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Archives of Anthropos #3
The Tower of Geburah
The key to this adventure lies in the remote and ancient tower on the Island of Geburah and the precious objects hidden there. What the heroes discover, however, is more than mere treasure. They find a power that could destroy all of Anthropos.
402 pages, Library Binding
First published June 1, 1978
24 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
John White
67 books48 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John White was an Evangelical Christian author, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a pastor of Church of the Way.
John White was an Evangelical Christian author, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a pastor of Church of the Way.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 2, 2021
The Archives of Anthropos are essentially an imitation of The Chronicles of Narnia, written at the request of theologian John White's children for a story that was "just like Narnia."
Unfortunately, while C.S. Lewis was a mythologist first and a theologian second, White is a theologian first and a mythologist somewhere down the line, and it shows. The books are decent allegory-fantasy, drawing on classical and biblical mythology for action-adventure quest stories with good character arcs. But the symbolism is rather too blatant, some of the names are a bit corny, and the setting doesn't quite convince.
Don't misunderstand me - I enjoyed this series as a kid and read it through multiple times. But I re-read Narnia as an adult and I love it just as much - though perhaps for different reasons - as I did as when it was first read to me as a five-year-old.
Goodreads lists the Tower of Geburah as #3 but, like the Narnia books, the Archives of Anthropos are best read in real-world publication order, rather than internal world-order. In this case that's 3, 4, 1, 2, all equally decent stories. 5 is fine, but I'd not suggest bothering with 6.
Unfortunately, while C.S. Lewis was a mythologist first and a theologian second, White is a theologian first and a mythologist somewhere down the line, and it shows. The books are decent allegory-fantasy, drawing on classical and biblical mythology for action-adventure quest stories with good character arcs. But the symbolism is rather too blatant, some of the names are a bit corny, and the setting doesn't quite convince.
Don't misunderstand me - I enjoyed this series as a kid and read it through multiple times. But I re-read Narnia as an adult and I love it just as much - though perhaps for different reasons - as I did as when it was first read to me as a five-year-old.
Goodreads lists the Tower of Geburah as #3 but, like the Narnia books, the Archives of Anthropos are best read in real-world publication order, rather than internal world-order. In this case that's 3, 4, 1, 2, all equally decent stories. 5 is fine, but I'd not suggest bothering with 6.
July 19, 2012
It was great fun to revisit this childhood favorite by reading it aloud to my daughter.
You can almost think of this series as super-awesome Narnia fan-fiction, except that White's fantastic setting is completely his own. All the things I remembered loving - the perilous journey, the courtly characters, the courageous choices - they were all still there. And I appreciated the avuncular, first-person voice of the unnamed narrator a lot this time around.
There were awkward bits to the prose here and there that would have been edited out, I think, if this were published today, and there's certainly more telling (as opposed to showing) than is allowed by current literary fashion. But I'm glad those rules weren't around back when this came out, or the world would have missed these fun stories.
And the completely accessible spiritual meaning implicit in them. White isn't subtle about the Christian allegory, but that means it's perfect for young readers (or listeners). I enjoyed the delight in my daughter's voice as she'd shout out the real-world meaning of this character or that event - she loved figuring it out, and I think she (like I) will remember the stories and their lessons even decades later.
Which makes it sound like this book is just a thinly-veiled sermon. It's not. It's a fantasy and an adventure story first. While clearly an allegory, it's not dry at all. There are battles with trolls and quests for treasure and enchanted knights and spooky wizards and . . . and, and, and. Lots of fun. Old-fashioned fun? Yes. But sometimes that's the best kind. Looking forward to rereading the next one!
You can almost think of this series as super-awesome Narnia fan-fiction, except that White's fantastic setting is completely his own. All the things I remembered loving - the perilous journey, the courtly characters, the courageous choices - they were all still there. And I appreciated the avuncular, first-person voice of the unnamed narrator a lot this time around.
There were awkward bits to the prose here and there that would have been edited out, I think, if this were published today, and there's certainly more telling (as opposed to showing) than is allowed by current literary fashion. But I'm glad those rules weren't around back when this came out, or the world would have missed these fun stories.
And the completely accessible spiritual meaning implicit in them. White isn't subtle about the Christian allegory, but that means it's perfect for young readers (or listeners). I enjoyed the delight in my daughter's voice as she'd shout out the real-world meaning of this character or that event - she loved figuring it out, and I think she (like I) will remember the stories and their lessons even decades later.
Which makes it sound like this book is just a thinly-veiled sermon. It's not. It's a fantasy and an adventure story first. While clearly an allegory, it's not dry at all. There are battles with trolls and quests for treasure and enchanted knights and spooky wizards and . . . and, and, and. Lots of fun. Old-fashioned fun? Yes. But sometimes that's the best kind. Looking forward to rereading the next one!
