Customer Reviews

The Tower of Geburah (Archives of Anthropos)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fine example of how fantasy can be used to convey a Christian message. But what really intrigued me was White's use of the biblical languages to create some people, place, and creature names. Get out your Greek and Hebrew lexicons and look those words up. It will open up your understanding of (and your appreciation for) this book.

This book is about three kids that find some enchanted t.v.s that are doors to a world that is called Anthropos.The three kids pass through the doors, but one of the kids, named Lisa went through a different door then the other two, which means Lisa was in a different place in Anthropos. So as the kids find their way through many kinds of obsticles they find each other. Some of the obsticles are dangerous, but the three kids can accomplish them. Through out the book the three kids have to face obsticles that get harder each and every time. These are just some of the events that occur start off the story. This book is great, but the only problem is that some of the words and names are hard to pronounce unless you are good at pronouncing words and names. If you can say them the best you can it is a great book. If you like this book then you should read John Whites other books.

The Tower of Geburah was pretty much a story about good against evil.
Three childeren:Wesley,Lisa,and Kurt are mysteriously sucked out of thier own world to be thrown into the country of Anthropos- a country in the middle of a war. The three help fight against the sorcerer, Hocoino,and his goblin army in an effort for King Kardia to regain his throne.
John White presented a very well thought out book that shows evil to be deceptive as well as bold and that there is always forgiveness.I really loved reading this book. It was a believable story -modeled after C.S.Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

The author clearly stated in a 1978 interview that he when he penned this book, he began, at his kids' request, to 'make a story like the [Chronicles of] Narnia', but as an adult rereading these after a childhood spent on just this book (The Tower) I must confess gaining a much greater appreciation for the quality White brings, especially after `fleshing it out' with the remainder of the prequels/sequels.

To label, or worse, dismiss this as some derivative work misses out on what truly is a fantastic epic. As big a fan as I am of the Lewis stories in Chronicles, this is a `two-track' book that works just as well as a `children's fantasy' as a plain good old yarn suitable for adults as well. White does a particularly good job with this one, but the others (all available on Amazon) will flesh out the story in fine fashion.

I urge any parent of a child 8 or older (the intense imagery might be too much for a younger audience) to read this to their children, but I also encourage anyone looking for a well-written fantasy tale to pick this up. It has all the requisite elements - magic, villains, monsters, heroes, hubris and redemption - of many fantasy stories, but with a unique literary approach. I must agree with the `linguistic tour-de-force' review, as an adult understanding of ancient (real) languages opens a completely different perspective.

White's work truly stands on its own and in many ways I find it superior to Lewis in creating a vivid, humorous, and well-constructed world, and ultimately a very satisfying story. As a Christian, I find myself in tears reading this one in particular, as the Christ-type allegory is beautifully done. I find that adult Chronicles fans love Narnia as much for the nostalgic recollections of childhood as anything else. I find that White's literary efforts have greater strength in capturing the attention of, and winning the praise from, an older audience. I don't feel I'm exaggerating when I say this is one of the best 'kids' fantasies ever.

This book has sword, sorcery, excitement, corruption, betrayal, redemption, war and . . . well, lots of nifty stuff.

This is a great yougn adult book and really hums along. The only parts of the book that feel forced are the moments when the children should clearly be in grave, life-threatening peril but are protected by the authors desire to seem get through relatively unscathed. Still, he manages to avoid the peril of having his heroes constantly rescued and simply gives them unbelievable luck.

A great book.

The Anthropos books are a series I place in higher regard than Tolkien's novels. I own the Iron Sceptre and the Tower of Geburah, each old, each with beautiful covers (what are much taped after falling off repeatedly) and indescribable imagery.

John White wrote the Anthropos series with a style one never finds in books today. One can actually LEARN from the characters, and connect to them, unlike in most books. White also integrates familiar legends (ie. the Medusa) into his stories. Battles are realistic, characters are timeless, and everything is kept consistent.

The Archives of Anthropos are on par with The Chronicles of Narnia. God bless Mr. White.

Though the style of this book appeals largely to children, my husband and I love every book in this series. We read them aloud to each other, and we will do so again when we have children. White's writing is what I might call simple and mature readers will notice small flaws, but the beauty of the character of Gaal touched me deeply, and it's simplicity is also it's beauty. Like the Narnia Chronicles, the Anthropos series can be enjoyed on many levels. We need more books like these in the world!

I was in the kitchen one day and my dad dropped the book in my lap.
"Here, read this," Dad said.
I read it and LOVED IT!! I read it twice now, and my family has read the first one. ("The Sword Bearer")

I'm only a teenager (14) and I've already read this book along with The Iron Sceptre more times then I can count! You absolutely fall in love with the characters, and Gaal especially. You want to run into his arms and make him carry you away from everything, which is something you can't really do with Tolkein's Frodo (too short) or Lewis's Aslan (lion, hello!). But with Gaal you can just picture him and how warm and loving he must be. I can't wait to get the rest of the series...

I read these books as a child, and then read them all to my younger brother who is 9 years behind me. They are really good books for reading aloud (my brother had many nights "past his bed time" are a result!). I can't recommend them enough! For a while I COULD NOT FIND THEM even though I've told lots of people about them. I'm so glad you can now get them on Amazon! Yippy!