Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire

John August

Feb 2018 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by James Patrick Cronin

About this audiobook

Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire is the first book in a spellbinding fantasy adventure series by screenwriter John August.

Some trails lead to magic. Some lead to danger.

“As Arlo looked around, the walls of his room began to vanish, revealing a moonlit forest. Only his bed remained, and the frame of his window, through which he saw the girl. The world on her side of the glass was sparkling with silver and gold, like a palace made of autumn leaves. She looked off to her right. Someone was coming. Her words came in an urgent whisper: “If I can see you, they can see you . . . Be careful, Arlo Finch.’”

Arlo Finch thought becoming a Ranger meant learning wilderness skills, like camping and knots. But upon arriving in the tiny town of Pine Mountain, Colorado, Arlo soon learns there’s so much more. His new friends Indra and Wu teach him how to harness the wild magic seeping in from the mysterious Long Woods―a parallel realm of wonder and danger.

First he must master the basics, including snap lights, thunderclaps and identifying supernatural creatures. But Arlo Finch is no ordinary Ranger, and this is no ordinary time. A dark and ancient force is sending threats into the real world . . . our world.

Through perilous adventures and close calls, Arlo is awakened to his unique destiny―but the obstacles he faces will test the foundations of the Ranger’s Vow: loyalty, bravery, kindness, and truth.

Ratings and reviews

Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire by John August is an audiobook narrated by James Patrick Cronin. My humanities (english and social studies) class and I listened to a chapter a class over a series of classes. It is about a boy who moved with his mom and sister into a place called pine mountain. He joins a team of scouts, where he realizes that the forest in pine mountain is a gateway to another dimension. In the “Long Woods” there is a wild magic that only rangers can harness called the Wonder. He goes on adventures with his friends in Blue Patrol, Wu and Indra. I liked this book this book because it has a great plot and storyline. I found the plot very interesting and I thought that the characters are very developed. In addition, all the settings were also very interesting and developed. I found the book had a very good theme and an exciting and engaging feel to it. I really enjoyed the content overall. On the other hand, the audiobook narrating is not the best. I disliked some parts of it but others were very good. For example, the voice and the tone of the reader was very good. I liked how he has different tones and accents for each character. It was really engaging, and it let me visualize each character in my mind. On the contrary, the pace of the narrator was slow, and made the book feel lengthy. Almost every chapter ended with cliffhangers though, and that kept me interested, and on the edge of my seat. In conclusion, I give this book 4/5 stars. Although the narrating was sub-par, the content was very good and engaging. The narrating was not overly bad but left a little to be desired. But overall, I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook, and is one of my personal favorite audiobook to listen to.

Valley of Fire is a great book and i would really recommend it. First of all, Valley of Fire has a great plot. It starts by telling us that twelve year old Arlo FInch moves around alot because their dad is in China due to crimes he didn't commit. They moved to Pine mountains and they settled there. One day, Arlo’s bedroom started moving and he saw another world, in that world was a girl with the same mismatched eyes as him and the girl started warning him. Than, Arlo finch goes on a lot of adventures that finally leads him to the valley of fire. In the valley of fire, he fights an enemy and finds out why things have tried to kill him. Second, I personally think Valley of Fire is very exciting and there are a lot of details. The climax was when Arlo Finch was defeating the hag and there are a lot of details to fill the reader in and make the reader feel like they are part of the action. There are also a lot of detail in the other parts of the book. When you’re reading or listening to it, you really feel you are right there watching it happen and you can plan it all out in your head. I read it by audio book and I would encourage people to read it by audiobook. The climax was when Arlo Finch was defeating the hag and there are a lot of details to fill the reader in and make the reader feel like they are part of the action. There are also a lot of detail in the other parts of the book. When you’re reading or listening to it, you really feel you are right there watching it happen and you can plan it all out in your head. I read it by audio book and I would encourage people to read it by audiobook. The audio book was very interesting because of one reason, the way the narrator read it. The narrator adds his own details and emotion with the story. These are some things I would never have thought could work and i would’ve add them with my own interpretations. It is really interesting to see how other people interpret it. Overall, I think the book Valley of Fire is a awesome.

I enjoyed Arlo Finch and the Valley of Fire. First of all, the character development was well thought out. No character felt too mysterious and the author tried to explain their personality in a way that helps the reader distinguish each individual person. This helped make the story less awkward to read. The plot was unique and it was obvious that the author took time to perfect it. It was rich with twists and turns which left the reader wonder what Arlo’s next move will be. The pace of Arlo Finch was perfect and never felt off balance. It was gratifying and never felt awkward which helped with character development. Overall, Arlo Finch and the valley of fire was a unique book that I would definitely recommend.

About the author

John August is a screenwriter whose credits include Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie. He also created Writer Emergency Pack, an educational storytelling tool distributed to more than two thousand classrooms worldwide. Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, John now lives in Los Angeles with his family. Learn more at JohnAugust.com.

James Patrick Cronin began his audiobook career at twelve years of age opposite Christopher Lloyd in the book-on-tape of The Pagemaster. A classically trained stage actor with an MFA from the University of Louisville and a degree in philosophy, James has spent his years since college performing as an actor and a comedian on stages all over the world. He has performed everything from the classics to original material in Ireland, Scotland, Serbia, and Israel, as well as throughout the U.S. He has recorded over 100 audiobooks across an extensive range of genres.