Cathedral of Time

by Stephen Austin Thorpe, Stephen Austin Thorpe (Illustrator), Dallin Bifano (Artist)

Overview

Ghostly sightings of a legendary figure.
The discovery of a hidden stash from a centuries-old bank robbery.
The disappearance of a well-known TV personality, and the most prominent family in town entangled in all of it.

Makayla Brown's ideal life is about to be blown to smithereens. She'll need to race across space and time, plunging herself into another world in hopes of saving her own. When Makayla disappears off the face of the Earth, the dedication of her two best friends, Tanner and Andrew, will be tested as they attempt to follow her trail through a dangerous new world and encounter beasts and beings the likes of which they've never seen. Will they reach Makayla in time to rescue her from certain death and bring her safely home, or will they be doomed to spend eternity in their new world, sealed by the rule of the fates? The clock is ticking...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781732783515
Publisher:	Continuum Multimedia
Publication date:	04/24/2019
Series:	World of Agartha , #1
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.25(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

2023-01-06
This debut middle-grade novel sees three friends step back in time to ancient Rome during Nero’s tyrannical reign.

Middle schoolers Makayla (aka Mick), Tanner, and Andrew live in Brownsville, Kentucky. Friends since elementary school, they have recently been exploring Mammoth Cave to research Mick’s presentation on the “Caveman”—a local legend stemming from the disappearance of Donald Carlton after a bank robbery and triple murder in 1810. When Mick discovers she is descended from Carlton, she worries the town will hold it against her. Mick channels her energies into proving her ancestor innocent—and while following his journal, she slips through a portal in an underground stream in Mammoth Cave. She finds herself in the lands of Inner Earth—real places that include the underworld depicted in Greek mythology. Having met with the “twelve gods of Olympus seated in a circle around her,” Mick continues to pursue her ancestor and becomes stranded in ancient Rome during Nero’s persecution of Christians. Tanner has abandonment issues and so is determined not to lose Mick. He convinces Andrew to join him in a rescue attempt, and the two follow Mick through the portal. Can the three reunited friends find their way home? Thorpe presents an omniscient narrative in the past tense, employing plain language to weave an intricate, rather messy plot. At times, the series opener becomes a bit unraveled, as if the characters have been left to their own devices and taken several wrong turns. In particular, Tanner and Andrew’s journey through the underworld is overlong and, for all the inherent fascination of Greek myths, of no great relevance to the main story. Given the buildup, the adventure also ends rather abruptly (in preparation for the sequel). Still, the modern-day setting is well handled, and once the boys join Mick in ancient Rome, they find sufficient peril there to keep readers turning the pages. Mick, Tanner, and Andrew are all relatable protagonists. Though resourceful and determined, they evince flaws and insecurities that test the bonds of their friendship. In place of traditional illustrations, each chapter of the book ends with a QR code; readers may download an app and create an account to get access to a miscellany of real-world photographs, concept drawings, and interactive art.

An engaging tween adventure that immerses readers in Greek myths and Roman history.

Kirkus Reviews