Into the Mist

The Land of Elyon #0.5

by Patrick Carman

Before the walls went up...there were adventures. Follow young Thomas Warvold and his brother as they journey through Elyon, discovering new mysteries, new challenges, and new magical creatures that will change the course of their fate...and the fate of their land.

From a humble and unexplained childhood in a very strange orphanage to a series of fearless escapes to a quest full of riddles and exploration, Thomas and Roland find that their identity--and the mysterious tattoos on their knees--are linked to a much greater history than they ever would have guessed. One brother, Thomas, is destined for adventure on land, while the other brother, Roland, is destined for adventure on sea. But before this happens, they must journey into the mist...and find the truth about both their past and their future.

Note: Although this seems like a prequel, it is integrual to the Land of Elyon Series as book #4.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Adventure, Magic

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

I have been a lifelong writer and storyteller. Salem, Oregon is where I spent my formative years and I graduated from Willamette University. After college, I spent a decade living in Portland, Oregon where I worked in advertising, game design, and technology.

I've written young adult and children's books for Scholastic, Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publishers.

I've been fortunate enough to have had some bestselling series work: The Land of Elyon, Atherton, Elliot’s Park, 39 Clues, and Skeleton Creek. Here's a fun note...the books have been translated into approximately two dozen languages. Currently I'm developing a few new-media projects. Check out DARK EDEN to experience this type of cross-platform project.

When I'm not writing or creating a story, I spend my free time supporting literacy campaigns and community organizations, fly fishing, playing basketball and tennis, doing crosswords, watching movies, dabbling in video games, reading (lots), and (more than anything else) spending time with my wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Kogiopsis · Rating 1 out of 5]

One more book, and then I will have seen this series to its completion and never have to think about it again.

The thing about the Land of Elyon series is that it's just... flat. Characters rarely have to struggle: answers and victories are handed to them, by wiser characters or by Elyon himself. The worldbuilding could perhaps be described as 'whimsical', but comes across more muddy than anything else. There's no atmosphere, no clear sense of vision. Everything happens at plot convenience, and nothing is ever a surprise - neither victory nor loss.

It's difficult enough to give life to a prequel, as a lot of the narrative tension is taken out of a story when the reader knows how it must end up and who must survive, but this book... it's like it doesn't even try. The entire purpose of the story seems to boil down to two things: how the Warvold boys learned to build and sail, and why the Five Stone Pillars are significant. But... neither of these things merit an entire book! The explanation of the Pillars could easily have been slipped in, summarized, at some point in Stargazer, and quite frankly the Warvolds' skills are just as easily explained by years of experience. There's no narrative reason for them to be developed as preteens.

I also find myself continually frustrated by the lack of emotional weight to this narrative. Given the reveal in The Tenth City that Thomas Warvold was Alexa's real father, you'd think there'd be a little more of... any kind of emotion, really, involved in this telling, but it's all just so flat.

At least they're not challenging reads. That's really the best I can say about these later installments.

[Timothy Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in 5th grade when I didn't have any thing ealse to read. I read it again for a Language arts class this year.

The book is about two brothers adventure and the story is amazing. I would have to say that I would give the book two thumbs up. It shares a unique story like no other.

This book should be read by any one from a kid to an adult. It has adventure that both kids and adults may enjoy.

[Ty Crisp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Mist is a fantastic inclusion to the Land of Elyon series. It brings veteran readers a much needed understanding of the plot and new readers an excellent introduction. I would label this installment a semi-prequel, as the book starts out directly after the events of The Tenth City, but the majority of the story is of Roland's past as he tells his tale to Alexa. There are many interruptions in his tale (mainly by Yipes) and the story is brought back to the present-day events on the Warwick Beacon.

Into the Mist is a beautiful adventure of two brothers as they traverse a magical wilderness and make new friends. The magic of fantasy is evident in this book, along with the many qualities that contribute to a truly phenomenal story. It could very well be one of my favorite fiction novels of all time.

The story starts out with ten-year-old Roland and his eleven-year-old brother Thomas. Neither remember their parents, and they only have each other for family. Their earliest memories are of an orphanage, but their mischief and pranks eventually get them transferred to The House on the Hill. This cruel and horrible place is run by an even fouler woman by the name of Madame Vickers. The House on the Hill is run down and perched upon a town's worth of garbage. Madame Vickers and her terrible son capture any unwanted orphans and force them to dig through the stinking, rotting garbage to find anything worth selling. The orphans are fed meagerly, and their sleeping quarters are located in the dark basement below the house. Roland and Thomas are in a nightmarishly grim situation.