December 30, 2010
This was kids' Christian fiction. Kids are sucked into another dimension and tempted, but probably triumph through the power of Jesus, except he's been cleverly disguised by giving him a new name. Except I don't know that, because the writing was so poor that I didn't get more than halfway through. My recommendation: read the Chronicles of Narnia again instead.
January 16, 2012
It's much better than you'd expect. Wesley, Kurt, and Lisa are sucked through old television sets in their attic to the land of Anthropos, where the king Kardia is imprisoned, and the land suffers under the sorcerer Hociono. Can they trust Gaal and free the kingdom?
It's heavily influenced by Narnia, but John White adds enough creativity and imagery to make it rise above a standard book. He has a special talent with names: Kardia, Koach, Gaal, Mashal Stone, Bayith of Yayin, Sunesidis. he also has much more creativity in plot and image, too. Seven headed Ogres, evil Elm trees, a pigeon that gives strength when it sits on your shoulder, noble, good wolves-there's always a startling image that surprises you.
There are some downsides. The characters tend to be stock types like the noble king, the betrayer, and others. A lot of the plot involves the children doing stupid things to get in trouble. The writing is all right, though White can't decide whether or not the narrator is limited or omniscient third person. Sometimes it addresses the reader directly, but usually doesn't. Also, if you buy the physical book try to get the older, first edition for the absolutely beautiful cover art.
One last thing. This actually is the first book released in the series. While in the universe two books precede this, You really should read this first, followed by the Iron Sceptre.
But for what it is, it's an excellent Christian fantasy that still is engaging to read even now over modern books. Unfortunately after the The Iron Sceptre the quality of the books go down.
It's heavily influenced by Narnia, but John White adds enough creativity and imagery to make it rise above a standard book. He has a special talent with names: Kardia, Koach, Gaal, Mashal Stone, Bayith of Yayin, Sunesidis. he also has much more creativity in plot and image, too. Seven headed Ogres, evil Elm trees, a pigeon that gives strength when it sits on your shoulder, noble, good wolves-there's always a startling image that surprises you.
There are some downsides. The characters tend to be stock types like the noble king, the betrayer, and others. A lot of the plot involves the children doing stupid things to get in trouble. The writing is all right, though White can't decide whether or not the narrator is limited or omniscient third person. Sometimes it addresses the reader directly, but usually doesn't. Also, if you buy the physical book try to get the older, first edition for the absolutely beautiful cover art.
One last thing. This actually is the first book released in the series. While in the universe two books precede this, You really should read this first, followed by the Iron Sceptre.
But for what it is, it's an excellent Christian fantasy that still is engaging to read even now over modern books. Unfortunately after the The Iron Sceptre the quality of the books go down.
February 24, 2024
I have just given myself a Christmas treat by re-reading this book for the umpteenth time. It is one of my favourite middle grade stories because it mixes Biblical truths with a cracking good fantasy adventure. It is not fantasy in the sense of an incredible created world but rather a story set in the medieval world of Anthropos. There are in addition to humans, dwarves, friendly wolves and all manner of evil creatures including magicians and sorcerers.
It features three children from Canada drawn to Anthropos by Gaal the Shepherd to rescue the nation and Kardia king of Anthropos. The children face all manner of difficulties and evil but how they overcome and deal with their own failures makes a wonderful story. The themes of love, grace, forgiveness and mercy are strong but not in a patronising and over simplistic way but woven into a realistic and compelling tale.
I've just re-read it and though 45 years after it was first published, it is certainly dated, the truths of God's love shown through Gaal overcoming terrible evil remain.
It features three children from Canada drawn to Anthropos by Gaal the Shepherd to rescue the nation and Kardia king of Anthropos. The children face all manner of difficulties and evil but how they overcome and deal with their own failures makes a wonderful story. The themes of love, grace, forgiveness and mercy are strong but not in a patronising and over simplistic way but woven into a realistic and compelling tale.
I've just re-read it and though 45 years after it was first published, it is certainly dated, the truths of God's love shown through Gaal overcoming terrible evil remain.
May 6, 2021
The first of the
The Archives of Anthropos,
series, The Tower of Geburah, John White wrote it in response to his children’s request for him to write a children's book like
The Chronicles of Narnia
. Similar C.S. Lewis' series, this is an allegory for aspects of Christianity.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
The three principal characters, Wesley, Lisa, and Kurt, are reasonably well developed, and each has their own story arc. Other characters are less so, but still solid and consistent with what we do learn.
GAAL: the character that represents Jesus, Gaal has many characteristics you would expect and is enigmatic enough that he doesn’t feel entirely human. Though no character could ever fully embody Jesus, White does a respectable job in Gaal.
