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Outlaws of Time #3
The Last of the Lost Boys
From the bestselling author of 100 Cupboards comes the spellbinding finale of the Outlaws of Time series, perfect for fans of Armand Baltazar’s Timeless: Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic or Soman Chainani’s School of Good and Evil series.
Alex always thought his life was boring at best. But when he learns that his favorite time-traveling heroes Sam and Glory are his real parents, Alex realizes he never needed to dream of an elsewhere. Just an elsewhen.
But when Alex sets out to find Father Tiempo, he is ambushed and transformed into the powerful villain El Terremento. Now there’s not a second to waste.
Unless Sam and Glory Miracle can stop the son they didn’t even know they were going to have—let alone lose—history will be unhinged, for good.
Alex always thought his life was boring at best. But when he learns that his favorite time-traveling heroes Sam and Glory are his real parents, Alex realizes he never needed to dream of an elsewhere. Just an elsewhen.
But when Alex sets out to find Father Tiempo, he is ambushed and transformed into the powerful villain El Terremento. Now there’s not a second to waste.
Unless Sam and Glory Miracle can stop the son they didn’t even know they were going to have—let alone lose—history will be unhinged, for good.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2018
32 people are currently reading
595 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 19, 2018
Alex tore his sweater off, and his Star Wars shirt beneath it. “You’re a witch,” he snarled, “and you’re going to die.”
Bestselling children’s novelist N.D. Wilson has produced his best and bloodiest yet in The Last of the Lost Boys, the rich and heady finale to the Outlaws of Time trilogy. It is his first novel that almost made me cry. And it is the only novel in my life that I immediately turned over and started again.
Here are heroes I want to be, children I want to raise, evils I want to fight, and above all, a God I already love. By the end, I was buzzing. I felt like someone had popped my lungs free and engorged my heart with twice the blood. It is a fire-breathing, intoxicating book.
Wilson began Outlaws 3 with a silent killer between his ears and finished it on the eve of invasive brain surgery to remove the tumor that had already destroyed all left-ear hearing. He named his would-be assassin “Steve,” whom he thanks in the afterword (cheerfully): “for leaving.”
Yes, thank you, Steve, for leaving. But thank you first for coming.
Is it too soon to detect a change in Wilson’s style? Not a sea change, but a strengthening of current. If Death by Living was a shout, The Last of the Lost Boys is a roar. Wilson’s anthem of faith in the Storyteller and thankfulness for this glad and rugged mortality rings with battle-tested zest. Operation Steve didn’t wobble any foundations. It proved them. And Wilson wears the scars with gale-force gratitude.
After all, he said, he’s done worse than partial deafness to his characters.
He certainly does far worse to Alex Monroe.
A Plot to Steal Your Heart
Lazy daydreamer 13-year-old Alex wants an adventure just like his favorite novels. But he is nothing like his beloved book heroes, and life in rural Idaho in 1982 seems unlikely to offer him a story remotely worth writing a book about—until he discovers his true parents are none other than Sam and Glory Miracle. When Mrs. Dervish invites Alex to inherit the Vulture’s powers, along with the truth about what happened to his parents, he makes a terrible choice…and is transformed into the supervillain El Terremoto.
Under Mrs. Dervish’s control, Alex is sent to the heart of the Aztec Empire to be not just a weapon in her hand, but meat on a hook to lure his future parents to his rescue—and their deaths. There, on the blood-soaked pyramids in the middle of a war between the Aztecs and Cortez, history will be remade. And Mrs. Dervish’s revenge will be complete.
Or Alex can refuse. And die.
Join Sam, Glory, Jude, Millie, and Father Tiempo as they race to stop Mrs. Dervish’s apocalypse—not just a battle for the world, but a battle for the soul of a lost boy. It all comes down to the question: Whose son will Alex be—Sam Miracle’s or the Vulture’s? Whom will he call mother—Glory or Mrs. Dervish?
“He Walked Down the Path of Villains…”
The Last of the Lost Boys gloriously recapitulates many of Wilson’s choicest themes but kicks everything up a notch. Try a lot of notches. This is straight 192-proof Wilson vodka. It is quite unlike him to pull his punches, but this firestorm will make you think he’s been going easy on us.
Brace for the bloodiest adventure yet. The violence isn’t just in hand-to-hand fighting. It’s in the mood. The setting. The pure scale of bloodshed. The fiendish climax goes down even as Aztecs are ripping out beating hearts (at a PG-13 distance). Heroes fall, catastrophe rains like hellfire, and there’s far worse in the wings… All because a single boy made a choice he knew was wrong.
