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	<title>The Christian Fantasy Review &#187; Reviews</title>
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	<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog</link>
	<description>Discernment for Christian families</description>
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		<title>Starlighter by Bryan Davis, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/07/19/starlighter-by-bryan-davis-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/07/19/starlighter-by-bryan-davis-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:02:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy book review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=521</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This opening book in the series doesn't have a major resolution, but points to the books that will follow. Eventually I got into this book and did not want to put down--it has plenty of suspenseful moments. My only objection to it is that I found Jason and his brothers' obsession with helping the Lost Ones to be a bit unrealistic.  They were risking their lives big time to rescue some people they had never met. Is altruism that strong a motivator?--Phyllis Wheeler]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-522" title="starlighter" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/starlighter.jpg" alt="starlighter" width="300" height="300" /></p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310718368?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0310718368" target="_blank">Starlighter</a> </em>by Bryan Davis, a review<br />
First book in the series <em>Dragons of Starlight</em><br />
Published 2010 by Zondervan, 400 pages<br />
Genre:  Christian fantasy/sci fi, Young Adult appealing also to adults</p>
<p>This tale is told in two different worlds, neither one of them our world.  One, the home of dragons, is a place of woe and slavery for humans; the other, the home of humans, is under tyranny, at least in the location we are told about.</p>
<p>At some point in the past, the dragons found a gateway between the two worlds and stole some humans to start their slave colony. They required the work of human slaves to do what they could not: mine deep into their ground and release a gas that the dragons need for life, which was dwindling in their atmosphere.</p>
<p>In both worlds, the story of the Lost Ones is considered a fable; the human slaves think they have always been slaves on the dragon planet, and the world they left considers their story to be a fable as well.</p>
<p>The writer develops heroes on each world, focusing on Jason, a teenager from the human world, and Koren, a 15-year-old girl from the slave world. Jason and his two older brothers are trained warriors who want to bring the Lost Ones back. Jason risks his own lives repeatedly for the mission.  Koren, meanwhile, has amazing storytelling gifts, and so is called the Starlighter on her world.  There is  a  black dragon egg, and prophecies about great or terrible things that will happen when it hatches.</p>
<p>Is this science fiction or fantasy? The book contains many classic fantasy tale elements: sentient dragons, skilled medieval-style swordsmen, a gateway between worlds, and so on. It also contains science fiction elements: gadgets such as a photo gun that doesn&#8217;t work very well, and a recording device that allows Jason to see a video of his older brother&#8217;s message from the dragon world.  There&#8217;s also some kind of gas lighting that lights up homes of the nobility.</p>
<p>The Christian worldview? It&#8217;s there. Koren, at least, has a strong faith in a creator God.  There are some references to the Code, apparently a version of the Bible which Koren and her fellow slaves pass around and memorize. Jason&#8217;s faith, in contrast, isn&#8217;t drawn as strongly. Perhaps it will develop more in future books.</p>
<p>This opening book in the series doesn&#8217;t have a major resolution, but points to the books that will follow. Eventually I got into this book and did not want to put down&#8211;it has plenty of suspenseful moments. My only objection to it is that I found Jason and his brothers&#8217; obsession with helping the Lost Ones to be a bit unrealistic.  They were risking their lives big time to rescue some people they had never met. Is altruism that strong a motivator?&#8211;Phyllis Wheeler</p>
<p>This review is part of the Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy (CSFF) Blog Tour. Please check out what others on the tour are saying:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.rlcopple.com/"> R. L. Copple</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham</a><br />
<a href="http://going-greene.blogspot.com/">Tori Greene</a><br />
<a href="http://www.thehahnhuntinglodge.com/"> Nikole Hahn</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
<a href="http://www.slygames.net/"> Leighton</a><br />
<a href="http://winningreadings.blogspot.com/">Jane Maritz</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
<a href="http://thestuffyouneedtoknow.blogspot.com/"> SarahFlan </a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fantasyandfaith.com"> Dona Watson</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/"> Jill Williamson</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
<p><a href="Author blog - http://dragonsinourmidst.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Author blog</a> for Bryan Davis</p>
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		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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		<title>Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos, a review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/06/21/imaginary-jesus-by-matt-mikalatos-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/06/21/imaginary-jesus-by-matt-mikalatos-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:39:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunday school materials]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=503</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It's a lot of fun, full of truth, and peppered with laughter. It's the perfect thing for my teen son's Sunday school class.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-506" title="imaginary" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/imaginary-199x300.jpg" alt="imaginary" width="199" height="300" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1414335636?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1414335636" target="_blank">Imaginary Jesus</a> by Matt Mikalatos, a review<br />
Published 2010 by Tyndale House, 225 pages<br />
Genre:  Youth group discussion materials for teens</p>