One day, amid the rubble, Thomas and Roland find an old saddlebag that contains a strange piece of paper. The paper is inscribed with the words "Western Kingdom" and "Wakefield House", plus an interesting symbol that matches a design on the brothers' knees, a birthmark that resembles a tattoo. This is a calling for the boys to discover their true destiny. Out of curiosity (and maybe something greater) Thomas and Roland flee The House on the Hill to discover what the strange symbol means.

There are many reasons why I particularly favor this installment of the Land of Elyon series, but one is more prominent than all the others. During the story, Thomas and Roland are seemingly guided by curiosity throughout their adventures. One eventually learns that the godly force of Elyon has been the main influence on the lives of the brothers. He has been the drive that caused the boys to discover their destiny. Readers learn that Elyon has a plan for everybody and everything. Some people (Thomas and Roland for example) play a greater part than others in the grand scheme of things, but everybody has a part.

Into the Mist is both a fantastic prequel and continuation of the Land of Elyon series. This amazing fantasy is aided by its beautiful morals in creating a superb novel. After reading it, fans of the series should feel immensely satisfied and curiously thoughtful. It's definitely a book that turns your attention to the more magical and philosophical aspects of life.

Overall Grade: A+
A beautiful continuation of the series awaits readers. A new outlook of the land of Elyon should arise after understanding the past of Thomas and Roland Warvold. I highly recommend this book to those who like a good combination of adventure and morality.

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fire lake has been living rent free in my mind for the last 14 years - this book was just as crazy as I remembered

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has taken the convoluted backstory of The Land of Elyon books and instead of making it all make sense, it did...the opposite of that.

Like in the other Land of Elyon books, the villains were cartoonish and none of them have any motivations for being evil. Also like in the other books, the protagonists spend a lot of time, wandering around, being told to go here and go there, and with other characters withholding information for no real reason.

I just had no interest in this at all, which is no surprise by this point really.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this again I say this wasn't a bad read. I agree with others that it wasn't really necessary. It deals with the past and the present. The present was basically Roland telling them about his past with Thomas. We did get to hear how everything came to be and it did set us up for the final book. I had actually forgotten a lot of what happens. Which is why it sometimes is a good thing tom read a book again.

[Breanna Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s as magical as I read it when I was in middle school. I started with this book first which gave me a layout for the world. Even though it ends where the fourth book starts. The book is very easy to get through.

[Denae Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reader thoughts: I guess it was some sort of fantasy allegory?

Things seemed too easy, and I never felt much emotional depth from the characters except curiosity and some fear. I wanted to see more friendship, brotherhood, desperation, and the like. I wanted calculations and struggle and barely succeeding against all odds.

There were some fun lines and light humor with the mild adventure. I say "mild" despite world traveling because there's zero interaction with culture/nature (except that they go sailing and walk a lot). The two brothers only spoke to one person on their travels until they met the giant (Armon?) and the ageless guy.

Writer thoughts: The frame story distracted from the inner tale. Just knowing that a creaky old man was telling the story made me not appreciate his boyhood humor side. Yet, without the frame story, the ending would have been depressing. So, it has its pros and cons. There are few stories within stories that I feel are enhanced by the inclusion. Amaranthus did not benefit with the inclusion of the frame story, but The Name of the Wind and How to Train Your Dragon did.

[Evanb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Into The Mist



Thomas and Roland, two orphaned brothers from the house on the hill, escaped to their destiny. Thomas and Roland must go over the lake of fire, into the Ravine of Death, solve the Maze of Wakefield House. Then go across Dark Hills to seek an old timer named Sir Alistar Wakefield who will train them in the heart of Mount Laythen, where time doesn’t exist. After their training, they will complete their father started two journeys, one for Roland(sea mission) and one for Thomas (land mission). Their journeys continue into book two.


This was a great book, it was intriguing and fast paced. I enjoyed reading about their strange twisted adventures. If you like adventure, mystery, and adrenaline type of books, then I would recommend this book for you.

[Diana Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's one of those books you just feel good reading and you like it for that, apparently, insignificant reason, and it stays with your all your life...at least it feels like it will. I really enjoyed reading it and I loved the characters, the settings, the imagery, the plot, the gentle unfolding of great and marvelous mysteries, the brothers and their personalities, Roland's resolution to stop 'coveting the unattainable talents Alistair and Thomas enjoyed and started embracing my own', the language...beautiful.

