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Children of the Lamp #7
Die Kristalle des Khan
Der Vesuv steht kurz vor dem Ausbruch - ausgerechnet jetzt, wo die Dschinn-Zwillinge John und Philippa mit ihrem Onkel Nimrod Urlaub in Neapel machen. Und nicht nur das: Überall auf der Erde legen die Vulkane bedrohliche Aktivitäten an den Tag. Mit der Hilfe eines isländischen Professors finden die drei Dschinn heraus, dass die sogenannten Hotaniya-Kristalle Ursache für die drohende Umweltkatastrophe sind. Sie sollen in dem Grab des berühmten Mongolenherrschers Dschingis Khan liegen. Der Ort des Grabs ist jedoch unbekannt. Eine gefährliche Reise rund um die Welt beginnt ...
Das siebte und letzte Abenteuer der "Kinder des Dschinn" - spannend wie kein anderes!
Das siebte und letzte Abenteuer der "Kinder des Dschinn" - spannend wie kein anderes!
441 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2011
24 people are currently reading
2044 people want to read
About the author
P.B. Kerr
30 books208 followersAlso writes as Philip Kerr.
Philip Kerr (P.B. Kerr) was a British author of both adult fiction and non-fiction, most notably the Bernie Gunther series, and of children's books, particularly the Children of the Lamp series.
Kerr was educated at a grammar school in Northampton. He studied law at the University of Birmingham from 1974–1980, achieving a masters degree. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989. He wrote for the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and the New Statesman.
Philip Kerr (P.B. Kerr) was a British author of both adult fiction and non-fiction, most notably the Bernie Gunther series, and of children's books, particularly the Children of the Lamp series.
Kerr was educated at a grammar school in Northampton. He studied law at the University of Birmingham from 1974–1980, achieving a masters degree. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989. He wrote for the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and the New Statesman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
February 20, 2013
What a dissappointing end to a usually great book series. It starts with the problem of volcanoes needing to be exterminated. That's all fine and dandy until we have to go across the world and then BACK when they realize that the problem is right where their vacation was. In other words; utterly pointless adventure. Then, they easily destroy the villian and the twins give up their powers. What the heck?! I waited years for the last book, just to find out they lost the powers??!! It was not a good ending for me.
Plus, Mr. Kerr added no closure to some characters what so ever. What happened to Dybbuk, Faustina, Layla??
Plus, Mr. Kerr added no closure to some characters what so ever. What happened to Dybbuk, Faustina, Layla??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2012
This final installment of my favourite series is a teensy bit disappointing. While I understand that all good things must come to an end, I, like so many others, want to cling onto the characters I love until the bitter end, so I was sad. I must admit, I actually cried. And even though there's very little closure (an epilogue would have been nice, Mr. Kerr!) I think, by going back and reading the series over again (I hadn't read any of the books for at least a couple years by the time I got my hands on this one,) I've finally figured out what happened to Buck! Depressing, I know, but that's just my belief. If you think about it, it makes sense. So, all in all, this wasn't my favourite book of the series, but still pretty good!
(oh, and psst! hey, if you're like me and don't want to give up the characters, that's what fanfictions are for! There are lots of good ones for this series! That makes me happy...)
(oh, and psst! hey, if you're like me and don't want to give up the characters, that's what fanfictions are for! There are lots of good ones for this series! That makes me happy...)
September 15, 2015
4,5 Sterne
Es war toll mit diesem Buch wieder im die Welt der Kinder des Dschinn einzutauchen die ich ansonsten vor ca. 5 Jahren gelesen habe :D
Es war toll mit diesem Buch wieder im die Welt der Kinder des Dschinn einzutauchen die ich ansonsten vor ca. 5 Jahren gelesen habe :D
April 3, 2024
Ich finde es gut, dass der Autor die Reihe so beendet hat, auch wenn einige Erzählstränge aus vorherigen Büchern noch offen sind.
Er hätte sich wohl noch absurdere Sachen ausdenken müssen, um das meiste zusammenzufügen und hat bereits jetzt durch das Paralleluniversum-Zeit-Reisen-Dings aus dem letzten Band einige Logikfehler begangen.
