Beyond the Valley of Thorns
Beyond the Valley of Thorns is a children's fantasy novel, the second book in Patrick Carman's series of novels, The Land of Elyon.[1] [2] [3][4][5]
 The Land of Elyon - Book 2 - Beyond the Valley of Thorns | |
| Author | Patrick Carman |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Brad Weinman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Land of Elyon |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Scholastic Corporation |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 253 |
| Preceded by | The Dark Hills Divide |
| Followed by | The Tenth City |
Summary
Alexa Daley returns in the second book in the series. A year has passed since her fateful adventure with the animals, and her Jocasta is as dull as ever. But then, Yipes returns with a letter from Thomas Warvold. Alexa is instructed to travel out over the Dark Hills, beyond the Valley of Thorns. She does so, and Alexa and Yipes are joined on their journey by Odessa the wolf, Squire the hawk, Murphy the squirrel, and a former convict named John Christopher.
Together they escape a massive black swarm of bats and reveal a secret: Warvold's wife, Renny, was carried off by a man named Victor Grindall and remains, alive, with him as he demands her to reveal the location of the last Jocasta. They also learn that one of a mystical ancient race, called Seraphs, became evil and has infected Grindall and the remaining Seraphs, now simply giants, with evil.
The group discovers that one Seraph, Armon, has evaded Abaddon's infectious black swarm of bats for years and is the only remaining good giant. He takes them across the deadly Valley of Thorns and into Castalia.
The group discovers two packs of dogs living in The City of Dogs, now an old dumping ground. The two leaders, Piggott and Scroggs, agree to fight Grindall and the ogres. With the help of a rebellious Castalian villager named Balmoral, they form an army and defeat all but a few of the ogres. Then, they discover Renny and Thomas Warvold in the dungeons of the Dark Tower (Warvold later told them he faked his death). Grindall and a few ogres escape with Yipes, send the tower crashing down, and Grindall threatens that if Alexa is not in Bridewell with the last Jocasta in five days, he will kill Yipes.
The story ends as Roland Warvold, Thomas's brother, takes the troop (including Balmoral) on his ship, the Warwick Beacon, to sail the Lonely Sea.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews wrote "The plot takes off a lot faster than in the first installment, because Carman integrates the backstory as needed in the text, rather than allowing it to slow down the pace. Although the resolution of this tale satisfies, it ends on a cliffhanger, leaving readers to wait in suspense for the story’s finale. Still, a trip with Alexa Daley through the Valley of Thorns is well worth the effort."[6]
Books in this series
- The Dark Hills Divide (Book 1)
- Beyond the Valley of Thorns (Book 2)
- The Tenth City (Book 3)
- Into the Mist (Prequel)
- Stargazer (Patrick Carman) (Book 4)
References
- ERIKSON, CHRIS (August 20, 2005). "AFTER POTTER - GREAT READS FOR HARRY FANS HUNGRY FOR ADVENTURE". New York Post. New York, N.Y. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- "Book Review: Beyond The Valley Of Thorns (Land of Elyon, Book 2)". The Trades. 2005-08-31. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
- "Interview: Patrick Carman: Into the Mist and Beyond". The Trades. 2007-11-05. Archived from the original on 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
- "CHILDREN'S BEST SELLERS: September 11, 2005". The New York Times. 2005-09-11. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
- "Readings Listings - Books - Readings Listings". The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper. Thestranger.com. 2005-08-31. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
- "Beyond the Valley of the Thorns". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 1 September 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2015.