nikki92's review against another edition
5.0
I read this series when I was in 9th grade and I remember LOVING it. Highly recommended for middle readers or early high school aged kids, but the story is so much fun that you might enjoy it as an adult first time reader as well!
pumpkincore's review against another edition
2.0
If you like Tolkein-like fantasy with a seaboard twist, this might be the series for you.
Personally, I'm still struggling with the decision to move on to the second book. My hope is that, now that all that appear to be the main cast have their foothold, that future plots will progress more swiftly. My biggest complaint is that the story moved too slowly. While character development is important and I'm a fan of internal monologue, it made the story drag on unnecessarily. Facts and worries were blatantly pointed out on many occasions without tact or variety. This is a common problem posed by first-person narration, which Haydon uses to tell Ven's story in The Floating Island. While, yes, first-person is supposed to be conversational, it is not supposed to be long-winded and tiring.
I mean we're in a fantastic world of mythical beings (such as catgirls and Nain, what we would call dwarfs) living alongside humans. We're in the mind of a young (fifty year old) Nain trying to earn his father's respect and a place in his ship factory. We encounter pirates and thieves and everyday sleeze balls, ghosts and mystical places, clever kings and loving mothers. This should be a story that had me planted on my butt until I finished it. I should be yelling at the book for having to end.
Instead, it took me months to plow through. I actually had to force myself to sit down and read ten pages some days. Parts of the book were very exciting and I don't NOT recommend it, but the manner in which the tale was told made me exhausted sometimes. It's redeeming quality is that the ending was nearly-satisfactory. There are some cliched moments, some "Are you kidding me," sorts of explanations. But keep in mind that it IS, by all means, a children-to-YA series. As I said, I am hoping that the second book, should I encounter it, will rise above. It's been known to happen.
Personally, I'm still struggling with the decision to move on to the second book. My hope is that, now that all that appear to be the main cast have their foothold, that future plots will progress more swiftly. My biggest complaint is that the story moved too slowly. While character development is important and I'm a fan of internal monologue, it made the story drag on unnecessarily. Facts and worries were blatantly pointed out on many occasions without tact or variety. This is a common problem posed by first-person narration, which Haydon uses to tell Ven's story in The Floating Island. While, yes, first-person is supposed to be conversational, it is not supposed to be long-winded and tiring.
I mean we're in a fantastic world of mythical beings (such as catgirls and Nain, what we would call dwarfs) living alongside humans. We're in the mind of a young (fifty year old) Nain trying to earn his father's respect and a place in his ship factory. We encounter pirates and thieves and everyday sleeze balls, ghosts and mystical places, clever kings and loving mothers. This should be a story that had me planted on my butt until I finished it. I should be yelling at the book for having to end.
Instead, it took me months to plow through. I actually had to force myself to sit down and read ten pages some days. Parts of the book were very exciting and I don't NOT recommend it, but the manner in which the tale was told made me exhausted sometimes. It's redeeming quality is that the ending was nearly-satisfactory. There are some cliched moments, some "Are you kidding me," sorts of explanations. But keep in mind that it IS, by all means, a children-to-YA series. As I said, I am hoping that the second book, should I encounter it, will rise above. It's been known to happen.
jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
4.0
I very much enjoyed this book. It was a rich world that left alot to mystery. It does not throw the world in your face but introduces you to more aspects of it in each chapter. You never find yourself lost or confused in the world. The focus stays on the main character and his motivations, but the background characters are prominent enough that you do not forget them when mentioned later. I liked the mystical quality. The storyline did not rely on fantastical events or deux ex machinas to wrap itself up. It uses a team of characters who work together and think through problems. So its mystical but does not throw outwright magic in your face. The writing style has a great quality about it, and it makes you look forward to the next book. The setting is fantastic, and characters are excellent, and the development is wonderful. Great original story. Be sure to also read the "about the author" section. In the end, you see poignent messages about how we treat others who are different from us and trusting in gifts from above. Sometimes we do not understand if these gifts are good or bad because they do not "work" in the way we expect, but trust is the key to it all. Well-written story with good messages underlying it!
jawyllie's review against another edition
5.0
This book and rating is from my 9 year old daughter who thinks it's the best book she has ever read!
cmbohn's review against another edition
5.0
Van Polypheme is a Nain, or what we might call a dwarf. And his family, rather than living underground, settled near the ocean and became shipbuilders. On his 50th birthday, Van is finally an adult. He gets chosen to inspect their latest ship. But while on board, they are attacked by pirates. And that's only the beginning of some incredible adventures. Lots of fun.
njlbo1's review against another edition
3.0
It took me more than halfway through the book before I really got interested, but overall it was a fun read. I think it would be good for middle schoolers who like adventure and fantasy.
pumpkinspies's review
2.0
If you like Tolkein-like fantasy with a seaboard twist, this might be the series for you.
