Tag: fiction

Book Recommendation: “Oswald” by Edoardo Albert

~ Bob Hayton

Oswald by Edoardo AlbertIf you are looking for a great read this summer, you should check out Oswald by Edoardo Albert. This is the second book in “The Northumbrian Thrones” series. The books follow the rise and fall of key British kings from the seventh century.

In the first book, Edwin becomes High King of Northumbria and embraces Christianity. In this book, Oswald returns from exile to claim his crown. The history behind this fiction is well researched. The names and spirit of the book are authentic, and the characters developed masterfully.

Check out my review of Edwin (book 1). I’ll be reviewing Oswald later this month. I’m looking forward to following another thrilling journey of a Christian king from the seventh century.

Here’s an excerpt from my review of Edwin which illustrates what you’ll find in this book too:

Edoardo Albert, writer and historian in his own right, tells the story of Edwin with as much power as any scop or bard from times past. Edwin is a fictional account yet most of its key plotlines and characters are historical. The book is the first in a trilogy called The Northumbrian Thrones.

The tale is fast paced and moving. Albert adds such historical detail that he makes you believe you are there….

The history of medeival Britain has long fascinated me and so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy fantasy fiction in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, or Stephen Lawhead, this book will delight. Learning that it is mostly true to life will surprise you as it did me. I encourage you to give it a try.

Pick up a copy of this book from any of the following retailers:

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

Book Briefs: “The Advocate” by Randy Springer

~ Bob Hayton

The Advocate by Randy SingerMany have wondered at the person to whom Luke addressed his Gospel and the Book of Acts. Just who was Theophilus? Is his name just a symbol (it means “lover of God”)? Or was this a real person, and if so, who was he?

These theological musings may form part of the background to a new work by Randy Singer. The Advocate (Tyndale House, 2014) traces the fictional life of Theophilus from his schooling in Rome under the tutelage of Seneca, to a stint serving Pontius Pilate in Judea, and on to an improbable confrontation with the emperor. But I don’t want to give too much away.

The telling of the story was as much fun as the tale itself. Theophilus’ 1st Century world was described in a masterful way.  The book spends a lot of time developing the main character and pushing forward a romance, and at first Christianity is only a tangential concern. The reader begins to truly inhabit the character and can only guess at how his story will turn out. The ups and downs, the triumphs and tragedies move the tale along. And Theophilus’ conversion and battles with faith are both believable and inspiring at the same time.

Like any good work of fiction, there is much more to the story than I described above. One will find a complicated love triangle, gladiators and conspiracies, and intimate details concerning two maniacal emperors. The tale becomes engrossing the longer it goes and by the end you are loathe to leave Theophilus behind. I was completely impressed by this story and hope to sample other works from this author.

I should also share that this book won the 2015 ECPA Christian Book Award for the Fiction category! Well deserved, in my opinion.

I listened to the Christianaudio.com version of the book. David Cochran Heath did a fantastic job reading the book, he provided the right amount of character phrasing, differences in the voices, and energy. The audio experience was completely engrossing.  The only challenge I had was the sheer number of chapters: each audio file was a different chapter, and with an inexpensive mp3 player, I had to keep skipping past chapters that were sorted alphabetically (instead of sequentially). This was a small price to pay for this fascinating example of historical fiction.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a good summer read. ChristianAudio.com has the download available for free the rest of this month (May, 2015). And I’m sure it would be good in paperback form as well.

Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers: ChristianAudio.com, Amazon.com, ChristianBook.com, or direct from Tyndale House.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Christianaudio.com. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

Book Briefs: “The Heretic” by Henry Vyner-Brooks

~ Bob Hayton

The Heretic by Henry Vyner-BrooksThe year is 1536 and Henry the VII has just proclaimed himself head of the Church of England. The centuries-old way of life is changing with the arrival of new ideas and the winds of Reformation. Monks, nuns and their houses are in jeopardy, bishops must swear allegiance to the king’s authority over the church, but things are even harder for Anabaptists who eschew both Rome and Canterbury.

