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Outlaws of Time #2
The Song of Glory and Ghost
From the bestselling author of 100 Cupboards comes the second book in a one-of-a-kind middle grade time travel series that is perfect for fans of Soman Chainani's School for Good and Evil books.
Sam Miracle never thought that his future could lie in the past. But after leaping through centuries at the side of a mystical time walker, Sam and his best friend, Glory, know that the next morning’s sun could belong to yesterday as easily as tomorrow.
But no day is safe. Since the Vulture escaped, Sam and Glory’s greatest nemesis has left no time nor place unmarked by his path of destruction. At least Sam and Glory have Peter, the youngest version of their mentor, Father Tiempo, to help repair the sands of time . . . until they don’t.
Determined to save their friend from the Vulture’s clutches, Sam and Glory put their trust in Ghost, a creature from before time itself. But now, the sidekick must fill the legend’s shoes, the hero must play backup, and the powers they have yet to discover might just hold the key to protecting every last second for eons to come.
Sam Miracle never thought that his future could lie in the past. But after leaping through centuries at the side of a mystical time walker, Sam and his best friend, Glory, know that the next morning’s sun could belong to yesterday as easily as tomorrow.
But no day is safe. Since the Vulture escaped, Sam and Glory’s greatest nemesis has left no time nor place unmarked by his path of destruction. At least Sam and Glory have Peter, the youngest version of their mentor, Father Tiempo, to help repair the sands of time . . . until they don’t.
Determined to save their friend from the Vulture’s clutches, Sam and Glory put their trust in Ghost, a creature from before time itself. But now, the sidekick must fill the legend’s shoes, the hero must play backup, and the powers they have yet to discover might just hold the key to protecting every last second for eons to come.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2017
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1012 people want to read
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April 13, 2017
One of the marks of a great writer is what Owen Barfield called “presence of mind,” which he used to describe his good friend C.S. Lewis, meaning this: “What he thought about everything was secretly present in what he said about anything.” Wherever Lewis went, there he was. The truths he believed resided so deep in his bones, they flowed inevitably into every story and sermon and poem he wrote.
By now, N.D. Wilson has produced enough for the same to be manifestly true of him. His most beloved themes (distilled in his two nonfiction works, Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl and Death by Living) are incarnated in every children’s novel to date: courage, self-sacrifice, thanksgiving, feasting, wonder at the world, laughter in the face of evil, joy in our own finitude, faith in the God of perfect stories.
In Book 2 of Outlaws of Time, the prevailing theme is two-pronged: reverence and gratitude for old age, and therefore fearlessness in the face of death. Do not dread or deny the advancing years, but wear them stately and heavy like a crown. We are not meant to be young and wrinkle-free forever; our bodies are meant to change, to be given away, to be "lovely as a ripened field; rich as an ancient tree still bearing fruit in her final season." Wilson develops this theme not primarily in Sam Miracle, the hero of the first book, but—surprise—Glory. And that’s just one of the fun shifts in Book 2.
Book 1 was a chase; cat and mouse; hunt while hunted. Book 2 is a race against time, through time, outside of time, in many times, sometimes spinning through various times in a little hamster ball of your own time. If you’re dizzy, you should be.
In The Song of Glory and Ghost, we trade the oven-baked desert of Arizona for Wilson’s own stomping grounds in the moody Pacific northwest. The setting—a post-apocalyptic world largely destroyed by the Vulture, lawless bands of survivors claiming territories and camping out in abandoned mansions—employs a popular motif in modern entertainment. (Think The Walking Dead, The Maze Runner, The Last Ship.)
It’s a timely switch-up for Wilson. The motif could easily feel cliché, but he wards this off with a characteristically robust and inspiring cast (you’ve never met anyone quite like Ghost, hands-down the best new character) and high-spirited theology. The result feels like listening to your favorite artist cover a familiar song; the pleasure lies in recognizing the old theme and appreciating how this new recording sounds.
I hate spoilers, so I’ll keep the plot recap simple. The Vulture is wounded and dangerous. Young Peter is in mortal danger, and because he must grow up to become the old man who saves Sam in Book 1, this puts Sam in mortal danger, and because Sam is the only one who can defeat the Vulture, the life of the entire world is at stake.
