A Window in the Earth Paperback – March 23, 2010

This story is about mysticism, broken homes, adolescence, and the hard knocks that occur in real life. While not sci-fi, it is definitely not straight fiction either. Although it is an original story, it reminded me of the writing style of Charles de Lint. I started the story several times and then quit, because it is not the type of book that I normally read. Once I got past the first chapter, however, it became a page-turner. The main characters are very young, but this story is not about typical adolescent problems and lifestyle. These kids face some very adult challenges.The grandfather of the two boys completes the main cast. He fought in the Korean war and then "dropped out" back in the woods. Although he drinks and cusses more than he should, he provides a much-needed support base for the two boys after their parents are killed. He was my favorite character.The mystical part of the story is plausible and is woven completely into the complexity of the plot. It is a combination of mysticism and paranormal strife set up by events prior to the start of the story.All of the plot threads are tied up in the end, although there are some twists along the way.If you like stories in this genre, this is a good one.

My son read this book. He said he really enjoyed it. I want to share a few details I wish I had known prior to buying. It may have persuaded my buying decision at this age for my son, so I'll share for others. SPOILER ALERT: so don't read on if you don't want to know important details about this story............... As this story was explained to me from my son in the YA genre age: this story included manslaughter and hints at petifile-like behavior. No gore or gruesome details that I was told of. Some cussing in the story too... Otherwise, this sounded like an intriguing story, just might have liked to know those things ahead of time. I might have waited a year or two to buy for my son.

I'm amazed at how many reviews said this book was well written. If by well written they meant a well thought out plot, good pacing and pretty good character development then yes, I would agree. It feels like a beginner's novel but one, based on that criteria, that would convince me to read another book by the author.But the book is also full of the kind of mistakes one finds in many low cost Kindle editions. Mistakes that could easily have been fixed by a little editing of the grammatical kind. Example: "...grateful for all that he had done for he and his brother". Need I add that it should have been 'him and his brother'? Lots of mistakes like that as well as sentences with missing words or words in the wrong place that stop the reading flow.And stylistically, the author ping pongs back and forth from a light contemporary style for a young adult audience to sentences that read like they were copied from 19th century novels. Flowery passages or just lists of emotions that the characters were feeling instead of giving a picture of how these emotions came to be or were expresesed. This too could have been solved with good editing, of the kind where the writer gets some guidance in their choice of sentences and style. The book was all over the place.

Well, I'm not a young adult (much older actually) but I enjoyed the story anyway. I would classify it as a supernatural mystery rather than sci fi. The plot was imaginative and unique, and I felt I got to know the 3 teenagers very well.There was one minor issue in the book. People never just went anywhere - they "made their way." This appeared so often that it became annoying so I did a few searches on variations of the phrase ( made/make/making his/her/their way) and found these phrases were used 87 times in a rather short book. That's just something the author should keep in mind for future books.

The description by this author made me feel like I was there with the kids. I felt the coolness and dampness of the cave. I smelled the fresh air of the country and even smelled the oldness of the pickup truck. I loved the adventure and mystery surrounding the cave.I was not pleased with the ending but can honestly say it was not predictable. It felt almost as if the author needed to finish it quickly.

Matthew Fish has written a lovely book that is filled with gorgeous images based on a fascinating concept, his "Window in the Earth." The characters, Christopher, his brother James, and their new friend Kylie are very realistic and well-developed, and what happens to them unfolds in a completely believable way.The elements of fantasy are introduced during the night time and the characters' excursion to a cave. Again, the fantasy is handled in a very organic manner, and I had no problem imagining Christopher, Kylie and James discovering the "Window."The greatest strength of this book is how visual it is. I"m a big admirer of Miyazaki films, and I could picture an anime rendering of the story, using the natural, fantastic settings and likable characters that Mr. Fish has created.

What an enjoyable book this was. The characters were believable, and the story absorbing. The author's talent for creating a visual feel for the surroundings in which events took place drew me in and kept me reading. When a book continues to remain in my thoughts for a time after I've finished it, I know that the author has succeeded in painting a story worthy of this humble reader's appreciation.

This review and rating might not be completely accurate since I never finished the book but honestly I'm done with it.Somehow I got to make it to half of it, I think is because the story intrigued me and I found it interesting. But my biggest issue is that I didn't like any of the characters and it probably was because (to me) they were all the same. They all acted the same way and thought the same way, that's really annoying. That not one of the kids, including the girl or the grandpa had a significant different personality from each other. They were always just going along with everything and that's not cool.I tried to finished but I just couldn't and I know I won't.

possibly more suited to a younger reader, simply written good storyline, have downloaded some of this authors other stories hope I enjoy them as much