<p>This book is a long, entertaining yarn.  The author characterizes it, tongue-in-cheek, in the middle:</p>
<p>&#8220;Wouldn&#8217;t it be great if someone wrote a sort of semi-autobiographical novel comedy thing instead of a Sunday school lesson for once?&#8221; (p. 177)</p>
<p>Matt Mikalatos writes a tale about himself as a seeker, hanging out with Jesus in a coffee shop. But &#8220;Pete&#8221; (the Apostle Peter) shows up and demonstrates that this is not the real Jesus; he is an imaginary Jesus. Pretty soon we find out that there are lots of imaginary Jesuses, as many as our idolatrous imaginations can cook up.  Finding the REAL Jesus becomes Matt&#8217;s goal, although he continually sidetracks himself because he enjoys hanging out with his imaginary Jesus&#8211;after all, since Matt made him up, he has a lot in common with Matt!</p>
<p>One of my sons, 17 years old, was talking about zoning out in Sunday School recently. The book they are reading is a exegesis of something or other.  I bet if they were reading this book, he wouldn&#8217;t be zoning out. He would get to discuss his own idols and what his imaginary Jesus might be like.</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a story in the yarn, too; Matt starts out a novice Christian, fretting over the problem of evil: why did his unborn child die?</p>
<p>The book is delightfully self-conscious; besides the sentence about &#8220;wouldn&#8217;t it be nice if,&#8221; there&#8217;s another about a strange coincidence happening &#8220;purely for plot convenience,&#8221; or something like that.  It&#8217;s a lot of fun, full of truth, and peppered with laughter. It&#8217;s the perfect thing for my teen son&#8217;s Sunday school class.</p>
<p>The book trailer:<br />
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="640" height="385" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5FBO0qrxHIw&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5FBO0qrxHIw&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>This post is part of the Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy (CSFF) Blog Tour. If you&#8217;d like to know what others thought of this book, check out their posts:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://www.splashdownreviews.blogspot.com"> Grace Bridges</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.rlcopple.com/"> R. L. Copple</a><br />
<a href="http://www.the160acrewoods.com/"> Amy Cruson</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham</a><br />
<a href="http://going-greene.blogspot.com/">Tori Greene</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
<a href="http://www.slygames.net/"> Leighton</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>Adam and His Kin by Ruth Beechick, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/06/10/adam-and-his-kin-by-ruth-beechick-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/06/10/adam-and-his-kin-by-ruth-beechick-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:48:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biblical pre-history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ruth beechick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[young earth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[young earth account]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[young earth history]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=508</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So what is the value of this book, a history that’s not a history?  For me, it’s a delight to be able to visualize these early days.  I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone struggling with trying to believe the Bible, all of it, and finding the Genesis accounts hard to swallow.—Phyllis Wheeler]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-511" title="AdamAndHisKin" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/AdamAndHisKin.jpg" alt="AdamAndHisKin" width="150" height="222" />Adam and His Kin: The Lost History of Their Lives and Times, by Ruth Beechick, a review<br />
Published by Mott Media, undated, 176 pages<br />
Genre: Interpretation of Biblical history, suitable for all ages</p>
<p>The early chapters of Genesis, with their cryptic summaries of the history of the young earth, provide sparse ammunition for an earnest discussion with an atheist about the truth of the Bible. Much of the Genesis account seems pretty fantastic.</p>
<p>Ah, but look again! Ruth Beechick, one of the grande dames of homeschooling, provides an insightful interpretation of history from creation down to the call of Abram. Her story fill many of the puzzling gaps in the account.</p>
<p>For example, the sky may have been pink, not blue, in pre-flood days.  A large amount of moisture was probably suspended in clouds above the earth, making the earth warm and hazy, somewhat like the atmosphere of Venus. There was also a lot of water stored under the ground, Beechick supposes.  When the cataclysm came, it wasn’t just rain but also violent earthquake. She doesn’t mention it here, but I know the theory is that at this point, layers of mud and fossils were laid down quickly, and folded quickly. Organic matter laid down in this way became beds of coal and deposits of oil, under pressure.  (Coal and oil are not under formation today! So where did they come from?)</p>
<p>Beechick focuses on the people, their personalities, and how the account came to be written. She supposes that the first writer of the history is Adam, then Seth, and so on. Each contributor signed off with the words, “these are the generations of [contributor].” Why wouldn’t Adam have been able to read and write? He was created in the image of God, after all! Looked at this way, the early Genesis history makes a lot more sense to me!</p>
<p>So what is the value of this book, a history that’s not a history?  For me, it’s a delight to be able to visualize these early days.  I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone struggling with trying to believe the Bible, all of it, and finding the Genesis accounts hard to swallow.—Phyllis Wheeler</p>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Between Two Kingdoms by Joe Boyd, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/05/21/between-two-kingdoms-by-joe-boyd-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/05/21/between-two-kingdoms-by-joe-boyd-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2010 18:12:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[allegory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=483</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This book has plenty of "aha" moments in it as the author illustrates Biblical truths and the reader recognizes them.  It has action, too, in the climactic battle.  Characters are memorable.

