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Landon Snow #1
Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle
DON'T FALL IN.
{THIS BOOK MAY SWALLOW.}
Just ask Landon Snow.
He could tell you all about being swallowed by a book.
Or falling from the sky on horseback.
Or fleeing a hail of arrows through an enchanted forest.
Or watching a gigantic gold coin flipping into the sky.
And wondering. . .
Could it be chance, mere circumstance?
When Landon's grandfather suffers a minor accident in Button Up, Minnesota, Landon asks the cosmic question: "Could life itself be an accident?" Pages in an ancient Bible mysteriously turn, and a bookcase opens to reveal a secret passageway. Tumbling through the "Book of Meanings" into another world full of puzzles and creatures called Odds. Landon teams up with a horse named Melech to find Vates, the poet/prophet behind strange messages.
The greatest question of all still remains for Landon to answer. How will he solve the Auctor's Riddle?
So don't just stand there (or sit or lie or hang from a tree limb) reading this back cover. Open the book and take a look.
But do be careful not to lean in too closely. . .
(Gulp!)
{THIS BOOK MAY SWALLOW.}
Just ask Landon Snow.
He could tell you all about being swallowed by a book.
Or falling from the sky on horseback.
Or fleeing a hail of arrows through an enchanted forest.
Or watching a gigantic gold coin flipping into the sky.
And wondering. . .
Could it be chance, mere circumstance?
When Landon's grandfather suffers a minor accident in Button Up, Minnesota, Landon asks the cosmic question: "Could life itself be an accident?" Pages in an ancient Bible mysteriously turn, and a bookcase opens to reveal a secret passageway. Tumbling through the "Book of Meanings" into another world full of puzzles and creatures called Odds. Landon teams up with a horse named Melech to find Vates, the poet/prophet behind strange messages.
The greatest question of all still remains for Landon to answer. How will he solve the Auctor's Riddle?
So don't just stand there (or sit or lie or hang from a tree limb) reading this back cover. Open the book and take a look.
But do be careful not to lean in too closely. . .
(Gulp!)
223 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2005
9 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
R.K. Mortenson
8 books8 followersR. K. Mortenson, an ordained minister in the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, has been writing poems and stories since he was a kid. A former Navy chaplain, Mortenson is a pastor in North Dakota. He serves a church in Mayville, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 2, 2008
I bought this at a Christian bookstore, which is not my normal place to shop for books. I enjoyed seeing titles and authors I had never heard of before. From the blurb on the back, I thought Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle would be a fun, quick read. And it could have been if I would have liked it more! There was just something missing for me during the adventure/journey portion of the story. I would read a few pages and then close the book and find something else to do. Finally I had to force myself to sit down and finish it so I could move on to other books. I did like the beginning with Landon's family, the visit to the library, the concept of being swallowed by a giant book of meanings, and the way several verses from the Bible were worked into the story without being preachy. I also bought the second book in this series, but it won't be high on my list of "must read soon" books.
January 4, 2018
I used to absolutely ADORE these books, and as I was cleaning out my closet and found all my old copies I figured I should give them a re-read. I was prepared for this book to be totally cringey and for me to look back and shake my head at my younger self, but it was... Actually pretty great? Lots of distinct and creative fantasy, interesting situations (I get all the stuff about “Odds” now that I didn’t when I was younger and I think it’s pretty clever), and even though it is definitely a Christian book, I didn’t think it seemed too preachy and still managed to tell a memorable story with fun characters. Sure, some of this is probably the nostalgia talking, and if I had picked it up for the first time today I probably only would have given it three stars, but all in all I appreciate it and I’m glad it was a part of my childhood.
June 2, 2025
I know this is a kids' book and I'm reading it as an adult, but I definitely wanted to give it a review! I was reading this one because I wanted something simpler for the month, and I'm glad I picked this one.
The story is definitely geared toward children, but that doesn't mean that an adult can't enjoy it who enjoys children's books! For myself, I found myself heartily enjoying Mortenson's writing style and POV! The writing style was extremely evocative and it brought to live vivid images with simple words. I remember reading one chapter where it said Landon's heart was beating as if he'd stuck his finger in the cage of a rabid dog and I could feel my own mind reminding me what that felt like. The author used several similes such as these and it really brought a lot of emotions and feelings to life! Dare I say, a lot of Landon's POV as he was figuring things out from the perspective of an 11 year old boy is better than a lot of adult POVs that I've written simply because it was real. Sometimes I get tired of the "her heart raced" "his breathing quickened" because they're used so much that I tend to glance over them, but this little book made images like this so real you could feel them! :)
The story itself was enjoyable. I really, really enjoyed the enchanted forest bit. When Landon first entered into the land, from that time onto the chessboard, I confess I started to lose interest a little bit as it was somewhat random, but it was all part of the riddle he was solving. And that's how we met Melech. Melech was my favorite character. (Being a Hebrew student, I also love the name!)
