The Realms Thereunder (The Ancient Earth, #1)

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The Realms Thereunder (Ancient Earth Trilogy #1)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 151 ratings · 49 reviews

Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days.

The knights are waking up.

A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland. And deep beneath the cobbled streets of Oxford, a malicious hoard besieges a hidden cit...more

Paperback, 377 pages

Published September 6th 2011 by Thomas Nelson Publishers

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Oct 09, 2012 April Erwin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was so excited to see Ross Lawhead listed on the tour, I just knew the son of Stephen Lawhead must have inherited his dad's talent right? WOW did he. After this book, I won't need to remind you who his famous dad is, his writing stands up on it's own two feet and knocks a solid punch.

The Realms Thereunder, is his debut novel and the first in a series. Suspenseful entertainment mixed with the right balance of intelectualism and heart. It left me counting the days until September 2012 when the...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Janeen Ippolito rated it 2 of 5 stars

Young Adult/Adult fantasy novels that reboot mythologies are a dime a dozen these days, but few have dared to dive into the past of Merry Old Britain, and even fewer have done so with such skill and gusto as Ross Lawhead. He skillfully weaves together elements of Old English, knightly lore, fairy tales, and academic lingo into an exciting story with two engaging leads. However, all is not well within the text–there are a few hiccups that mildly detract from this otherwise fantastical read.

<>...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Nikole Hahn rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Modwyn’s lips thinned in a small, brief smile. “The only thing I have learned in my long years is that I have not learned enough. I have always been wise enough to know that I am not as wise I would like to be.”” – Pg. 134, The Realms Thereunder

“A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland,” was the beginning of the back of the book, but in truth only a few pages seem t...more “Modwyn’s lips thinned in a small, brief smile. “The only thing I have learned in my long years is that I have not learned enough. I have always been wise enough to know that I am not as wise I would like to be.”” – Pg. 134, The Realms Thereunder

“A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland,” was the beginning of the back of the book, but in truth only a few pages seem to be dedicated to Scotland. This is, after all, book one and so those few pages probably set the stage for a much bigger battle. It’s really the story of Freya and Daniel’s abduction as children set in individual stories with it’s own chapters colliding with the present as they struggle as adults to identify with the world around them.

Ross Lawhead did a fantastic job in showing the effects of battle in the children as adults. After Daniel and Freya returned to the world above, Freya suffers from OCD and Daniel is homeless. Lawhead did a nice job when he added the old language of the Britons to make the world thereunder real. Freya and Daniel saved the realm from the wraithlike creatures and their leader Gad as children, but in truth Freya did not slay the leader as she should have and has kept that secret from the rest of them. Even as I neared the end of the book Freya almost tells Daniel and the others the truth, but stops as an old friend reemerges as an officer.

When Freya was saved by a professor-tutor, we applaud until we discover he is the enemy. The confusion came when all of a sudden Freya is married to him and has a child by him. I kept going back in chapters to find out when this happened. There was no transition. It was only when her child aged rather quickly that you begin to think something isn’t right. Lawhead should have had some transition so it wouldn’t disrupt my reading experience.

Other than that problem, the book was wonderfully and uniquely done with chapters in chapters and two major story threads happening at once for the climatic end; the end that leads to book two.

Disclaimer posted in compliance with FAA regulations: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.(less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fantasy-fiction, christian-historical-fiction, christian-action-adventure, christian-suspense-fiction, christian-science-fiction, christian-teen-fiction, fantasy-adventure-fiction, historical-fiction, medieval-fantasy-fiction, supense-thriller-fiction, young-adult-fiction

Ross Lawhead has taken his first step in fulfilling a fantasy-genre fictional based storyline that I will no doubt have to read the next book called The Fearful Gates according to the advertisement at the conclusion of this book, even though his blog site states that The Hero's Throne is book 2 so on that part I am a bit unclear which will come out first.

In The Realms Thereunder, the first book in the Ancient Earth series, he has a great storyline that you can relate to regarding a secret histor...more Ross Lawhead has taken his first step in fulfilling a fantasy-genre fictional based storyline that I will no doubt have to read the next book called The Fearful Gates according to the advertisement at the conclusion of this book, even though his blog site states that The Hero's Throne is book 2 so on that part I am a bit unclear which will come out first.

