- Amber Spyglass, The by Philip Pullman (2000)
[5/10]
"In this final volume of the triolgy, Pullman seems to have lost some control over his story. When you get to the end of The Amber Spyglass, you can sort of see where he was trying to take you, but he certainly didn't take a direct route. The story also becomes less about the characters we have followed for three books and more about the metaphysical events surrounding them."
- Brothers Grimm, The directed by Terry Gilliam (2005)
[6/10]
"Expect to laugh, but you shouldn't expect comedy on the order of Gilliam's Monty Python days."
- Candy Shop War, The by Brandon Mull (2007)
[6/10]
"Mull has created a fun, compelling story that in spite of some characterization problems provides an adventure that both kids and adults can enjoy."
- Chronicles of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian directed by Andrew Adamson (2008)
[7/10]
"Director Andrew Adamson again does an excellent job bringing the spare details of C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian to epic proportions on the screen."
- Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson (2005)
[8/10]
"On the whole, Adamson has faithfully captured the essence of Lewis's book and given a movie audience the adventure story it expects."
- Clash of Kings, A by George R. R. Martin (1999)
[6/10]
"Even though A Clash of Kings pales in comparison to A Game of Thrones, don't think that Martin doesn't tell a compelling story. In light of the underdeveloped characters, the plot works overtime to bring the tensions between the kings to an interesting climax, and Martin does set up the characters for an interesting beginning to the third book."
- Day of Reckoning by Myung-Jin Lee, Richard A. Knaak (2002)
[6/10]
"This second volume has much better scene to scene continuity than the first volume, but I still have some problems with the presentation."
- Eldest by Christopher Paolini (2005)
[7/10]
"Eldest provides much easier reading than Eragon, but you still encounter some passages so clichéd that you groan out loud. Paolini's skill at storytelling encourages you to move quickly past the problems to find out what happens next."
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini (2003)
[6/10]
"Paolini's plot has good pacing, interesting highs and lows, and most importantly you like Eragon and care about what happens to him -- in spite of his stupid teenage blundering."
- Eragon directed by Stefen Fangmeier (2006)
[5/10]
"If you have never read the book Eragon, then the movie provides a simple yet satisfying teen adventure story."
- Eve of Apocalypse by Myung-Jin Lee, Richard A. Knaak (2002)
[5/10]
"This first volume in the Ragnarök series tries to pack a lot of information into a small space and tends to lose the reader along the way."
- Eye of the World, The by Robert Jordan (1990)
[6/10]
"If you want light entertaining reading, Jordan probably makes a good choice, especially since you get so many pages for your dollar."
- Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull (2008)
[7/10]
"The slow-moving first half of the book disappointed me, but I still find the Fablehaven books one of the most interesting and well-written adventure series around."
- Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull (2007)
[8/10]
"Kendra and Seth expect to spend their next summer vacation helping out at Fablehaven, a mystical preserve for magical creatures tended by the kids' grandparents. But problems for Kendra and Seth start even before their summer vacation begins."
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (2006)
[6/10]
"Mull has written a fairly decent modern-day fantasy story that possibly could have had a fairly good chance at hitting the bestseller lists if Mull had worked with a national publishing house."
- Game of Thrones, A by George R. R. Martin (1996)
[9/10]
"Martin's characters drive this story. I often tire easily in a fantasy story where the characters have high morals and never waver from their course in the book. Martin's characters all have faults, act impulsively on occasion, and exceed their capabilities on others. Truly, I haven't read characters this round in a long time."
- Golden Compass, The by Philip Pullman (1995)
[7/10]
"Pullman has created a moral fantasy that will sit well on the shelf next to C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and may even have similar staying power."
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (2007)
[7/10]
"Rowling has created an interesting universe and a story that surely will never go out of print. I certainly will probably read the entire series several more times in my lifetime, in spite of the numerous problems that a more careful writer would have addressed."
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (2000)
[7/10]
"Goblet of Fire has a much more mature story, including direct confrontation of evil, on-stage death of students, and numerous injuries, that I wonder how Scholastic can continue to market these books to the 9-12 year old market."
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone directed by Chris Columbus (2001)
[8/10]
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone holds up well to repeated viewings, although you do start to see a lot of minor inconsistencies."
- Hobbit, The: Or, There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien (1966)
[8/10]
"Classic fantasy by which most other fantasy must be measured."
- Horse and His Boy, The by C. S. Lewis (1954)
[6/10]
"The Horse and His Boy tells the only story in The Chronicles of Narnia where the main characters do not come from Earth -- with small cameo roles from Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. I liked the story, but Lewis solves most of the character's problems through coincidence and luck, not through bravery and heroism."