WORLD BUILDING
Anthropos is a medieval style country of humans, dwarfs (matmon), and intelligent wolves (koach), which has been overrun by other more evil creatures. White does not give the same detail you might find in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings , but there is sufficient to believe this world could be real.
SETTING:
The children travel through various parts of Anthropos to complete the missions Gaal gives them. Each poses a new challenge or furthers the plot in some other way.
THEMES
Courage and fear. Faith. Redemption. Good vs. evil. Power.
PLOT
While similar to C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, the story White presents is still original.
OPENING:
The Tower of Geburah opens with the children exploring in an attic. Finding old TVs that turn on without having wires piques their curiosity, then Lisa finds herself in a cell with a chained man. Separating the children creates a sense of tension, making the reader want to go on.
PLOT/CONFLICT:
The conflict running throughout is good verses evil in various guises. Many of the characters, especially Lisa and Kurt, face a choice between Gaal and the legions of darkness (sometimes overtly). When they choose darkness things fall apart but Gaal, when called on, returns things to how they should be.
LOGIC & CONSISTENCY:
Mostly, the plot is consistent. There are a couple of points where you might question the logic (i.e. why doesn’t Theophilus fly them from the tower of Geburah to the battle) but Gaal explains this as him wanting the characters to do things for themselves.
ENDING:
The battle ends with Gaal demonstrating his power in a way that finishes the story arcs within Anthropos nicely, only leaving resultant celebrations and Kardia’s wedding which follow. The children’s story concludes a little abruptly in that Gaal presented them with a portal to their world, and they step through without a word being said before things being rounded up with their Uncle arriving home.
WRITING
Written in a style reminiscent of Tolkien and Lewis.
DIALOGUE:
Generally consistent with characters, though Kardia stopped using the word ‘hist’ halfway through.
PACING:
Varied.
DESCRIPTION:
Detailed.
VOICE:
Third-person narrator who heard the story from the children. Occasionally included redundant repetition summing up characters’ dialogue, possibly to aid children who might struggle with the unusual names.
BRIEF QUOTES
Throughout the rest of hear life Lisa often thought about her walk with Gaal to the door leading out of the hillside to the Bayith of Yayin. As they walked hand in hand down the dimly lit corridor she grew more confused. From somewhere inside her a song of joy was rising, joy that she could hold Gaal’s hand and walk with him. Yet shame threatened to strangle her song of joy. The dimness hid her burning cheeks. Never in her life had she felt so ugly, so dirty, so messy. And the farther they walked, the uglier, dirtier and messier she felt. But with every step too the song sang itself more fiercely. (Ch. 16 The Bayith of Yayin)
SUMMARY
Unlike Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, The Tower of Geburah is a true allegory (Lewis maintained his work was ‘supposition’). Both authors drew their ideas from the same place (i.e. Christianity) but produced original works in their own right. I enjoyed The Tower of Geburah immensely, the only disappointment being I don’t yet posses the other books in the series.
SIMILAR BOOKS
C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia , and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings .
RATING
Character development: ★★★★ (3.5)
World Building: ★★★★ (4)
Plot: ★★★★ (4)
Writing: ★★★★ (4)
Enjoyment: ★★★★★ (4.5)
Overall rating: ★★★★ (4)
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
The three principal characters, Wesley, Lisa, and Kurt, are reasonably well developed, and each has their own story arc. Other characters are less so, but still solid and consistent with what we do learn.
GAAL: the character that represents Jesus, Gaal has many characteristics you would expect and is enigmatic enough that he doesn’t feel entirely human. Though no character could ever fully embody Jesus, White does a respectable job in Gaal.
WORLD BUILDING
Anthropos is a medieval style country of humans, dwarfs (matmon), and intelligent wolves (koach), which has been overrun by other more evil creatures. White does not give the same detail you might find in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings , but there is sufficient to believe this world could be real.
SETTING:
The children travel through various parts of Anthropos to complete the missions Gaal gives them. Each poses a new challenge or furthers the plot in some other way.
THEMES
Courage and fear. Faith. Redemption. Good vs. evil. Power.
PLOT
While similar to C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, the story White presents is still original.
OPENING:
The Tower of Geburah opens with the children exploring in an attic. Finding old TVs that turn on without having wires piques their curiosity, then Lisa finds herself in a cell with a chained man. Separating the children creates a sense of tension, making the reader want to go on.
PLOT/CONFLICT:
The conflict running throughout is good verses evil in various guises. Many of the characters, especially Lisa and Kurt, face a choice between Gaal and the legions of darkness (sometimes overtly). When they choose darkness things fall apart but Gaal, when called on, returns things to how they should be.
