My sister recently asked us about this series, and it would probably be worth a review of each. Fans of the Chronicles of Narnia who are looking for more books to read with their children are likely to enjoy these, particulary if you are looking for explicitly Christian literature.
Our family reads to each other quite a bit. My daughters are 8 and 5, my son 7. To an adult, the character development is somewhat superficial for supporting characters, but the focus is on the protagonists in each book.
Unlike the Narnia books, there is a clear representation of the Trinity. The unchanging Changer is in the first book, and his nemesis the Lord Lunacy, or Mystery of Abomination is trying to keep the world of Anthropos enslaved. John, from England, is running from a violent tramp when he passes through a door into Anthropos, where he is the Sword-Bearer, with a vital role in resisting the Mystery, once he finally is able to drink the wine of free pardon.
The explicitly religious nature of the work makes for very unique plot directions, where complex plans always come to naught, and then gordian problems dissolve with simple trust in the Changer. The Holy Spirit shows up in book 1 as a blue pigeon, but Gaal, the messiah who battles the serpent, doesn't show up until book two, though there's foreshadowing.
Great books, and really not too much for my five year old, as long as i'm reading it to her, though i think it's really more geared at teenagers, and it's not a bad (easy) read for an adult.
As we read through the series together, i'll add our thoughts on each book. We're in "Gaal the Conquerer" now.
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