The Arena by Karen Hancock (Average)
I only made it about halfway through this one. The characters were believable but unlikable, and the plot was less about the adventure and more about a romance. The premise is that aliens place people in this world with an instruction book of how to get back home. All the characters have to do is follow the instructions and trust that the aliens have good intentions toward them. Other aliens try to tempt and deter them along the way.
Aquasynthesis edited by Grace Bridges (Good)
Some great stories by some of the best Christian sci-fi and fantasy authors working today!
Aquasynthesis
is a collection of short stories with an added twist. We are reading
each story through the eyes of a young girl whose parents have been
murdered and her teacher is showing her these stories to help her cope
with her desire for revenge.
As
with any collection of short stories, some will stand out to you more
than others. Some are humorous, some serious; some are excellent stories
with simply fantastic writing, others leave you wanting as incomplete
stories or wondering what they have to do with the theme of the young
girl and her teacher.
That being said, let me tell you give some of the highlights of why you should read this collection:
- A very poetic look at life in “Bob”, an artificial intelligence computer program that gains consciousness, by P. A. Baines
- Grace Bridges’ “Second Site”, a humorous story that any video game or computer game lover is sure to enjoy
- “Between the Pages” and “The Artist” by Kat Heckenbach, two very enjoyable stories of young girls learning how to use magic
- Caprice Hokstad’s realistic and moving tale of a young girl being sold into slavery, “Fettered Soul”
- A woman who learned how to get more than twenty-four hours in a day in “A Stretch of Time” by Grace Bridges
- P. A. Baines’ Twilight Zone-reminiscent story of a man who becomes fixated with “Ears” or “The Field Trip”, in which a couple of aliens make a big mistake
- Travis Perry’s “Gravity”, which explores the unique perspective of the Alzheimer’s patient
- “Your Average Ordinary Alien” by Adam Graham in which loser fan-boy Kirk Picard Skywalker finally meets a real-life alien, but the experience isn’t exactly what he was hoping for
Over all, I’m giving Aquasynthesis a recommendation of Good. You won’t love every story, but the ones you do are well worth the read.
The Bell Mountain Series by Lee Duigon (Excellent)
God is at work in Obann.
A
thousand years ago, King Ozias, the last king, placed a bell on top of
Mount Yul. Scripture says that when someone rings that bell, God will
hear it.
But no one ever has rung the bell. Until now.
Many
people, from the head priest to a small-town teacher, have felt God
stirring their heart to ring it, but the only ones obedient enough to
answer that call are two children – Jack and Ellayne.
Jack
is a poor boy, a child of misfortune; Ellayne is a rich girl, child of
the town’s chief councilor. Together they will make it to the top of the
mountain and fulfill their calling.
Bell Mountain
is such a fun read for people of all ages. It’s interesting and moves
at a quick pace with lots of action and adventure. As you read, you’ll
meet new creatures, an expert assassin, Helki the Rod, Obst the Hermit,
and Wytt the…? (Well, you’ll just have to read about Wytt.)
It’s
a perfectly clean read with a ton of depth and good Christian messages.
One of my favorite themes was the question of how we should treat
Scripture. Is it to be taken at face-value and treated seriously, or is
it just a collection of myths and metaphors?
I give Bell Mountain an enthusiastic recommendation of Excellent and will look forward to diving into the sequel, The Cellar Beneath the Cellar.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (Excellent)
*Audiobook and Audio Dramas available
Ethereal Worlds by R. L. Copple (Average)
A mixed bag of good story-telling and bad jokes.
Ethereal Worlds is a collection of 25 short stories by Rick Copple, about half of which are sci-fi and half are fantasy.
On
the positive side, I especially enjoyed “Weapons of War”, a story in
which a space-fighter pilot gets stuck in a time loop and has to fight
his way back, “Justice in the Balance”, an action story about government
corruption and the people who stand up against it, “Dragon Stew”, in
which a knight dragon-slayer falls in love with a dragon, “Lady of the
Lake Employment Office”, a tale about King Arthur’s mystical
benefactress handing out new jobs, “The Peasant’s Rule”, in which a
teenager magically swaps bodies with the aged king and gets his chance
at making the laws, and “Clever Love”, in which an elf becomes very
creative in his quest to win the king’s daughter as his bride.
Other
notable themes include spy stories, rebel priests, knights voluntarily
being eaten by dragons, magical body-swaps with insects and symbiotic
relationships with space-worms, and a boy who learns what it means to be
a real super-hero.
Unfortunately,
the remainder of the stories read more like a joke rather than a
classic sci-fi or fantasy tale. Have you ever heard someone tell kind of
a corny joke, and even though you knew it wasn’t funny, it made you
smile a little anyway? These humor stories are kind of like that.
They’re slightly amusing, but nothing really exceptional. You’ve got
super-hero parodies, toilet humor, monkey terrorists, laser shots to the
crotch, delusionals and schizophrenics, tame zombies, a movie buff who
somehow uses real props, and a new theory on where babies come from.