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I managed to listen to 4/5 of this book and then got to stop. Although I really liked the narrator's voice, I was bored out of my wits. If it would not be for the narrator, I would have abandoned this book earlier. I cannot say it was a bad book though - it might be suitable for some - just did not work for me.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the second trilogy set in the Land of Elyon. It can either be seen as a prequel to The Dark Hills Divide, or as a new beginning in a new saga. It really is, in part, both. For in this book Alexa Daley and Yipes from the first series are on a sea voyage with Thomas Warvold, brother to the late Rolan Warvold. This book is the tale of Roland and Thomas and their journey from being orphans in a house on the hill, to being respective leaders and adventurers in their own right.

Our three adventurers are on a voyage. Yet Thomas has not told Alexa or Yipes where they are going. But he does settle in and tell them the story of how he got there to be the captain of the Warvick Beacon, and also the tale of his brother's and his own adventures when they were younger than Alexa is now. The brother's journey goes from being little more than slave labor to journeys under the world, over mountains and into a magical land where you do not grow old.

All the while, the reader knows that they are being told this story, because Thomas had a task in the story for Alexa and Yipes, a task related to his past and a task that must be faced. Evil has been released in the land of Elyon, and a battle between good and evil is approaching Elyon and Abaddon. It is a battle that once again young Alexa and her friend Yipes will have to decide to choose, either bravery and face the challenge at hand, or …

There are many great facets of Carman's writings. First is his smooth fluid prose. Second is the wonderful word pictures he creates in the reader's mind, and third, his stories center around normal people being called on to stretch their limits. It is not the classic story of the giant battle between good and evil. It is about small battles with people fighting to do right and learning from their own pasts. His stories have life lessons that can be applicable to almost any reader, yet written in such a way that he never preaches at the reader. The battles are between good and evil without it being a cosmic battle for the whole universe, the whole planet or in this case the land of Elyon.

This book is a great read for the reader of any age, and since it is the first in a new trilogy, it will leave you wanting and eagerly awaiting the next installment.

(First Published in Imprint 2008-05-16.)

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting to me that the last two Elyon books have a higher average rating than the first three, because in my opinion, these last two are not very good. To be fair, this whole series is pretty average: average writing, average worldbuilding, average characters, but these last two books are even more average than usual.

I really do not like Child! Roland. I understand that he's supposed to be a foil to his brother Thomas, the timid one to Thomas's brave, but the first two-thirds of the book are excruciating because of how whiny and scared he is. I never got a sense of progression from him, which is what makes Adult! Roland so odd because of his bravery. I also thought that Roland being a sailor came out of left field. We know that Thomas loves drawing and designing things, so it would make sense that Alastair would teach him about architecture. But Roland has never once shown interest in boats (or much of anything, really), and the narration says that "he learned to love them", but why? Was it just Alastair's powers of persuasion? Probably.

Also, and I can't believe it took me four books to notice this, but it is painfully obvious that Patrick Carman has no idea of what it would be like to be any kind of minority. Alexa lives in a world of men, and it is very rare that there are any female characters in any of these books, and what ones there are fit neatly into boxes (nurturing, evil, etc.) I find it very hard to believe that she wouldn't have a problem with being a minority. Yes, this is a kid's book and I'm reading way too much into it, but something about the line about "the banter between men amused me" really got me thinking.

[Tired · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you aren't absolutely in love with the series, this is a miserable book.

This book has my favourite trope: it's a story entirely encapsulated within a story, so we can keep interrupting to go back to a boring narrative where nothing is happening. Most often, specifically so Roland can torment Yipes, because he's an asshole. Thanks.

Stories within stories are only interesting when they expound upon or add to existing characters, or it affects the outside arcs somehow. This does neither. It feels like this storyline is supposed to add to the main series but just. Doesn't. At all. None of this matters.

The first third of this book is dedicated entirely to suffering in an orphanage where they pick through garbage. It could've been done in a chapter. It drags so bad. Honestly growing increasingly tired of ~extended cut, orphan misery porn~ as a trope, too.

There wasn't a single moment in here that I enjoyed. I did not like any characters, nor did I even find any moments particularly compelling.

I've not exactly been impressed with the series as a whole, but this was unreadable.

