toria) and her grandfather (Jessie) are trying to help, but are not having much success. Toria is a little girl and Jessie is over 90, feeble, and in a wheelchair. The other four members of the household are in a future time (through one of the portals) and are unaware of the danger to Nana and the others. That is just the opening and it gets more exciting from there.

I am anxiously awaiting book 5. This is a great series for kids. I'm a kid at heart at 62 and I love the series.

The first page behind the copyright page says "STOP! Read [the other books] before continuing!" This warning absolutely must be heeded...this fourth book makes very little sense if you have not read the series from the beginning. While you can probably enjoy the little vignettes as the family has micro-adventures in other time periods by traveling through portals, you definitely won't appreciate the overall thread of finding and rescuing the family's mother from wherever she has gone.

There is non-stop action to be found. Quite literally. Even the few hours when everyone is supposed to be sleeping are full of adventure. The 305 page book covers just short of 24 hours of real time. During this 24-hours, the family barely escapes from the future where they are chased by mutants that fling spears at them; saves Nana from being pulled into a portal; finds that Jesee has been stabbed and his finger cut off; escapes from the sinking of the Titanic; handles the mystery of the teddy bear; sneaks in to visit Jesee in the hospital; barely escapes from Vikings and Berserker warriors; attends a full day of school; travels back in time to meet Jesee as a young boy; and follows the evil Taksidian and gets caught in his trap. It is hideously unrealistic that young children could endure this much drama and physical danger in 24 hours, especially since they are injured repeatedly.

While this book is allegedly Christian fiction, it is not obviously religious. I'm not even sure which characters are supposed to be Christians. David (who has the bizarre nickname "Dae"... does a name as short as David really need a shorter nickname??) sometimes repeats to himself "strong and courageous" from 1 Chronicles 22:13, and someone utters a prayer using the word "Lord". But that's it in terms of Christian influence. And then there are the movie references, which far outweigh any Bible references. Movies mentioned: War Games (25th Anniversary Edition), Eagle Eye, Titanic, Mission Impossible (Special Collector's Edition), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Single Disc), Avatar: The Last Air Bender, Jaws (30th Anniversary Edition), I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, High School Musical (Encore Edition), Star Wars Trilogy, The Incredibles (Two-Disc Collector's Edition), Spy Kids, All About Eve (Two-Disc Special Edition).

The book ends with questions for a discussion group.

Hi,
This will be short and to the point. This book was absolutly great, just like the last three. My only complaint is that it's so good I finished it after two days of reading and now I have to wait till Jan for book 5. I've been reading these books to my son at bed time and he loves them also.

Robert Liparulo is by far one of my favorite authors as well as my wifes. Be sure to check out "Germ," "Comes a Horseman," "Deadfall," and "Deadlock." All are great. Happy Reading.

I got this for son. He is into Harry Potter and the saga type books and he really liked this. He said he would rate it 4 stars. This is the only book in the series he has so far, but he would recommend it to other young readers.

More of the same in this fourth book in the series. If you like this type of sci-fi it is a great addition to the series. Easy reading for both young and old.