Alex is a unique protagonist. We’ve seen heroes called away on quests, but now the hero is the quest. The villain doesn’t want to kill him or stop him or steal the dragon’s tooth, they want him. He is their ultimate weapon. The fresh setup creates a dire, heart-in-throat energy as we wonder, how can Alex ever un-become El Terremoto?
Which leads me to one of the book’s finest truths. Alex’s character development—from dreamer to villain to hero—graphically proves the importance of growing up on good stories. You’ll remember in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader that one of the reasons Eustace is such a disaster is that he’d read “none of the right books.” Alex’s biggest advantage is that he has. Though he makes a foolish choice, he at least knows the kind of hero he wishes he could be. His familiarity with good and evil is the only reason he hesitates at Mrs. Dervish’s offer; it sounds wrong. And this knowledge is ultimately what saves him. He doesn’t want to be Sauron, and he says so.
The grand overall point here is that heroes are made at home. The very worst of Alex results from “little” failures in everyday life, both his and his parents: excusing flaws, indulging weaknesses, refusing to fight the tiny dragons. But the very best of Alex is also the fruit of a father who laughs, a mother who cooks. He is the happy product of home-made bread, chores, laughter, sweatpants, bacon, Star Wars t-shirts, and stuffed animals.
Superheroes don’t spring fully grown from Zeus’s head. They come from duplexes.
Gratitude is Your Superpower
But now for that quality I mentioned at the beginning, a quality more potent in The Last of the Lost Boys than in any of Wilson’s other novels—what he calls “death by living.” The Wilson family’s personal motto, “death by living” has been a series regular for years now (notably in Ashtown three and Outlaws one and two), but what’s astonishing here is its intensity.
The idea is as faceted as a diamond and as heavy as a waterfall. It is the gladdest and fiercest of loves between husband and wife, parents and child, brother and sister, friend and friend. It is faith in the Author’s goodness. Laughter in death’s valley. The wild ache for adventure and all its bumps and bruises. Bone-deep hunger to live and die as heroes. Willingness, like Sam Miracle, to “suffer and bleed for any soul in any time, to hurl himself at any villain.” And perhaps especially, the overwhelming gratitude that crowns it all.
Wilson brings us home to a high hill from which he invites us to see the world as it really is. And embrace it. Eyes and arms wide open. Take the flawed characters. Take the old age. Take the stark grace in the shadows. Take life with its intense carnage and profound blessing. Take it all. With gratitude.
Warning: The Last of the Lost Boys won’t leave you alone. Like Alex, you will be changed. Because there’s only one place such gratitude can take you: into the grave.
You may not be called to wander the terrifying paths between times, or slay demonic monsters on the pinnacle of pyramids, or walk away from your baby in order to save the world. But you will be called to wander the terrifying paths between bouts of chemotherapy, to slay demons of self-pity and bitterness and lust, to walk away from the grave of the baby whom you buried in faith, knowing God will give him back in a sunny land where miscarriages have been put to death.
You may not be called to take a blade to your heart, but you will be called to stretch out on the cross minute by minute, choice by choice, in far less immediately glorious ways.
But not to worry. You will be raised on the other side. Hands that are empty are ready to receive back a far kinglier gift than that which they gave up. So let go the lazy life. Stop dreaming of being a hero, be the hero. Read the right books. Make breakfast. Shovel snow. Be faithful in little. The life of the world depends on ordinary people living ordinary lives with scrambled eggs and Christmas lights and bedtime stories.
Be the hero from the duplex.
December 21, 2022
dec 2022: good evening. It started pouring as soon as I walked outside so I went back into the hotel room and promptly decided to finish rereading this series.
I want to smack Rhonda so badly she makes decisions even more insane than Henrietta (who at least had a personality !). This book is utter chaos I will Never attempt to even try to figure it out. Shoutout to Sam and Glory and the Lost Boys yes cool characters. What kind of utterly unreasonable time streams are we working with! If Young S&G told Peter to tell Old S&G to not come bc of the deaths, then there wouldn't have been deaths/reason for them to tell Peter to tell Old S&G that - you get the point. Ye olde "time travel makes no sense." This violently reminds me of April 2019 & Marvel's Endgame & my absolute hatred for the time travel mechanics in that movie bc none of it comes out right (and even less w MoM canon but I digress).
Point is, absolutely cursed time streams or whatever the heck we are dealing with who even KNOWS absolutely not I. Does even Glory know question mark ?? but it is Wilson so I literally do not question anything ever. Things just happen and I go along with it. No other author would inspire that level of deliberate non-questioning from me.
Whatever like. it was absolutely worth it for S&G. I like them and their dynamic so much. I will not talk about the snakes bc the more I think ab them I'm like That Is Weird. Again, complete fever dream of a series.
