Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull

[Heather]

I've been reading a lot of youth fiction lately since I usually go to the library with my five year old and it's easier to browse those stacks while she's entertained with all the picture books. I've been wanting to read these for a while but they hadn't shown up in my library yet. They finally did and I snagged them up quick. All my friends who live out west raved about them. I'm glad they finally made it east because they are really delightful and creative. I like Shannon Hale's heroine's a teensy bit better but Brandon Mull is no slouch. Instead of creating his own fantastical worlds or creatures like Hale and Stephanie Meyer he has a wholly original spin on classic fantasy. He is definitely a good addition to the LDS writing community and youth fantasy fiction. I think a lot of you will really like these if you have not yet discovered them. If you have read them, what did you think? Did you like how he used fantasy to explore issues of character and family?

[Amy]

I'm in the middle of reading the series right now and am really enjoying them. If your into the fantasy/mythological books, like HP, Twilight, books of Bayern, Artemis Fowl - this is a must read.

[Melissa]

We have loved Brandon Mull's work for awhile! My oldest son and I are eagerly awaiting the release of book 5 this spring! Also, he is working on a new series that I think will be out sometime next year. Have you read his book "Candy Shop War"?

[Heather]

"Candy Shop War" hasn't made it into my library system yet but I'm going to watch for it. If it's as clever as the Fablehaven novels then I'm sure it will be worth checking out. Amy, your post reminded me that I've been meaning to check out the Artemis Fowl series but I haven't heard a lot about them. Did you like them? How did they compare to the other series you mentioned?

[Nikki]

Brandon Mull has come a few times to the school I work at. He puts on a great assembly and really motivates the kids to read. I have read the first four books, along with Candy Shop Wars, and I am also looking forward to the 5th book. I sometimes wish I would have bought the books instead of just getting them from the library, but I have to draw the line somewhere.

[Heather]

I know what you mean Nikki, I see all these interesting books in the Deseret Book circular that look like good reads but I can't buy them all. I would really love a Netflix type service for LDS books for all of us that live outside of Utah.

[Melissa]

Heather - that would be so nice! Last year when we went home to Idaho Falls I had my sister check out a TON of LDS fiction for me to read. I just can't get much here in Southern California :S

[Cheryl]

I am really struggling with finding the LDS fiction here in Indianapolis IN. I have resorted to buying them used at Amazon or other similar sites. I REALLY wish I could find it here at the library. Sometimes I am able to borrow from friends. Apparently there is a way to have my library get a lone from libraries out west. I am working on this. I think I will have to pay shipping.

[Nikki]

Now I feel spoiled for living in Utah where the libraries get the LDS books.

[Amy]

I'm in Cleveland Ohio and I can get all of brandon Mull's books, plus Shannon Hales. I didn't realise they were considered LDS fiction... what does that include? Anything written by an LDS author?

Artemis Fowl - so far (I'm only on book 2), I really like them. They have a similar feel to most of the books I mentioned. They're marketed towards adolescents and so they are clean. I'm going keep reading them

[Cheryl]

That is a good point. I can get Shannon Hales, Richard Paul Evans, and probably Brandon Mull here in Indy. It's authors like Gerald Lund, Chris Heimerdinger, Anita Stansfield, Dean Hughes, and others I'm probably not even aware of that I can't find here. I didn't know Shannon Hales or Brandon Mull were LDS till very recently as I have become more active on Goodreads.

[Heather]

Brandon Mull and Shannon Hale write to a wider audience and are published by mainstream publishing houses as opposed to "LDS Writers" like Gerald Lund who are published by LDS publishers such as Deseret Book. It just seemed that since Brandon Mull lives in the Salt Lake area and happens to be LDS that his books took off faster in the west. I was hearing about him from friends out west for about a year but couldn't find his books in my local library until recently and only the first three books in the series at that. Apparently "NY times Best Selling Author" doesn't mean much to the purchasing board at my library :)

[Cheryl]

Apparently my library doesn't have Brandon Mull. I just looked this afternoon. I'll have to ask for an inter library loan. I thought I had seen Fablehaven around here though. I like the "Bookflix" idea.