In The Realms Thereunder, the first book in the Ancient Earth series, he has a great storyline that you can relate to regarding a secret history of England and the sleeping Knights who protect the realms of ancient Earth before, during and after of any evil doing. I found myself immersed in this book for the first few chapters. I found the characters of Freya and Daniel to be compelling and well written. However, after the first 4 to 5 chapters I found myself being confused on the storyline where Freya is once in a chapter with Daniel and 2 other knights, then is all of a sudden pregnant and has a different story line altogether. I found myself disconnected with how it switched from past to present, one realm to a different realm and one story to another very distracting! I found myself being very confused between which part of the story line I was at and had to skip either back or forward to find myself figuring out where I should be.

Better time frame negotiation and chapter development should be given to better straighten out the story as most readers I feel would be very confused in this book. I feel like Ross who although has a great storyline, needs to define the chapters and stories within stories to better give understanding of where each character is at. I think that while he definitely has a great premise for storytelling, I was let down on many occasions trying to figure out where the characters were going or coming from. Chapter formatting and development needs to be well written and chronological instead of fragmented the way this book is structurally put together haphazardly.Now don't get my wrong, some readers may love the way this book is written but since I process my thoughts logically, I found myself getting lost in what was happening several times through this book and had to go back and re-read sections to see where I might have missed something.

I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars for The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead.

For Ross’s first book however, he has a strong writing ability that will hopefully bring more fluidity and structure to his next series of books to come. It's also difficult to not be compared to your father's books and writing styles when you are just starting out as an author. Yet he has been published and I am quite confident that his books will only get better as he continues to write. I received this book compliments of Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy for my honest review.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011 Dianna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On a school field trip Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds decide to go exploring when they find a vanishing arch. What they find is a room with a horn and two lifeless knights, but when Daniel blows the horn the knights suddenly awake and the arch disappears. They then realize that in order to return to England they must leave with the knights to their city, but when they reach the knights’ city they discover that the city is under siege. They must help the knights stop the creatures from destroyin...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Birgit rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this fantasy novel Daniel and Freya, who've already got lost in The Realms Thereunder after wandering off on a field trip from school many years ago, are once again thrown into this mythical world beneath our own as adults. Ross Lawhead dips deeply into British Mythology in this first part of the Ancient Earth trilogy, including travel through enchanted gates and ancient knights, connecting it with our own world.
The narrative really hooked me from the start. It's exactly the - dare I say it -...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Markn12 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: realms-thereunder-fantasy-ross-la

The first book of the Ancient Earth trilogy, The Realms Thereunder, is also author Ross Lawhead’s debut novel. It creates a well-thought out plot that alternates between two worlds, the world of present day Oxford and the timeless realm existing under the earth. His protagonists, the drifter Daniel Tully and the OCD student Freya Reynolds are on a quest to discover the source of the increasing evil that is manifesting itself in horrible and unsettling ways.

Though comparison with Lawhead’s father...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Teela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Realms There Under, a novel by Ross Lawhead, takes the reader on a journey through fantasy and other realms. Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds are the key characters, sharing a birthday and a destiny that will carry them beyond the world they see to a time of knights and dragons. We are introduced to the main characters in the beginning of the novel by reading that they were lost for almost 2 months having disappeared while on a school field trip. Ross Lawhead does a fine job setting up the ch...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Victor Gentile rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ross Lawhead in his new book “The Realms Thereunder” Book One in The Ancient Earth Trilogy published by Thomas Nelson introduces us to the world of Nidergeard.

There is a land beneath Great Britain where visitors do not go. While on a school trip both Daniel Tully and Freya Reynolds were taken there and, in an effort to prevent the two worlds colliding the two are sent on a quest. Now eight years later it is happening again and both Daniel and Freya are needed to stop the mythical world from taki...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Gillian Adams rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days.
The knights are waking up.

Written by Ross Lawhead - son of Stephen R. Lawhead - The Realms Thereunder is the first book in The Ancient Earth Trilogy and tells the story of Daniel and Freya's adventures as children in a world that is mysteriously connected to our own. Years after their return, they begin to realize that the battle isn't quite over. Evil increases in our world, dark things emerge into daylight...more Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days.
The knights are waking up.

Written by Ross Lawhead - son of Stephen R. Lawhead - The Realms Thereunder is the first book in The Ancient Earth Trilogy and tells the story of Daniel and Freya's adventures as children in a world that is mysteriously connected to our own. Years after their return, they begin to realize that the battle isn't quite over. Evil increases in our world, dark things emerge into daylight, and Daniel and Freya find themselves caught in the middle.