This is a short, well-written allegory that will provide plenty of fodder for discussion with non-Christians. --Phyllis Wheeler]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-486" title="between" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/between.jpg" alt="between" width="185" height="253" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0784723583?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0784723583" target="_blank"><em>Between Two Kingdoms</em></a> by Joe Boyd, a Review<br />
Published 2010 by Standard Publishing, 191 pages<br />
Genre: Christian allegory, suitable for read-aloud to families, and for teens and adults</p>
<p>In a mountaintop kingdom, the people are all seven years old. They build tree houses and bask in colors, sights and sounds that are full of life and healing.  But their Prince occasionally asks them to make a foray for him, and often with him, into another kingdom in the valley, where life is grim and where the inhabitants mostly do not believe them when they speak of the King. This kingdom is the realm of the dark Prince.</p>
<p>The two realms are connected by a river. It&#8217;s a very special river with protective properties, an allegory for &#8230; read the book and figure it out!</p>
<p>Tommy and Mary are two of the seven-year-olds who go to the darker kingdom as part of an effort to foil the latest plot of the dark Prince: to cover the land in darkness from an enormous furnace, causing the people to forget they ever had any connection to the King.  The plot unfolds as Tommy, Mary, and some friends work against the enemy.</p>
<p>This book has plenty of &#8220;aha&#8221; moments in it as the author illustrates Biblical truths and the reader recognizes them.  It has action, too, in the climactic battle.  Characters are memorable.</p>
<p>This is a short, well-written allegory that will provide plenty of fodder for discussion with non-Christians. &#8211;Phyllis Wheeler</p>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/05/17/by-darkness-hid-by-jill-williamson-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/05/17/by-darkness-hid-by-jill-williamson-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 12:14:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Christian Fantasy Book Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy fiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jill williamson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marcher lord press]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=473</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The kingdom of Er'Rets is pretty hard on its orphans. It calls them "strays" and beats them up. So Achan grows up a stray in the household of a minor nobleman, picked on and beaten regularly...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-475" title="williamson1" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/williamson1-194x300.jpg" alt="williamson1" width="194" height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00266Q078?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00266Q078" target="_blank"><em>By Darkness Hid</em></a> by Jill Williamson, a Review<br />
Book 1 in the Blood of Kings series<br />
Published 2009 by Marcher Lord Press, 490 pages<br />
Genre: Christian fantasy, suitable for teens and adults</p>
<p>The kingdom of Er&#8217;Rets is pretty hard on its orphans. It calls them &#8220;strays&#8221; and beats them up. So Achan grows up a stray in the household of a minor nobleman, picked on and beaten regularly.  The nobleman, Lord Nathak, makes sure he takes a red herbal potion drink every day. But one day, Achan doesn&#8217;t take the drink. Then he hears voices in his head, and is mightily puzzled. He figures out how to hold the voices at bay: think of his favorite refuge, the shade of a huge tree.</p>
<p>Achan&#8217;s household is fostering the spoiled brat who will be king&#8211;an orphan about Achan&#8217;s age. The prince intends to marry a young woman, Vrell, daughter of the duchess of the northern part of the kingdom, for political reasons.</p>
<p>Vrell, though, will have none of it. In fact, she puts on the clothing of a boy and goes into hiding.  Circumstances bring her to the same city where the prince is to be crowned; the prince has chosen Achan as his bodyguard, so Achan goes too.  We discover that both Achan and Vrell are able to communicate telepathically, a gift given to few. Disguised as a boy herbalist, Vrell tends Achan&#8217;s battle wounds. Making friends with him, she teaches Achan to control and use his &#8220;bloodvoicing&#8221; telepathic gifts.</p>
<p>In this city, some startling news comes to light, and Achan&#8217;s circumstances change forever. I&#8217;ll let you read the book to find out more.</p>
<p>What do I think?</p>
<p>Vrell is a very engaging character, full of courage and pep. Because of her, I was happy to dive into this story and stay engaged. Achan deals well with his awful circumstances, although occasionally his reactions are too noble to feel true&#8211;for example, rescuing an ungrateful person from some bullies, and rescuing the ungrateful prince from attackers.  The fantasy world is well drawn; I can easily enter in.  Although by the end of the book much is revealed, plenty of mysteries remain, such as why exactly half the country is covered in darkness, and why exactly half of Lord Nathak&#8217;s face is withered and under a mask.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a Christian book, clearly; Achan is raised praying to an idol, but he learns to recognize that the one true God speaks to him in his thoughts. Vrell is already one of the relatively few followers of this one God, and Achan is becoming one.</p>
<p>This book was very hard to put down. In fact, I didn&#8217;t! I read it all the way through on a Sunday afternoon and evening.  It&#8217;s quite a page turner. It&#8217;s a wonderful book, one that is sure to draw readers into the Christian fantasy genre.&#8211;Phyllis Wheeler</p>