Like I said, entertaining ideas, but not quite on par with everything
else Rick has done.
On a whole, it seemed like most of these stories were strong on concept and plot/punchline, but lacking in character depth.
Overall, I’m giving Ethereal Worlds a recommendation of Average.
Faith & Fairies by C. S. Haviland (Excellent)
A hilarious, action-packed adventure!
Three
very different orphan boys are on their way to a new Home in the small
town of Haviland Hollow. Terry is a sixteen-year-old, overconfident,
independent spirit. Scott is the fourteen-year-old worry wart with
coke-bottom glasses, and Ronnie is…well, Ronnie is a nine-year-old boy,
complete with an utter distaste for girl cooties and a love for all
things exciting.
The
adventure begins when Terry decides that he doesn’t want to go to a new
orphanage and takes the other two boys, unknown to them, along on his
escape. Terry’s plans are cut short, however, when they meet a group of
magical, female, fairies. It seems that God plans to use these unlikely
boys to help the fairies overcome their greatest peril.
With laugh-out-loud dialogue, deep characterization, original creatures and ideas, and non-stop action, Faith & Fairies is a definite win for readers of all ages.
The
novel is definitely faith-based, but is not a hit-you-over-the-head
treatment of spirituality and is appropriate for any reader.
I give Faith & Fairies
a recommendation of Excellent and encourage anyone who’s looking for a
fun, Christian, fantasy tale to pick this one up immediately. You’ll
definitely enjoy it.
The Four Horsemen by M. E. Brines (Excellent)
Tons of surprises!
A grizzled mercenary, a wizard’s apprentice, and a young prophet walk into a bar…
Sound
like a joke? It’s anything but! This is one book that delivers action,
thought-provoking dialogue, and a new lens for the Gospel.
Nothing
is as it seems on this adventure. M. E. Brines, a prolific writer,
takes events, people, and nations from real-life history and turns it
all on its head, often using logic to point out the fallacies of many
popular theologians, religions, and strands of Christianity. There are
also a lot of recognizable elements from fantasy genre that serve to
keep things interesting.
All
of Brines’ characters are quite realistic and have great backstories
that you won’t see coming, except for one…and even then you’ll have to
keep guessing until the end to see whether you were right or not.
This
is definitely a Christian book, but like I said, things are done a
little differently in this book. Go with what the author is doing and
I’m sure you’ll appreciate his approach. There are a few, and a mean a
few, mild curse words in the book, but that’s the extent of anything
offensive. The theology of the book is spot-on and the Gospel message is
very clear.
Lady of Foxdale by Malcolm Cowen (Excellent)
The most realistic and sophisticated fantasy novel I’ve ever read!
Haunted
by past mistakes, Mary suddenly finds herself in a new world and in the
midst of a battle. What will she do? How did she get here? Will she be
able to get home or is she stuck in this world for good?
Lady of Foxdale
has it all: mystery, realistic and deep characters, a believable world,
love, war, redemption, and the most exquisite form of storytelling you
can imagine.
Lady of Foxdale
is a clean read and should be completely inoffensive to Christian
readers. It has a strong Christian ethic and a natural incorporation of
Biblical and moral messages throughout.
I heartily recommend making Lady of Foxdale your next read. It is a truly Excellent choice. Also, look for my review of the sequel, Daughter of the King, coming soon.
Magnus Kir by Dean Hardy (Excellent)
Why does God make rules? And what makes us want to break them?
Twelve-year
old Zack has never been outside his hometown of Magnus Kir. That’s
because the people of Magnus Kir have built a wall around the entire
town with no entrance and no exits. They are ‘trapped’ inside, protected
from and unaffected by the outside world. In fact, the only way to
leave town is by committing a crime so heinous that the king has no
choice but to sentence you to exile.
But
Zack has accidentally found another way out. Will he take it? What he
will find on the outside? Will he be able to get back in once he’s left?
Magnus Kir
is a wonderful Young Adult tale of sin and redemption. Dean’s writing
is fluid, his world unique, and his message spot on. You’ll love reading
about wise King Amethyst, the fantastic creatures of the Gedolah, and
discovering all the poignant spiritual truths this multi-faceted
allegory reveals.
I recommend Magnus Kir to readers of all ages and will look forward to any other tales Dean Hardy may have in the works.
Narentan Tumults by Sherry Thompson (Excellent)
*Audiobook Available
A new epic fantasy series in the same vein as the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings!
Cara’s
life changes forever when she suddenly finds herself in Narenta, a
world full of brave knights, noble enchanters, evil sorcerers, and
scholarly seabirds. The teenaged Cara is one of the prophesied saviors
of this world, but she has no idea what she’s supposed to do! Can she
find enough faith to carry out her mission before Narenta falls to the
armies of the legendary three evil sorcerers?
