Leepike Ridge

Leepike Ridge is the first novel by N.D. Wilson, a young (under 30) writer from Moscow, Idaho, published by Random House. N.D. (Nathan) is son of well-known conservative pastor and prolific author Douglas Wilson, who is possibly best known for his presence in founding the classical Christian private school movement in the US. Nathan is no stranger to the public eye either, as his first two...more

Leepike Ridge is the first novel by N.D. Wilson, a young (under 30) writer from Moscow, Idaho, published by Random House. N.D. (Nathan) is son of well-known conservative pastor and prolific author Douglas Wilson, who is possibly best known for his presence in founding the classical Christian private school movement in the US. Nathan is no stranger to the public eye either, as his first two novellas parody the bestselling Left Behind series (the novellas are "Right Behind" and "Supergeddon"). He made news in 2004 by conducting an experiment that proved an average medieval merchant could have created the Shroud of Turin with only glass, cloth, and paints. Leepike Ridge is the story of Thomas Hammond and his strong-willed mother in a house resting on a huge rock close by leepike ridge. When the possibility that Thomas might have an unpleasant step-father, he sneaks out of the house late one night and floats down the river running parallel with Leepike Ridge on a large slab of refrigerator packing foam. He falls asleep under the stars and when he awakes, he finds he is being sucked under the ridge. He comes to rest in a huge cavern, and must begin the long, perilous trek downward into the damp darkness in order to get out again. What he stumbles across below the ridge, four tombs, a grave, a corpse, a dog, and the promise of buried treasure, all pale in comparison with the discovery he has yearned for since his father disappeared: answers to how, where, and how his father died and the mystery that surrounds that death. Leepike Ridge is aimed at 10-14 year-olds, but like any good fiction, it appeals to all ages, like Narnia and the Hobbit. Wilson proves himself to be one of the finest writers for young adults on the market today, creating a world that creatively and originally mixes The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Odyssey , King Solomon's Mines, and Treasure Island, with the subtle surrealism of Roald Dahl, the charm and humor of G.K. Chesterton, P.G. Wodehouse, and J.K. Rowling, and strong characterization, not to mention a mystery with enough twists to satisfy everyone. N.D. Wilson is currently working on a new fantasy trilogy, the first book of which is called 100 Cupboards, and is due out in Dec. of 2007. "While Leepike Ridge is primarily an adventure story involving murder, treachery, and betrayal, Wilson's rich imagination and his quirky characters are a true delight . . . There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep both seasoned and reluctant readers turning the pages. Think Mark Twain with a contemporary and utterly captivating twist." - School Library Journal Review "N.D. Wilson . . . is a name that will soon be widely known. He will write many books, Lord willing, in many genres for our instruction and delight. His first is Leepike Ridge . . . like all books that satisfy a discerning 8-year-old or 10-year-old, this novel will also hold the attention of a reader in his 30s or 70s . . . Not a tall tale exactly, and certainly not an epic (though there are playful allusions to the Odyssey), but something closer to a yarn, crossbred with the boys' adventure stories that once sold like hotcakes and recounted by a narrator who is slyly funny as well as omniscient" - Christianity Today "Tom's adventures have several literary ancestors, including Tom and Huck in the cave, and the inventive Swiss family Robinson, but this is solidly set in the present, standing on its own with well-crafted suspense and fascinating survival detail." - Booklist   hide

Creepy but good