<p>This post is part of the Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy Blog Tour, meaning a number of other bloggers are writing about this book too during the next three days. Please take a moment to check out what they are saying too~</p>
<p><a href="http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://uponreflectionblog.blogspot.com"> Gina Burgess</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mamabzz.com"> Melissa Carswell</a><br />
<a href="http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com"> Karri Compton </a><br />
<a href="http://blog.rlcopple.com"> R.L. Copple </a><br />
<a href="http://www.the160acrewoods.com/">Amy Cruson</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
<a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~wyverns/"> Emmalyn Edwards</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/">April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://thestuffyouneedtoknow.blogspot.com/"> Sarah Flanagan</a><br />
<a href="http://askandrea.adamsweb.us/"> Andrea Graham</a><br />
<a href="http://going-greene.blogspot.com/">Tori Greene</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://www.faithfiction.blogspot.com/"> Joleen Howell</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
<a href="http://www.slygames.net/"> Leighton</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://newauthors.wordpress.com/"> New Authors Fellowship</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com/"> Andrea Schultz</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fantasyandfaith.com"> Dona Watson</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
<p>AND last but not least, the author&#8217;s blog: <a href="http://jillwilliamson.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://jillwilliamson.wordpress.com/</a></p>
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		<title>Raven&#8217;s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/27/ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey-overstreet-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/27/ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey-overstreet-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:32:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeffrey Overstreet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ravens Ladder]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=469</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In short, this book engaged me on mental and emotional levels, and tickled my beauty appreciation sense. I suspect other lovers of fantasy will want to feast on this book too.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-470" title="ravensladder" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ravensladder.gif" alt="ravensladder" width="180" height="180" /></p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400074673?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1400074673" target="_blank">Raven&#8217;s Ladder</a></em> by Jeffrey Overstreet, a Review<br />
Published by Waterbrook Press, 2009, 380 pages<br />
Genre: Christian fantasy, suitable for teens and adults</p>
<p>I read the first book in this series, <em>Auralia&#8217;s Colors</em>, but didn&#8217;t have time to read the acclaimed second one, <em>Cyndere&#8217;s Midnight</em>. This is the third in the series of four called The Auralia Thread. As I read <em>Raven&#8217;s Ladder</em>, I missed out on various references to previous happenings. I do recommend you read these in order!</p>
<p>Raven is Cal-Raven, the young king of the refugee community of House Abascar. In the first book, Abascar&#8217;s King Cal-Marcus made some terrible decisions that resulted in the loss of the community&#8217;s lovely dwelling, most of their people, and the death of Cal-Marcus.</p>
<p>Now Cal-Raven is trying to lead his refugee people through a dangerous land to a new home as revealed to him by the Keeper, an Aslan figure. Problem is, they mostly don&#8217;t trust his vision for a new home, or for a new order for them where previous class lines are erased and former nobles are expected to rub shoulders with former criminals. They remind me of the reluctant Israelites following Moses in the desert.</p>
<p>After a year of hiding out in a large cave, they take a sojourn in Egypt, so to speak: another of the four houses of the Expanse, Bel Amica, draws them in.  In Bel Amica they find plenty of food and material wealth and are given jobs to earn their keep.  However, it&#8217;s a Godless place, where everyone is out for himself. Wicked seers are in charge in all but name.  Treason is afoot.  Will House Abascar be able to leave?</p>
<p>Another thread in the story involves more refugees from House Abascar who are prisoners of the beastmen of House Cent Regus. House Cent Regus at some point in the past was accursed, and its people became hideous beastmen, addicted to the elixir that binds them to beastliness,  mindless in their aggressions.</p>
<p>The Keeper has sent a boy named Rescue to save them, but he needs Cal-Raven&#8217;s help.  Will these prisoners be set free?</p>
<p>What do I think?</p>
<p>This book is very lyrical, full of wonderful and original uses of words.  It&#8217;s also a great page-turner of a story, impossible to predict and full of illusions where things are not as they seem at first.</p>
<p>I was struck by the portrayal of godless House Bel Amica, where everyone is out for himself, people worship moon spirits, and occult seers are in charge in all but name. The materialism described  sounds familiar. Could it be a version of America? What does this vision have to tell us about ourselves? Interesting thing to ponder.</p>
<p>Men who become beasts, with their exterior imitating their dark interior, is a theme as old as the folktale. Like other stories, this story includes a beast who is redeemed. Also good to ponder: where is the beast in me?</p>