Alex was jus kinda a younger, way more confused Sam bc he had Rhonda instead of Glory and that was all the difference, and a vast difference it was.
The 3* for this book is not bc of the thoroughly unknowable time travel mechanics (#2 got 5*) it was bc I was 13 and really stupid and I don't actually fully remember what caused me to rate this 3* but tbh. yea. fair. it's staying.
edit, an hour later: I HAVE QUESTIONS BECAUSE I UNFORTUNATELY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!
if Young S&G died & met Ghost which means that they Very Much Did Die there, is that action reversed by the whole killing Dervish thing? Like stopping Old S&G from dying in Mexico? What the heck question mark? But GHOST WAS THERE!! The third meeting of Ghost was a permanent death. But they were very MUCH alive in the epilogue!!
Where did Old Alex & Rhonda go after killing Dervish? Are they just erased from time? Bc young A&R have memories now - but I. yeah what I am confused by myself :)
What constitutes a Real Death for these people? El Buitre was always so insistent on *hearts* - so would it be possible for S&G and whoever else to technically just live forever ?? Is a death of old age a permanent death? But if they live non-linearly - well, no, they do live linearly, just out of time - um. where was I going with this LMAO. Peter didn't even die when they took his heart bc Glory reversed the action. So if Sam's heart had been taken, would it have been possible to reverse that, too, if Glory had had the ability then? Bc it wasn't Peter, it was Glory all along.
..... nah I am Too Confused goodnight. This is why I don't actually think about this book.
Here is the Wilson-ism for this book, in reference to Sam, because I couldn't really find another:
"Could an unimportant victim hope for anything more profoundly foolish in a hero than a willingness to die for someone who doesn't matter to the world? A willingness to suffer and bleed for any soul in any time, to hurl himself at any villain."
--
2021: i don't really know whether to scream or laugh so I'll probably do both????
this is what i thought of rhonda this time around: https://cdn.discordapp.com/emojis/755...
BUT
GLORY N SAM
N PETER N JUDE N MILLIE--
2018:
GLORY MIRACLE OH MY WORD
Also, I both loved and hated this book so much. Honestly, Wilson could've done a better job wrapping the series up. And I felt like there wasn't as much of his classic "family & friends" theme in here, just... action.
And Rhonda probably needed more characterization.
And loose threads that weren't addressed from the last book.
.-.
Oh yeah, and time-travel paradoxes.
+ I don't even get the title any longer. The only "Lost Boys" who were mentioned were Sam and Jude. C'mon.
I want to smack Rhonda so badly she makes decisions even more insane than Henrietta (who at least had a personality !). This book is utter chaos I will Never attempt to even try to figure it out. Shoutout to Sam and Glory and the Lost Boys yes cool characters. What kind of utterly unreasonable time streams are we working with! If Young S&G told Peter to tell Old S&G to not come bc of the deaths, then there wouldn't have been deaths/reason for them to tell Peter to tell Old S&G that - you get the point. Ye olde "time travel makes no sense." This violently reminds me of April 2019 & Marvel's Endgame & my absolute hatred for the time travel mechanics in that movie bc none of it comes out right (and even less w MoM canon but I digress).
Point is, absolutely cursed time streams or whatever the heck we are dealing with who even KNOWS absolutely not I. Does even Glory know question mark ?? but it is Wilson so I literally do not question anything ever. Things just happen and I go along with it. No other author would inspire that level of deliberate non-questioning from me.
Whatever like. it was absolutely worth it for S&G. I like them and their dynamic so much. I will not talk about the snakes bc the more I think ab them I'm like That Is Weird. Again, complete fever dream of a series.
Alex was jus kinda a younger, way more confused Sam bc he had Rhonda instead of Glory and that was all the difference, and a vast difference it was.
The 3* for this book is not bc of the thoroughly unknowable time travel mechanics (#2 got 5*) it was bc I was 13 and really stupid and I don't actually fully remember what caused me to rate this 3* but tbh. yea. fair. it's staying.
edit, an hour later: I HAVE QUESTIONS BECAUSE I UNFORTUNATELY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!
if Young S&G died & met Ghost which means that they Very Much Did Die there, is that action reversed by the whole killing Dervish thing? Like stopping Old S&G from dying in Mexico? What the heck question mark? But GHOST WAS THERE!! The third meeting of Ghost was a permanent death. But they were very MUCH alive in the epilogue!!
Where did Old Alex & Rhonda go after killing Dervish? Are they just erased from time? Bc young A&R have memories now - but I. yeah what I am confused by myself :)
What constitutes a Real Death for these people? El Buitre was always so insistent on *hearts* - so would it be possible for S&G and whoever else to technically just live forever ?? Is a death of old age a permanent death? But if they live non-linearly - well, no, they do live linearly, just out of time - um. where was I going with this LMAO. Peter didn't even die when they took his heart bc Glory reversed the action. So if Sam's heart had been taken, would it have been possible to reverse that, too, if Glory had had the ability then? Bc it wasn't Peter, it was Glory all along.