Enter Wilson’s new superhero: Glory. If you’re a Sam fan, get ready to have the hero take a backseat while the sidekick is promoted. It’s a testament to Sam’s coolness that I missed hanging out with him, but Glory is truly tremendous. Equipped with terrifying new skills she can’t (yet) control, she must journey back in time and rescue Peter from the wrong death, thus preserving his future death as an old man in which he sacrifices himself to save Sam.
She is far braver than I ever would be. Every superhero fumbles around with their new powers at first, but forget Ironman accidentally torching his cars or Spiderman missing a skyscraper—this is no fun and games. The scariest scene Wilson has ever penned is when Glory is testing her new gift. (Look for it on pages 204-206.)
Throw in revolting new villains, a redheaded fangirl, a bearded pirate with a questionable moral compass, the same entertaining Lost Boys (but with more screen time), hellish sea monsters, and a mysterious white-haired demon, and you’ve got the funnest middle-grade adventure I’ve read since, well, Book 1.
Here’s the truth that sank home for me. Glory’s mission (and her gusto for it) reminds me of Gandalf’s oft-quoted words to Frodo: “All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.” And Boniface, less well-known but just as good: “I know I shall die, and I shall die on time. Therefore, I must make the most of the moments between here and there.”
What does this mean? Our greatest mission is to die the deaths we are meant to die. They are already written—so chase them. How? Every moment you live, you are dying; how you live is, naturally, how you die. So if you’re living for others, you’re dying for them.
Peter dies multiple times. So does Sam. So can we. Die in little things, big things, dishes, car rides, diapers, picking up chores for your sister, stopping to talk with the nagging acquaintance who never has anything interesting to say. Spill your years like wine. Spend them like money lavished at Christmas. Give till you're gone. Receive Glory’s charge: "Take up the life that is yours. Walk the lonely winding roads to the deaths that are yours. Live with open hands."
Just like old age, the right death, the timely death, the daily death, is a crown. Welcome to its weight.
Live well, die well, and you will hear glory, hallelujah.
By now, N.D. Wilson has produced enough for the same to be manifestly true of him. His most beloved themes (distilled in his two nonfiction works, Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl and Death by Living) are incarnated in every children’s novel to date: courage, self-sacrifice, thanksgiving, feasting, wonder at the world, laughter in the face of evil, joy in our own finitude, faith in the God of perfect stories.
In Book 2 of Outlaws of Time, the prevailing theme is two-pronged: reverence and gratitude for old age, and therefore fearlessness in the face of death. Do not dread or deny the advancing years, but wear them stately and heavy like a crown. We are not meant to be young and wrinkle-free forever; our bodies are meant to change, to be given away, to be "lovely as a ripened field; rich as an ancient tree still bearing fruit in her final season." Wilson develops this theme not primarily in Sam Miracle, the hero of the first book, but—surprise—Glory. And that’s just one of the fun shifts in Book 2.
Book 1 was a chase; cat and mouse; hunt while hunted. Book 2 is a race against time, through time, outside of time, in many times, sometimes spinning through various times in a little hamster ball of your own time. If you’re dizzy, you should be.
In The Song of Glory and Ghost, we trade the oven-baked desert of Arizona for Wilson’s own stomping grounds in the moody Pacific northwest. The setting—a post-apocalyptic world largely destroyed by the Vulture, lawless bands of survivors claiming territories and camping out in abandoned mansions—employs a popular motif in modern entertainment. (Think The Walking Dead, The Maze Runner, The Last Ship.)
It’s a timely switch-up for Wilson. The motif could easily feel cliché, but he wards this off with a characteristically robust and inspiring cast (you’ve never met anyone quite like Ghost, hands-down the best new character) and high-spirited theology. The result feels like listening to your favorite artist cover a familiar song; the pleasure lies in recognizing the old theme and appreciating how this new recording sounds.
I hate spoilers, so I’ll keep the plot recap simple. The Vulture is wounded and dangerous. Young Peter is in mortal danger, and because he must grow up to become the old man who saves Sam in Book 1, this puts Sam in mortal danger, and because Sam is the only one who can defeat the Vulture, the life of the entire world is at stake.
Enter Wilson’s new superhero: Glory. If you’re a Sam fan, get ready to have the hero take a backseat while the sidekick is promoted. It’s a testament to Sam’s coolness that I missed hanging out with him, but Glory is truly tremendous. Equipped with terrifying new skills she can’t (yet) control, she must journey back in time and rescue Peter from the wrong death, thus preserving his future death as an old man in which he sacrifices himself to save Sam.