<p>In short, this book engaged me on mental and emotional levels, and tickled my beauty appreciation sense. I suspect other lovers of fantasy will want to feast on this book too. &#8211;Phyllis Wheeler</p>
<p>This is Day Two of the CSFF Blog Tour on <em>Raven&#8217;s Ladder</em>. Check out what others have to say about this book. Participants who had blogged about it as of this morning have a &#8220;+&#8221; by their name below.</p>
<p><a href="http://lookingcloser.org/category/journal/" target="_blank">Author&#8217;s Blog</a></p>
<p>+<a href="http://christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com/2010/04/getting-your-book-on-bookstore-shelves.html"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://bookshiddencorner.blogspot.com"> Rachel Briard </a><br />
<a href="http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
+<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey-overstreet/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
+<a href="http://www.mamabzz.com/2010/04/book-corner-ravens-ladder.html"> Melissa Carswell</a><br />
<a href="http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/?p=442"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
+<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-csff-ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey.html"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
+<a href="http://sjdeal.blogspot.com/2010/04/csff-blog-tour-day-one-ravens-ladder-by.html"> Shane Deal</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
+<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/2010/04/csff-ravens-ladder-by-jeffery.html"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
+<a href="http://spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/2010/04/csff-tour-ravens-ladder-day-1.html"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
+<a href="http://molcotw.blogspot.com/2010/04/ravens-ladder-by-jeffery-overstreet.html"> Julie</a><br />
+<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/2010/04/ravens-ladder-csff-blog-tour-day-1.html"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
+<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/csff-blog-tour-ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey-overstreet-day-1/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
+<a href="http://leastread.blogspot.com/2010/04/csff-blog-tour-ravens-ladder-day-two.html"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
+<a href="http://chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/2010/04/jeffrey-overstreet-returns.html"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com/"> Andrea Schultz</a><br />
+<a href="http://jamessomers.blogspot.com/2010/04/ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey-overstreet.html"> James Somers</a><br />
+<a href="http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
+<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/april-csff-blog-tour-ii-day-1-ravens-ladder-by-jeffrey-overstreet/"> Fred Warren</a><br />
+<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/26/auralias-colors-by-jeffrey-overstreet-a-review/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Auralia&#8217;s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/26/auralias-colors-by-jeffrey-overstreet-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/26/auralias-colors-by-jeffrey-overstreet-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:22:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian fantasy books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fantasy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=462</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a bit of trouble getting into this book and identifying with Auralia, who seems somehow otherworldly. But once I got into the book, I had trouble putting it down. The characters are well drawn, the plot has wonderful twists and turns, and many subplots with a variety of characters weave together to create a cohesive whole.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-463" title="auralia" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/auralia-150x150.jpg" alt="auralia" width="150" height="150" /><br />
<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400072522?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1400072522" target="_blank">Auralia&#8217;s Colors</a></em> by Jeffrey Overstreet<br />
Published 2007 by Waterbrook Press, 333 pages.<br />
Genre: Christian Fantasy, suitable for teens and adults</p>
<p><em>Auralia&#8217;s Colors</em> is a multi-layered story, the beginning of a longer story arc called The Auralia Thread. Auralia, an orphan of mysterious origin, comes to live with the outcasts outside the kingdom of House Abascar.  As the story unfolds, Auralia&#8217;s unusual powers become apparent; she has powers of healing related to amazing uses of colors.</p>
<p>In the Expanse, the land where Abascar is one of four houses or communities, color has different properties from what we are used to. It&#8217;s possible to hoard colors and even ban them, which is what the misguided king of House Abascar has done.</p>
<p>This king, full of fears, burdens his people and keeps them from joy. He is confronted with Auralia, who bravely weaves and wears colors to bring healing in defiance of his ban.  He fails the test, with disastrous results.</p>
<p>What do I think?</p>
<p>I had a bit of trouble getting into this book and identifying with Auralia, who seems somehow otherworldly. But once I got into the book, I had trouble putting it down. The characters are well drawn, the plot has wonderful twists and turns, and many subplots with a variety of characters weave together to create a cohesive whole.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not an overtly Christian book, but the Christian worldview is plainly there. There is a deity called the Keeper who figures in the plot, and who reminds me a bit of Aslan&#8211;appearing as an animal, yes, but far more than that.</p>