[Laura Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars
I own books 1-3. I bought them years ago thinking it was a trilogy, and I just started to read them now. When I started to add them to Goodreads, I discovered there are 2 more books in the series. I was so happy to find Books 0.5 (Into the Mist) and Book 4 (Stargazer) on Spotify. I'm halfway through Book 1, but I also listened to Book 0.5 at the same time.
Luckily, doing so doesn't ruin any of the plot, as the story is set mostly in the past, before the main character, Alexa, was born. A story within a story, if you will.
I love the way Patrick Carman tells a story. The pacing and tension is good, and I love the descriptions. Each character definitely has their own personality, which adds to the richness of the story.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I must admit it was fairly boring. It took me a while to get into and it had no real climax. I felt as though the challenges went by smoothly and when they did not the solution was on the next page, there was not very much build up at all. However this book was mostly told from the point of view of the man telling his story so maybe it makes sense to some people. I did however enjoy the characters (Thorn being my favorite) but I do wish that I got to see more of a backstory for a few of the side characters like the lady from the Wakefield house. I will continue to read the rest of this series but this wasn’t a great start to get me excited. 6/10 maybe for some people but I don’t think it’s for me.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roland Warvold is taking two passengers to a secret place for a secret mission on his ship the Warvold Beacon. Before they arrive, he tells the story of his brother Thomas and himself and how they came to the Lonely Sea in the Land of Elyon.
I listened to the audio version read by Ron McLarty. He does an excellent job.
The story is a typical beginning of a quest series where a terrible monster is threatening the land. It begins with a mean mistress of an orphanage as though trying to give the two boys a more terrible childhood than in any other series.
For younger middle grade readers this would be a good series. It does have differences from other such series. It is also much the same.

[Ronica Stromberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Into the Mist reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and the Chronicles of Narnia, although I liked the Chronicles of Narnia better. Into the Mist was too dark, with too few reprieves of joy, laughter, or fun as Thomas and Roland faced one hardship after another.

I also would have preferred the story be told without Roland serving as narrator while on a boat with Alexa and Yipes. The scenes with these three did little to propel the overall story along or add to it, seeming instead only an attempt to tie books together and add backstory to the books about Alexa.

[João Faria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não costumo ser particularmente fã de prequelas, mas esta faz todo o sentido e encaixa perfeitamente em algumas lacunas que o plot principal tinha. Foi bom ficar a conhecer melhor a história dos irmãos Warvold e de como se tornaram nas personagens que são na linha temporal principal da história.
Continuo a achar a escrita de Carman bastante repetitiva e este é o ponto mais negativo deste livro. No entanto, até agora é o meu livro favorito desta série.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh! Maybe my opinion is deep seated in my claustrophobia since I am one of the few that didn't like it. I didn't care for the first book but i was told this one is better. Granted I was completely intrigued at the idea. The underground dystopia was a new spin I felt had great promise. The description is great. The story is well written as far as writing goes but...

[Dimitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember the feeling of "warmth" while you read a fairytale or a classic children's story?
That's exactly what I felt while reading this book!
It was such a cute story, powerful and sweet at the same time.
I really enjoyed this part of the Land of Elyon's series and can't wait to read the final chapter of the story!

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little weak on its own. But when read after the main trilogy and before Stargazer it holds weight as the connector between the two. It really should be marked as the 4th in the series, even though most of the story is in the past, because it is carrying the main narrative forward and has some pretty significant spoilers for the books written before it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great adventure. I loved learning about Roland and Thomas's past. The connections to Alexa made it more vivid. I am glad I read this after reading the other books in the series (except the last one), because the characters and events mentioned meant more because of it. I highly recommend this book and this wonderful children's fantasy series.

[Rea]

This is my least favorite book in the series, probably because it's a prequel and not about the main character of the rest of the series. I'd probably have skipped it on my reread if it wasn't important to the plot of the final book. I do like how it builds out the past of this world and helps us understand certain characters and their motivations more, but I'm very excited to be done with this.

[Selah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily the best book in the series so far. It should be numbered 3.5 as it clearly belongs between books 3 and 4 (the main action is a prequel, but there are sections that take place between books 3 and 4). 3.5 stars

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this should have been told differently. The past could have been a book, and the present could have been added to the next book. Not much happened in the present. The past had some interesting information, but it was mostly traveling.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good look into where the Warvolds got their start and where Alexa is headed next. Although I would personally call this 3.5, not 0.5. I know most of the action happens before book 1, but it's clearly enmesched in what happened and what's next for Alexa.

[Haley Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t usually love a prequel and this book was no different. It was still a solid edition to the series but it seems to leave you with more questions than answers. I will hopefully appreciate this book more depending on how the author ties it all together in the last book.

[Roberto Galindo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the shirt chapters and the quick pages. The story isn't bad, just a bit random. It wouldn't have taken longer Ng to add some continuity fillers. Maybe also some more of the drawings. Great young readers read-to-bed story.