LOGIC & CONSISTENCY:
Mostly, the plot is consistent. There are a couple of points where you might question the logic (i.e. why doesn’t Theophilus fly them from the tower of Geburah to the battle) but Gaal explains this as him wanting the characters to do things for themselves.
ENDING:
The battle ends with Gaal demonstrating his power in a way that finishes the story arcs within Anthropos nicely, only leaving resultant celebrations and Kardia’s wedding which follow. The children’s story concludes a little abruptly in that Gaal presented them with a portal to their world, and they step through without a word being said before things being rounded up with their Uncle arriving home.
WRITING
Written in a style reminiscent of Tolkien and Lewis.
DIALOGUE:
Generally consistent with characters, though Kardia stopped using the word ‘hist’ halfway through.
PACING:
Varied.
DESCRIPTION:
Detailed.
VOICE:
Third-person narrator who heard the story from the children. Occasionally included redundant repetition summing up characters’ dialogue, possibly to aid children who might struggle with the unusual names.
BRIEF QUOTES
Throughout the rest of hear life Lisa often thought about her walk with Gaal to the door leading out of the hillside to the Bayith of Yayin. As they walked hand in hand down the dimly lit corridor she grew more confused. From somewhere inside her a song of joy was rising, joy that she could hold Gaal’s hand and walk with him. Yet shame threatened to strangle her song of joy. The dimness hid her burning cheeks. Never in her life had she felt so ugly, so dirty, so messy. And the farther they walked, the uglier, dirtier and messier she felt. But with every step too the song sang itself more fiercely. (Ch. 16 The Bayith of Yayin)
SUMMARY
Unlike Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, The Tower of Geburah is a true allegory (Lewis maintained his work was ‘supposition’). Both authors drew their ideas from the same place (i.e. Christianity) but produced original works in their own right. I enjoyed The Tower of Geburah immensely, the only disappointment being I don’t yet posses the other books in the series.
SIMILAR BOOKS
C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia , and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings .
RATING
Character development: ★★★★ (3.5)
World Building: ★★★★ (4)
Plot: ★★★★ (4)
Writing: ★★★★ (4)
Enjoyment: ★★★★★ (4.5)
Overall rating: ★★★★ (4)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2022
Published first in the Archives of Anthropos, The Tower of Geburah is the third book in the series. While I would happily recommend any book in the Archives, this title stands out to me for its presentation of the Gospel.
The story follows three siblings: Wesley, Lisa and Kurt, as they travel to the world of Anthropos, where they battle an evil sorcerer with the help of Gaal (the Christ-figure).
While the novel, in its entirety, is an excellent read, chapter 14 is the one that most captured my heart and my attention. With just a little bit of backstory, this chapter can function as a standalone presentation of the Gospel.
Memorable Quotation
“I’m scared. You might not want me if you knew…”
“If I knew about your sticky hands? And your smudgy face? If I knew you had said I didn’t exist? If I knew you wanted to join Hocoino and said you hated your Uncle John? I know all these things, Lisa, yet I would still like you to be my sheep. The question is, Do you want me to be your Shepherd?”
John White, The Tower of Geburah (InterVarsity Press, 1978), p. 177
The story follows three siblings: Wesley, Lisa and Kurt, as they travel to the world of Anthropos, where they battle an evil sorcerer with the help of Gaal (the Christ-figure).
While the novel, in its entirety, is an excellent read, chapter 14 is the one that most captured my heart and my attention. With just a little bit of backstory, this chapter can function as a standalone presentation of the Gospel.
Memorable Quotation
“I’m scared. You might not want me if you knew…”
“If I knew about your sticky hands? And your smudgy face? If I knew you had said I didn’t exist? If I knew you wanted to join Hocoino and said you hated your Uncle John? I know all these things, Lisa, yet I would still like you to be my sheep. The question is, Do you want me to be your Shepherd?”
John White, The Tower of Geburah (InterVarsity Press, 1978), p. 177
September 5, 2018
It took me awhile to get into this book, as I kept comparing it in my thinking to the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. While not quite of that caliber of writing, and being told by one to whom the three children in the book had told their story, it still was a well written adventure and spiritual tale that took children from the wintry white outs of Winnipeg, Canada to the kingdom of Anthropos to do battles with evil forces and to restore the rightful king to his throne.
Powerful imagery and insights into human weaknesses and the need for a healing, guiding Shepherd to lead us into Truth and wisdom fill these pages with clear insights into the freedom and healing that come into a human life through faith in Jesus Christ. Faced with many temptations and the grace to endure even in the face of their own foolishness, the children learned to trust and obey the Shepherd, though sometimes the hard way. I look forward to reading the next book in White's series.