She is far braver than I ever would be. Every superhero fumbles around with their new powers at first, but forget Ironman accidentally torching his cars or Spiderman missing a skyscraper—this is no fun and games. The scariest scene Wilson has ever penned is when Glory is testing her new gift. (Look for it on pages 204-206.)
Throw in revolting new villains, a redheaded fangirl, a bearded pirate with a questionable moral compass, the same entertaining Lost Boys (but with more screen time), hellish sea monsters, and a mysterious white-haired demon, and you’ve got the funnest middle-grade adventure I’ve read since, well, Book 1.
Here’s the truth that sank home for me. Glory’s mission (and her gusto for it) reminds me of Gandalf’s oft-quoted words to Frodo: “All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us.” And Boniface, less well-known but just as good: “I know I shall die, and I shall die on time. Therefore, I must make the most of the moments between here and there.”
What does this mean? Our greatest mission is to die the deaths we are meant to die. They are already written—so chase them. How? Every moment you live, you are dying; how you live is, naturally, how you die. So if you’re living for others, you’re dying for them.
Peter dies multiple times. So does Sam. So can we. Die in little things, big things, dishes, car rides, diapers, picking up chores for your sister, stopping to talk with the nagging acquaintance who never has anything interesting to say. Spill your years like wine. Spend them like money lavished at Christmas. Give till you're gone. Receive Glory’s charge: "Take up the life that is yours. Walk the lonely winding roads to the deaths that are yours. Live with open hands."
Just like old age, the right death, the timely death, the daily death, is a crown. Welcome to its weight.
Live well, die well, and you will hear glory, hallelujah.
July 9, 2017
Fantastic book. Not enough action though.
June 15, 2019
I was determined to finish this before the release date, and have made it by the skin of my teeth.
About three decades ago, I introduced a friend to the novels of Charles Williams. "I'm not entirely sure what he's saying," my friend told me after reading one, "but I agree." That's kind of how I'm feeling about this latest from N. D. Wilson. I know there is so much more here than my feeble mind was able to process on this first trip through, but what I could grasp I gobbled up, and it was feast enough for now.
Mostly I got what I always get from Wilson's books, an exhortation summed up by a line of dialogue in chapter 11: "...you need courage beyond measure and a heart always pouring but never emptied." In other words, you need heart and heart -- heart that faces enemies (including the ones inside) without flinching, and heart that fills neighbors (including, at times, enemies) without failing. I know I don't have that kind of heart (I've long found it ironic that I'm named valorous), but Wilson just keeps hammering the message that I need it and what it looks like to have it. And I keep letting him whack me on the head in hopes the message will get through.
Anyway...Glory was my favorite character in the first book, and, to my delight, she gets top billing here. She has both hearts in spades (without requiring so many clubs). A heroine as worthy of emulation as any I've met in literature. The action was so wild and crazy that I couldn't always keep up, but I'm sure I'll catch more on subsequent readings.
And go read Gwen's review, which is much smarter than mine.
About three decades ago, I introduced a friend to the novels of Charles Williams. "I'm not entirely sure what he's saying," my friend told me after reading one, "but I agree." That's kind of how I'm feeling about this latest from N. D. Wilson. I know there is so much more here than my feeble mind was able to process on this first trip through, but what I could grasp I gobbled up, and it was feast enough for now.
Mostly I got what I always get from Wilson's books, an exhortation summed up by a line of dialogue in chapter 11: "...you need courage beyond measure and a heart always pouring but never emptied." In other words, you need heart and heart -- heart that faces enemies (including the ones inside) without flinching, and heart that fills neighbors (including, at times, enemies) without failing. I know I don't have that kind of heart (I've long found it ironic that I'm named valorous), but Wilson just keeps hammering the message that I need it and what it looks like to have it. And I keep letting him whack me on the head in hopes the message will get through.
Anyway...Glory was my favorite character in the first book, and, to my delight, she gets top billing here. She has both hearts in spades (without requiring so many clubs). A heroine as worthy of emulation as any I've met in literature. The action was so wild and crazy that I couldn't always keep up, but I'm sure I'll catch more on subsequent readings.
And go read Gwen's review, which is much smarter than mine.
April 20, 2017
Wilson has done it again - a whirling racing tale of good vs. evil. It's imaginative to the extreme, a rare imagination. The characters are ones you can love or hate as needed. A tremendous feat but also one I've come to expect from one of my favorite story tellers.
June 27, 2021
I absolutely love this book. The story is excellent. The values are wonderful. It's a book I'm glad to have on my bookshelf.
