Jim Ware (1)

Mike Fowler hates Ambrosia, Arizona. It's hot and dry, there's no snow, he has no friends, and worst of all, his dad isn't there. Even though his dad disappeared while flying a plane in the Gulf War, Mike is certain the answer to his whereabouts is still out there somewhere. And when he makes some new discoveries shortly after his twelfth birthday, he realizes the clues he needs might be out in the desert around Ambrosia.

I really like the Last Chance Detectives. I watched rel="nofollow" target="_top">The Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa so many times when I was younger that when I read that book for the first time recently, several of the lines from the book I could hear perfectly from the actor/actress's mouth from the movie. This prequel is a chance to see Mike and the others before their detective club formed, even before the four of them became friends. For that, I appreciated the book. And considering how frustrated I was about Winnie's utter lack of a personality or really any shown contribution to the group in the other 3 books I'd read before this, I really liked her as a character in this one (though it seemed like she had a crush on Mike, something I don't recall coming up in the books that take place later).

The author made some strange choices with the story, though. From everything I could tell, and I went back to make sure I hadn't misremembered, Mike's dad has been considered MIA for 6 years. I don't know how long he and his mom have lived in Ambrosia at the start of the story, though. It seems like it hasn't been that long, since the book starts with him counting the money he's saved up to buy a bus ticket so that he can travel back home and stay with the best friend he left behind. But wording elsewhere makes it sound like they moved to Ambrosia shortly after his dad disappeared. Either way, his dad has been gone for six years after remains of his F-16 had been discovered somewhere in the Middle East, yet Mike is absolutely certain throughout parts of this book that clues to his dad's current whereabouts can be found in the desert in Arizona. Uh...what? It's difficult to allow the excuse of "he's a grieving kid" after this many years have gone by, but even still, it's an idea with absolutely no merit. Add to that his surly attitude and how he lets his unhappiness lead him to be rude to the kids that are becoming his friends, and it wasn't as fun to read as the other books in the series.

While I still think the main books in the series are great for kids around age 10-14, I would say there is unfortunately little benefit to reading this prequel. For those interested, though, especially for anyone who's a big fan of the book series, movies, or radio dramas, by all means, check it out.

*Note: The entire group of 4 kids that make up the Last Chance Detectives come together in this book. This is a departure from the original edition of the first book in the series, The Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa (which takes place after this prequel), in which Spence was introduced to the other 3 for the first time. However, in the recent re-release of that book, it's changed to show Spence as already one of the group.… (altro)

I really liked this book despite its flaws. This is a devotional book for Christians to look at a significant work of literary fiction and discover related Biblical themes that should be edifying. Other reviewers have remarked that this purported goal is accomplished only partially. I would have to agree, however I still liked reading this.
Bruner says in the Intro that "Tolkien was telling a story, not proclaiming a message. His Christian worldview pushed itself up of its own accord. It is not our goal to declare Tolkien's intentions, but rather to explore the inference of his imagination, an imagination that could not help but reflect Christian themes." Of course this a simple self-contradiction or Bruner has never had a serious discussion about literary themes or authorial intent. These questions can be answered and all great writers have solved the issue in their works, for the most part. Tolkien has also done that in a straightforward way but it seems that Bruner feels Tolkien can only be understood in Judeo-Christian terms without ever explicitly mentioning Biblical figures. Bruner seems to think that this a great achievement by Tolkien.
Anyway, the final chapter has Bruner revisiting his initial position and giving another completely different answer. He says that Tolkien has told a "true story" meaning a fantasy tale which has ultimate correspondence to reality or the way God intends things. He then uses as evidence a point made by C.S. Lewis (actually Aristotle) that creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. The Lord of the Rings ends with happy conclusion as does the Triumph of the Lamb at the wedding feast in the Book of Revelation. This is a circular argument or "proof-texting" when arguing with someone who might fall outside of the Judeo-Christian worldview. So be it. This is my only qualm with the book which is actually more inspirational than literary. The book is actually categorized under "Spiritual Life" which is accurate.
Bruner makes a few flippant remarks to show his grasp of scripture for example, "[Jesus] a village carpenter with dirty fingernails, a convicted criminal." Jesus was a carpenter's son, not a carpenter himself. jesus was a Rabbi. He may have had dirty fingers since the Pharisees looked down on him for not rigorously performing the ritual washings as prescribed by recent juridical traditions. Jesus was not a convicted criminal. Pilate put him to death knowing he was innocent which was the reason for the hypocritical hand washing to release Barabbas. Jesus did die the death of a slave or common criminal. In another place Bruner says, "Abraham was an aging Nomad with no hope of having children...Joseph was an obnoxious, spoiled brat." These are obvious smears to show that early on in their careers these men had little promise for great success. Actually Joseph was victimized by his jealous brothers and Abraham had an 80 year long deep friendship with Yahweh that never mentioned the need for Sarah to bear a child. The issue of children only can up when God promised to make him a father to many nations. Abraham was downcast since he had no progeny to speak of so the blessing would die with Abraham. God would fix that after the mistake over the Hagar affair. As far as we know Abraham and Sarah were the deepest human friendships God ever had until Mary and Jesus of Nazareth. These are minor issues because someone who spent so much time looking at The Lord of the Rings deserves my respect. Tolkien spent much of his life away from teaching writing drafts to this great fantasy for which I am grateful. Literary trilogies are commonplace now but The Lord of the Rings was the first one I ever read.… (altro)