The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Movie Review)

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending an early screening for the latest Narnia movie - Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Knowing that the film is being released this weekend, I am anxious to share my thoughts about the film with you in time for you to make your holiday movie going plans.

Dawn Treader has always been one of my favorite books in the Narnia series (alongside Magician's Nephew and Wardrobe) and for this reason I REALLY wanted to like the movie as well. I sat in suspense as the curtains drew back and the lights dimmed, ready to adventure in the world I had grown to love over the years. Would I be returning to Narnia again, or would I be left wondering where I was?

Now before I venture too far into my review let's get one thing straight. Even though I'm an author, I'm not on of those "purists" who thinks that movies must be identical to their book counterparts. After all, each art form has its own strengths and the stories must therefore be translated into the language of film. Dawn Treader wasn't a perfect film but I am happy to say it was an incredibly enjoyable experience that managed to keep my attention and communicate the message and essence of the book despite several glaring alterations to the story.

In short (for you Narnia buffs):

• Yes, there were changes.
• Yes, some of them were frustrating
• No, the White Witch is not a major role and fits nicely in the storyline where they placed her. (I actually loved what they did with this part)
• Yes, the movie was better than Caspian.

I liked this movie. It was a fun and inspiring sea voyage with a wonderful message that is definitely worth watching in theaters. But this film shines where most "questing" stories fall flat - the diversity and likability of the characters. Eustace has always been one of my favorite characters in the Narnia books and he could not have been cast better. Will Poulter does an outstanding job at bringing this beloved character to life. He's such a little dweeb at first but you grow to love him by the end. He plays the part perfectly.

The special effects in this movie were fantastic in some places (the Magician's castle), but left something to be desired in others (the Dragon). Overall it was a good use of effects, though I wonder if Walden got their money's worth.

The best part of the film is that the message of Narnia rings true. I got goosebumps at the end when the children realized the would not be returning to Narnia again. Aslan tells them they must come to know him by his name in their world and that all of their adventures in Narnia were meant to help them find him. It was a great scene!

My only concern for younger audience members is the final battle sequence in the Dark Island. Things get a bit frightening with the Sea Serpent here and the special effects are pretty fantastic. Not only is the Sea Serpent truly frightening and believable, but the sequence seems to last twice as long as it should taken the horror of it all to new heights. It is quite possibly the most graphic of sequences in any of the Narnia movies.

In all, I would give this film 4 stars (out of 5). If you are looking for a fun holiday adventure this is definitely one to go see in theaters.

Feeling Blue

Lately the Miller Brothers have been feeling a bit "blue".

Not because they are sad, and it's not because they are HUGE Seahawks fans spreading team spirit, and they didn't lose a bet or anything like that. It's because their friend Brock Eastman has received his first book publishing deal. His 5-book series The Quest for Truth, will be released by P&R Publishing starting with the first book "Taken" which is coming your way early 2011.

But why would the Miller Brothers be blue about this, you ask? Two reasons.

Firstly, because "The Quest for Truth" was the title of a paper cut-out animation sequence the Miller Brothers dreamed up years ago as children. (True story. Check back to see evidence on this blog soon).

And secondly because...well...they might win cool stuff from Brock Eastman by turning themselves blue. And you can too. Want to know more? Jump over The Quest for Truth blog and find out.

Hunter Brown & the Consuming Fire Has Been Nominated for the Clive Staples Award!

Remember last year when Hunter Brown's first adventure was in the running for the prestigious Clive Staples Award (named after CS Lewis) for the best Christian Speculative Fiction book of the year? Well, now our second Hunter Brown book (Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire) has been nominated as well and it's up to you to help it rise to the top this year. Read on...

First off, we consider it a great honor to be even considered alongside the success of such amazing writers like Ted Dekker, Wayne Thomas Batson, Christopher Hopper, Bryan Davis & Donita K Paul. We are grateful that there are so many eloquent pens using their talents for the Lord in a manner CS Lewis would be proud of.

Here's your part, but you have to do it BEFORE September 1, 2010!!!

Please read these instructions carefully, then proceed to the ballot by clicking on the link below.
CSA is not a popularity contest. The award has been established to recognize the work of fiction which readers designate as the previous year’s best. Consequently, voters must adhere to these basic rules.
• You MUST have read at least two of the nominations.
• You may vote only once for a first, second, and third choice.
• You may not vote for the same book as your second or third option that you voted for as your first choice.
• Your votes for second and third options may not be for the identical book.
• You may mark the “none of these” option if you do not have a second or third choice.
• Voting will close September 1, 2010.
• Second and third choice options will only be considered if a clear winner is not determined by the first choice vote.
To vote, click here and answer all the questions.

Hunter Brown is going for Amazon Top 100 - You can help us reach our dream and get a FREE gift too!

We've been monitoring our Amazon.com sales rank recently and noticed something peculiar. From the data we've gathered some of the bestselling authors in our category are just over one-hundred copies ahead of us in sales this month.

This gave us an idea...(a pretty crazy idea that could potentially earn our book "amazon bestseller" status in our category)...but we need your help!

It's only 3 steps and you get something FREE for helping out so please read on.