I really enjoyed this one as a re-read. I got a lot more out of it and caught more literary references which I appreciated.
I really enjoyed this one as a re-read. I got a lot more out of it and caught more literary references which I appreciated.
January 10, 2018
At a glance, I see I am in the minority here with my rating, and I get it. I really, really wanted to like this book and so much of this book I absolutely loved, but the rest of the book was a mess of “whaaaa?” and “how is this happening?” .
The pacing is...not great, and goes from dead slow to jackrabbiting around in such a way that you can’t tell which way is forward....and not just because of the massive amount of mind-bending time travel in this book.
Which brings me to...time travel. I think we get bogged down in the strength of his imagination in this one. I struggle with this because I know I’m above age of the intended audience, but I still think I should at least be able to figure out what is going on and how. Half the time I cannot visualize what on earth Glory is doing and I certainly don’t understand how. Sometimes it seems like each time transfer is a parallel universe and sometimes it seems decidedly not. Confusing, IMO.
However, some things about this book are perfect! The actual story itself is amazing. The characters are excellent. Even the ones we just get glimpses of, and the new ones introduced. The dialogue is excellent, the ending is wonderful, and the friendship between Sam and Glory is beautiful. So lots to love about it, but the action writing leaves a bit to be desired and could use a bit more straight forwardness, I think.
The pacing is...not great, and goes from dead slow to jackrabbiting around in such a way that you can’t tell which way is forward....and not just because of the massive amount of mind-bending time travel in this book.
Which brings me to...time travel. I think we get bogged down in the strength of his imagination in this one. I struggle with this because I know I’m above age of the intended audience, but I still think I should at least be able to figure out what is going on and how. Half the time I cannot visualize what on earth Glory is doing and I certainly don’t understand how. Sometimes it seems like each time transfer is a parallel universe and sometimes it seems decidedly not. Confusing, IMO.
However, some things about this book are perfect! The actual story itself is amazing. The characters are excellent. Even the ones we just get glimpses of, and the new ones introduced. The dialogue is excellent, the ending is wonderful, and the friendship between Sam and Glory is beautiful. So lots to love about it, but the action writing leaves a bit to be desired and could use a bit more straight forwardness, I think.
November 26, 2017
Guys.
Really.
Summing up is not my strong point. This was grand, really. The first of Nate's that could be said to have a relationship... But it's like, cool and chill and not weird. There's a tease of a love triangle that is literally a joke, and that's actually pretty hilarious.
But neither of those are the point, of course. The point is giving of your life and time for the lives and times of others. The point is being brave even when it's lonely and costly and boring. The point is that bravery doesn't fit in a box. Sometimes bravery is facing the foe and shedding blood and being a hero. And sometimes bravery is cooking soup in the kitchen when you would rather throw a punch into the wall and cry a thousand angry tears.
So yeah. A lot of beautiful perspective and phrasing and characters and conflict and friendships.
10/10 recommend.
Really.
Summing up is not my strong point. This was grand, really. The first of Nate's that could be said to have a relationship... But it's like, cool and chill and not weird. There's a tease of a love triangle that is literally a joke, and that's actually pretty hilarious.
But neither of those are the point, of course. The point is giving of your life and time for the lives and times of others. The point is being brave even when it's lonely and costly and boring. The point is that bravery doesn't fit in a box. Sometimes bravery is facing the foe and shedding blood and being a hero. And sometimes bravery is cooking soup in the kitchen when you would rather throw a punch into the wall and cry a thousand angry tears.
So yeah. A lot of beautiful perspective and phrasing and characters and conflict and friendships.
10/10 recommend.
April 24, 2017
I love Glory.
March 25, 2019
some of it was really beautiful. much love.
I do find it hard to follow along with some of Wilson's action scenes. they're kinda hard for me to picture, but maybe I'm just reading too fast? how the sand and glass tunnels worked was a bit confusing.
it was interesting and odd how he mixed so many different mythologies?
but I did really like it - not as much as the first though. but I think my love for Glory and Sam has grown, and probably the others as well. guess that's what happens when you get to know people better.
I do find it hard to follow along with some of Wilson's action scenes. they're kinda hard for me to picture, but maybe I'm just reading too fast? how the sand and glass tunnels worked was a bit confusing.
it was interesting and odd how he mixed so many different mythologies?
but I did really like it - not as much as the first though. but I think my love for Glory and Sam has grown, and probably the others as well. guess that's what happens when you get to know people better.
