The Lighthouse Land: The Lighthouse Trilogy, Book 1

McKinty is a wonderful storyteller and he has really written something special in this Lighthouse series. I was more familiar with his gritty, gory crime novels but Lighthouse series is completely different. I loved the vivid imagination and that the main characters were teens who have to work together, use history lessons, physics, trigonometry and other sciences to problems solve. McKinty also throws in large helpings of humor that truly made me laugh out loud. Gerald Doyle is a wonderful narrator -- young, old , male, female, Irish, American -- he can do it all.
If you have a youngster who can't quite focus on school, these books may help with that. After all, if you would like to be a valued person during an Intergalactic War, you need to know math, chemistry, history etc, etc, not to mention what to do if you fall in love with an alien ,,, a bit of a sticky wicket that.

Although I am 61 years old I still enjoy a good novel. Adrian McKinty has written a very good one. I will be waiting for the next book.

Excellent for young adults or pre-teens / teens. A bit too juvenile for adults, but a good listen which captured my attention and kept me interested. Similar to Narnia.

I clearly missed the fact that this book was created for children when i read the reviews . that being the case I at first did'nt think it was up to Adrians normal standard. Once the penny dropped i became a little less critical. As a childs story i think its probably good, though somewhat violent and a little thin on morals and ethics. I finished it but probably won't continue with this particular trilogy. Prefer his books for us crustys.

The age of the characters does indicate that this is a children's book but the lack of depth to characters and story make it hard to follow. It was difficult for me to relate to some of the characters because they truly are childish, arrogant, and unjustifiably confident in their thoughts and actions. This story follows a depressed child named Jamie that will not speak because he has lost an arm. He ends up finding an alien artifact that allows him to travels to a fantasy world where he meets a girl, falls in love, and then heroically saves the day by battling off a bunch of ruthless invaders. Jamie came off to me as selfish and naive. I found much of this story down to the naming of some of the characters to be corny and the story a bit convenient and hard to believe at times. In short, the main characters become these great warriors who can slay even the most battle harden enemy despite their age and lack of training. I gave it three stars because maybe it is suitable for a younger audience.

This was just awful. The story was laughable and slow to start. The voices were terrible. The characters were hollow. No never again

The voices were terrible. I wasn't sure if he was Australian, Irish, or something all over the map

No I kept rolling my eyes hoping it could end

This isn't YA it's pre-teen preteen.

This is a fun story, fairly well written, characters worth getting to know, and a good reader. While the Lighthouse Land is improbable, the characters' journeys are worth the trip

let down but ok

He didn't get in the way of the story.

no

I was looking for something new to listen to. This is a great listen! Action, adventure, laugh out loud funny! The narrator is very nice to listen to and that can really make or break a book on Audible for me! Can't go wrong with this one! Can't wait to listen to the next one!

Having read the books first, I had a their voices in my mind. Gerard Doyle brought the characters to life by making them sound like their nationality.

McKinty has a way of making his characters real. Whether the character is a child recuperating from cancer and surgery, an Asperger-esque/math and science genius, a cool mom, or an extraterrestrial, they are all believable, interesting and maybe just a Wishaway.
On top of that, Gerard Doyle breathed life into them. He is the perfect choice for the Lighthouse Trilogy.
This book is a teen book. I, however, am a mom, and I loved it as much as my son. I am really glad you have this trilogy. It rates right up there with Brandon Mull's Fablehaven and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson.

I love McKinty's adult books, but I would not have bought this is I had know it was for kids.