I enjoyed the spiritual theme woven in. I'm not sure how I feel about the verse from Acts being used in this context. "In the end times, young men shall see visions and old men shall dream dreams." I feel like the verse was taken out of context and applied to a fantasy novel, but other than that, I really enjoyed the spiritual theme being woven in - that there is a Creator who gives meaning. I do wish that Landon could have spent more time on the answer. I did feel like his discovery of the riddle was kind of rushed. The answer didn't really come up until the second to last chapter when he was suddenly like, "Oh, no, it has to be this!" But! I still enjoyed it.
I would recommend this to my nieces to read as I feel like they'd enjoy it! Great job on the writing style. I might even want to read book two! I enjoyed it that much. ;)
The story is definitely geared toward children, but that doesn't mean that an adult can't enjoy it who enjoys children's books! For myself, I found myself heartily enjoying Mortenson's writing style and POV! The writing style was extremely evocative and it brought to live vivid images with simple words. I remember reading one chapter where it said Landon's heart was beating as if he'd stuck his finger in the cage of a rabid dog and I could feel my own mind reminding me what that felt like. The author used several similes such as these and it really brought a lot of emotions and feelings to life! Dare I say, a lot of Landon's POV as he was figuring things out from the perspective of an 11 year old boy is better than a lot of adult POVs that I've written simply because it was real. Sometimes I get tired of the "her heart raced" "his breathing quickened" because they're used so much that I tend to glance over them, but this little book made images like this so real you could feel them! :)
The story itself was enjoyable. I really, really enjoyed the enchanted forest bit. When Landon first entered into the land, from that time onto the chessboard, I confess I started to lose interest a little bit as it was somewhat random, but it was all part of the riddle he was solving. And that's how we met Melech. Melech was my favorite character. (Being a Hebrew student, I also love the name!)
I enjoyed the spiritual theme woven in. I'm not sure how I feel about the verse from Acts being used in this context. "In the end times, young men shall see visions and old men shall dream dreams." I feel like the verse was taken out of context and applied to a fantasy novel, but other than that, I really enjoyed the spiritual theme being woven in - that there is a Creator who gives meaning. I do wish that Landon could have spent more time on the answer. I did feel like his discovery of the riddle was kind of rushed. The answer didn't really come up until the second to last chapter when he was suddenly like, "Oh, no, it has to be this!" But! I still enjoyed it.
I would recommend this to my nieces to read as I feel like they'd enjoy it! Great job on the writing style. I might even want to read book two! I enjoyed it that much. ;)
November 11, 2019
This is an adorable book! It's like a mix of Alice in Wonderland, The Phantom Tollbooth, and Adventures in Odyssey. During a family visit to his grandparent's home Landon Snow has been gifted an old Bible and a stone that has the word 'dream' inscribed upon it. He crosses into a mysterious land by way of a tunnel that isn't really there and a large library whose benefactor was the original owner of Landon's Bible. While in this land Landon must solve a riddle. He meets many new friends and ends up understanding that God is the master creator. He returns home and keeps the adventure to himself, eagerly hoping he will be able to go back.
This would be a fun read aloud, but I think also good to read alone; some of the funny bits have to do with mistaking one word for another or mistaking the spelling of a word, so being able to see the differences may make it more fun for the reader.
This would be a fun read aloud, but I think also good to read alone; some of the funny bits have to do with mistaking one word for another or mistaking the spelling of a word, so being able to see the differences may make it more fun for the reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2025
I felt like the middle felt a little directionless and episodic, and that really took something away for me. I felt like the opening was strong and the ending felt a bit forced, but the middle was where this struggled.
May 16, 2024
I can’t wait until my Grandson is a bit older so he can read this. This was such a fun book.
November 20, 2025
I love the plot and I can't wait to finish the series. I will always recommend this book to whoever asks.
September 30, 2014
Landon Snow is a logical 11-year-old who likes it when things have reasons. Which is why it's so upsetting when his grandfather has an accident the night before his birthday. While he's struggling to deal with the lack of reason behind the accident, Landon stumbles across a secret passage, then a mystery in the library. His attempt to read the Book of Meanings catapults him to another world where nothing makes much sense at all.
Ultimately I think this book tried to work on several levels, and that was why it failed. It begins strongly, with Landon and his family going to visit his grandparents. Landon's distress over the accident leads to his questions about whether life has meaning---an ambitious direction for any book. I had an "ah-hah!" moment halfway through, when the meaningless adventure in a nameless fantasy land seemed to be a contrast to the story's overall idea of meaning, but any deeper reading of the plot still fails to excuse the fact that Landon spends the entire adventure hardly thinking about meaning at all.