May 16, 2017
There was so much to love in this book. Probably the thing I enjoyed most is that Glory, our spunky girl sidekick from Book #1, is the heroine in this book, with Sam Miracle playing sidekick in his own story. And the truly refreshing thing? Both of them are operating at full 300% awesome levels, because for them, it's not a competition. They're there to help each other, not put each other down. It's a dynamic I wish I saw more of in fiction.
There was plenty of other good stuff too. This book is a little more overtly theological than probably most of his books, but Wilson does it in a way that's beautiful, not preachy. The showdown at the end is deeply satisfying (and resolves stuff so well that now I'm not sure if there's even going to be another book?). The fantastic elements, as always in a ND Wilson book, are outrageously out-there; there's one scene where Glory is losing control of her newfound powers, which is pretty incredible on a pure speculative-fiction level. And there are Peter Pan references and Millicent Miracle being terrific (after not really being there at all in Book 1) and Aztec demonesses and a not-remotely-cliched postapocalyptic setting.
However...*sigh*...I'm still waiting for Wilson to write a 5-star read. The Song of Glory and Ghost has bits in it that I think I like better than anything else Wilson has ever written, but once again, I feel the book is just too packed with noise - chaotic, fast-paced action. The speculative-fiction stuff got so weird on a number of occasions that I simply couldn't visualise any of the logistics of what was going on, and just read on in muddled confusion. Some supporting characters were mildly annoying and other were awesome (ahem, GHOST!) but I would have liked to see them better used in the story. And finally (maybe a super analytical niggly thing) I would have liked to see Glory earn her power level-ups, instead of being granted them for no apparent reason in the middle of the action. I don't know. Maybe that's a bit too picky.
In conclusion, Wilson hits highs and middles in this book. If you already love Wilson, you'll find everything you wanted here. If you don't, maybe start with what's still my favourite, Boys of Blur.
There was plenty of other good stuff too. This book is a little more overtly theological than probably most of his books, but Wilson does it in a way that's beautiful, not preachy. The showdown at the end is deeply satisfying (and resolves stuff so well that now I'm not sure if there's even going to be another book?). The fantastic elements, as always in a ND Wilson book, are outrageously out-there; there's one scene where Glory is losing control of her newfound powers, which is pretty incredible on a pure speculative-fiction level. And there are Peter Pan references and Millicent Miracle being terrific (after not really being there at all in Book 1) and Aztec demonesses and a not-remotely-cliched postapocalyptic setting.
However...*sigh*...I'm still waiting for Wilson to write a 5-star read. The Song of Glory and Ghost has bits in it that I think I like better than anything else Wilson has ever written, but once again, I feel the book is just too packed with noise - chaotic, fast-paced action. The speculative-fiction stuff got so weird on a number of occasions that I simply couldn't visualise any of the logistics of what was going on, and just read on in muddled confusion. Some supporting characters were mildly annoying and other were awesome (ahem, GHOST!) but I would have liked to see them better used in the story. And finally (maybe a super analytical niggly thing) I would have liked to see Glory earn her power level-ups, instead of being granted them for no apparent reason in the middle of the action. I don't know. Maybe that's a bit too picky.
In conclusion, Wilson hits highs and middles in this book. If you already love Wilson, you'll find everything you wanted here. If you don't, maybe start with what's still my favourite, Boys of Blur.
April 15, 2025
I totally didn’t read this book when it came out like I thought I had… I think it was right before I went to college and it got lost in the void between childhood and adulthood. Which actually made me kind of sad to think about, that on one side I was 17 and starry eyed and devouring adventure books and then on the other side I was 21 and “too old” for fairytales. But the best thinkers know that saying you’ve grown out of fairy stories is silly talk, and this book was virtuous and creative and exciting just like its predecessor.
February 24, 2019
This one was SO AWESOME!!! And mind bending. And after reading the sneak peek of the next book I had to sit a minute while my brain exploded.
June 27, 2017
The. best. Me and my boys (6,5,& 3) LOVED this second installment of the series. We cannot wait for the next one!
May 5, 2017
I loved Book 1 so much perhaps I shouldn't have dared to read the sequel (as perhaps sequels must always disappoint, if only by nature of being different). Fun fantasy / time travel stuff again, but I was most impressed by the way the ending tied everything together oh so perfectly.