Dieser Band hat mich mit neuen Charakteren und diesmal wirklich abwegigen Begebenheiten viel verwirrt, aber durchaus unterhalten.
Es wird sich wieder inneren Konflikten gestellt, besonders was Wünsche, Zufriedenheit, Macht und Verantwortung betrifft.
Ich habe das Gefühl die Bücher sind immer reflektierter geworden und der Autor ist mit daran gewachsen. Vielleicht habe ich mich auch einfach daran gewöhnt, aber in den letzten Bänden fällt mir der klischeelastige Rassismus weniger ins Auge, beziehungsweise wird er kritischer behandelt.
Im Nachwort schreibt der Autor, dass der Charakter der ihm am ähnlichsten ist Groanin ist - was ich dann doch etwas besorgniserregend finde, da dieser die meisten unschönen Bemerkungen von sich gibt.
Pädagogisch/Ethisch teils anregend, teils fragwürdig, finde ich die Reihe als Kinderbuch.... okay.
Nachdem ich nicht der allergrößte Fan der an den Haaren herbeigezogenen Abenteuer war, werde ich mich wohl mal einem seiner Erwachsenenbücher widmen, um auszuprobieren ob mir (und ihm) das mehr liegt.
Er hätte sich wohl noch absurdere Sachen ausdenken müssen, um das meiste zusammenzufügen und hat bereits jetzt durch das Paralleluniversum-Zeit-Reisen-Dings aus dem letzten Band einige Logikfehler begangen.
Dieser Band hat mich mit neuen Charakteren und diesmal wirklich abwegigen Begebenheiten viel verwirrt, aber durchaus unterhalten.
Es wird sich wieder inneren Konflikten gestellt, besonders was Wünsche, Zufriedenheit, Macht und Verantwortung betrifft.
Ich habe das Gefühl die Bücher sind immer reflektierter geworden und der Autor ist mit daran gewachsen. Vielleicht habe ich mich auch einfach daran gewöhnt, aber in den letzten Bänden fällt mir der klischeelastige Rassismus weniger ins Auge, beziehungsweise wird er kritischer behandelt.
Im Nachwort schreibt der Autor, dass der Charakter der ihm am ähnlichsten ist Groanin ist - was ich dann doch etwas besorgniserregend finde, da dieser die meisten unschönen Bemerkungen von sich gibt.
Pädagogisch/Ethisch teils anregend, teils fragwürdig, finde ich die Reihe als Kinderbuch.... okay.
Nachdem ich nicht der allergrößte Fan der an den Haaren herbeigezogenen Abenteuer war, werde ich mich wohl mal einem seiner Erwachsenenbücher widmen, um auszuprobieren ob mir (und ihm) das mehr liegt.
April 19, 2012
The last book! Honestly, I was near tears when John and Phiippa lost their powers. I almost screamed when Nimrod told John he was running short on powers himself. This was an amazing finishing book to one heck of an amazing book series. As many readers of this series probably say I wish it could have continued, but I understand why it couldn't.
Also while reading through the Author's Note I was surprised, and yet somehow I knew it from the begging, that the character Charlie who gave up his life for Philippa is also the name of one of her children.
As an aspiring author myself I took what was said in the author's note to heart. I've always been willing to work for it and now I know that is how all writers start out, not just me.
Also while reading through the Author's Note I was surprised, and yet somehow I knew it from the begging, that the character Charlie who gave up his life for Philippa is also the name of one of her children.
As an aspiring author myself I took what was said in the author's note to heart. I've always been willing to work for it and now I know that is how all writers start out, not just me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2018
The book “The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan” by Philip Kerr talks a lot about the end of the world, and the only way to save it is for John and Philippa to give up their djinn power or magic.They come across a lot of challenges when trying to figure out where Genghis Khan’s grave is so they know how to save the world. This book has a lot of action will probably give you enough detail on an object in the book that you will be able to form a visual of the sentence that you just read. To find out what John and Philippa do read the book and I hope you enjoy it.