..... nah I am Too Confused goodnight. This is why I don't actually think about this book.
Here is the Wilson-ism for this book, in reference to Sam, because I couldn't really find another:
"Could an unimportant victim hope for anything more profoundly foolish in a hero than a willingness to die for someone who doesn't matter to the world? A willingness to suffer and bleed for any soul in any time, to hurl himself at any villain."
--
2021: i don't really know whether to scream or laugh so I'll probably do both????
this is what i thought of rhonda this time around: https://cdn.discordapp.com/emojis/755...
BUT
GLORY N SAM
N PETER N JUDE N MILLIE--
2018:
GLORY MIRACLE OH MY WORD
Also, I both loved and hated this book so much. Honestly, Wilson could've done a better job wrapping the series up. And I felt like there wasn't as much of his classic "family & friends" theme in here, just... action.
And Rhonda probably needed more characterization.
And loose threads that weren't addressed from the last book.
.-.
Oh yeah, and time-travel paradoxes.
+ I don't even get the title any longer. The only "Lost Boys" who were mentioned were Sam and Jude. C'mon.
August 28, 2019
I lay in bed and wept for an hour after I finished this. Absolutely wrecked. This has been my favorite N. D. Wilson series. Glory has been my favorite NDW character. But Alex is up there. Glory's who I wish I could be; Alex is more who I am. It isn't enough to have read the right books if you've never learned to live them. You can get all kinds of great ideals from Lewis and Tolkien and Austen and, yes, Wilson, but if you're just a hearer of the story and not a doer of it, you're a pretty useless git.
April 21, 2018
POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING.
This book hurt, a lot. But also, it didn't. Because he's playing all these games with time, you kind of have this gut feeling everything will work out just fine. And then it does. But not quite the way you wanted it to. I think I liked that. He doesn't quite rip your soul out, but he almost does.
What else to say. It was really short. It moved really fast. Almost too fast. There were times I wanted to linger more, to understand more fully what was going on and how everyone reacted to it. But that tends to be a hallmark of Wilson: moving quickly and throwing events around like confetti. Especially in Outlaws.
So yeah, I really liked this, even though I realize this doesn't sound like it. I did read it mostly in one day, so I guess I was enjoying it. :) I really love how he takes adventure and shows its dark side. Adventure isn't a romp on a hillside with all your best buddies. It's dark and long and scary and, honestly, we'd be better off if we pursued joy and love and kindness in the lives we've been given.
Also, SAM AND GLORY, MY HEART. Sam and Glory. I love you guys a lot. So much. Gah.
Bye. Read these.
This book hurt, a lot. But also, it didn't. Because he's playing all these games with time, you kind of have this gut feeling everything will work out just fine. And then it does. But not quite the way you wanted it to. I think I liked that. He doesn't quite rip your soul out, but he almost does.
What else to say. It was really short. It moved really fast. Almost too fast. There were times I wanted to linger more, to understand more fully what was going on and how everyone reacted to it. But that tends to be a hallmark of Wilson: moving quickly and throwing events around like confetti. Especially in Outlaws.
So yeah, I really liked this, even though I realize this doesn't sound like it. I did read it mostly in one day, so I guess I was enjoying it. :) I really love how he takes adventure and shows its dark side. Adventure isn't a romp on a hillside with all your best buddies. It's dark and long and scary and, honestly, we'd be better off if we pursued joy and love and kindness in the lives we've been given.
Also, SAM AND GLORY, MY HEART. Sam and Glory. I love you guys a lot. So much. Gah.
Bye. Read these.
June 4, 2018
N.D. Wilson fans know what to expect from him (with the exception of Ashtown Burials #4--that one may never come ;) ). I say that, but I was surprised to see this third volume come out for this series. I thought it was done after two. Am I the only one?
Any others surprised by the existence of this third volume will quickly realize that there were some loose ends left untied in the second book that Wilson tangles up into one of his most impressive jumbles. The end is quite the untangling and is about as fun and satisfying an ending as he's provided in any of his books.
I won't get into specifics, not wanting to spoil the fun, but this is a great finish to a really great series. Tolle lege!
Any others surprised by the existence of this third volume will quickly realize that there were some loose ends left untied in the second book that Wilson tangles up into one of his most impressive jumbles. The end is quite the untangling and is about as fun and satisfying an ending as he's provided in any of his books.