Most of the journey is Landon running from one place to another. Random things happen. Landon then goes to a different set of random things. With the Auctor's Riddle repeated a half-dozen times or more at the start, I expected to see something along the lines of Landon discovering the vast diversity of life or the complexity of the life cycle, as he is being asked to answer if mere chance could explain how neatly the world's species fit together. Or at least have an actual adventure, rather than simply reacting to everything by running away or getting captured.
There is no attempt to cohesively explain where he went or why things worked out the way they did, other than a hint that at least some of it may have been a dream. The Odds take the biggest section of the journey, and once it's revealed they actually ARE odds (think 3-to-1 or one-in-a-hundred) they go away again, with nothing said about the evil that came and changed their forest. Or what the Odds actually are to this world, or what they do.
I agree with the answer to the riddle, but I don't see that Landon deserved to get it. He never thinks about God at all, only a few religious things like saying grace. It's hard to see how he concluded that was the answer other than handwaving it off as his religious upbringing must have taught him that sometime off-page.
Overall I think this had a good idea but poor direction. The insanity that was the middle nearly drove me to put down the book, and I certainly won't be reading it again. I rate this book Not Recommended.
Ultimately I think this book tried to work on several levels, and that was why it failed. It begins strongly, with Landon and his family going to visit his grandparents. Landon's distress over the accident leads to his questions about whether life has meaning---an ambitious direction for any book. I had an "ah-hah!" moment halfway through, when the meaningless adventure in a nameless fantasy land seemed to be a contrast to the story's overall idea of meaning, but any deeper reading of the plot still fails to excuse the fact that Landon spends the entire adventure hardly thinking about meaning at all.
Most of the journey is Landon running from one place to another. Random things happen. Landon then goes to a different set of random things. With the Auctor's Riddle repeated a half-dozen times or more at the start, I expected to see something along the lines of Landon discovering the vast diversity of life or the complexity of the life cycle, as he is being asked to answer if mere chance could explain how neatly the world's species fit together. Or at least have an actual adventure, rather than simply reacting to everything by running away or getting captured.
There is no attempt to cohesively explain where he went or why things worked out the way they did, other than a hint that at least some of it may have been a dream. The Odds take the biggest section of the journey, and once it's revealed they actually ARE odds (think 3-to-1 or one-in-a-hundred) they go away again, with nothing said about the evil that came and changed their forest. Or what the Odds actually are to this world, or what they do.
I agree with the answer to the riddle, but I don't see that Landon deserved to get it. He never thinks about God at all, only a few religious things like saying grace. It's hard to see how he concluded that was the answer other than handwaving it off as his religious upbringing must have taught him that sometime off-page.
Overall I think this had a good idea but poor direction. The insanity that was the middle nearly drove me to put down the book, and I certainly won't be reading it again. I rate this book Not Recommended.
October 18, 2018
Landon Snow looks forward to the trip to visit his grandparents in Button Up, Minnesota. His Grandpa Karl always takes them to visit the Button Up Library (known as the BUL), which is the oldest and largest privately funded library in the state. Grandpa Karl tells Landon and his family the legend of Bartholomew G. Benneford, the man who acquired all of the books in the library, and the mysterious way he led his life.
Landon heads to bed with his mind full of stories, excited to visit the BUL in the morning. But late that night, Grandpa Karl is injured in an accident and Landon's dad takes him to the hospital. Landon is frustrated and can't understand why the accident happened - does God really exist? And if God is real, does he care about the little things, or is everything an accident? Suddenly, a big bookcase in the room where Landon is sleeping opens up and reveals a passage. Curious, Landon follows the tunnel and finds himself in the Button Up Library.
His journey begins with a riddle he finds in the library. And an even bigger adventure awaits Landon - in which he travels into a magical land filled with strange creatures, talking horses, and mysterious events. Will Landon be able to solve the riddle, or will he be stuck in this world forever?
Landon Snow And the Auctor's Riddle begins a fantastic new series about a young boy seeking answers to life's tough questions. For readers who are looking for a fantasy book with a Christian worldview, Landon and his pals are sure to satisfy. But the faith message doesn't overshadow the story's magical adventures, which will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy.
Landon is an endearing and curious character, thrown into a land that offers more puzzles than answers for him. The friends he meets along the way - a talking horse named Melech, interesting creatures called Odds, and a helpful girl named Ditty - assist him in solving the mystery posed by the riddle - is life just based on circumstance, or is there a bigger picture? The creative and clever ways the author answers this question are sure to entertain and enlighten readers.