The back cover hooked me. I couldn't wait to dig into the book! A homeless man, hidden cities, myths that are real - an exciting premise! Then I started reading and my enthusiasm gradually lessened. Mainly I found the book disjointed and somewhat confusing.

The Realms Thereunder jumps back and forth almost every other chapter between Daniel and Freya's adventures as children and their adventures now. At the start of the book, it seemed that their modern predicaments completely outweighed their adventures as children, but toward the end, their earlier difficulties seemed much more important than what was happening to them at the moment. So much so, that the present storyline seemed more a distraction from the main plot than anything else.

I would have preferred the author divide the storylines and present all of the previous story before moving into the present. The back story felt fully developed whereas the modern story (toward the end) felt more like filler before jumping into the action that I anticipate will come with book two.

Although the premise hooked me, the actual story didn't completely draw me in. The writing style seemed a bit heavy and overbearing at times, not engaging.

As much as I wanted and tried to, I didn't find myself caring about most of the characters. When Daniel and Freya were children, they meandered from acting like ordinary frightened children to speaking like adults. There were several times when Daniel and Freya stepped forward and took charge of the situation in ways that I doubt thirteen year old kids who had just fallen into another world actually would. I also didn't think that the knights they traveled with would have allowed them to take charge unchallenged.

However, I have always loved the blending of the historical, mythical, and modern and found that one of the most enjoyable aspects of The Realms Thereunder. In many cases, it read like an ancient myth or fairy tale from the British Isles, involving plenty of fantastic creatures like elves, gnomes, faeries, and the yfelgopes (don't worry, even after finishing the book I'm still not entirely sure how to pronounce that one!)

I chuckled at Ecgbryt's constant retelling of his days fighting with Alfred the Great against the Danes, because I always loved reading about Alfred the Great growing up. (Who wouldn't like the King who was scolded by a peasant woman because he forgot to watch her cakes and let them burn?) Also, the idea of an ordinary policeman who hunts down mythical creatures as a secret part of his job was pretty cool!

All in all, although I felt The Realms Thereunder didn't quite live up to the expectations produced by the back cover copy, I enjoyed reading it. Don't expect a rapid page turner, but if you enjoy a good blend of history, myth, and modern times, you'll enjoy a foray into The Realms Thereunder. 3 stars.

Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. (less)

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Sep 12, 2011 Faye rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review: I have a feeling that Ross Lawhead will be the next big thing in the Christian Fantasy market. In The Realms Thereunder, Mr. Lawhead writes a heart-stopping tale of epic proportions, intricately woven, and overall masterfully done.

I wasn't sure how much I would like it, because it is so different from what I would usually read. But being a huge fan of a Mr. Stephen R. Lawhead, and the fact that this is his son convinced me to give it a shot. And I certainly wasn't disappointed - far f...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Coyle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Have you ever been so wrapped up in a historical period, that you wish you could have lived there? I think that's what happened to Ross Lawhead: at some point, he started studying early Medieval England and thought to himself "gosh, I wish there were still knights and monsters and magic and adventure today." And then he wrote a book about all of those things existing.
At least, I assume that's what happened, because that's what The Realms Thereunder is: a ~400 page story about two people discover...more Have you ever been so wrapped up in a historical period, that you wish you could have lived there? I think that's what happened to Ross Lawhead: at some point, he started studying early Medieval England and thought to himself "gosh, I wish there were still knights and monsters and magic and adventure today." And then he wrote a book about all of those things existing.
At least, I assume that's what happened, because that's what The Realms Thereunder is: a ~400 page story about two people discovering that there are still knights fighting evil in England. I'm not going to say why, because that's not actually very relevant to the book. In fact, this book really seems like nothing more than a lead-up to the book that Ross Lawhead really wants to write, which presumably will be the next one in the series.

So, some strengths and weaknesses of the book.
Strengths: Ross Lawhead clearly has great potential as a writer. His prose flows well, and he is excellent at blending action and dialogue, often in fairly unique ways. Moreover, he manages to work in his worldview in a way that blends well with the story and isn't at all preachy. Apparently, this is part of a trilogy (at least, that's what the front cover says), and book one makes you want to know what happens next.

