The Tapestry Series: The Maelstrom

I reviewed the Tapestry series by Henry H. Neff last summer.

The Tapestry Series Part 1
The Tapestry Series Part 2

At that time, the first three books in the series had been published, and one remaining title had yet to be published.  The fourth book was published this fall, but now the series is set to consist of a total of five books.  Thus far, the following books have been published.

1.  The Hound of Rowan:  Book One of the Tapestry, 2007
2.  The Second Siege:  Book Two of the Tapestry, 2008
3.  The Fiend and the Forge:  Book Three of the Tapestry, 2010
4.  The Maelstrom:  Book Four of the Tapestry, 2012

In preparation for reading The Maelstrom, I read the first three books again.  This time, I found the first few chapters of the first book to be somewhat uninteresting, but then I quickly became interested again in the story.  I enjoyed the second and third books even more so than I did the first time, primarily because I better understood the events.

I just finished reading The Maelstrom, and I cannot overstate how good these books are.  The series gets better and better with each book.  The characters are described so vividly, and the plot is riveting.

The series begins as a blatant copy of the Harry Potter series.  While the remaining books have obvious Harry Potter parallels, the series is actually quite different from Harry Potter.  In this series, the demons take full control of the modern world.  The Harry Potter series never goes that far. 

In fact, this series is a mixture of fantasy, mythology, and dystopia.  Dystopian novels are usually set sometime in the future after a world calamity transforms the world.  In this series, the calamity occurs within the plots of these books, and we see the world redrawn with all new nations formed.  The journey is quite fascinating.

As with Harry Potter and other related series, the books are steeped in mythology.  The many geographical, historical, and literary references enhance the reader's experience.  The author is a former history teacher, and it shows.

Another nice touch is that the illustrator of the books is the author himself.  Henry H. Neff drew all of the internal illustrations.  How amazing to view illustrations that are not another person's interpretation of the author's words but rather the actual author's depiction of the book's events!

This series has avoided finding a large audience, which surprises me.  Most people do not know about it, which is a shame.  On the other hand, I rather like getting to enjoy a series that is a hidden gem without having to endure all of the unnecessary hype.  If you like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or Fablehaven, then I strongly recommend that you give this series a try.  I eagerly anticipate the release of the final book in this series.

The Tapestry Series Part 2

The first book in the Tapestry series comes across as a Harry Potter wannabe, with many parts of the Harry Potter premise present. This includes the village near the school where the children go on outings. The author was clearly trying to create his own series based on the Harry Potter series.

With the second and third books, the author takes the series in a different direction. Unlike other series in which good battles evil and wins, in this series, evil wins and gains complete control.

I found the journey fascinating. The modern world regresses back into a more primitive world, and a new world order governed by demons emerges. The content of this series is very dark.

While the reading level is for ages 9 through 12, the content is more appropriate for young adults. The Harry Potter series is very dark at times, which made it unsuitable for more sensitive children. This series is darker than Harry Potter. For instance, one of the primary characters summons demons in order to gain information from them.

The series will consist of four volumes, three of which have already been published. The final volume will be published sometime in 2012. In my previous entry, I remarked that I was bored during parts of the first book. The first book primarily sets the stage for the story that unfolds during the second and third books. The second and third books are quite good. I have greatly enjoyed the Tapestry series, and I hope that the final book lives up to my expectations.

The Tapestry Series Part 1

After I finished the Fablehaven series, I decided to see if I could find another series which was recommended to readers of Fablehaven. I found this page.

Battle for the Harry Potter Throne: Fablehaven vs. Tapestry

I was intrigued, since I had never heard of the Tapestry series, which was written by Henry H. Neff. I rather like trying out series which are not particularly well known, since I have far less chance of getting spoiled.

I was someone who resisted Harry Potter until close to the release of the fourth book. I disliked all the hype. Once I read the books, I loved them, but I found the continued hype to be a bit detrimental to my enjoyment. With each new book release, reporters, who had probably never read Harry Potter, prattled on about possible plot details. I found it all quite obnoxious.

After reading the comments about the Tapestry series, I decided to learn more about it. The Tapestry series will ultimately consist of four volumes, three of which have already been published. The first three books are The Hound of Rowan (2007), The Second Siege (2008), and The Fiend and the Forge (2010).

After carefully checking just a few reviews, which is always a risk due to spoilers, I decided to try the first book in the series. Most all of these fantasy series are said to be inspired by Harry Potter. The first book seems a bit more like Harry Potter than the other series I have read, like Percy Jackson, Nicholas Flamel, and Fablehaven.

Here is a review taken from the Amazon site.

In a hidden alcove within Chicago's Art Institute, Max McDaniels discovers a faded tapestry. As he watches, the tapestry begins to glow; soon after, he receives an invitation to attend a private boarding school in New England. When he arrives at Rowan Academy, where young people with Potential are trained to fight an unnamed enemy, he and the other apprentices are housed in magically morphing rooms and assigned animal charges. Max is paired with the last lymrill in the world, a nocturnal creature with metallic quills. They train on the Course, where they experience different scenarios as they try to achieve a goal and move up levels as they progress. Meanwhile, apprentices and even some full-fledged agents are disappearing all over the world. This novel's sprawling, quirky boarding school has obvious parallels to Hogwarts, but Neff's storytelling boasts charms of its own, and U.S. readers may appreciate that this magical adventure, the first installment in the planned Tapestry series, takes place here rather than abroad. Tixier Herald, Diana

During a good part of this book, I was trying to figure out where the plot was heading and kept skimming ahead a chapter or so to see if I could get a clue. It was not until well into the book that the situation became clear. The series is titled the Tapestry series, not just because of the glowing tapestry, but for another reason. I dislike giving too many details, so I will not elaborate.

I always like to read the critical reviews on Amazon once I have finished a book. The favorable reviews are never very interesting since they gush about the book and how wonderful it is. The more critical reviews bring up the actual flaws that a book has, so those are the ones I read. The critical reviews brought up some really good points concerning the flaws in this book.

While I found some parts of the book not to be particularly interesting, I enjoyed this book enough to want to read the next installment.