<p><em>Auralia&#8217;s Colors</em> clearly lays the foundation for a larger work, and I am very interested to read the rest! &#8211;Phyllis Wheeler</p>
<p>****************</p>
<p>This is the first post for the Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy (CSFF) Blog Tour on Jeffrey Overstreet&#8217;s newest novel, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400074673?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1400074673" target="_blank">Raven&#8217;s Ladder</a></em>. That book is third in the series that began with <em>Auralia&#8217;s Colors</em>, so I thought I had better read <em>Auralia&#8217;s Colors</em> first.  For my take on <em>Raven&#8217;s Ladder</em>, take a look tomorrow at this blog! In the meantime, please take a look at what others on the blog tour are saying about <em>Raven&#8217;s Ladder,</em> and possibly the books that came before it too.</p>
<p><a href="http://lookingcloser.org/category/journal/" target="_blank">Author&#8217;s Blog</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://bookshiddencorner.blogspot.com"> Rachel Briard </a> (BooksForLife)<br />
<a href="http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mamabzz.com"> Melissa Carswell</a><br />
<a href="http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
<a href="http://sjdeal.blogspot.com"> Shane Deal</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie</a><br />
<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com/"> Andrea Schultz</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>Lost Mission by Athol Dickson, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/12/lost-mission-by-athol-dickson-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/12/lost-mission-by-athol-dickson-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:35:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[christian suspense]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[review]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=370</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This complex book is intended for adults and would make a fine read for teenagers as well. There are even some discussion questions included at the end.

Full of symbolism and parallels, this work is a reach feast for a reader, hard to put down and wonderful to savor.--Phyllis Wheeler]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-444" title="lostmission" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/lostmission.jpg" alt="lostmission" width="108" height="160" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416583475?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1416583475" target="_blank">Lost Mission</a> by Athol Dickson, a review<br />
Published by Simon &amp; Schuster, 2009, 345 pages<br />
Genre: &#8220;Magical realism&#8221; according to the publisher.  I will call it supernatural suspense. Suitable for teens and adults.</p>
<p>There are two alternating story lines, each with its protagonist, that unfold as the book progresses. One takes place around 1772 and the other in modern times. Both story lines focus on the same location near Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The two stories, while seemingly not similar at first, become more and more alike.  A small three-paneled painting is common to both stories, as is a certain character, described as an Indian with shining hair, who I think must be an angel.</p>
<p>In 1772, three Franciscan friars and some Spanish soldiers set out on a missionary journey northward from Baja California. They eventually start a mission in a desert spot near an Indian village. We readers know from the beginning that the mission fails and that just one of the three friars, Fray Alejandro, and an Indian  miraculously survive the fire that burns the place down.</p>
<p>The sad tale of the failed mission unfolds as the book progresses. The other two friars, keeping secrets, are at cross purposes. The superior of the three routinely mistreats the Indian converts. Through it all, Fray Alejandro works on his assigned task, painting the three-panel altarpiece painting, but oddly cannot make any headway.</p>
<p>In the modern tale, a devout young Mexican woman, Lupe, feels called to travel to the US and confront Americans with their wickednesses. She&#8217;s a missionary to the lost in the modern U.S.  Miraculously she survives walking through the desert to California, carrying two panels of the three-panel painting (given to her by the village priest). We readers learn that the painting shows something extraordinary&#8211;apparently Lupe&#8217;s own face is in it, along with faces of others.</p>
<p>The other two main characters connect with Lupe in Orange County, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.  Eventually we can figure out that these two characters, a rich man and a preacher, are given parallel personalities to the wayward friars in the earlier story.</p>
<p>As I read the modern day and historical stories, I tried to guess the outcome for the modern story and the reason for failure for the historical story. I must say, I missed the mark widely for both. I did figure the painting had something to do with the outcome, and that was true.</p>
<p>Both stories contrast grace and redemption to punitive, limited, prideful versions of faith. The book will cause a wise reader to stop and take stock: am I acting like a prideful pharisee? Where am I unrepentant?  What are my own sins that I, a sinner, am too blind to see?</p>
<p>This complex book is intended for adults and would make a fine read for teenagers as well. There are even some discussion questions included at the end.</p>
<p>Full of symbolism and parallels, this work is a reach feast for a reader, hard to put down and wonderful to savor.&#8211;Phyllis Wheeler</p>
<p>This review is part of the Christian Science Fiction/Fantasy Blog Tour.</p>