March 23, 2012
Not a bad book, but certainly not a great ending to this fantastic series. Firstly, Kerr got a little too wrapped up in the science around the story and in making sure we all know just how smart Philippa and her brother are. It really slowed the story down. The storyline its self, espceially the side track after Groanin leaves Nimrod's service are spectacular. Not a bad book, just weighed down by the science and a clunky ending.
May 14, 2012
I have enjoyed this series over the past seven years but this last book was a disappointing finish. I enjoyed the book right up until the last 50 pages but I felt the rest was tied up rather hastily and was a letdown for what was a rather enjoyable series.
April 20, 2012
that is soo stupid how they ended it!! I mean I fell in love with the characters and plot dont get me wrong the series is great but what happened you know! I mean,what also happened to the whole Dybbuk and Phillipa thing!! The ending terrible, the memories AMAZING!!
May 2, 2012
I didn't like this one as well as I have liked some of the others. I'm not sure I loved how it ended, especially as it is the end of the entire series.
April 1, 2013
This wasn't enthralling at all. I never got excited about it and had no problem leaving it for two days to read The Economist. A real disappointment as a series ending!
September 18, 2013
A bit preachy at the end.
July 30, 2017
P.B. Kerr, also known to readers of his adult fiction as Philip Kerr, wraps up his seven-book "Children of the Lamp" series with this book, in which 14-year-old twin djinn Philippa and John Gaunt face the possibility that they must make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. Someone has found, and worse still, plundered the tomb of 13th-century Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, and used something buried with him to start a worldwide plague of volcanic eruptions that could spell doom for life as we know it. To find him and stop him, they must solve the 800-year-old mystery of where the tyrant was buried, an adventure spanning several continents, reviving the all-but-lost art of using flying carpets, and costing the life of more than one beloved friend. And it all seems to lead to the fulfillment of a grim prophecy about twin djinn.
Meantime, the twins' Uncle Nimrod's aptly-named butler Groanin gives his notice, only to have a series of misadventures that teach him the lesson, "You don't know what you have till it's gone." Between the twins and their hapless human friend, the characters in this book experience a timeless Moroccan bazaar, a walkabout in the Australian outback, a kidnap by ice-cream-truck-driving gangsters in Italy, a stay with a gang of glamorous Romanian teens, a cruise with Somali pirates, a road trip with fanatical Yemeni hoodlums, and a way-too-close encounter with a gigantic creepy-crawly in the streets of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Most of the experiences on that list fall to poor, homebody Groanin, but the twins have their share of thrills and chills too, such as when their attempt to possess a herd of wild camels leads to a brush with a terrifying spirit, and when the lightning bug of your nightmares stalks them in the mist on a Mongolian steppe.
I think it's a pity Kerr decided to end the twins' adventures here. Unlike him, I didn't see the inevitability of their exit from the world of djinn power, and I think the series could be plausibly revived. After all, there are still 19 letters of the alphabet from which he can cull the initials of the titles of their further adventures. And with each adventure touching on pages of history and patches of the globe that aren't often covered in teen fiction, there is also plenty of potential for more culturally enriching, educational fun, with emphasis on the fun. This series is full of beauty spots that readers of different skill levels can appreciate, such as the hilarious sentence (from The Five Fakirs of Faizabad) "John could see Dracula's point," and the late Mr. Rakshasas' wise aphorism, "The future is certain. It's the past you can't predict." If this really is the end for the Gaunts, it will be interesting to see what new marvel Kerr invents next.
Meantime, the twins' Uncle Nimrod's aptly-named butler Groanin gives his notice, only to have a series of misadventures that teach him the lesson, "You don't know what you have till it's gone." Between the twins and their hapless human friend, the characters in this book experience a timeless Moroccan bazaar, a walkabout in the Australian outback, a kidnap by ice-cream-truck-driving gangsters in Italy, a stay with a gang of glamorous Romanian teens, a cruise with Somali pirates, a road trip with fanatical Yemeni hoodlums, and a way-too-close encounter with a gigantic creepy-crawly in the streets of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Most of the experiences on that list fall to poor, homebody Groanin, but the twins have their share of thrills and chills too, such as when their attempt to possess a herd of wild camels leads to a brush with a terrifying spirit, and when the lightning bug of your nightmares stalks them in the mist on a Mongolian steppe.