Weaknesses: Ross Lawhead isn't terribly original. This book is really just a combination of several different fantasy ideas (even horcruxes make an appearance). Even more than that, his characters are wooden, and he occasionally forgets (or ignores) the backstory he's built up for them. For example, the first few chapters focus on the clinical OCD of one of the main characters, which then disappears through the rest of the book. I don't want to be too harsh, since he seems to be a young-ish writer (even with a great writer like Stephen Lawhead for a father, it takes time to grow those sorts of skills), but he definitely needs to up his game a bit if he's going to be writing 1,000 page trilogies dealing with the weighty issues he's raised in this book.
Also, and this is more of an editorial criticism, this book really needed another once-over. Spelling, word usages, grammar, and even occasionally mixing up characters definitely distract from the reading of this book.

Overall, it's a readable book, and I will likely pick up the next in the series just to find out what happens (especially if I get it for free to review... hint hint). Even more than that, I look forward to seeing Ross Lawhead develop as a writer so he can get down to the business of cranking out five-star material...

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

(less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Adam Collings rated it 4 of 5 stars

As the son of legendary author Stephen R Lawhead, Ross Lawhead had a lot to live up to. Writing in the same genre as his father, comparisons would seem almost inevitable. Well, as this book shows, Ross has certainly inherited talent from his father. It is tempting to approach this book expecting it to be exactly like his father's work, and there is a lot that Lawhead fans will find pleasingly familiar here, and yet Ross has his own voice, and brings a more youthful perspective.

The Realms Thereun...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Janet Sketchley rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Realms Thereunder is a fun ride. Eight years ago, 13-year-olds Daniel and Freya discovered an underground world with sleeping knights and dangerous creatures. Today, Daniel lives on the streets of Oxford, England, and Freya is a university student there. And the lines between the visible and hidden world are blurring.

The novel tells both stories, in scenes clearly labelled “eight years before” and “now,” and it held my interest from the very beginning. The plot is complex but understandable,...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Book Him Danno rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-sent-by-author-publisher-for, 2011

This is a long book that could have been shorter and still told the story had the author done less descriptions. I found his descriptions to be distracting from the actual telling of the story. The characters were interesting and varied and the story was good, but the flow was interrupted constantly by descriptors. I didn’t really care how everything looked and what color the walls were as much as I cared if Daniel and Freya were going to make it out of the tunnels and back to the safety of home...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.

I’ve read one of Stephen Lawhead’s books in the past (The Bone House) and enjoyed it. So when I saw that his son, Ross, was coming out with a book, I was interested. The synopsis intrigued me as well—knights that are destined to awake in the last days…are suddenly waking up? Yep, sounded pretty cool to me!

While for me, personally, The Realms Thereunder didn’t live up to all my expectations...I think this has more to do with the fact that this just isn’...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2011

The British Isles is the setting for this beginning book of Ross Lawhead's new "Ancient Earth Trilogy." Freya and Daniel haven't had much contact with each other for the last few years, but circumstances have conspired to bring them together to fight evil once again. While Freya doesn't really want to get involved again, Daniel has been fighting all along. As they awaken two sleeping knights, Freya finds she can't say no and they all travel to Nidergeard. There is much for them to learn. At the...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed the reading of this book but was left very dissatisfied at the end. It tells the adventures of the two main characters, both in the present and in the past when they were taken into a secret underground world and asked to search for, and kill, an evil man whose aim is (of course) to take over the underground. The adventure and process is a good read, but the ending seemed to be the middle of the book- I was shocked when i realized I'd just read the last page! There is a sequel, which I...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Dana Rongione rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Realms Thereunder is a Christian fantasy, and the first in a new series entitled, "The Ancient Earth Trilogy." It is the story of two children, Daniel and Freya, who discover a hidden world of unique and interesting characters that dwell in tunnels within the earth. When the two children wander off during a field trip, they quickly find themselves on the adventure of their lives. Yet, the escapade is not entirely pleasant, for the lands in the center of the earth are at war. Daniel sees the...more The Realms Thereunder is a Christian fantasy, and the first in a new series entitled, "The Ancient Earth Trilogy." It is the story of two children, Daniel and Freya, who discover a hidden world of unique and interesting characters that dwell in tunnels within the earth. When the two children wander off during a field trip, they quickly find themselves on the adventure of their lives. Yet, the escapade is not entirely pleasant, for the lands in the center of the earth are at war. Daniel sees the clash as an opportunity to do something important and to become a hero. Freya wants nothing more than to return home to her normal life. The book tells of their journey both in the present and the past.