I won't get into specifics, not wanting to spoil the fun, but this is a great finish to a really great series. Tolle lege!
January 4, 2019
Wow! This book dropped my jaw a few times and took some really unexpected turns. I’m glad that I was able to go through all these adventures with Sam, Glory, and the gang. There are loads of wisdom in this series and I love how N.D. is able to fit it all into an exciting story with lovable characters. It’s an excellent conclusion to a wonderful series.
August 6, 2021
Glad this one was much thinner than the first two. It made for faster reading which was helpful for late nights when I wanted to get in a few chapters.
This one started off differently with a character I didn't expect, and of course was full of timey-whimeyness.
A good ending to a great trilogy.
This one started off differently with a character I didn't expect, and of course was full of timey-whimeyness.
A good ending to a great trilogy.
August 30, 2018
in my opinion it was the best outlaws. it was (potentail spoiler) EEXTREMLY SAAAAAAd but at the same time super HAPPY(: ( happy mainly at the end ) it was great
December 26, 2020
Every time I read an NDW book, I am astounded by his genius.
Somehow he managed to take a series that I thought already had a good ending, twist it up into even more time-traveling confusion, and end it on a masterful note.
My favorite part was older Sam + Glory's relationship. I didn't like Rhonda very much. Also, the time traveling in this book is even more confusing than in the previous ones, and I wasn't happy with some of the consequences of that.
I still love this book.
Even if they were able to change everything about that night, he and Glory had made enough mistakes together to learn that some of the darkest deeds in history accidentally handed victory to goodness. And when he had randomly doled out preemptive justice to villains before their villainy occurred, trying to make every past moment a paradise, he could accidentally tip the scales the wrong way. Retribution was for the end of time, and final justice was well beyond both his wisdom and authority.
---
read 4/20/2018
reread 7/2/2018
reread 5/8/2020
Somehow he managed to take a series that I thought already had a good ending, twist it up into even more time-traveling confusion, and end it on a masterful note.
My favorite part was older Sam + Glory's relationship. I didn't like Rhonda very much. Also, the time traveling in this book is even more confusing than in the previous ones, and I wasn't happy with some of the consequences of that.
I still love this book.
Even if they were able to change everything about that night, he and Glory had made enough mistakes together to learn that some of the darkest deeds in history accidentally handed victory to goodness. And when he had randomly doled out preemptive justice to villains before their villainy occurred, trying to make every past moment a paradise, he could accidentally tip the scales the wrong way. Retribution was for the end of time, and final justice was well beyond both his wisdom and authority.
---
read 4/20/2018
reread 7/2/2018
reread 5/8/2020
August 9, 2021
*wipes tears away*
That was such a very bitter-sweet ending to a wonderful series. I think this book was my favorite in the series? Maybe.
I highly recommend the Outlaws of Time.
That was such a very bitter-sweet ending to a wonderful series. I think this book was my favorite in the series? Maybe.
I highly recommend the Outlaws of Time.
October 5, 2023
I already loved this series for the time travel. Then here comes Aztec mythology and a redemption arc. Sign me up.
Content:
Violence
Content:
Violence
April 17, 2022
This was a fun book to read with the family and it finished out the series for us. Overall the story was fun but it lacked a bit of the magic of the previous books as some major changes with characters takes place. The ending as well seemed lack luster, like a hastily written ending chapter; a laborious journey only to have it all wrap up in a matter of a few sentences. The story was good overall, was written well, though it still seemed to have a lot of unnecessary details, and although I am not thrilled with the imagination and detail of the ending I am still satisfied with it none-the-less.
November 23, 2022
I love this series, and this was a great ending to the trilogy, But it was way to short, I needed at least 100 more pages with these characters. And it was way darker than the first two, in some ways I think it's the weakest of the three, but I still love it and recommend it. The fun western feel of book one is gone in this book, it's dark and gritty and kinda depressing at times, but in a really good way if that makes sense. I guess I just have mixed feelings about it.
November 14, 2020
I'm sorry, but I just have a problem with a super inexplicably evil person taking an innocent and would-be-awesome-if-left-to-his-own-devices-at-least-eventually guy and manipulating and mutilating him until he is a husk of evil (why I can't watch Revenge of the Sith after I watched it once). Otherwise, this was actually my favorite of this series. But because of what I'm calling "the Sith complex" I'm probably going to steer clear of reading it again any time soon. It is a good book though.
December 28, 2019
NDW gets all five...but wow. Here is confusion, the plot honestly didn't add up. This started out entirely too clever and maybe he couldn't quite decide what to do with it. Plus I've been less generous with his books since Ashtown #4 doesn't seem to be coming any time soon.
May 2, 2018
An excellent finish to N.D. Wilson's "Outlaws of Time."