I think it's a pity Kerr decided to end the twins' adventures here. Unlike him, I didn't see the inevitability of their exit from the world of djinn power, and I think the series could be plausibly revived. After all, there are still 19 letters of the alphabet from which he can cull the initials of the titles of their further adventures. And with each adventure touching on pages of history and patches of the globe that aren't often covered in teen fiction, there is also plenty of potential for more culturally enriching, educational fun, with emphasis on the fun. This series is full of beauty spots that readers of different skill levels can appreciate, such as the hilarious sentence (from The Five Fakirs of Faizabad) "John could see Dracula's point," and the late Mr. Rakshasas' wise aphorism, "The future is certain. It's the past you can't predict." If this really is the end for the Gaunts, it will be interesting to see what new marvel Kerr invents next.
July 20, 2015
The short: The final installment of the Children of the Lamp series. A good solid, “MEH.”
The long:
It started off as a good series, truly. I remember reading The Akhenaten Adventure multiple times when I was younger, loving this particular interpretation of djinn (my first introduction to the concept beyond “Genie” from Disney’s Aladdin), learning about magic and Egypt, and wishing I too could be half-djinn. But maybe being on the bestsellers’ list got to Kerr’s head or maybe the editors slacked off a little (heaven forbid), because the rest of the series just isn’t that great. I don’t want to blame getting older, either, because I lost interest by around the fifth book, when I realized the only reason I asked for it for Christmas was because it bothered me that I owned the first four, but not the rest – and then it took me a few months to finally get around to reading it. I essentially gave up the series, and the reason I’m returning to it now is similarly because it bothers me that I never finished it. It takes quite a lot for me to designate a book or series as “DNF,” usually only due to sheer tedium (looking at you, Tom Clancy) or something I find offensive or otherwise upsetting. It rarely happens, and currently in my mission to put a slight dent in my neverending “To Read” list, I’m going back through all such series to finish them off once and for all! *cue confetti*
Back to The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan. I will grant one concession to it being boring now that I’m older, because it also means I’m more widely read. It’s hard not to compare this book and its predecessors to Percy Jackson or the Bartimaeus series. Those books made you really care about the characters, care in the sense that you were happy when they were successful and cried when they failed (or died, as the case may be). Those characters also developed – or to put a less literary spin on it, they changed as time went on. Weaknesses became strengths, strengths revealed flaws, flaws were embraced, and the reader was carried along that bumpy, exhilarating ride. John and Phillipa rarely roused my emotions, especially since they were often horrible to each other (in that bland, one-liner, Teen Nick kind of way). My favorite character was Nimrod, and only because he could do – and did do – everything in an awesome way, and it’s kinda hard to dislike someone like that.
In the sixth book, The Five Fakirs of Faizabad , I noticed the bizarre insertions of political opinion, obstinately put there by the narrator/author (the books are in third-person omniscient), and since these are firmly aimed at middle school children, it seems a bit odd for Kerr to be putting in these kind of “facts,” which are largely subjective, if not utterly ethnocentric. To be sure, he makes fun of the British quite often (as he himself is), but that doesn’t really excuse making sweeping generalizations about other cultures, even if it is a mostly positive way (or from a “racist” character like Groanin – “No, he said that because he’s xenophobic, hahaha, you’re not supposed to listen to him!”). I don’t know how else to describe it, but it was off-putting, and luckily, there wasn’t too much of that in the seventh book.