Powerful imagery and insights into human weaknesses and the need for a healing, guiding Shepherd to lead us into Truth and wisdom fill these pages with clear insights into the freedom and healing that come into a human life through faith in Jesus Christ. Faced with many temptations and the grace to endure even in the face of their own foolishness, the children learned to trust and obey the Shepherd, though sometimes the hard way. I look forward to reading the next book in White's series.
May 14, 2012
I remember reading this as a teen, so I wanted to see if it was still good as an adult. While this is the third book in the series chronologically, it is the first that he actually wrote. As such it isn't as well-written as the ones he wrote later, but it is still good.
The similarities to the Chronicles of Narnia are of course striking, considering that he intentionally wrote this book for his children to be "like" them, but White does have his own style and the book quickly breaks out of the C.S. Lewis mold. The Anthropos books in general seem to be slightly more mature than the Narnia books; that is to say, the Anthropos characters battle more interesting personal flaws than those in Lewis' books.
The similarities to the Chronicles of Narnia are of course striking, considering that he intentionally wrote this book for his children to be "like" them, but White does have his own style and the book quickly breaks out of the C.S. Lewis mold. The Anthropos books in general seem to be slightly more mature than the Narnia books; that is to say, the Anthropos characters battle more interesting personal flaws than those in Lewis' books.
July 13, 2020
My all-time favorite book. I have probably read it 30 times or more, since the age of 6. It is clearly inspired by Lewis and Tolkien, but while I adore Narnia and Middle Earth, White's lesser-known Anthropos holds the highest place in my allegorical fantasy-loving heart. I finally found my own copy (I'd managed to fill nearly every space on my church library's card for the book) at a used bookseller, hiding behind another book. I much prefer this original artwork to the next edition, so I'm happy to own a previously loved copy. While White decided to reorder his series, I don't recommend reading them in that order. This is the first book in the Archives, originally, and I feel it makes the most sense to be read first. It's truly a gem!
September 13, 2022
My father read this to me and I read it to myself multiple times, and I just finished reading it to my children, but it was much harder than I expected. It is so badly written, the dialogue so forced and the storyline somehow predictable and yet dragging. Much as he tried, John White was no C. S. Lewis.
And yet it is worth reading, because it abounds with good illustrations and now that I'm learning Hebrew, it has helped with vocab because many of the people and place names are Hebrew or Greek.
And yet it is worth reading, because it abounds with good illustrations and now that I'm learning Hebrew, it has helped with vocab because many of the people and place names are Hebrew or Greek.
May 17, 2011
This was the book that drew me into the fantasy genre as a child. Although I don't think I could recite most of the plot line, I can tell you that I remember struggling with the ideas/emotions/spirituality within the book, even as a child. I have this book to thank for my interest today in sci-fi and fantasy novels.
November 5, 2019
Three siblings, are drawn to the mysterious world of Anthropos to help a king regain his throne, defeat an evil sorcerer bent on world domination (when do they ever aim for less?), reunite the king with his future queen and bring an end to the cursed drought that plagues the land. However, they can't do any of this on their own, they must depend on Gaal, who never fails them but is not where they expect him, and takes them on a darker journey than they would have chosen, but leads them to the truest light.
I like this series. I like the world jumping, I like the allegories and I like that John (from the first books) is still involved in the series though he is no longer the protagonist. If I'd have read this as a young teen, I would have loved this series. As it is, I still manage to enjoy it though it occasionally feels heavy handed (common Christian fiction foible) and has nearly unpronounceable names (I'm a veteran of Lewis, Jordan, Sanderson, Herbert and Tolkien and I paid attention to the pronunciation guide at the end of the book and I still had to skim over several names after figuring out who they were because trying to read them was like fingernails on the chalk board of my brain. Suneidesis… shivers!). If a Lewis/Bunyan mash up sounds like your jam, pick up this series.
Content notes: No language issues, characters are made to realize consequences for careless speech/cursing. No sensuality issues. Lots of severe peril moments, with several deaths, mostly of goblins and evil creatures on page that melt into sludge when they die; one character is nearly sacrificed on an alter and realizes it is covered in other peoples blood; a battle against overwhelming odds is fought with arrow and sword wounds, though the magic poisons that cause "sleeping death" are considered the worst fate.
November 30, 2019
This is a book that is somewhat of a rip-off of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It has a group of children (three instead of four) traveling from our world to a magical land (through television sets instead of through a wardrobe), and meeting a Christ-like being (a man called Gaal instead of a lion named Aslan). During their adventures, as in C.S. Lewis's novel, one of the children becomes unfaithful to the others, and they are involved in several encounters with the malevolent being (a male magician instead of a female witch) who is trying to subvert the land (named Anthropos instead of Narnia) and his followers. There are mythical beings aplenty, and, of course, the young heroes learn a very valuable lesson about the difference between good and evil.