June 22, 2019
Wow. Just wow.
August 17, 2025
Off the bat, I thought this was going to be the best in the series. It was certainly shaping out to be. Lots of dialogue, lots of suspense and biting sarcasm. But then it gets all time warpy and who is what age now and there’s less interaction and more endlessly flying through dark that was darker than darkness. My whole family was following along fine, but I was confused as crap by the end.
Also knocking off a full star because of the excessive use of the word liquid.
Also knocking off a full star because of the excessive use of the word liquid.
Read
May 22, 2018Time travel and the Aztecs -- fun to read from endsheet to endsheet. Nate's prose feels even more descriptive and effortless than before, as you might expect from someone with such a prolific output over the past ten years. He also manages to blend all his universes together with this one... I probably needed to slow down in the first two books to understand the mechanics of time travel, because I was as lost as the lost boys by the time (get it?) this book rolled around. Also, this felt much more like a short story than the previous two books (or Nate's other series).
May 7, 2018
This was an excellent read! My caveat is that truthfully I will never be a great big fan of time travel in books, but it worked quite neatly in this conclusion. Nice and tight and action-packed. Frankly these books are blazing-fast to read. If there is a faster pacing in the genre I haven’t read it!
-//- this read surprisingly dark with a lot of heavy, somewhat gruesome descriptions, I can’t imagine letting my kids read this before 13.
-//- ohh Glory and Sam. I will ship them forever. They are both so perfectly complementary to one another. Andddd can I just say how much I love their names. They are so on the nose it’s actually perfect instead of annoying. Truthfully I was a little disappointed we didn’t get more Glory & Sam & even the lost boys. I miss all the characters from the last book!
-//- my favorite scene with (lazy, spoiled) Alexander is how he mused on how he always fantasized about being a sacrificial hero from the stories, but in reality that was both harder and more unappealing when faced with a situation where one can choose. Good self reflection buddy.
-//- I would have happily read this book if I was longer (longer on the characters and shorter on the time travel)
-//- I really loved the last several chapters. Got me right in the feels! A good ending can really make or break a book for me and this delivered. ❤️
Of the three the first book is still the strongest and my favorite, but the whole series is worth a read!
“Sam Miracle could be dense and forgetful. ... He could lose all perspective in a fight. ... Glory knew from decades of experience there could be no better trait in him. Could an unimportant victim hope for anything more profoundly foolish in a hero then a willingness to die for someone who doesn’t matter to the world? A willingness to suffer and bleed for any soul in any time, to hurl himself at any villain?”
#teamSam
-//- this read surprisingly dark with a lot of heavy, somewhat gruesome descriptions, I can’t imagine letting my kids read this before 13.
-//- ohh Glory and Sam. I will ship them forever. They are both so perfectly complementary to one another. Andddd can I just say how much I love their names. They are so on the nose it’s actually perfect instead of annoying. Truthfully I was a little disappointed we didn’t get more Glory & Sam & even the lost boys. I miss all the characters from the last book!
-//- my favorite scene with (lazy, spoiled) Alexander is how he mused on how he always fantasized about being a sacrificial hero from the stories, but in reality that was both harder and more unappealing when faced with a situation where one can choose. Good self reflection buddy.
-//- I would have happily read this book if I was longer (longer on the characters and shorter on the time travel)
-//- I really loved the last several chapters. Got me right in the feels! A good ending can really make or break a book for me and this delivered. ❤️
Of the three the first book is still the strongest and my favorite, but the whole series is worth a read!
“Sam Miracle could be dense and forgetful. ... He could lose all perspective in a fight. ... Glory knew from decades of experience there could be no better trait in him. Could an unimportant victim hope for anything more profoundly foolish in a hero then a willingness to die for someone who doesn’t matter to the world? A willingness to suffer and bleed for any soul in any time, to hurl himself at any villain?”
#teamSam
April 18, 2018
By far the most confusing of the Outlaws of Time books, and that is saying a lot, I truly loved this book. The last book seemed to be the end of a series, but failed to provide closure. I had wondered if there would be a follow up. N. D. Wilson has never dissapointed me and this book, while confusing, is no exception. Following the son of the two main characters of The Legend of Sam Miracle and The Song of Glory and Ghost, this is an amazing tale of redemption and love. N. D. Wilson, if you ever read this review, thank you for 100 Cupboards, Outlaws of Time, Boys of Blur, Leepike Ridge, and most of all Ashtown. Ring the silent bells.
April 13, 2023
I enjoyed this one the most in the series. To me ND Wilson seems to get better the farther you are into each series. The last Ashtown was the best, the last 100 cupboards (and especially the prequel) was better than the first ones, and now this final book of the trilogy is the best.