John and Phillipa both have all the personality of a Wiki page describing them in outline form, and not much else. Phillipa: book smart, sarcastic, loves animals. John: book dumb, a bit of a pushover, creative. And we’re told those traits multiple times, not shown in what they say or how they act. It’s the epitome of why it’s so important to show, not tell. And Kerr loves to tell. Again, I feel I have to compare him to Rick Riordan, whose novels are also full of interesting facts told both in descriptions and expository dialogue, but Kerr sticks such information in long paragraphs and monologues that would sound perfectly boring in actual speech. It’s not that much of an issue, since info dumps are always difficult to pull off, but the execution in this book still wasn’t the greatest. It doesn’t help that Kerr is fiercely British, and despite John and Phillipa’s purported American cluelessness about that culture, they talk in a very English way, even using vocal mannerisms that no New York teen would ever use. Perhaps Kerr was trying to avoid Harry Potter allusions or appeal to the US market, but since practically everyone else is English or European, it might’ve been simpler to stick the whole series in England.
There’s no return of any previous secondary characters, and the villain isn’t exactly that villainous. Any dangling plot lines aren’t tied up, and no trailing mysteries are solved. If I had read them all recently (or at least, remembered them better), I probably would’ve been much more disappointed about that, but quite frankly, I just wanted to find out what happened at the end and finish this series for good.
Despite all the criticisms above, I know it’s really hard to write one book, let alone seven, and forget about it being popular enough to have any sort of demand. Kerr may have ended up dropping the ball with this series, but it did start off very strong and the entire concept was incredibly unique. The development of the djinn culture and how their powers work was solid, and research was definitely done in regards to ancient history and mythology. I’m glad I finished it, and I think I would recommend it as middle school reading, though preferably in a school or parental setting, where the more iffy bits can be explained properly. Lots of morals about wishing for – and getting – whatever you want, and why that can end up being a good or bad thing.
The long:
It started off as a good series, truly. I remember reading The Akhenaten Adventure multiple times when I was younger, loving this particular interpretation of djinn (my first introduction to the concept beyond “Genie” from Disney’s Aladdin), learning about magic and Egypt, and wishing I too could be half-djinn. But maybe being on the bestsellers’ list got to Kerr’s head or maybe the editors slacked off a little (heaven forbid), because the rest of the series just isn’t that great. I don’t want to blame getting older, either, because I lost interest by around the fifth book, when I realized the only reason I asked for it for Christmas was because it bothered me that I owned the first four, but not the rest – and then it took me a few months to finally get around to reading it. I essentially gave up the series, and the reason I’m returning to it now is similarly because it bothers me that I never finished it. It takes quite a lot for me to designate a book or series as “DNF,” usually only due to sheer tedium (looking at you, Tom Clancy) or something I find offensive or otherwise upsetting. It rarely happens, and currently in my mission to put a slight dent in my neverending “To Read” list, I’m going back through all such series to finish them off once and for all! *cue confetti*
Back to The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan. I will grant one concession to it being boring now that I’m older, because it also means I’m more widely read. It’s hard not to compare this book and its predecessors to Percy Jackson or the Bartimaeus series. Those books made you really care about the characters, care in the sense that you were happy when they were successful and cried when they failed (or died, as the case may be). Those characters also developed – or to put a less literary spin on it, they changed as time went on. Weaknesses became strengths, strengths revealed flaws, flaws were embraced, and the reader was carried along that bumpy, exhilarating ride. John and Phillipa rarely roused my emotions, especially since they were often horrible to each other (in that bland, one-liner, Teen Nick kind of way). My favorite character was Nimrod, and only because he could do – and did do – everything in an awesome way, and it’s kinda hard to dislike someone like that.
In the sixth book, The Five Fakirs of Faizabad , I noticed the bizarre insertions of political opinion, obstinately put there by the narrator/author (the books are in third-person omniscient), and since these are firmly aimed at middle school children, it seems a bit odd for Kerr to be putting in these kind of “facts,” which are largely subjective, if not utterly ethnocentric. To be sure, he makes fun of the British quite often (as he himself is), but that doesn’t really excuse making sweeping generalizations about other cultures, even if it is a mostly positive way (or from a “racist” character like Groanin – “No, he said that because he’s xenophobic, hahaha, you’re not supposed to listen to him!”). I don’t know how else to describe it, but it was off-putting, and luckily, there wasn’t too much of that in the seventh book.
