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35th out of 368 books
—
257 voters
Beyond the Reflection's Edge (Echoes from the Edge #1)
by
Bryan Davis
After his parents are murdered during a corporate investigation, 16-year-old Nathan Shepherd teams up with a friend to solve the case. They soon discover mirrors that reflect events from the past and future, a camera that photographs people who aren't there, and a violin that echoes unseen voices.
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
May 6th 2008
by Zondervan Publishing Company
(first published May 1st 2008)
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Review by Jill Williamson
Sixteen-year-old Nathan Shepherd has an unusual life traveling the world with his investigator father, his world-renowned violinist mother, and his personal tutor. Something goes wrong at a concert in Chicago that results in the death of his parents. Nathan moves to a small town to live with a childhood friend of his father’s and his teenage daughter Kelly. He takes little with him: his mother’s violin and the Quattro mirror his father had insisted he keep safe.
As Natha...more
Sixteen-year-old Nathan Shepherd has an unusual life traveling the world with his investigator father, his world-renowned violinist mother, and his personal tutor. Something goes wrong at a concert in Chicago that results in the death of his parents. Nathan moves to a small town to live with a childhood friend of his father’s and his teenage daughter Kelly. He takes little with him: his mother’s violin and the Quattro mirror his father had insisted he keep safe.
As Natha...more
Sep 02, 2008
The Gatekeeper
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
older teens
Recommended to The Gatekeeper by:
Bryan Davis
This is a fun, light book to read in between serious ones. It's better than Bryan Davis's previous attempts (Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire), because the characters and situations are a little more realistic and the action is more well-paced. Davis is not a great writer, but except for a cheesy ending and some lame jokes, he does a fairly good job of telling an exciting sci-fi adventure story. There are some slightly awkward moments during references to one character's troubled past, s...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I wanted to like it. I've read some other Bryan Davis books and found them moderately enjoyable. But this joins the club of those rare books that I just can't even make myself finish. First, the plot just didn't seem to hang together well, I was confused most of the time and not in a good, mysterious way but in a 'would you just move the story along already?' way.
But far above that was how much I wanted to smack the hero right off his moral high horse. Far too much of the dialog and plot was spe...more
But far above that was how much I wanted to smack the hero right off his moral high horse. Far too much of the dialog and plot was spe...more
Reactions: Wow.. just wow and AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE AND STUNNINGLY AWESOME!! Need I go on? The last three books were just really good and this one was bigger but it just took the cake right away! Probably because it was fantasy.. my favourite genre if you can't have noticed by now Bryan Davis has really out done himself this time and though I haven't quite made it through all of his books yet, I've had high hopes and those hopes were not squashed!
Nathan's parents were just killed due to some mi...more
Nathan's parents were just killed due to some mi...more
I'm glad this book was free from Amazon. The main character was just too perfect to be true, and what kind of hero carts a violin and a mirror around with him? Every obstacle was conveniently overcome because of something that happened to him in the past, not bad for a 16 year old! The heroine thought of herself as a hooker because she wore a low cut dress? Please ! When I first started reading, I wasn't aware that it was "christian" fiction but it didn't take too long to figure it out. While no...more
I absolutely love this story! From my perspective there are some minor flaws that seem to be indicative of an inexperienced author, but the originality of the story and the fact that author didn't feel the need to resort to filth in order to sell copies were very positive for me.
This book is just a good, clean sci-fi adventure with plenty of religious flavor, some of it subtle and some not. Maybe not what some readers are after, but I appreciate and enjoy it.
A violin-toting, motorcycle-riding si...more
This book is just a good, clean sci-fi adventure with plenty of religious flavor, some of it subtle and some not. Maybe not what some readers are after, but I appreciate and enjoy it.
A violin-toting, motorcycle-riding si...more
It has been a few years since I've read this book. It was good enough for a potential re-read. I'll admit, I rarely read Christian fiction. My sister had read this book and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I remember liking Kelly a lot, in this book and throughout the series. As a character she was a breath of fresh air compared to Nathan. The concept of the story, the different dimensions, is really cool (can't remember what the author actually calls them).
If I read this again, I'll...more
I remember liking Kelly a lot, in this book and throughout the series. As a character she was a breath of fresh air compared to Nathan. The concept of the story, the different dimensions, is really cool (can't remember what the author actually calls them).