1. This Friday only (July 23rd) we'd like for everyone that has enjoyed our books to buy just one more copy of Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire for $10 on Amazon.com. If you want to buy the first book in the series for $11 on Amazon you can do that as well...but for the purposes of this promotion we are looking for Book 2 sales. Only book 2 sales will be eligible for the FREE GIFT. It is important you buy from the link below and you finish your purchase before midnight on Friday July 23rd (pacific time) to be eligible.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593173571?ie=UTF8&tag=themilbroblo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1593173571
   
   
2. After your purchase is complete, please email a copy of your Amazon.com invoice to us at millerbros@millerbrothersbooks.com for confirmation of your order. Be sure to include your shipping address to receive your FREE GIFT...
   
   
3. So, what is the FREE GIFT? Well, it depends on how quickly you act! The first 40 people to send us their receipts will receive (free of charge) one of the last 40 limited edition CODEBEARERS MEDALLION KEY CHAINS ever produced (value of $12.99). All remaining participants will receive one of three personally autographed bookmarks featuring one of the characters from the Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire book.

So, just to recap.

1. Buy the book from this link for $10 between 12:00 AM and 11:59PM (pacific), Friday, July 23rd.
2. Email the receipt from Amazon.com along with your mailing address to the Miller Brothers
3. Receive your FREE GIFT of one of 40 keychains OR a personally autographed bookmark.

YOU DO THE MATH! Buy a $10 book and get a $13 keychain for FREE? That's like putting $3 in your pocket. It's what we call a win/win...but that's not all...

EXTRA BONUS! Since we're in a "promotional" kind of mood (and we really want this whole Amazon.com test to work out) we're going to send you an exclusive download of a desktop wallpaper for Book 3 in the Codebearers Series...Hunter Brown and the Eye of Ends (coming Nov 2010). This exclusive artwork will only be available for download by those who participate in the Amazon.com blast.

Set your reminder alarms! Your order could be the very one that pushes us over the top into the bestseller status this month.

Don't Forget to Spread the Word!!!

Even if you can't order one yourself, be sure to repost a link to our blog in your own Facebook/Twitter/Blog account so others can take advantage of this opportunity and help us break the best-seller status. Just use the link below when referring to the offer.

Hunter Brown and the Consuming Fire for $10 on Amazon.com

The Tears of an Author for a Finished Book!

Writing books can be an emotionally draining experience. With all that has been going on in our life this year, we've hardly had time to properly celebrate the most exciting news of all. As of last Friday (April 30) at 9 minutes before midnight, Hunter Brown Book 3 was officially sent off to the editor. Hip, hip, hooray!

Early response from our publisher is that this is our best work yet.

The book sits at 110,000 words long and is by far my most personal of the three books. I found myself crying as we wrote the final scenes. At first I thought perhaps it was from fatigue or heightened emotions, so I decided to test it out on someone else. I called Allan on the phone and read the sequence to him. After I finished, there was a long pause on the other end of the line. It was so long, in fact, that I thought our cell phone had dropped its connection.

"Allan, are you still there? What did you think?" I asked hopefully. More silence. The realization that I had likely wasted my breath reading the chapter aloud to myself began to set in. Before I could curse the airwaves and hang up, Allan's quiet voice broke the silence.

"Yeah, I'm here," Allan replied. "I just...I'm choked up. That was really powerful."

I couldn't help but smile.

Somehow, through the magic art of story, our characters had become so much more than just words on the page, they began to live in us. Hearing the scene unfold stirred deep emotions in our soul and made us long for the goodness that we have written about. It was an amazing experience and one I can't wait to share with you, our faithful readers.

The book has been given a final title: Hunter Brown and the Eye of Ends! Below is a synopsis and mock book-cover design. We'll post up design progress on the book cover as its made.

In Hunter Brown and The Eye of Ends, the heart-pounding conclusion of Hunter's previous adventures begins with an even bigger surprise—his memory is gone. With no knowledge of his last visit to Solandria, Hunter must fight to piece together the growing puzzle of his past under the constant surveillance of an intimidating detective, who is more than what he seems. But what begins as a harmless search for memories quickly leads him into a deadly hunt for his missing father and a lost relic said to predict the story's end. Answers lie in the Eye of Ends, but one question remains: can the Eye be trusted? Will Hunter succeed in finding his father, or will the mysterious Watcher erase everything Hunter has fought for and everyone he loves, before the final page is turned?

Codebearers.com Grows Up!

At least we only hope it is "growing up" and not "blowing up!"

Many of the faithful fans of our books series website Codebearers.com have probably noticed we've had a few growing pains of late. Our most recent member count is 3,843 members (and growing!) The added activity has resulted in some rough stretches as our site has experienced some ups and downs.

In response, we are embarking on an in-depth upgrade that will both upgrade our hosting and software platforms. During this time, our interactive features (like Forums, Profiles, etc) will be intenionally disabled so that we can perform the upgrade without losing any new data that might happen in the meantime.

Thank you to everyone who is participating on the site and making it such a huge success! We hope to reward your patience during this down-time with a new, improved website.

Ordering books through MillerBrothersBooks.com will also be disabled during this upgrade.

Via, Veritas, Vita!
- The Miller Brothers