In this story ND Wilson makes a part of his worldview very clear-good stories give people, especially children, a hook for virtues like bravery, self-sacrifice, and confidence. The great thing is that he does it without being “preachy.” It is an exciting story and I was surprised at the twist.
I highly recommend the entire series as a read-aloud for 10 and ups.
In this story ND Wilson makes a part of his worldview very clear-good stories give people, especially children, a hook for virtues like bravery, self-sacrifice, and confidence. The great thing is that he does it without being “preachy.” It is an exciting story and I was surprised at the twist.
I highly recommend the entire series as a read-aloud for 10 and ups.
May 25, 2018
The book was good but the ending felt very abrupt. The whole series was interesting, especially the fun element of time, which is definitely well done. But not my favorite of the author's series. (The snake arms... )
January 14, 2019
Until the last three chapters, it felt like I was in the middle of the book. The ending felt abrupt and something of a letdown.
May 15, 2025
An interesting ending to the trilogy. It gets better every time I read it!
January 2, 2022
**Spoilers**
I thought this series was wrapped with the second book...it should have been, honestly. While I don't like this series as much as 100 Cupboards or with the undying love I feel towards the Ashtown Burials (I want my blasted finale!) I still liked the other books in this series. This one? Not so much. There is just always a point where you paint yourself into a corner with time travel and this is a good example. The whole thing just feels so...forced and untidy, I guess. Hardly anything really happens and it all ends up being moot in the end. Plus, Alex accidentally kills ONE guy, who tried to shoot him first and starts down the path of evil? Give me a break! Dervish's whole nonsense with Alex inheriting The Vulture's watches and legacy and him having consented to the whole mess even though he doesn't Really know what he is accepting? I don't know, it all seems like they are defying their own in-world rules of how magic functions. *sigh* It's always funny to me when I find myself enamoured more with the periphery of a story, rather than the story itself. For example; the little details about the Tower, really neat. Tell me more Wilson! I'm also sure that the passing reference to the mummified "transmortals" means that this book also shares the same universe with Ashtown and the 100 Cupboards. I keep hovering between 2 or 3 stars, I'd comfortably give it a 2 and a half, if I could. Overall a 3 star is a bit generous for a book so unnecessary and genuinely disappointing.
I thought this series was wrapped with the second book...it should have been, honestly. While I don't like this series as much as 100 Cupboards or with the undying love I feel towards the Ashtown Burials (I want my blasted finale!) I still liked the other books in this series. This one? Not so much. There is just always a point where you paint yourself into a corner with time travel and this is a good example. The whole thing just feels so...forced and untidy, I guess. Hardly anything really happens and it all ends up being moot in the end. Plus, Alex accidentally kills ONE guy, who tried to shoot him first and starts down the path of evil? Give me a break! Dervish's whole nonsense with Alex inheriting The Vulture's watches and legacy and him having consented to the whole mess even though he doesn't Really know what he is accepting? I don't know, it all seems like they are defying their own in-world rules of how magic functions. *sigh* It's always funny to me when I find myself enamoured more with the periphery of a story, rather than the story itself. For example; the little details about the Tower, really neat. Tell me more Wilson! I'm also sure that the passing reference to the mummified "transmortals" means that this book also shares the same universe with Ashtown and the 100 Cupboards. I keep hovering between 2 or 3 stars, I'd comfortably give it a 2 and a half, if I could. Overall a 3 star is a bit generous for a book so unnecessary and genuinely disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2022
WHY CAN'T ADULT BOOKS BE THIS GOOD?!? (Come to think of this, why is this considered a 8-12yo read?)
It was a rollercoaster of emotions. It was the worst of times and it was the WORST of times. After becoming The Vulture's successor, Sam and Glory's son -Alex- must be die or else be fated to kill his own parents.
I gave this a five-star rating as I couldn't give it a 4.80 star one. Aside from a few rule-breaking lapses (thus the -.20 stars), it was a book I'd read over and over and over and over again. The characters were well thought out, the story was paced just right, the time shenanigans were properly brain-warping, ect.
I guess my big problem with this book (and N. D. Wilson's books in general) is that even though the main characters are under fourteen, it doesn't mean the books are written for 8-12 year-olds. Blood freely spills quite graphically. I won't go into much detail, but I'd wait until you are at least 13 before reading them. If you are older than that, prepare yourself for a real treat.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions. It was the worst of times and it was the WORST of times. After becoming The Vulture's successor, Sam and Glory's son -Alex- must be die or else be fated to kill his own parents.