If I read this again, I'll...more
Oct 19, 2008
Kait
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Hanna, Jon, Steven
Recommended to Kait by:
Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour
I think I would like to give this book 3.5 stars. I more than "liked" it, but it wasn't "really good". I think it's possible that I am NOT the target audience for this, although I seem to be able to enjoy teen books in general.
I thought that the narrative was pretty good, although there was an over use of the word "hustle". I liked the characters well enough, and thought that they were well written... I just didn't really identify them.
My only complaint, really, is that I found this book to be v...more
I thought that the narrative was pretty good, although there was an over use of the word "hustle". I liked the characters well enough, and thought that they were well written... I just didn't really identify them.
My only complaint, really, is that I found this book to be v...more
Oct 20, 2008
Margaret
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
spy action, science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, and just a good romance to boot!
Recommended to Margaret by:
Magma
Shelves:
christianfiction,
contemporary,
suspense-thriller,
young-adult,
own,
sc-fi-fantasy,
zondervan,
favorites
Yesterday afternoon, when I decided to get ahead by reading this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. Most of the reviews I had read so far were brief and all stating the wonders of this book and this author in general. The first chapter was a little odd and I was a little confused. But as I read more, more was able to sink in and I was able to understand what was going on.
This is one of those books that I could not get my eyes to travel fast enough to find out what was coming next. There were t...more
This is one of those books that I could not get my eyes to travel fast enough to find out what was coming next. There were t...more
May 09, 2008
Galadriel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fantasy fans, sci-fi fans, LotR fans, Narnia fans, Bryan Davis fans, anyone over 13
I had the great privilege of pre-reading this book. I don't wish to spoil anyone's surprise, so I will only say that after being enthralled by the world Bryan Davis created in Dragons in Our Midst and expanded upon in Oracles of Fire, I eagerly anticipated his new series, Echoes from the Edge. The characters, like those in his first two series, are realistic, relatable teens that readers of all ages can identify with. I see echoes of myself in Daryl, who constently alludes to and quotes from suc...more
I LOVED THIS BOOK! Is that strong enough for you? No? I'll say it again. I Love this book - a lot. I'd heard great things about Bryan Davis' work, but this is the first one I've had the chance to read. I was completely entranced from the first page. Talk about starting off with a bang! It was non-stop action from the first word. Which of course makes for a great story, but in addition to that, the plot was incredibly woven to be both intricate and yet easy to follow. The spiritual threads are so...more
Jul 24, 2011
Kiersten
added it
Well, no one can accuse this book of starting slow! A little confusing to start, but a lot of great content, emotionally and spiritually. There were fantastic characters, too. I love Nathan - he is such a gentleman! Kelly (and Daryl, too) threw me for a loop; i wasn't sure what to do with them any more than Nathan was! I enjoyed Beyond the Reflection's Edge as much as the DIOM books (although if you're looking for a similar series, this isn't it) and am quite eager for the second installment...
3 1/2 stars. The premise of this story is intriguing, but I found myself thoroughly confused through about half of the book. I was hoping for a little more explanation about why certain things were happening. Also, the way the characters reacted in several situations seemed slightly unbelievable. They should've been questioning what was happening a lot more. That said, it's still an interesting read for sci-fi/YA enthusiasts, but I enjoyed Davis' Dragons of Starlight series more.
Bryan Davis is a very good author, and I really enjoyed reading his "Dragons in our Midst" and "Oracles of Fire" series. I decided to try out this book, the first in a trilogy of his, since I had heard such good things about it. The first of the book was good - very intriguing, and such strong characters. The pacing was good and I thought I could really get into it - such mystery! Such drama! But - and this is just my opinion - I think that Bryan Davis' attempt at science fiction was noble yet a...more
An Extraordinarily good read.
Creepy. Sinister. Ominous.
Those are the three words I would use to describe this book.
Everything in this book is intertwined to the point that I imagine the planning of this book took at least as long as actually writing it out.
The ending was a bit unsatisfactory, but I am now reading the second book and and even more satisfied with it than I was with the first.
Creepy. Sinister. Ominous.
Those are the three words I would use to describe this book.
Everything in this book is intertwined to the point that I imagine the planning of this book took at least as long as actually writing it out.
The ending was a bit unsatisfactory, but I am now reading the second book and and even more satisfied with it than I was with the first.
This is a very fast read that really probably has more YA appeal than I thought it would. The subject matter of this novel, multiple universes, is one of my favorite for both fiction and for hard science pondering. I liked this story and the characters within, but I found that it did not keep my attention. This would definitely be a great novel for beginning sic-fi readers.
Because I think we need more "clean" novels I tried hard to like this book, but I struggled to complete it and I will not be reading the following novels in the series.
Too often I felt like the narrative was almost just a rote recitation, and the author sacrificed character depth for the sake of his ideas.
What I don't understand is the high ratings this novel gets on Amazon.com.
Too often I felt like the narrative was almost just a rote recitation, and the author sacrificed character depth for the sake of his ideas.
What I don't understand is the high ratings this novel gets on Amazon.com.
I warn you, this book is very confusing. But if you think you can handle it, by al means read it. There are moments where you might want to have a pen and paper handy to keep track of everything that is going on. Aside from that, this book was amazing to read. It does have it's slow parts but it speeds right back up again.
Mr. Davis's complex and brilliant story-lines never cease to amaze me. I have been a fan ever since his first young adult novel, Raising Dragons, and Beyond the Reflection's Edge tops everything he's written thus far! Filled with exciting chases, mysterious characters, and a wonderful Christian theme, BTRE is an amazing book that I would recommend to any young adult. My only caution is that there are occasional discussions about extra-marital sex (not glorifying it, but showing it for what it is...more
It started out slow but somewhere around 100 pages it must have got my attention because I never stopped until I finished LOL. It's not a time travel, it's a dimension travel which I've never read before and I really liked that it was from a boy's perspective. It was kind of confusing but the action had me hooked.
Beyond the Reflection's Edge was amazing! A great read that had me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. After reading the Dragons in our Midst series, I was eager to see what Davis would come up with next. And I was not disappointed!
A gripping fantasy, time-travel nightmare. Bryan Davis incorporates the beauty and power of music with the science of light and dimensions in this adventure where good guys are hard to identify and the future and the past are always moments and eons away.
Apparently I read this and Eternity's Edge in 2010. I see them in my Kindle archive. I have absolutely no memory of either book but the descriptions sound vaguely familiar. Obviously memorable and noteworthy :) So this gets 2 stars.
Kindle freebie and not a genre I usually read. All the the different dimensions had me a bit confused throughout the entire book but that isn't the author's fault. A good young adult book that will hold your interest.
This book was very messed up at the beginning but once they explained everything half way through the book it is a very good read, quick and easy and sometimes hard to follow but over all if you believe in different dimensions you will probably love this.
I was really confused most of the time, but couldn't put it down. Good idea for the story, but not written or organized very well. Yet I started the sequel immediately after I finished this one.
If you’re interested in inspirational suspense/fantasy, this particular book may just keep you turning the pages all through the night. It’s the first in the Echoes from the Edge series.
This was a good idea for a story, but the author was so heavy handed with the etiquette, morals, and religion preaching that I had to put it down many times before I could finish it.
This book has potential, it really did. I liked the idea, but there was one problem....
This book was all action. There were no answers to why these things were happening, the importance of the mirror, why the characters were so special that they were being chased at the end of every chapter...
I know this is the first in a trilogy, but I want more world-buiding than chase scenes. I want to know the characters, who they are, what they've done, why they're important. I want to know why there things...more
This book was all action. There were no answers to why these things were happening, the importance of the mirror, why the characters were so special that they were being chased at the end of every chapter...
I know this is the first in a trilogy, but I want more world-buiding than chase scenes. I want to know the characters, who they are, what they've done, why they're important. I want to know why there things...more
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Bryan Davis is the author of the best-selling Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire series, contemporary/fantasy blends for young people. He has two books coming out this spring, Last of the Nephilim, the third book in the Oracles of Fire series, and Beyond the Reflection’s Edge, the first book in the new Echoes from the Edge series.
Bryan is also the author of several other works including The...more
More about Bryan Davis...
Bryan is also the author of several other works including The...more
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“Stir not murky waters if you know not the depth or the creatures that dwell beneath the surface.”
—
23 people liked it
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Mar 13, 2009 12:03pm