<p>Check out the author&#8217;s websites:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.atholdickson.com/" target="_blank">Author Web site</a><a href="http://whatatholwrote.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><br />
Author blog </a></p>
<p>Check out what others on the blog tour are saying about this book:<br />
<a href="http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://pagesofdiscovery.blogspot.com"> Amy Browning</a><br />
<a href="http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://tiredgarden.info"> Jason Isbell</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://newauthors.wordpress.com/"> New Authors Fellowship</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
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		<title>The Oerken Leaves by Thomas Clayton Booher, a Review</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/07/the-oerken-leaves-by-thomas-clayton-booher-a-review/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/04/07/the-oerken-leaves-by-thomas-clayton-booher-a-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:26:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=435</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Booher writes a tale particularly engaging for children in a read-aloud setting. Unlike some others of the same genre, this book has a fairly upbeat mood. Violence is absent. Families comfortable with the level of magic found in the Narnia tales will enjoy this book, which clearly has a lot to teach about recognizing our sinful natures.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-437" title="oerken" src="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/oerken-150x150.jpg" alt="oerken" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1928672051?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1928672051" target="_blank"><em>The Oerken Leaves</em></a> by Thomas Clayton Booher<br />
Part 1 of <em>The Whole Creation Groans</em> trilogy<br />
Published 2008 by Tome Publishing, 292 pages<br />
Genre: Christian sci-fi/fantasy, middle grade and up, ideal for read-aloud</p>
<p>John Eaton is a 13-year-old boy who lives in North Carolina near an abandoned farm, Griffin Farm.  John is curious and feels moved to investigate after his father mentions mysterious disappearances of yesteryear at Griffin Farm.</p>
<p>A hundred years earlier, a family of four vanished from Griffin Farm. There were some very mysterious circumstances&#8211;we learn that they involved crystal-encased oak leaves and a huge oak tree that&#8217;s here one day and gone the next.</p>
<p>Also investigating is Brutus Malroye, the school bully, whose relatives actually lived on Griffin Farm for a time after the disappearances.  It turns out that Brutus is aware of and wants to go to the paradise-like place reachable somehow from Griffin Farm. Experimenting with crystal-encased oak leaves, he manages to get himself there.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a planet called Eskathoer, out there in the universe where individuals can planet-hop using gateways that are actually oak (&#8221;oerken&#8221;) trees. But access to the dark planet, Earth, is forbidden.</p>
<p>Eskathoer isn&#8217;t a fallen world. Its inhabitants are trusting and sweet, and they aren&#8217;t ready for Brutus. So they call for John and his two siblings to help them persuade Brutus to leave. John and his siblings agree to help.</p>
<p>As the story goes on, the task looks more and more difficult. How will John, Josie, and Matt get Brutus to stop spoiling Eskathoer and come home? And how will the Lord of creation save Eskathoer? In fact, since this book is part of a trilogy, the problem isn&#8217;t resolved at the end of this book.</p>
<p>What do I think?</p>
<p>This book has a classic, slow-paced feel, especially at the beginning. So it&#8217;s not particularly fashionable. But I like classics, don&#8217;t you?</p>
<p>Multiple characters are well-drawn and are given distinctive voices.  Booher excels in this area.</p>
<p>There are lots of fun details about Eskathoer, which has a lot of parallels to earth. Instead of traffic lights, there are manned traffic baskets. Popcorn is unknown.  People live to be hundreds of years old (except for Brutus who seems to be aging fast).  Brutus provokes people to argue with each other, and they clearly aren&#8217;t any good at it.  The fantasy world is refreshingly original.</p>
<p>The story does have a few flaws. For example, the author doesn&#8217;t develop Brutus&#8217; motivation for wanting to leave Earth while a child, leaving me wondering whether Brutus&#8217; family was hard to get along with. Also, the prologue puzzled me a bit. These flaws are quite outweighed by strengths, however.</p>
<p>Booher writes a tale particularly engaging for children in a read-aloud setting. Unlike some others of the same genre, this book has a fairly upbeat mood. Violence is absent. Families comfortable with the level of magic found in the Narnia tales will enjoy this book, which clearly has a lot to teach about recognizing our sinful natures.</p>
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		<title>Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by RJ Anderson, CSFF Blog Tour</title>
		<link>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/03/23/faery-rebels-spell-hunter-by-rj-anderson-csff-blog-tour/</link>
		<comments>http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/2010/03/23/faery-rebels-spell-hunter-by-rj-anderson-csff-blog-tour/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:45:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian book reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian fantasy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/?p=367</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R.J.Anderson, a Review
Published 2009 by HarperCollins, 329 pages
Genre: Fairy fantasy, middle grade, appealing to girls. Underlying plot is a whodunit, with romantic overtones. This work, a bestseller in Britain, is not overtly Christian.