All that being said, this is actually a very good book. The writing is easy and the action comes fast enough to keep the interest. The journey that the children take is full of mystery and scary moments, and the characters that populate the land of Anthropos are colorful and fun. I would recommend this book for any young readers that are in love with Lewis's work but have run out of material. This is the first in a series that will fill that void, and give them more dreams to hold dear.
All that being said, this is actually a very good book. The writing is easy and the action comes fast enough to keep the interest. The journey that the children take is full of mystery and scary moments, and the characters that populate the land of Anthropos are colorful and fun. I would recommend this book for any young readers that are in love with Lewis's work but have run out of material. This is the first in a series that will fill that void, and give them more dreams to hold dear.
January 24, 2021
Boy, what a long review this will be! If I could rate it out of 5 stars-I'd rate it 100! This was an amazing, heartwarming and overall inspirational read! Through this book I've grown with the characters, learnt with the characters and been along side them every step of the way. This book has grown me closer then ever before to God, closer then the Bible has taught me, closer then every church service has taught me. I now see the words, the scripture in different eyes. I've felt the pain of Lisa, the anger of Kurt and the worry of Wesley through this book. I feel much much closer to God and I believe in him a million times more. What this book has taught me is indescribable. I know through and through that whatever stupid mistakes I have made and will, God and Jesus are here with me. They will guide me, and amazingly forgive me. I love this book, and I hope people will love it and grow with it like I have. Thank you John White. Thank you.
December 26, 2021
My copy is from 1978. I assume I read it then and a couple of times afterward, based on the wear of the cover. Weird, though, I have very little memory of the story. No memory of the names except Gaal. I remembered them making oatmeal with cheese (because they had no salt or sugar), and I remembered Lisa's bath at Gaal's house where she got new clothes. It's odd. I usually remember everything about a story I read as a child.
This is very Narnia-like in concept. The children are Canadian instead of English. The only talking animals are wolves and they're good guys (I like that very much). Gaal is clearly the hero, although everyone gets to help.
I learned there were six books written. I own 3 and 4, apparently. I just bought 1 and 2. The writing is solid. May as well give them a try.
This is very Narnia-like in concept. The children are Canadian instead of English. The only talking animals are wolves and they're good guys (I like that very much). Gaal is clearly the hero, although everyone gets to help.
I learned there were six books written. I own 3 and 4, apparently. I just bought 1 and 2. The writing is solid. May as well give them a try.
October 23, 2022
I re-read this for the first time since I was a child, wanting to see if it held up. It did. The book and series gets unfair criticism because it is measured against C.S. Lewis's Narnia series since John White wrote these books with the expressed intent of providing something in a similar vein to Narnia for his children, who wanted more stories of the same genre after finishing Narnia. These books are not Narnia. They are enjoyable for what they are as children's clean fantasy fiction with Christian themes.
September 22, 2022
I think this is a great book. I was a little disappointed about the main characters but only for a while. Great demonstration on the senses of right and wrong and I liked how he made the characters seem so lifelike by showing them having hard times. I think this would be a good family or just a silent read for yourself. This is one of my favorite series. 📘
March 13, 2019
An inferior imitation of Lewis and Tolkien, but has some merit of its own. Particularly drawn to White's depiction of Gaal the Shepherd, his Christ figure. I enjoyed this as a child, and Hannah enjoyed this reading as well.
November 20, 2021
This is a fun, fantastical book, similar in nature to the Narnia books though not nearly as well written as Lewis. There were editing issues as well, but even still my children enjoyed this as our nightly read-aloud.
April 8, 2024
This series is very similar to 'Narnia' and 'The Lord of the Rings'
September 29, 2011
Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Becca Worthington
Recommended for: Boys and girls, Ages 10+
One Word Summary: Magical.
As a child, my family read out loud a lot. It would happen primarily after dinner, my father reading us book after book loudly enough so that my mother could hear from the kitchen as she washed the dishes. It began with picture books, as we four kids sat in his lap and took turns flipping the pages with their crisp sound, marveling at the artwork as my father changed his voice for the characters with almost Houdini-like magic. When I was around six, as the third child, we graduated to chapter books and began with The Lord of the Rings (my father’s vocal gifting being responsible, I’m afraid, for instilling an unshakable life-long fear of Gollum from a very young age) before moving on to the Narnia tales.