John and Phillipa both have all the personality of a Wiki page describing them in outline form, and not much else. Phillipa: book smart, sarcastic, loves animals. John: book dumb, a bit of a pushover, creative. And we’re told those traits multiple times, not shown in what they say or how they act. It’s the epitome of why it’s so important to show, not tell. And Kerr loves to tell. Again, I feel I have to compare him to Rick Riordan, whose novels are also full of interesting facts told both in descriptions and expository dialogue, but Kerr sticks such information in long paragraphs and monologues that would sound perfectly boring in actual speech. It’s not that much of an issue, since info dumps are always difficult to pull off, but the execution in this book still wasn’t the greatest. It doesn’t help that Kerr is fiercely British, and despite John and Phillipa’s purported American cluelessness about that culture, they talk in a very English way, even using vocal mannerisms that no New York teen would ever use. Perhaps Kerr was trying to avoid Harry Potter allusions or appeal to the US market, but since practically everyone else is English or European, it might’ve been simpler to stick the whole series in England.
There’s no return of any previous secondary characters, and the villain isn’t exactly that villainous. Any dangling plot lines aren’t tied up, and no trailing mysteries are solved. If I had read them all recently (or at least, remembered them better), I probably would’ve been much more disappointed about that, but quite frankly, I just wanted to find out what happened at the end and finish this series for good.
Despite all the criticisms above, I know it’s really hard to write one book, let alone seven, and forget about it being popular enough to have any sort of demand. Kerr may have ended up dropping the ball with this series, but it did start off very strong and the entire concept was incredibly unique. The development of the djinn culture and how their powers work was solid, and research was definitely done in regards to ancient history and mythology. I’m glad I finished it, and I think I would recommend it as middle school reading, though preferably in a school or parental setting, where the more iffy bits can be explained properly. Lots of morals about wishing for – and getting – whatever you want, and why that can end up being a good or bad thing.
June 3, 2023
we finally reached the final book of the series and i'm glad i won't ever read it again. i was hoping we wouldn't hear about Groanin but alas! brace yourself 😖 one of the worst stereotypes of an Englishman is alive and annoying as ever.
i have to admit that the 2nd part of the book was good. somehow one minor character changed the whole perspective. the writing had a turn to meaningful dialogues, interesting actions, fewer paragraphs that had only one purpose of being a filler. if we could get rid of 6.5 books then i'd actually recommend it. but the language and representation in them have lots of issues. the amount of blatant xenophobia, racism, ignorance and misinformation the books have is pretty impressive. you can't go over a single chapter without some questionable, unnecessary comments made either by the characters or the author. until you reach half of the 7th book, it surprisingly gets better. but i lost count of the times i raised my eyebrow at a stupid remark about some country. i feel sorry for the kids who grew up on these books. no wonder people are so offensive to each other. how may a child act in a foreign country or with a tourist/an immigrant after reading P.B.Kerr? like a wild, uneducated moron who doesn't know shit about anything. who thinks that Stockholm syndrome is about making a kidnapper free the victim 'cause they feel irritated by the former. who thinks that it's okay for a grown adult to groom a child (and Kerr presents it as kid's enthusiasm. never heard of an adult's responsibility, clearly).
i struggle to get how it was published at all. was it written for those who think that if they're white, thin, able-bodied, English-speaking (and preferably men) you own the world and are above a simple respect?
apart from that, the plot has a bunch of holes. there are things that make no sense and contradict each other.
as Stephen King said "Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones." so thank you for awful books P.B.Kerr. cheers!
i have to admit that the 2nd part of the book was good. somehow one minor character changed the whole perspective. the writing had a turn to meaningful dialogues, interesting actions, fewer paragraphs that had only one purpose of being a filler. if we could get rid of 6.5 books then i'd actually recommend it. but the language and representation in them have lots of issues. the amount of blatant xenophobia, racism, ignorance and misinformation the books have is pretty impressive. you can't go over a single chapter without some questionable, unnecessary comments made either by the characters or the author. until you reach half of the 7th book, it surprisingly gets better. but i lost count of the times i raised my eyebrow at a stupid remark about some country. i feel sorry for the kids who grew up on these books. no wonder people are so offensive to each other. how may a child act in a foreign country or with a tourist/an immigrant after reading P.B.Kerr? like a wild, uneducated moron who doesn't know shit about anything. who thinks that Stockholm syndrome is about making a kidnapper free the victim 'cause they feel irritated by the former. who thinks that it's okay for a grown adult to groom a child (and Kerr presents it as kid's enthusiasm. never heard of an adult's responsibility, clearly).