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976)
[6/10]
"While Interview with the Vampire has expertly crafted depictions of scene and emotion, this volume doesn't have some of the polish and flare you find in some of the later volumes in the series."
- Lady in the Water directed by M. Night Shyamalan (2006)
[4/10]
"I think Shyamalan keeps trying to surpass his first big success and keeps failing dismally. At least Lady in the Water kept me guessing up to the very end. I had the entire plot of The Village worked out after seeing the first preview."
- Lake House, The directed by Alejandro Agresti (2006)
[6/10]
"Alas, we have only drab locations for a common love story with a cute, but unimaginative, gimmick."
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider directed by Simon West (2001)
[5/10]
"You get lots of action, and you get to watch a shapely heroine blast away tons of bad guys and a few animated stone creatures, but you can put your brain on vacation and just let your testosterone enjoy this one."
- Last Battle, The by C. S. Lewis (1956)
[5/10]
"In The Last Battle, Lewis pulls almost all the stops and only narrowly couches his Christian allegory in his story. The denouement occurs with about one third of the text remaining. In this remainder, Lewis explores the Narnian afterlife."
- Leading Edge, The (1992)
[5/10]
"This collection of short stories and nonfiction is better than usual for the Leading Edge, but still shows its student origins. Overall the editing is substandard, with many punctuation and consistency errors. This, the poor design of the magazine, and the poor reproduction quality all distract from the content."
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events directed by Brad Silberling (2004)
[7/10]
"In most cases where I have both read the book and seen the movie adaptation, I recommend the book as the better experience. In the case of A Series of Unfortunate Events, I have to recommend the movie over the books."
- Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The by C. S. Lewis (1950)
[10/10]
"Through overuse and misapplication, the term classic has lost some of its depth, but The Chronicles of Narnia belong with Tolkien's works as classics of the fantasy genre."
- Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson (1977)
[8/10]
"Donaldson creates such an interesting adventure that you want to find out what happens next, regardless of how snotty Covenant treats the Land's inhabitants. Donaldson also has a gift for suspenseful, vivid action scenes."
- Magician's Nephew, The by C. S. Lewis (1955)
[7/10]
"In The Magician's Nephew, Lewis creates a fun adventure story that all ages can enjoy. You can also read The Magician's Nephew as an allegory of the Christian creation."
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl directed by Gore Verbinski (2003)
[8/10]
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl provides a fresh, funny adventure story that you can watch over and over."
- Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis (1951)
[9/10]
"I found Prince Caspian, one of the most satisfying stories in the series because it follows two separate plot lines that merge into a satisfying conclusion."
- Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish (1982)
[5/10]
"I think kids and even younger teens will enjoy Prince Ombra, but any examination of the story beyond the surface leaves the reader to deal with a set of unsatisfactory philosophical conclusions necessary for the plot to function."
- Seeker, The: The Dark Is Rising directed by David L. Cunningham (2007)
[6/10]
"The Seeker has it fun and scary moments, but the threat of evil -- in spite of its well demonstrated power -- feels hollow, and the teenage protagonist too easily defeats in five days a force that has had thousands of years to prepare."
- Serpent Catch by Dave Wolverton (1991)
[7/10]
"In this his second novel, Wolverton shows a talent for handling a remarkable number of themes in a complex style surprising for such a 'new' writer. Serpent Catch takes place in a future where paleobiologists have brought dinosaurs back to life from samples of DNA found in fossils."
- Silver Chair, The by C. S. Lewis (1953)
[7/10]
"In The Silver Chair, Lewis examines man's relationship to Christ. The characters never really develop. Lewis has the characters change only to show how men can be distracted from their faith, suffer the effects, and then choose to return to the faith."
- Subtle Knife, The by Philip Pullman (1997)
[6/10]
"For the middle book in a trilogy, Pullman manages to keep the plot and pacing in The Subtle Knife quite engaging, and he ends the book just about as suddenly and tragically as in The Golden Compass."
- Tale of the Body Thief, The by Anne Rice (1992)
[9/10]
"Rice tells an exciting, suspenseful story built around solid characters who exhibit feelings that are human, even for vampires."
- Time Bandits directed by Terry Gilliam (1981)
[7/10]
"A blow-by-blow description of Time Bandits doesn't do it justice. Director Gilliam has infused every scene with subtle humor, blatant slapstick, and cosmic justice."
- Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The by C. S. Lewis (1952)
[8/10]
"Lewis continues his Christian allegory with examinations of greed, honor, and free choice."
Average score: 6.69