With
humor, realistic characters, a vivid history, tons of surprises, and
great pacing, this book can’t fail to please any fantasy lover. I
especially appreciated the strong and loving manner in which Thompson
portrayed the God character, Alphesis.
The
only slightly negative thing I can say about this book is that the
proofreading could have been a little better. As you read, you will
undoubtedly come across a few misspelled or missing words here and
there. Still, these little mistakes are not enough to cause a problem,
so don’t let them distract you too much from the story.
Overall, I’m giving Seabird a solid recommendation of Excellent and will look forward to reading the next volume in the Narentan Tumults, Earthbow.
The Reality Chronicles by R. L. Copple (Excellent)
What
would you do if you could perform any miracle? What temptations would
that bring? How would it change you? R. L. Copple explores these
questions and more in Reality's Dawn, the first in his Reality series.
Written
as an allegory, it is told in the very simple first-person narrative of
the main character, Sisko. Having walked into the local steam house,
where everyone is supernaturally given exactly what they deserve, young
Sisko emerges with the ability to perform any miracle he wishes, but
with a very important catch. Each chapter, separated by months or years
from the last, shows Sisko at different stages in his journey to use the
gift he’s been given. He will gain a companion, a love, and popularity,
but will he be able to maintain his devotion to God in the midst of it
all?
The
one fault I found with this book was its length. I wanted more! With
such a short first installment to the series, the reader is left wanting
for details.
Infinite Realities
is definitely a Christian novel and has a lot of Biblical references
and quotations with no morally objectionable material whatsoever. It is a
clean, thought-provoking read.
There
is also an Interesting, short essay at the end, written by the author,
on why it is appropriate (or at least not inappropriate) for Christians
to read and write in the fantasy genre.
I recommend this novella and will certainly look forward to reading the next book in the series, Reality's Ascent.
The Relics of Nanthara Series by Nick G. Giannaras (Good)
A thoroughly enjoyable read!
Imagine
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, but with more humor. That’s as close as I
can come to describing Nick Giannara’s Nanthara. Nick takes full
advantage of almost every classic fantasy element and makes it his own.
From dwarves (Dwergens), mages, elves (Alkani}, and crusading knights;
to riddles, magical items, quests, split personalities, holy water, and
budding love; to traitors, assassins, Opanocs (Orcs), and zombie Dark
Heralds (Ringwraiths), this book has it all! And it is humorous. Some of
the scenes and turns of phrase had me laughing out loud.
But
don’t get me wrong, it’s not all laughs. The fate of the world is at
stake and our party of heroes is playing for keeps. Some of them may not
even make it to the end. Long ago, the God, Sovereign, created four
royal items of immense power – the Crown of Sovereign, the Scepter of
the Elders, The Cloak of the Alkani, and the Ring of Life – to bless His
people. But being too powerful to risk them falling into the wrong
hands, these items have wisely been hidden. Until now. The Dark One is
rising and has found clues to each of the items’ locations. Now our
heroes must race to search for and recover the relics before the Dark
One’s forces. Will they be successful? And at what cost?
Secrets Revealed is a great kick-off novel to the epic tale that Relics of Nanthara promises to be.
Nick’s world is rich, his characters colorful, and his writing a combination of magical story-telling and natural humor.
If
you’re a fan of classic fantasy with a twist, I encourage to pick this
one up. I’m giving it a recommendation of Good and will look forward to
reading the next chapter in the story, Relics of Nanthara: Book 2: Sacrifice of Heroes.
Undercurrent by Michelle Griep (Excellent)
A fantastic Viking romance!
When
Cassie, a snobby, lonely, middle-aged, career-driven professor
magically time-travels to the era of the Viking, more than just her
comfort level changes.
Undercurrent
is a time-travel story, a love story, a murder mystery, a story of
betrayal, and a story of sacrifice. Michelle Griep pulls all of these
elements together in one truly engaging volume.
Besides
Cassie, the other main characters are two Viking warriors, Alarik and
Ragnar. Alarik is accused of murdering his brother in a drunken rage and
is forced to flee his village. Ragnar, his cousin and friend, believes
in his innocence and goes to find him. Meanwhile, an outside force
threatens the village and will stop at nothing until it is completely
under his power. Can the two cousins prove Alarik’s innocence? Will they
able to rescue the village from this oppressive power?
Undercurrent
is a very openly Christian novel and you will not find anything
offensive therein. Ragnar is the only believer in Jesus in his entire
village. He has suffered for betraying his father’s gods and is
ostracized from any position of influence he would normally have. Yet he
continues to believe and to witness and to yearn for the salvation of
those who despise him. Will his perseverance in Christ be rewarded?
I
thoroughly enjoyed Undercurrent. There were a lot of places where the
story could have become cliché, but Ms. Griep did a wonderful job of
keeping the story fresh and moving forward. I highly recommend it as
being an Excellent read.
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