I&#8217;m republishing my earlier review of this work for the current CSFF Blog Tour.
A faery child, Bryony, is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006155474X?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=wwwmotherboar-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;creativeASIN=006155474X" target="_blank">Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter</a> by R.J.Anderson, a Review<br />
Published 2009 by HarperCollins, 329 pages<br />
Genre: Fairy fantasy, middle grade, appealing to girls. Underlying plot is a whodunit, with romantic overtones. This work, a bestseller in Britain, is not overtly Christian.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m republishing my earlier review of this work for the current CSFF Blog Tour.</p>
<p>A faery child, Bryony, is part of a colony of faeries (seven-inch-tall, winged creatures, all female) living in an oak tree in England.</p>
<p>One day the child Bryony impetuously breaks the rules and climbs out of the tree trunk. She comes face to face with a human child, an encounter neither ever forgets.</p>
<p>The problem is that the faery colony is slowly dying. Only the queen of the colony still has magic. A wasting sickness has taken some members. The queen is valiantly doing what she can to preserve it. Or is she? What happened to the magic, anyway?</p>
<p>Bryony grows up and takes a new name: Knife. She becomes the colony’s Hunter, fearlessly flying abroad to capture small animals for the colony to eat, dodging attacks by crows and foxes. She also spies on the family in the house not far away.</p>
<p>Her story entwines with that of Paul, the boy she encountered in the tree. What will be the result? And will the colony be saved?</p>
<p>What do I think?  I think this story is very well written. The characters are fully realized and believable.  Knife is a very feisty protagonist, fearless although all her peers are fearful.</p>
<p>The whodunit is well conceived and carried out. We wonder who broke the magic for the faery colony and why through most of the book. There are various red herrings laid before us. Finally there is an answer.</p>
<p>The friendship/ love story between Paul and Knife is less defined. It could be because this book is intended for middle grade, not young adult. We don’t see that obsession with each other that characterizes most love stories for teens and up. But we don’t need that either.</p>
<p>And the Christian foundation? It’s there–the faeries invoke the Great Gardener on occasion, but they never discuss their relationship to him, nor do they depend on him or ask him for help.  I know RJ Aderson is a Christian, so I would love to see this more developed in a sequel. I also expect the sequel to address the question of how to fix the faery colony’s magic, now that we know why it is broken.</p>
<p>This is a very good book, with great characters, hard to put down.  I’ll be looking forward to reading more in this series.–Phyllis Wheeler</p>
<p>Check out what other CSFF bloggers have to say:<br />
<a href="http://www.sally-apokedak.com/whispers_of_dawn/"> Sally Apokedak</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr</a><br />
<a href="http://pagesofdiscovery.blogspot.com"> Amy Browning</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mamabzz.com"> Melissa Carswell</a><br />
<a href="http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour</a><br />
<a href="http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson</a><br />
<a href="http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://tiredgarden.info"> Jason Isbell</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://www.momofkings.com"> Dawn King</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://newauthors.wordpress.com/"> New Authors Fellowship</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com/"> Crista Richey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com/"> Andrea Schultz</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://kmwilsher.blogspot.com/"> KM Wilsher</a></p>
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