By the final page of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I was in love with the wide-open possibilities of the genre, and I have never stopped being impressed by the imagination that it takes to write a truly good children’s fantasy. Not only do you need to create a cast of strong characters and a compelling plot, like any other book, but you need to do it in a land full of magic and mystery. The majority of your characters probably aren’t human, your antagonist and his minions must seethe and writhe with all the evils of Hell, and your protagonist must be real and relatable while exemplifying purity, strength and beauty, and yet somehow during all of this you must also convince your readers to believe—and give weight to—the absolutely unbelievable. I can’t speak for the rest of the allegorical children’s fantasy series “The Archives of Anthropos,” but in its first book, The Tower of Geburah, John White does all of these things quite masterfully.
It starts similarly to Narnia: three siblings travel through an everyday portal (albeit a glowing television set rather than a mothball-filled wardrobe) and find themselves in the magical world of Anthropos, having been summoned by the powers of Gaal (an Aslan-type Christ-figure) to help defeat the Dark Lord and free the kingdom from his cruel rule, returning the captive King Kardia to his rightful throne. All the while, the siblings remain, very clearly, young children whose innocent faith and determined bravery alone keep them upright and focused on the task at hand.
I loved this book as a child, and while the rediscovery was a delight, I should admit that my life-long love for the book might have infused a certain overlooking of its errors. For one thing, for the non-Christian reader the religious allegorical aspect may be too heavy-handed at times. For another thing, although John White is clearly paying significant homage to both The Lord of the Rings and Narnia in this fantasy, at times it mirrors elements so completely that it truly feels closer to a blatant rip-off. But while it would be dangerous—nearly blasphemous, in fact—to compare any modern work favorably to such lauded and respected classic adventure tales, The Tower of Geburah does hold much of the same appeal. Much like its predecessors, it successfully carry on the tradition of a wildly adventurous other-worldly fantasy where the kids are ill-equipped to take on the weight of the tasks they are handed, but gamely plod on toward success nonetheless. And much like its predecessors again, it leaves the reader nail-gnawing and cheering as we travel through Anthropos next to the children on this journey. A journey, I must say, that is absolutely worth taking.
For more reviews, author interviews, articles and reading lists from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com
Recommended for: Boys and girls, Ages 10+
One Word Summary: Magical.
As a child, my family read out loud a lot. It would happen primarily after dinner, my father reading us book after book loudly enough so that my mother could hear from the kitchen as she washed the dishes. It began with picture books, as we four kids sat in his lap and took turns flipping the pages with their crisp sound, marveling at the artwork as my father changed his voice for the characters with almost Houdini-like magic. When I was around six, as the third child, we graduated to chapter books and began with The Lord of the Rings (my father’s vocal gifting being responsible, I’m afraid, for instilling an unshakable life-long fear of Gollum from a very young age) before moving on to the Narnia tales.
By the final page of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I was in love with the wide-open possibilities of the genre, and I have never stopped being impressed by the imagination that it takes to write a truly good children’s fantasy. Not only do you need to create a cast of strong characters and a compelling plot, like any other book, but you need to do it in a land full of magic and mystery. The majority of your characters probably aren’t human, your antagonist and his minions must seethe and writhe with all the evils of Hell, and your protagonist must be real and relatable while exemplifying purity, strength and beauty, and yet somehow during all of this you must also convince your readers to believe—and give weight to—the absolutely unbelievable. I can’t speak for the rest of the allegorical children’s fantasy series “The Archives of Anthropos,” but in its first book, The Tower of Geburah, John White does all of these things quite masterfully.
It starts similarly to Narnia: three siblings travel through an everyday portal (albeit a glowing television set rather than a mothball-filled wardrobe) and find themselves in the magical world of Anthropos, having been summoned by the powers of Gaal (an Aslan-type Christ-figure) to help defeat the Dark Lord and free the kingdom from his cruel rule, returning the captive King Kardia to his rightful throne. All the while, the siblings remain, very clearly, young children whose innocent faith and determined bravery alone keep them upright and focused on the task at hand.
I loved this book as a child, and while the rediscovery was a delight, I should admit that my life-long love for the book might have infused a certain overlooking of its errors. For one thing, for the non-Christian reader the religious allegorical aspect may be too heavy-handed at times. For another thing, although John White is clearly paying significant homage to both The Lord of the Rings and Narnia in this fantasy, at times it mirrors elements so completely that it truly feels closer to a blatant rip-off. But while it would be dangerous—nearly blasphemous, in fact—to compare any modern work favorably to such lauded and respected classic adventure tales, The Tower of Geburah does hold much of the same appeal. Much like its predecessors, it successfully carry on the tradition of a wildly adventurous other-worldly fantasy where the kids are ill-equipped to take on the weight of the tasks they are handed, but gamely plod on toward success nonetheless. And much like its predecessors again, it leaves the reader nail-gnawing and cheering as we travel through Anthropos next to the children on this journey. A journey, I must say, that is absolutely worth taking.