Personally, I'm still struggling with the decision to move on to the second book. My hope is that, now that all that appear to be the main cast have their foothold, that future plots will progress more swiftly. My biggest complaint is that the story moved too slowly. While character development is important and I'm a fan of internal monologue, it made the story drag on unnecessarily. Facts and worries were blatantly pointed out on many occasions without tact or variety. This is a common problem posed by first-person narration, which Haydon uses to tell Ven's story in The Floating Island. While, yes, first-person is supposed to be conversational, it is not supposed to be long-winded and tiring.
I mean we're in a fantastic world of mythical beings (such as catgirls and Nain, what we would call dwarfs) living alongside humans. We're in the mind of a young (fifty year old) Nain trying to earn his father's respect and a place in his ship factory. We encounter pirates and thieves and everyday sleeze balls, ghosts and mystical places, clever kings and loving mothers. This should be a story that had me planted on my butt until I finished it. I should be yelling at the book for having to end.
Instead, it took me months to plow through. I actually had to force myself to sit down and read ten pages some days. Parts of the book were very exciting and I don't NOT recommend it, but the manner in which the tale was told made me exhausted sometimes. It's redeeming quality is that the ending was nearly-satisfactory. There are some cliched moments, some "Are you kidding me," sorts of explanations. But keep in mind that it IS, by all means, a children-to-YA series. As I said, I am hoping that the second book, should I encounter it, will rise above. It's been known to happen.
Personally, I'm still struggling with the decision to move on to the second book. My hope is that, now that all that appear to be the main cast have their foothold, that future plots will progress more swiftly. My biggest complaint is that the story moved too slowly. While character development is important and I'm a fan of internal monologue, it made the story drag on unnecessarily. Facts and worries were blatantly pointed out on many occasions without tact or variety. This is a common problem posed by first-person narration, which Haydon uses to tell Ven's story in The Floating Island. While, yes, first-person is supposed to be conversational, it is not supposed to be long-winded and tiring.
I mean we're in a fantastic world of mythical beings (such as catgirls and Nain, what we would call dwarfs) living alongside humans. We're in the mind of a young (fifty year old) Nain trying to earn his father's respect and a place in his ship factory. We encounter pirates and thieves and everyday sleeze balls, ghosts and mystical places, clever kings and loving mothers. This should be a story that had me planted on my butt until I finished it. I should be yelling at the book for having to end.
Instead, it took me months to plow through. I actually had to force myself to sit down and read ten pages some days. Parts of the book were very exciting and I don't NOT recommend it, but the manner in which the tale was told made me exhausted sometimes. It's redeeming quality is that the ending was nearly-satisfactory. There are some cliched moments, some "Are you kidding me," sorts of explanations. But keep in mind that it IS, by all means, a children-to-YA series. As I said, I am hoping that the second book, should I encounter it, will rise above. It's been known to happen.
elevetha's review
2.0
Boring and not worth the time. Bland characters. Not a great plot. I just didn't care about what happened. At all. Ven is a shipmaker's son and a Nain, so even though he is 50 years old he appears to be 13 or there abouts. He is on a ship when it is attacked by pirates. Ship sinks. Ven survives. He is saved by a merrow. Honestly, I would have preferred him kissing her, her dragging him down to the depths of the ocean and them living happily ever after. Alas that is not the way it went at all. Ven is taken aboard another ship and gets dropped off at a port when ghosts, magical boxes, and such come into play. Murphy, the snide talking cat, was my favorite character and he was barely in it.
amalyndb's review
3.0
The first book of The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme is a delightful tale. A fantasy set in another world, Charles Magnus Ven Polypheme (Ven for short) is the youngest of his family of shipbuilding Nain (somewhat analogous to dwarves). On his fiftieth birthday (for the Nain are a long-lived race, and fifty is approximately young teenage human) Ven draws the short straw and must inspect a newly built ship on a short voyage before it can be christened and handed over to its owner. On said voyage, fire pirates attack! Ven's quick thinking lights the fire pirate ship, but also leads to both ships exploding.
Adrift on wreckage, he meets a merrow (mermaid) who stays with him until rescued by another ship. Here he makes friends and is brought to a magical floating island, where the captain obtains water from a spring deep within the mountain.