I gave this a five-star rating as I couldn't give it a 4.80 star one. Aside from a few rule-breaking lapses (thus the -.20 stars), it was a book I'd read over and over and over and over again. The characters were well thought out, the story was paced just right, the time shenanigans were properly brain-warping, ect.
I guess my big problem with this book (and N. D. Wilson's books in general) is that even though the main characters are under fourteen, it doesn't mean the books are written for 8-12 year-olds. Blood freely spills quite graphically. I won't go into much detail, but I'd wait until you are at least 13 before reading them. If you are older than that, prepare yourself for a real treat.
June 26, 2018
Give this series to your kids and grandkids; it's an adventurous page-turner about an adventure. I really like this series. The characters are marvelous, and the stuff they find themselves thrust into is fantastical but still somehow feels completely plausible. I've devoured each book quickly in this series because they're so much fun to read, even though I find it almost impossible to follow the story at times because of the time-travel element. I'm not sure it would help to re-read them slowly. But, that's also part of the fun of the reading; you just don't know what's going to happen when. One thing that's abundantly clear in this one, though, is that, when one takes the road that is increasingly less-travelled by (in our culture these days) and reads and hearkens to the true, good, and beautiful stories, it will indeed make all the difference.
March 11, 2019
Appreciate the insight into how evil works:
intruder,
formally/ briefly/ vaguely asking for consent but just to turn it around against you,
abusing and distorting reality,
gives you power and makes you his ‘puppet heir/ king’ in order to destroy others and as much as possible, and eventually destroy you.
Note: We saw late last year a youtube video of ND Wilson talking in an interview about his upbringing. In a Christian home, father a pastor, his and his siblings’ misbehaviour/ disobedience were always and promptly dealt with and Biblical principles solidified.
I see this in his books: no nonsense, evil is evil, never play with it, never ignore it, never try to make a deal with it, and you can’t use evil power to do good. Evil is always at work. Always be ready to face it.
Beautiful end.
As my older son (almost 11) said it’s a bit confusing all the time travel, but it makes sense from a spiritual perspective. Jesus’ death on the cross happened once but it was applied for those who had lived by faith before His time, and it continues to be applied everyday to those who are being saved, in all times and places after that one-time event in history. And He changes our past and present and future too when we see it all from His perspective, and let Him do so and take charge.
A last note: it was necessary for Alex to become El Teremonto and go through all that suffering, in order to destroy Mrs Derwish in the end and so ‘save’ his young self.
intruder,
formally/ briefly/ vaguely asking for consent but just to turn it around against you,
abusing and distorting reality,
gives you power and makes you his ‘puppet heir/ king’ in order to destroy others and as much as possible, and eventually destroy you.
Note: We saw late last year a youtube video of ND Wilson talking in an interview about his upbringing. In a Christian home, father a pastor, his and his siblings’ misbehaviour/ disobedience were always and promptly dealt with and Biblical principles solidified.
I see this in his books: no nonsense, evil is evil, never play with it, never ignore it, never try to make a deal with it, and you can’t use evil power to do good. Evil is always at work. Always be ready to face it.
Beautiful end.
As my older son (almost 11) said it’s a bit confusing all the time travel, but it makes sense from a spiritual perspective. Jesus’ death on the cross happened once but it was applied for those who had lived by faith before His time, and it continues to be applied everyday to those who are being saved, in all times and places after that one-time event in history. And He changes our past and present and future too when we see it all from His perspective, and let Him do so and take charge.
A last note: it was necessary for Alex to become El Teremonto and go through all that suffering, in order to destroy Mrs Derwish in the end and so ‘save’ his young self.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2022
The reason I’m giving it three stars is that it feels unfinished, which I believe it is from what I heard on the author’s podcast. As in, it’s a first draft. Apparently his publisher wouldn’t let him edit it cuz it wasn’t high on their priority list. Which is a huge shame really.
I’m not sure how I feel about the chapters from Alex’s pov after he becomes a villain. There’s very little worldbuilding and Alex’s motivations don’t make sense to me. The sequence in WW1 era France is extremely rushed.
But everything from the Aztec battle sequence to the epilogue was fantastic story wise. Sam and glory both dying twice, and Alex’s older self dying as his younger self kills the main antagonist Mrs Dervish was surprising.
If it was longer and more fleshed out it would easily be up there with the first two books…
I’m not sure how I feel about the chapters from Alex’s pov after he becomes a villain. There’s very little worldbuilding and Alex’s motivations don’t make sense to me. The sequence in WW1 era France is extremely rushed.
But everything from the Aztec battle sequence to the epilogue was fantastic story wise. Sam and glory both dying twice, and Alex’s older self dying as his younger self kills the main antagonist Mrs Dervish was surprising.
If it was longer and more fleshed out it would easily be up there with the first two books…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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