i struggle to get how it was published at all. was it written for those who think that if they're white, thin, able-bodied, English-speaking (and preferably men) you own the world and are above a simple respect?
apart from that, the plot has a bunch of holes. there are things that make no sense and contradict each other.
as Stephen King said "Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones." so thank you for awful books P.B.Kerr. cheers!
May 25, 2023
Oi. This was… not much fun for me. If this had been just another adventure in the series, it would have been mostly fine, other than that ending. But it’s not; it’s the finale. And it’s not a bad finale to a fantasy series. Not as bad as, say, the movie ending to “Trollhunters”, but still pretty bad.
In the author’s note at the end, Kerr said that he didn’t plan to end the series with seven books, but he felt like the story had run its course and the characters wanted to wrap things up. Maybe he’s right, but I thought he could do a better job than this. Absolutely NONE of the long-running plotlines or character arcs that the series has been building up are resolved, most of the recurring, supporting cast is absent, and the villain of the piece is just some guy who isn’t just completely new, he’s also nowhere near as fun or hammy as the past villains.
This book has the same problems that a lot of the books in the series have, the weird take on foreign cultures, often being “Look at this weird food they eat!” A lot of random events happen, and YMMV on whether or not that’s excusable for Plot (the story DOES explicitly involve luck as a force in the universe, so I don’t mind too much).
But I actively dislike the way this book, and hence the series, ends, and so I feel… not cheated, really, but like this could have been handled much better, in a way that fits with the series as it was written thus far.
The last two books in this series aren’t good. Readers are better off skipping them.
In the author’s note at the end, Kerr said that he didn’t plan to end the series with seven books, but he felt like the story had run its course and the characters wanted to wrap things up. Maybe he’s right, but I thought he could do a better job than this. Absolutely NONE of the long-running plotlines or character arcs that the series has been building up are resolved, most of the recurring, supporting cast is absent, and the villain of the piece is just some guy who isn’t just completely new, he’s also nowhere near as fun or hammy as the past villains.
This book has the same problems that a lot of the books in the series have, the weird take on foreign cultures, often being “Look at this weird food they eat!” A lot of random events happen, and YMMV on whether or not that’s excusable for Plot (the story DOES explicitly involve luck as a force in the universe, so I don’t mind too much).
But I actively dislike the way this book, and hence the series, ends, and so I feel… not cheated, really, but like this could have been handled much better, in a way that fits with the series as it was written thus far.
The last two books in this series aren’t good. Readers are better off skipping them.
July 28, 2018
This is by far the worst book in the series. John and Philippa have to save the world from volcanic eruptions and make the ultimate sacrifice to do so: . It was the worst writing in a poorly written series already.
"It was Kilauea that destroyed our mother's physical body, and obliged her to take on the shape of Mrs. Trump, our housekeeper"- written to refresh memory of readers because John, to whom Philippa is talking, would obviously know who Mrs. Trump is.
This type of clunky overly formal (or incorrectly informal) writing plagues this book more than the previous ones. Unnecessary appositives abound where the author tries to remind readers of what happened in previous books in the worst and most stilted way possible. Additionally, why, in every single book in this series, are there so many passages about how twins have special powers of telepathy even in humans? WE GET IT, THEY KNOW EACH OTHER WELL! It just became ridiculous in this book because this paragraph was inserted so many times. Also, I get that the mafia is supposed to be a joke, but can this not be look like it was written by a 5 year old: let's sell Groanin to the Romanian mafia, "they're much more ruthless than we are. Every flaw from the series is amplified here
"It was Kilauea that destroyed our mother's physical body, and obliged her to take on the shape of Mrs. Trump, our housekeeper"- written to refresh memory of readers because John, to whom Philippa is talking, would obviously know who Mrs. Trump is.