If you're looking for a fantasy adventure that is a little out of the ordinary and incorporates a Christian message, then pick up Landon Snow And the Auctor's Riddle. And be on the lookout for book two of the series, Landon Snow And the Shadows of Malus Quidam, in which Landon's sister Holly succumbs to an evil force in the land of the Odds.
Landon heads to bed with his mind full of stories, excited to visit the BUL in the morning. But late that night, Grandpa Karl is injured in an accident and Landon's dad takes him to the hospital. Landon is frustrated and can't understand why the accident happened - does God really exist? And if God is real, does he care about the little things, or is everything an accident? Suddenly, a big bookcase in the room where Landon is sleeping opens up and reveals a passage. Curious, Landon follows the tunnel and finds himself in the Button Up Library.
His journey begins with a riddle he finds in the library. And an even bigger adventure awaits Landon - in which he travels into a magical land filled with strange creatures, talking horses, and mysterious events. Will Landon be able to solve the riddle, or will he be stuck in this world forever?
Landon Snow And the Auctor's Riddle begins a fantastic new series about a young boy seeking answers to life's tough questions. For readers who are looking for a fantasy book with a Christian worldview, Landon and his pals are sure to satisfy. But the faith message doesn't overshadow the story's magical adventures, which will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy.
Landon is an endearing and curious character, thrown into a land that offers more puzzles than answers for him. The friends he meets along the way - a talking horse named Melech, interesting creatures called Odds, and a helpful girl named Ditty - assist him in solving the mystery posed by the riddle - is life just based on circumstance, or is there a bigger picture? The creative and clever ways the author answers this question are sure to entertain and enlighten readers.
If you're looking for a fantasy adventure that is a little out of the ordinary and incorporates a Christian message, then pick up Landon Snow And the Auctor's Riddle. And be on the lookout for book two of the series, Landon Snow And the Shadows of Malus Quidam, in which Landon's sister Holly succumbs to an evil force in the land of the Odds.
January 5, 2013
This book was absolutely wonderful. I first read it when I was probably about 11 or 12, but I think I will always be fond of it even into adulthood. There are scenes in this book (and really the whole series) that make me want to cry and scenes that make me laugh. All of the characters are so well written, especially Landon, Melech, Ditty ,and Ludo. I think most of the reviews on here are by adults, and a lot of them don't think it's so great but I still love it. It was written for children, but just like C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" series, it's just as poignant for adults.
Just writing this review is making me want to read the book again ;)
Just writing this review is making me want to read the book again ;)
November 16, 2009
This was ok. I was expecting to like it much more than I did. The writing was sometimes hard to follow, I found my mind wandering alot. It seemed like there was no point to the story. It wasn't until the last page of the adventure part of the story that you finally got what the point was. I did like that part. Overall the book was missing something, not quite sure what. I doubt I'll read the other two books in the trilogy (even though my middle daughter really liked the books, admittedly though she doesn't remember the first book very much).
July 25, 2016
This book just seemed to drag on. Landon's adventures were more just something to get through than fun or exciting or interesting, and I didn't see how any of them contributed to what Landon was supposed to be learning or figuring out.
Part of the problem may have been the laid-back style of the narrator, but I will not be reading or listening to any more of this series.
Part of the problem may have been the laid-back style of the narrator, but I will not be reading or listening to any more of this series.
October 26, 2021
This was my very first book. Before reading this boom I had thought of reading as boring and ugh. This book had raken me 3 months to read due to me being stubborn but after reading it. I HAD BEEN hooked. The second book had been finished within a week.
No I am reading it for my sister and she loves it.
No I am reading it for my sister and she loves it.
abandoned
October 2, 2012This looked like it would be good and it might have gotten better, but the first 10-15 pages were all descriptive of the family and things around them...so pretty much nothing happened. My kids said they were bored so we read something else. Not sure if we'll try this again or not.
November 8, 2016
T H O U G H T S:
oh, this book was my childhood. i'm tempted to give it five stars just because thinking of the nostalgia warms my heart so.
R A T I N G:
plot // 3
pacing // 3
language // 3
story world // 4
protagonist // 4
antagonist // 3
secondary characters // 2
3.5 stars
oh, this book was my childhood. i'm tempted to give it five stars just because thinking of the nostalgia warms my heart so.
R A T I N G:
plot // 3
pacing // 3
language // 3
story world // 4
protagonist // 4
antagonist // 3
secondary characters // 2
3.5 stars
January 19, 2009
Kia and I are currently reading this book chapter by chapter and really enjoying it. It's a great book to read aloud.
October 13, 2014
I liked odds and melech and the BUL and the book of meanings and ludo and the coin flip and the egg shaped man and the weigh down and how melech was smart
Want to read
December 10, 2012Aaah I read this when I was like 11 and I still think its amazing!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews