The House of Power (Atherton #1)
by Patrick Carman
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 265)
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like poorly-written action-adventure stories
The first book (Atherton: House of Power) was pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I really don't like Patrick Carman's writing AT ALL but A: HoP kept me interested because it kept the action coming and maybe my heart was full of love or something when I read it so I thought it was okay-plus+. But that just wasn't the case with this book. It's completely put-downable which just makes Carman's stinky writing all the more apparent. Plus he explains EVERYTHING that goes on with the characters intern...more
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Read in November, 2007
Warning: the first of a series. There is no satisfaction by the end of it. That was all right, though. I only cared to a certain extent. Atherton is a "made world" -- the story takes place in the distant future (actually about 100 years away) when the earth is almost uninhabitable and scientists are trying to find ways to fix things. Atherton has the unfortunate distinction of being created by a mad scientist and is collapsing on itself. I don't know that I'll seek out the other ...more
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Read in October, 2008
I had great hopes for Atherton by Patrick Carman, which is why I could only give it two stars after reading it. The premise is creative, and I especially appreciated that the writer employed several ways of drawing the reader in (e.g., font variations, graphics, CD-ROM/Internet material). Unfortunately, the overall storytelling was lacking focus. The point of view jumped from character to character; every thought and action of every character was explored. Although Edgar is likely meant ...more
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Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Edgar knows that he should be working rather than climbing and swinging in the trees, but he just can't seem to help himself -- even if it does earn him a beating from Mr. Ratikan's stick. It would hardly be the first time and it isn't likely to be the last. He also knows he shouldn't be climbing the cliffs, but he has to.
Edgar's world is shaped sort of like a three-leveled top. The top level, the Highlands, are populated by the well-to-do...more
Edgar knows that he should be working rather than climbing and swinging in the trees, but he just can't seem to help himself -- even if it does earn him a beating from Mr. Ratikan's stick. It would hardly be the first time and it isn't likely to be the last. He also knows he shouldn't be climbing the cliffs, but he has to.
Edgar's world is shaped sort of like a three-leveled top. The top level, the Highlands, are populated by the well-to-do...more
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recommends it for:
4th-5th grades, up
Interesting--much of this book reminds me a little of Myst; a land has been created by a person who has left written directions to a child who can't read...there is a sense that this world has been created by the mysterious Maximus Harding to save humanity, but, of course, things go wrong. It seems to be a three tiered world--the house of power is located on the top tier with folks known as Highlanders who control the distribution of water; the only interaction of these two populations is remot...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone with an active imagination
All too often “young adult” fiction is bypassed by adult readers. However, as a certain scarred young wizard can attest to, just because a story is aimed at younger readers does not mean that it should not be judged as fiction on its own merits. This is the case with Atherton. Intrigued by the design of the book, I picked it up as a lark.
What follows are the adventures of a determined young man on a literally impossible world - Atherton. The core of the book are the secrets of Atherton...more
What follows are the adventures of a determined young man on a literally impossible world - Atherton. The core of the book are the secrets of Atherton...more
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Read in October, 2008
I liked the idea of the book and some of the ways he got things done, but I didn't find the writing itself to be fantastic or anything. It did manage to hold some surprise, and the characters weren't too ordinary. Mostly I was impressed with the invented world and the unique situation. I wouldn't mind learning what happens next, but we'll see.
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Read in July, 2008
If you like fantasy/science-fiction, this book is for you! This book is the answer to the question, "What if the Earth became so polluted that we had to find another place to live?" Edgar lives on the Flatlands, where workers have to produce figs and ship them to the people living on the Highlands. Some changes start to occur on this "experimental" planet, which lead to the ultimate battle of survival. Alas, just as things start to really heat up....it is the end of the book....more
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In this new fantasy series, Patrick Carman, author of the popular The Land of Elyon series, creates a fantasy realm unlike any I have ever encountered. In this book, Carman tells the story of a three-tiered planet named Atherton which is on the brink of collapse. When Atherton begins to sink, it's up to Edgar (and a few friends) to discover how the world he knows came to be and how he can save it. Carman's rich characters and unique setting make this world just come alive. I would definately rec...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
Tahlia
Texas Bluebonnet for next year. I really enjoyed Carman's creativity with this novel. In the year 2092, Earth is called the Dark Planet due to the destruction of pollution. A scientist named Dr. Harding, invented a world with three layers (Highlands, Tabletop, Flatlands) that orbits around the earth where people can live away from the Dark Planet. The three different layers are colliding, however, and the Highlands are afraid of losing power. Edgar, a boy who lives on Tabletop where they wo...more
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A very interesting world, composed of three levels, which have different societies and class levels. Those on the very top are wealthiest and control all the water, and they only give water sparingly to those below them in exchange for the harvested food. and at the very bottom are the unknown wild creatures--but when the earth literally begins to shake and bring the three levels closer to each other, how will the rich spoiled top level people survive the revolt of the lower, downtrodden slave c...more
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Read in April, 2008
Set in the utopian society of Atherton, the novel tells the story of eleven-year-old orphan Edgar. The boy lives in Tabletop, his people serve the people of Highlands in return for water. Driven by distant memories, Edgar climbs the walls to the Highlands, and finds a book he cannot read. He enlists the help of Samuel, the children learn of the true nature of the society they live in. Edgar journeys to find the scientists responsible for the creation of Atherton as both the Highlands and Tableto...more
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OHHHHH MY!!!!! IT IS THE BEST BOOK IN THIS ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!
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Read in October, 2007
This book is not a complete story and the book cover does not make this clear. It will be continued. Carman has created an interesting world to explore the societal issues of class and wealth. Unfortunately these issues are left unexplored in any depth and children may miss the larger issues created by Atherton. I wish he would develop some of these themes more fully. The CD that comes with the book shows Carman talking about the creative writing process. This would be of interest to budding you...more
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Read in August, 2008
I liked the concept of this book the most. I really enjoy reading about futuristic worlds, for the most part. And while I liked that part of The House of Power, it just didn't entirely come together for me. I didn't really get the world and I wish there had been more information about the daily lives of the people. For some reason, it reminded me a lot of the Septimus Heap books. The characters were sort of similar. All in all, it was a good story, but one I couldn't really get my head around.
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