When I chose to read this book for a review, I wasn't entirely sure if I would like it or not. I enjoy a good fantasy (providing it doesn't get dark), so I felt it was worth a try. What I discovered was that the plot and characters have a lot of potential. Overall, Lawhead has a good storyline, but I feel he could have told the story in fewer words. The story was burdened with excessive description and a lot of filler that didn't have any bearing on the story. In addition, the constant bouncing back and forth from past to present and from character to character made it very confusing.

To be honest, if I hadn't agreed to read the book in its entirety, I would have put it down before I reached the halfway mark. I kept waiting for it to get interesting, but it really didn't pull me in until the last few chapters. This being the first book in a trilogy, the story really doesn't end. That being said, I'm not sure how many loose ends the author intended to leave, but I felt that several things were truly odd, and I have yet to figure out where they actually fit into the story.

Lastly, for a Christian fantasy, I didn't see anything in the story that distinguished the book as Christian. On the contrary, there were a few words and phrases that I felt were inappropriate for a book in the Christian market.

I'm not saying that I hated the book or that I would never read anything else by this author. However, I prefer a clean book with lots of meat and less filler. Good story. Great potential. But not a compelling read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...; : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”(less)

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Sep 20, 2011 Coranne (The Best Books Ever) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book- I really did. I love fantasy and urban fantasy typically. I just couldn't get into this book and I couldn't finish it. I feel terrible about it, but it really just wasn't my kind of book. It reads like a mystery novel (a genre I dislike) and didn't feel like a fantasy novel as much as a fantasy suspense novel.
I wasn't a fan of the "chapters within a chapter". I felt like they were unnecessary and confusing for the reader. I think that fans of suspense books, sh...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Margaret rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Margaret by: CSFF

Shelves: sc-fi-fantasy, thomas-nelson, csff

I absolutely love Stephen Lawhead. I fell in love with his writing in the King Raven series (Hood, Scarlet and Tuck), which I still hold today is possibly one of my favorite series that I have ever read. But I must admit that when I tried another one of his series, I put it down to come back to later. Considering how much I enjoy Stephen Lawhead, when I heard that his son was going to be writing along the same genre, I was super excited to jump for it in his debut book.

About halfway through, I l...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Chibineko rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cool, fantasy, magic, tentative-buy, supernatural, religious

I have to admit that this book wasn't entirely my normal type of read. There's no gritty heroines in leather going against the modern system or angsty love triangles/squares/geometry going on. I'm rather glad of that because otherwise this wouldn't have been such a good read.

I really enjoyed the way the book unfolded. We're introduced to our main characters in two ways: in present time and in the past. While this format takes a while to get used to, it's worth it because it helps build up a nic...more I have to admit that this book wasn't entirely my normal type of read. There's no gritty heroines in leather going against the modern system or angsty love triangles/squares/geometry going on. I'm rather glad of that because otherwise this wouldn't have been such a good read.

I really enjoyed the way the book unfolded. We're introduced to our main characters in two ways: in present time and in the past. While this format takes a while to get used to, it's worth it because it helps build up a nice slow tension throughout the book. The main characters are well written and I was pretty glad to see that Lawhead didn't (yet) give into the temptation to throw tons of romantic tension into the book, giving us time to soak in the plot and get introduced to the massive world that he's creating.

What really impressed me was how well Lawhead wove the religious angle into the story. Many times the religious angle is either awkwardly inserted into a book or the author browbeats you with the "this book is religious oriented" aspect. You won't find any of that here. By the time you do realize that this is Christian fantasy, you're already well into the book and it all just feels natural to the story line.

The only thing that sort of hurts this book is that there's not much here that's particularly new. Almost all of this has been seen elsewhere and while this isn't automatically a bad thing (they're common tropes because they work well in stories), it does mean that Lawhead will have to step things up slightly in the next book in the trilogy.

Overall this was a fun read and I'm sure that this will catch on well with a pretty wide audience. As far as how he compares to his father, I have to admit that I've never read anything by either author so I had nothing to compare Ross to. Fans of his father might end up being harsher or more generous than me, but so far I have to admit that I'm pretty curious to see what happens next. It's not my normal read but there's enough here to entice me into Lawhead's next book.