May 31, 2017
Raced through this sequel, and enjoyed it even more than the first (rare!). I liked the closure of each answered question, and that the plot wasn't riddled with "easy-outs", the usual plague of time-travel books. The end was woven together beautifully, and now I'm just waiting for the next N.D. Wilson book to come out!
June 2, 2017
Glory Spalding takes the spotlight in this fast-paced myth of timekeepers and time breakers. The few breaks in the action help advance the storyline by filling in the background that helps the reader make sense of the whirlwind of action.
Perhaps it is my own lack, as a reader, but I find large sections of Wilson's books almost incomprehensible and there are parts of this one that were like that. As odd as it may sound, Wilson is a good enough writer that I usually don't really care, because the story is so compelling that I simply can't put the book down.
Many of the themes from the first book are carried on in this one, and it is clear that Wilson has lofty ambitions with this book, and he really does deliver on them.
This was a really fun, satisfying read. Highly recommended.
Perhaps it is my own lack, as a reader, but I find large sections of Wilson's books almost incomprehensible and there are parts of this one that were like that. As odd as it may sound, Wilson is a good enough writer that I usually don't really care, because the story is so compelling that I simply can't put the book down.
Many of the themes from the first book are carried on in this one, and it is clear that Wilson has lofty ambitions with this book, and he really does deliver on them.
This was a really fun, satisfying read. Highly recommended.
May 24, 2017
Loved it. Had to deliberately slow myself down so I didn't whiz through it too fast. Loved the setting and how it ended.
June 18, 2017
I am the definition of a die hard fan of ND Wilson: it would be hard to make me not a fan. I love the characters, setting, feeling and voice of this book, blah, blah, blah.... I enjoyed reading it. Outside of Idaho, he could hardly find a more sympathetic reader.
But to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure what just happened. Don't ask me for a summary of the book. This may partly result from the fading memory of the first book, and I will grant that time travel is inherently confusing. But I have read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy involving various versions of time travel, and have never been so muddled. I could not comprehend the mechanism of travel, so there were many times when I simply could not picture what was happening. I would read a sentence, understand the English, but be utterly unable to decipher its referent.
And I still cannot understand the nature of the universe he describes. Are we dealing with parallel universes, alternate realities, potential futures or what?
And what is the significance of the names? does he just have 12 boys named after the disciples because he likes their names? And why Glory Hallelujah? And how do Father Time, and the Angel of Death factor in? I feel like Nate is making a point, but it's just too subtle.
On the verge of brilliant sometimes just means obscure. I'd like to read them again and see if I can get it, if I have time...
But to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure what just happened. Don't ask me for a summary of the book. This may partly result from the fading memory of the first book, and I will grant that time travel is inherently confusing. But I have read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy involving various versions of time travel, and have never been so muddled. I could not comprehend the mechanism of travel, so there were many times when I simply could not picture what was happening. I would read a sentence, understand the English, but be utterly unable to decipher its referent.
And I still cannot understand the nature of the universe he describes. Are we dealing with parallel universes, alternate realities, potential futures or what?
And what is the significance of the names? does he just have 12 boys named after the disciples because he likes their names? And why Glory Hallelujah? And how do Father Time, and the Angel of Death factor in? I feel like Nate is making a point, but it's just too subtle.
On the verge of brilliant sometimes just means obscure. I'd like to read them again and see if I can get it, if I have time...
December 20, 2022
dec 2022: here's another Wilson-ism I picked up today. Reading books on the plane is very interesting.
"Glory Hallelujah," Ghost said. "Dance with darkness, because you are the dawn. May every tongue of your fire burn white-hot against the chains imprisoning others. When your time is done and your life is spent, this will be the song Ghost sings of Glory when he gathers you in."
"Amen," Glory said. The word rose out of her and it felt right.
"This is the purpose for which you were made," Ghost said. "You will soar in this song of ours where only a few can hear, but those few are everything, and when you soar, you will make the rest more beautiful. To many, you will be a wind unseen, You will be the aroma of hope. To others, you must be fierce protection. And you cannot be that without also being destruction and fearless fire . . . There will be much pain. And in that pain, you will find your deepest joys, like the grapes find their wine."
(small wonder Mordecai from 100C is grapes, huh)
anyway this book is quite literally just a fever dream. I will NEVER begin to be able to understand it, and that's ok I think question mark
---
all i've got to say is go Glory Hallelujah!
