Before the walls went up ... there were adventures. Follow young Thomas Warvold and his brother as they journey through Elyon, discovering new mysteries, new challenges, and new magical creatures that will alter the history of the land.

I write in reply mostly to those who have reported a quality dropoff between the first 3 books (Dark Hills Divide, Beyond the Valley of Thorns and The Tenth City) and this prequel/sequel "Into the Mist". This book has a male narrator but it absolutely ROCKS - he is just as good as the female narrator of the first 3 books. It's a little unusual in that it continues beyond The Tenth City while mostly engaging in a long historical narrative of the early days of Thomas and Roland Worvald well prior to Dark Hills Divide. But WHAT a story / adventure they have! At least as thrilling, suspenseful and varied in its characters, environments, dangers, suspense and mystery as any of the others. It was wonderful - we listened to the CD version on a cross-crounty trip - we were enrapt and hanging on the masterful development of each scene. And it was completely appropriate for our 6 and 8 year old girls - no content whatsoever relating in any way to any of the typical modern affronts (sex, gore, profanity). And it was nice to see the author pull back from the precipice of religious proselytizing on which he was cavalierly dancing at the end of The Tenth City. Pure fun, completely appropriate for all ages, 2 big thums up!!! We loved it and highly recommend the book and the CD version to any who have enjoyed any of the others in this series!

Alexa and her good friend, Yipes, are accumulating quite a long list of amazing adventures in the Land of Elyon. Now they prepare for another as they join Captain Roland Warvold on his majestic ship, the Warwick Beacon. However, Captain Roland refuses to tell Alexa and Yipes where they are heading. Before revealing the details of their impending journey, Roland needs to share with them an adventure of his own. So, as they sail across the Lonely Sea, Roland narrates the story of his own incredible childhood.

Ten-year-old Roland and his eleven-year-old brother, Thomas, don't remember their parents. Their earliest memories are of an orphanage, but their mischief and high jinks eventually get them transferred to the horrid House on the Hill run by an evil woman named Madame Vickers. The House on the Hill is a run-down, dilapidated dump perched upon the town's mound of garbage. She and her nasty son claim any unwanted orphans, make them sleep in the dark, bug-infested basement, feed them scraps and crumbs, and force them to dig through the piles of stinking, rotting garbage for anything worth selling. Roland and Thomas have sunk deep into a putrefying nightmare.

But one day, the brothers dig up an old saddlebag containing a strange piece of paper. It includes the words "Western Kingdom" and "Wakefield House," plus a strange symbol made up of circles and squares --- a symbol that exactly matches one found on the brothers' knees, resembling a tattoo or birthmark. Thomas and Roland decide that they must discover what it means, so they escape the House on the Hill and travel to the Western Kingdom.

Their dangerous journey takes them through magical places like the Great Ravine, the Lake of Fire, the Valley of Thorns, Lonely Sea and the maze-like Wakefield House. Along the way, they meet a gentle giant named Armon, a formidable mountain lion called Thorn, and an ageless instructor, Sir Alistair Wakefield --- all of whom help answer some difficult questions about their past and future.

Patrick Carman delivers another thrilling and magical tale from the Land of Elyon. In this fourth installment, he brings back the beloved and energetic characters of Alexa and Yipes. This time, however, they are preparing for their next adventure by learning about Roland's life, giving readers a story within a story. Filled with dream-like destinations, creative characters and audacious adventures, any fiction/fantasy fan will find a friend with this series. And another chunk of good news is promised with the final words on the last page: "To be continued."

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

Wow, this book is amazing. I thought that the original Land of Elyon series (The Dark Hills Divide: The Land of Elyon, Book 1 Beyond The Valley Of Thorns and Tenth City (Land Of Elyon Book) ) were going to be impossible to beat.

But their awesome author, Patrick Carman, has surprised us all by bringing out another book that's just as good!

In "Into the Mist", we get a glimpse of the horrible life led by two orphan brothers, Roland and Thomas. They have very unusual markings on thier knees that they've always wondered about, but they have no idea that these are important clues to unraveling a mystery that reveals much about their past and will help to lead them into their bright futures.

The characters are well done, and the storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. This book is actually two great things for the price of one, because in addition to finding out the mysterious past of the two brothers who played such a significant role in the original trilogy, we also get a glipse of what's going on in the life of Alexa Daley and Yipes; the heroine and one of her freinds from the Land of Elyon series.

You have got to get this book, because you don't know what you're missing out on; especially if you are a fan of the trilogy! It's a great and unforgettable addition to the Land of Elyon chronicles!

My daughters and I have listed to all the stories in the Land of Elyon series, and we really enjoyed them. This book did not intrigue the girls nearly as much, and I found myself not listening for long periods of time. The story didn't get good, in my opinion, until about half way through the book, which is when the story of the boys' lives started to intertwine with information we had learned in the previous books. In addition, the narrator sounded like he was whining when he tried to talk like a young boy, and as Alexa, well - yikes - no man can sound like a girl. Disappointing overall.

As the fourth book in the Land of Elyon series (Dark Hills Divide, Valley of the Thorns, The Tenth City), Into the Mist also serves as a prequel to Patrick Carman's enchanting fantasy novels.

Heroine Alexa Daley and her friend Yipes are currently on board the sailing ship Warwick Beacon, but the book is soon taken over by the story within the story as captain Roland Warvold relates the history of his adventures as a young boy with his brother Thomas. The Warvold brothers' tale provides insight into the events of the previous novels, but this book could easily be enjoyed before reading the others as no spoiler information about Alexa's adventures is given.

Carman is an excellent storyteller and does a good job of weaving thought provoking dialog into his tales. The characters of Into the Mist are every bit as captivating and intriguing as those of the other books. Overall this was a great story that will leave readers eager for even more stories from the Land of Elyon.