(I received an ARC through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.)(less)

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Oct 20, 2011 Bryan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, history-alternaterealites, lit-british, thriller-suspense, sci-fi, christian-fiction

So here is my problem with Ross Lawhead, he has some really big shoes to fill. Fantasy, especially the cross period type, is an exploding and popular genre. If this is your first fantasy novel it will be a wonderful place to start, especially as a young reader. It compares to The Chronicles of Narnia, Nicholas Flamel's First Codex: The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorceress, and The Paradise War. However, that is the real problem. There are many other choices in the same vein and they tend to be...more

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Aug 26, 2011 Raya Whitehouse rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: booksneeze

I loved his fathers books (Stephen R. Lawhead), so thought I would try out a book of his and see if it is as good, and I loved it. He writes just as well as his father does, and I for one, am glad to read his work as well. I can't wait to read the next two books of the series.

This book has a very great prologue and it draws you into the tale. I gotta say the first few paragraphs in the prologue were quite funny it actually made me laugh out loud, and so my hubby gave me a weird look and asked me...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Frank Peters rated it 4 of 5 stars

“The Realms Thereunder” is the first book in a fantasy trilogy by Ross Lawhead. Ross comes from an interesting background being the oldest son of Stephen Lawhead, who is a science fiction / fantasy author and also a Christian. Based on this novel Ross has following in the footsteps of his dad, and I am very impressed. “The Realms Thereunder” is a work of fiction that describes a version of the modern world which is must stranger than our own world. Mythical creatures, such as goblins, trolls, el...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this book difficult to remain focused on for long. It's a story about good vs evil, dark vs light, mortality (and living) vs immortality. I picked it up in a Christian bookstore and thought it looked like an interesting young adult read - in fact, it is written for a younger audience. The writing is very detailed, but maybe because I kept putting the book down or maybe because there were many made up words I did not have a very clear image in my mind of what the surroundings and characte...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

I so wanted to love this book. However, the pace of the book lagged in several places. I wanted to form a relationship with Daniel and Freya, but the character development didn't draw me into their lives sufficiently to really care about them and their adventures. Likewise with the characters they encounter throughout the book. I never found myself invested in the plot. That said, I see enough in Ross Lawhead's first book to be encouraged that his sequels and further writings will progress signi...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Shawna Buchanan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: firstreads

Reading this book reminded me quite a bit of reading some of Stephen R. Lawhead's books. It moves a bit slower than some other authors' books, it has a lot of historic detail (or historic fantasy detail), but it keeps me interested enough to keep reading, and I feel like it was worth it by the end. Books like this might not be as page-turning as some other books, but I think they reward you for sticking with them.

That said, this book is a bit odd. It's got multiple stories going on, and for a l...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Robyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

The plot is tremendous. The story centres on two 20somethings who went through a traumatic parallel universe experience as children. Years later they are reconnected and get dragged back into the "other" world…and that's about as far as I got. The "other" world uses a lot of strange words and concepts I couldn't follow. There was also a lot of jumping back and forth—not only between this world and that, but between time periods. Memories. Reality. Dreams. Thoughts. And by the time I was reading...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, christian, ebook, fiction, fantasy, review-copy, series

Freya and Daniel are closer than they will ever want to admit. The are connected in many ways: they went to the same school, they were both born on the same day, and they both went on the same class trip that ended up changing their lives forever.

From the beginning, Mr. Lawhead knew just how to capture my interest and he wove such a fantastical story that I read it in two sittings (and that was only because I had to sleep). Crossing between time periods and worlds, this story reminded me a littl...more

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About Ross Lawhead

Ross Lawhead comes from a literary household and has written since he could hold a crayon. He has collaborated with his father on a trilogy of speculative fiction, written and illustrated a graphic novel, and published two volumes of "awful" poetry in a series called "The Colour Papers." He lives in Oxford and this is his first full-length novel. For more on Ross' musings on comics, movies, books...more

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A Hero's Throne (Ancient Earth Trilogy, #2)

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title link	preview: The Realms Thereunder
avg rating	preview: The Realms Thereunder Goodreads rating: 3.70 (151 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10634310-the-realms-thereunder?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329612463l/10634310.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10634310-the-realms-thereunder?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead[/url]

The Realms Thereunder (Ancient Earth Trilogy #1)

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