Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam

R. K. Mortenson
Barbour Publishing (2006)
ISBN 1597890448
Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) for Reader Views (8/07)


Landon is just making up that story of visiting another land isn't he? Holly is Landon's younger sister who doesn't believe that Landon ever visited another land last year. Holly is definitely convinced after she visits Wonderwood with him.  But this time Holly has been kidnapped by wolf-like creatures. Landon will need to enlist the help of his friends that were introduced in the first book of this series to find Holly. Landon will need lots of courage to rescue his sister from the shadows of darkness and Malus Quidam's power. It will take all of Landon's faith to finally defeat Ludo and the evil forces that hold him and many of the others captive in Wonderwood.

The characters in this story are like normal people as we all have weaknesses. But the fact that they have weaknesses just makes them more like the intended audience of this series. I particularly like that he is able to put his faith into practice.

The story is very engaging; it had me gripped from the beginning to the end. R.K. Mortenson has done it again with the second book in this series, “Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam.” I'm glad that he takes Biblical truth and creates a fantasy story around specific Bible verses. I will definitely enjoy reading all the books in this series.


Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (3/06)

Book two of the Landon Snow series takes the reader back to Button Up, Minnesota. Landon and his family have returned for a visit to his grandparent’s home and the town’s big library. Landon knows his remarkable adventures on his previous trip were real and he wonders if the tunnel to the library will lead him to his friends Melech, Ditty and Vates again.

When Landon tells his sister, Holly, about his adventures in Wonderwood, she listens but doesn’t really believe. But she agrees to meet him after everyone else goes to bed. When she joins him that evening, strange things happen once again in Grandpa Karl’s study. Shadows move, Bible pages turn, and the bookcase swings wide revealing the tunnel. Now Holly believes Landon and she goes with him to the magical land inhabited by gnome-like creatures known as Odds.

They arrive during a war between the powers of light and the shadows of Malus Quidam. His puppet, the leader of the Odds, takes Holly and places her under his spell. Landon finds his old friends and together they must set Holly and the rest of the Odds free. When the Auctor reveals the way through a vision, Landon must be courageous and trust the Auctor’s plan to break Malus Quidam’s power.

Mortenson again delivers an adventure with characters that children are sure to love. The sequel offers a much stronger storyline than the first in the series and develops the characters more. The book conveys biblical truths to children in a delightful tale.

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