The ship comes to port on a foreign island, and soon after arriving, Ven is accused of theft by a rich man who had been on the ship. Taken to prisoner, he begins a letter to the king to plead his case, which is interwoven with the narrative of the novel.
Taken before the king, he tells of his journey. The king decides to release him, and extends him the offer of a position to travel the world and relay back to the king what he sees.
On returning to the inn, he and his friend are locked out of their lodging, as night falls. Spectral hounds bay and howl, and then they hear a human scream. Terrified, they go to investigate, armed only with rakes. They rescue a fellow boy and take refuge in a cemetery, where the innkeeper's dead son speaks with them, and bids them watch as rain dissolves the ghostly pale of the hounds, revealing them to be nasty dogs who have been whitewashed. The spirit also reveals that there is some evil buried at the crossroads, affecting the inn and travelers.
Van and friends set out to discover the evil and dig up a body within an open puzzle box. They bid Ida, a young pickpocket, to help them close it, which she does - but she inhales some of the evil fog and starts to become a spirit herself.
They end up in a mad search for the Floating Island in the night, to find the mythical spring to restore her. The Island is angry though, to be summoned at night, and nearly comes down around their ears when she drinks of the spring without an offering given in return. Her tears eventually suffice, they return to the town and inn. Ven received a letter from his family (delivered to a ship by the albatross that had watched over him in the shipwreck), reassuring him of their affection and he accepts the king's offer, setting the way for more books in the series.
I very much enjoyed reading this adventure - was great for a too hot afternoon while camping. Ven and his friends are interesting characters, and the dilemmas they face intriguing (what did Ven glimpse in the puzzle box just before the lid closed?).
The one thing that makes no sense in this edition of the book - why is there a dragon on the cover? Ven encounters no dragons. The albatross would have made much more sense, the dragon felt misleading.
Adrift on wreckage, he meets a merrow (mermaid) who stays with him until rescued by another ship. Here he makes friends and is brought to a magical floating island, where the captain obtains water from a spring deep within the mountain.
The ship comes to port on a foreign island, and soon after arriving, Ven is accused of theft by a rich man who had been on the ship. Taken to prisoner, he begins a letter to the king to plead his case, which is interwoven with the narrative of the novel.
Taken before the king, he tells of his journey. The king decides to release him, and extends him the offer of a position to travel the world and relay back to the king what he sees.
On returning to the inn, he and his friend are locked out of their lodging, as night falls. Spectral hounds bay and howl, and then they hear a human scream. Terrified, they go to investigate, armed only with rakes. They rescue a fellow boy and take refuge in a cemetery, where the innkeeper's dead son speaks with them, and bids them watch as rain dissolves the ghostly pale of the hounds, revealing them to be nasty dogs who have been whitewashed. The spirit also reveals that there is some evil buried at the crossroads, affecting the inn and travelers.
Van and friends set out to discover the evil and dig up a body within an open puzzle box. They bid Ida, a young pickpocket, to help them close it, which she does - but she inhales some of the evil fog and starts to become a spirit herself.
They end up in a mad search for the Floating Island in the night, to find the mythical spring to restore her. The Island is angry though, to be summoned at night, and nearly comes down around their ears when she drinks of the spring without an offering given in return. Her tears eventually suffice, they return to the town and inn. Ven received a letter from his family (delivered to a ship by the albatross that had watched over him in the shipwreck), reassuring him of their affection and he accepts the king's offer, setting the way for more books in the series.
I very much enjoyed reading this adventure - was great for a too hot afternoon while camping. Ven and his friends are interesting characters, and the dilemmas they face intriguing (what did Ven glimpse in the puzzle box just before the lid closed?).
The one thing that makes no sense in this edition of the book - why is there a dragon on the cover? Ven encounters no dragons. The albatross would have made much more sense, the dragon felt misleading.
library_brandy's review
3.0
How does a book that includes fire pirates, mysterious islands, mermaids, restless ghosts, and evil spirits still manage to be so dull? For an adventure story, this was pretty plodding. It reads slowly, it's too long, and (frankly) it's not all that compelling. It's not bad, but I don't see myself pushing this one on unsuspecting middle-schoolers. I'm suddenly not surprised the copy at my library has such lackluster circulation.
And I have no idea why there's a dragon on the cover; I don't think there's a dragon anywhere in the whole book.
And I have no idea why there's a dragon on the cover; I don't think there's a dragon anywhere in the whole book.