This type of clunky overly formal (or incorrectly informal) writing plagues this book more than the previous ones. Unnecessary appositives abound where the author tries to remind readers of what happened in previous books in the worst and most stilted way possible. Additionally, why, in every single book in this series, are there so many passages about how twins have special powers of telepathy even in humans? WE GET IT, THEY KNOW EACH OTHER WELL! It just became ridiculous in this book because this paragraph was inserted so many times. Also, I get that the mafia is supposed to be a joke, but can this not be look like it was written by a 5 year old: let's sell Groanin to the Romanian mafia, "they're much more ruthless than we are. Every flaw from the series is amplified here
March 18, 2019
The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan is the last book of the Children of the Lamp series. In this installment, djinn twins, John and Phillipa, and their Uncle Nimrod must determine why all the volcanoes of the world are suddenly erupting and stop the natural disasters from creating mass destruction. Their detective work leads them to the tomb of Genghis Khan where they discover that special crystals have been stolen. The crystals are the key. John and Phillipa learn that saving the world will require great sacrifice. Will they being willing to do it?
As with the other books of the series, the narration adds a good dose of humor. Kids will find the "belchin" names of the camels hilarious. The grumpy butler, Mr. Groanin, adds more comedy to the story. For those who enjoy trivia, there are some interesting facts sprinkled throughout the story. The plot contains some interesting twists, and even though some of the situations are a little unbelievable, most kids will enjoy the adventure. Recommended for middle grade readers. -Sherry Ellis, author of Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China
As with the other books of the series, the narration adds a good dose of humor. Kids will find the "belchin" names of the camels hilarious. The grumpy butler, Mr. Groanin, adds more comedy to the story. For those who enjoy trivia, there are some interesting facts sprinkled throughout the story. The plot contains some interesting twists, and even though some of the situations are a little unbelievable, most kids will enjoy the adventure. Recommended for middle grade readers. -Sherry Ellis, author of Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China
June 10, 2023
I almost made this a 2star for okay instead of a liked. Again we are dashing all over the place with an excessive amount of fact dumping that got tiresome and may have been more so for children. This is the last book in the series and I didn’t care for the series ending. The ending is very much rushed. Shockingly there are a lot of stereotypes and slams against all kinds of people and “fat” characters figured prominently. I still really enjoyed the series as a whole and don’t regret all I did to dig these up once they were out of print. I would read more kids books by the author for sure.
July 21, 2025
Das letzte Buch der Kinder des dschinn Reihe ist ziemlich actionreich, diesmal geht es in die Mongolei und die Zwillinge müssen wirklich noch einmal alles geben gegen die Gegner und naturgewalten (ein aktuelles thema). Leider hat auch mich das Ende dieser insgesamt echt tollen Fantasy Reihe nicht völlig überzeugt, deswegen nur vier Sterne
March 1, 2018
Well, I'm glad I read this story, but I'm also glad that it's the end of the series. I just felt like the books were starting to rehash themselves, so I'm happy that this could be a good finish with things tied up.
November 4, 2019
3.5 This book was worse than the others, but I think part of that is because it is the last book in the series. Also, I think that it is 3.5 because John, Philippa, and Nimrod loose their Djinn powers at the end.😱
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2020
I’ve read most of this series and love the characters and adventures as well as the history and science I have learned along the way. Kerr researches beautifully and keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
September 26, 2018
It took me a while to reakky enjoy the book but after a while I couldnt put it down. Now i hope my mom buys me the rest of the series
November 23, 2021
Loved the series. Now I need to find another series!
March 24, 2024
An unworthy ending to an other wise great series
August 10, 2024
I felt emotional because it was the last book of the series 'children of the lamp'. But P. B. Kerr ended it in a clever way. It was enjoyable as all the previous ones.
November 24, 2025
The book that made me realize that writing was a career and I could pursue it.
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