2019: GLORY I LOVE YOU
2021: HOLY HECK GHOST AND GLORY xNJAIFJEOIALKJSF iM
"Glory Hallelujah," Ghost said. "Dance with darkness, because you are the dawn. May every tongue of your fire burn white-hot against the chains imprisoning others. When your time is done and your life is spent, this will be the song Ghost sings of Glory when he gathers you in."
"Amen," Glory said. The word rose out of her and it felt right.
"This is the purpose for which you were made," Ghost said. "You will soar in this song of ours where only a few can hear, but those few are everything, and when you soar, you will make the rest more beautiful. To many, you will be a wind unseen, You will be the aroma of hope. To others, you must be fierce protection. And you cannot be that without also being destruction and fearless fire . . . There will be much pain. And in that pain, you will find your deepest joys, like the grapes find their wine."
(small wonder Mordecai from 100C is grapes, huh)
anyway this book is quite literally just a fever dream. I will NEVER begin to be able to understand it, and that's ok I think question mark
---
all i've got to say is go Glory Hallelujah!
2019: GLORY I LOVE YOU
2021: HOLY HECK GHOST AND GLORY xNJAIFJEOIALKJSF iM
January 15, 2025
This book is the kind of balls to the wall no holds barred absolute insanity that only N.D. Wilson can come up with and it is so so so so so great
1/25 yeah just give the grim reaper a baseball cap why not
1/25 yeah just give the grim reaper a baseball cap why not
August 3, 2024
"𝑰𝒇 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
[☄️]— nothing less than 5✰ for sam, glory, and the lost boy gang <3 this was such a fun, cute, and exhilarating ride ! i love all these characters dearly, and i cannot wait to read book 3 !!
[☄️]— nothing less than 5✰ for sam, glory, and the lost boy gang <3 this was such a fun, cute, and exhilarating ride ! i love all these characters dearly, and i cannot wait to read book 3 !!
November 11, 2016
I'm eleven years old and this book is even better than the first one, and I'm probably going to read it again!!!:)
June 23, 2017
He's a great writer, I just wish his plots made more sense.
July 24, 2017
Glory got her wish. She didn't want a life that was safe, but one worth writing a book about. And it was!
July 21, 2025
When you cry at the end of a book, you know it's good.
July 23, 2021
Some mind-blowing time travel going on here. What can I say? It's N.D. Wilson, my children will be reading these books.
March 28, 2022
The story with this book series has been so refreshingly original it has been such a pleasure to read with my children. The ending of this book has me wondering what the next one holds and my wife and I have our bets out on what the next adventure will cover.
The only reason I give this a 4 star instead of a 5 star is because of the writing style applied in the book series. Wilson loves to use beautiful language throughout his books and tries very hard to paint a picture for the reader with many descriptions throughout the story. At times though, it seemed like we got lost in details that seemed unimportant to the story, and it seemed like the book dragged on more than it needed to. It can also be a bit challenging to read to your children with the way it is written and the sentence structures that he chooses. Overall though, the book series is definitely worth reading through and I am happy to take my family along through another Sam Miracle adventure.
The only reason I give this a 4 star instead of a 5 star is because of the writing style applied in the book series. Wilson loves to use beautiful language throughout his books and tries very hard to paint a picture for the reader with many descriptions throughout the story. At times though, it seemed like we got lost in details that seemed unimportant to the story, and it seemed like the book dragged on more than it needed to. It can also be a bit challenging to read to your children with the way it is written and the sentence structures that he chooses. Overall though, the book series is definitely worth reading through and I am happy to take my family along through another Sam Miracle adventure.
February 20, 2023
Ugh, time travel books. I could go on about how hard they are to follow and how much I have no idea what is going on or what the characters are trying to do or why being able to mess with time allows you to drive a motorcycle on water or where a whole bunch of Leviathans came from (and why were they so useless?) but I won't. I don't like time travel books. Nate is a really good author though and his themes and characters run deep.
Definitely my least favorite series of anything he's written. Still better than so much else I've read.
Definitely my least favorite series of anything he's written. Still better than so much else I've read.
August 30, 2019
I was totally confused the first time I read this. This time I could follow the plot fairly easily, but it did stall in some parts, and the time-travel wasn't always easy to grasp. On the other hand, the atmosphere is better in this book, and the development of (most of) the characters is satisfying. And of course, the ending is fantastic.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
November 15, 2017
Very good! kept me wide awake during the long afternoons of harvest, while I was operating a combine.
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