For more reviews, author interviews, articles and reading lists from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com
October 9, 2011
Wonderful as always. :)
Theophilus' name always makes me smile; Theophilus Gorgonzala Roquefort de Limburger V. Actually Theophilus in general makes me smile, crazy, vain, flying horse though he may be.
All joking aside, the rest of the characters are great too- Wesley who worries about everything and has to learn to trust Gaal, Lisa and Kurt who did some pretty stupid things but found out that they could be forgiven anyway. And the story is wonderful as well, three kids get sucked (literally) into the miraculous land of Anthropos to find that they have been chosen by Gaal the Shepherd to help free Anthropos from the hands of an evil sorcerer called Honcoino. The portals they enter through are two of five very old TV sets from their Uncle John's attic.
Oh and in case anybody wondered....
NEVER OPEN THE DOOR, STAY ON THE PATH,FOLLOW YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND DON'T TRUST THE FLYING HORSE TO KEEP YOUR COURSE! xD
Theophilus' name always makes me smile; Theophilus Gorgonzala Roquefort de Limburger V. Actually Theophilus in general makes me smile, crazy, vain, flying horse though he may be.
All joking aside, the rest of the characters are great too- Wesley who worries about everything and has to learn to trust Gaal, Lisa and Kurt who did some pretty stupid things but found out that they could be forgiven anyway. And the story is wonderful as well, three kids get sucked (literally) into the miraculous land of Anthropos to find that they have been chosen by Gaal the Shepherd to help free Anthropos from the hands of an evil sorcerer called Honcoino. The portals they enter through are two of five very old TV sets from their Uncle John's attic.
Oh and in case anybody wondered....
NEVER OPEN THE DOOR, STAY ON THE PATH,FOLLOW YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND DON'T TRUST THE FLYING HORSE TO KEEP YOUR COURSE! xD
March 25, 2021
I think this book is probably best read aloud. The beginning feels rather rushed, as though the author just can't wait to get the adventure started, while later chapters are very engaging. Some chapters feel as though they needed one or two more edits, but the story is great.
Three siblings are transported to a different world, Anthropos, in order to help save it from destruction. This is very much a Christian allegory. It does have some parts that may be scary to younger readers. If you have ever heard the phrase, "Blue light is true light" I would suggest reading this book. As of the time I am writing this review, I have yet to read the rest of the series and am looking forward to doing so.
Three siblings are transported to a different world, Anthropos, in order to help save it from destruction. This is very much a Christian allegory. It does have some parts that may be scary to younger readers. If you have ever heard the phrase, "Blue light is true light" I would suggest reading this book. As of the time I am writing this review, I have yet to read the rest of the series and am looking forward to doing so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2008
This was the first book I read of the series and probably my favorite, I think. It has been years since I read these books though. When I originally read this book I probably had an original copy with a different cover that was sitting around my house. Several years later I saw books 1-5 on sale in a CBD catalog or something and got them. It must have been before 2001 though because I don't ever remember seeing book 6 before sometime in recent past on goodreads.
January 2, 2011
A great read for anyone who is looking for Christian fantasy in a similar vein to “Pilgrim’s Progress.” The Tower of Geburah is a well-written story with interesting plots and well-developed characters.
While there is an allegorical aspect to each of the character’s names (e.g., Gaal, means "Shepherd” and "Geburah" is Hebrew for "strength"), this is no "Pilgrim's Progress.” Good reading and highly entertaining.
While there is an allegorical aspect to each of the character’s names (e.g., Gaal, means "Shepherd” and "Geburah" is Hebrew for "strength"), this is no "Pilgrim's Progress.” Good reading and highly entertaining.
April 29, 2009
I really enjoyed this when I was young. As I got older, I realized it is sort of a mish-mash of the Narnia books and The Lord of the Rings, and just about any other fantasy series, with an obvious veneer of Christianity. Like I said, I enjoyed the series, but I don't really need to ever read them again.
January 28, 2008
This book is very good centered around a spiritual theme. Like C.S. Lewis Chronicle of Narnia books, this books has a lot of meaning and symoblism with Christianity. My brother left it for me to read, and it took me a long time to convince myself to pick it up because of how big it was. I loved it, however, and it holds a lot of meaning about struggling to do what is right.
January 6, 2012
It was pretty good – some distinct similarities with Narnia, and some very good allegorical elements. I really enjoyed the trip to the tower of Geburah itself; that was by far the most engaging part of the story by far. It started well, slowed in the middle, and ended satisfyingly. I’m interested to see what will happen in the remaining books.
September 18, 2007
This may be the worst four star book in my books, but I read it about a thousand times as a kid and "really liked it" every time. It's no work of great literature, but it sure resonated with me for some reason. The others in the series weren't quite as good though....
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