This is the setting of a fast-paced, engrossing tale spun by Henry Vyner-Brooks. The Heretic follows the interwoven tales of an odd cast of misfit-heroes. An Anabaptist’s orphan children, a leper, an eel-catcher and a prostitute — oh, and the monk whose past name is known throughout the land — these characters are richly developed as they weave in and out of a plot that includes stolen relics, ghastly murders, and enough chivalry and romance to picque the interest of a wide range of readers.

The book’s Christian message lurks beneath the surface for most of the story. The struggle of faith and doubt, and the dangers of reading a heretic Bible are presented in a realistic manner that doesn’t come off as wooden or forced. As a Protestant who has a positive view of the Reformation, the story’s stress on the negative impact of closing the monasteries and ignoring the poor, as well as the political undercurrents behind such changes all conspired to complicate the clean history we prefer to remember. In this and other ways the tale is a challenge to all of us to come to grips with our faith and be willing to stand for what we believe.

One irksome blunder is the mention of Calvinism and Geneva. Calvin only came to Geneva in 1536, when this story commences. And while he may have been known, he certainly hadn’t earned his reputation to the degree the book assumes.

At times, the story includes implausible elements, but on the whole, the story is rewarding and keeps you guessing. The end result is a medieval tale of suspense, mystery and a hint of romance that will make for pleasant and enriching reading. I highly recommend it.

Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers: Amazon, ChristianBook.com, or direct from Kregel (Lion’s distributer in the US).

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Lion Fiction through Kregel Pulbications. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

Book Briefs: “Edwin: High King of Britain”

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

Edwin: High King of Britain by Edoardo AlbertArthur and his knights of the round table, are phantoms from a long gone era. Their story is a myth, and they are warriors only in imaginative retellings of their deeds. But the story told in Edwin: High King of Britain is a legend of a different kind. Edwin is a figure from history. And early seventh century England, where Edwin arose as a dominant king, is every bit as mythic and alien to our minds as the legendary kingdom of Camelot.

Edoardo Albert, writer and historian in his own right, tells the story of Edwin with as much power as any scop or bard from times past. Edwin is a fictional account yet most of its key plotlines and characters are historical. The book is the first in a trilogy called The Northumbrian Thrones.

The tale is fast paced and moving. Albert adds such historical detail that he makes you believe you are there. The struggle of Edwin to embrace a new religion, that of Christianity, is also told in a realistic, believable way. The Norse warrior gods of Woden and Thunor are only reluctantly left for the strange God whose way is to deny vengeance and forgive one’s enemies. Edwin is no saint, but a leader and champion he is. Yet as the tale progresses, we will learn he is as mortal as anyone, even with his new God.

The story is engaging and true to life, but clean enough even for teen-age readers. Yet the tale is not safe: this is a raw and rugged account of a brutal age.

The history of medieval Britain has long fascinated me and so I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy fantasy fiction in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, or Stephen Lawhead, this book will delight. Learning that it is mostly true to life will surprise you as it did me. I encourage you to give it a try.

Right now, the Kindle version of this book is only $1.99. I’m not sure how long that will last, but you can’t go wrong at that price!

Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers: Amazon, ChristianBook.com, or direct from Kregel.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Lion Hudson via Kregel Books. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

“A Draw of Kings (The Staff and the Sword #3)” by Patrick W. Carr

~ Bob Hayton

A Draw of Kings by Patrick W. CarrBook Details:
  • Author: Patrick W. Carr
  • Category: Fantasy Fiction
  • Book Publisher: Bethany House (2014)
  • Page Count: 212
  • Format: softcover
  • ISBN: 9780764210457
  • List Price: $14.99
  • Rating: Must Read

Review:
If you are looking for a thrilling adventure, something comparable to Tolkien’s MiddleEarth, or Lewis’s Narnia, look no further than the kingdom of Illustra and Patrick W. Carr’s “The Staff and the Sword” series. A Draw of Kings is third and final installment of this series and is satisfying in every way.

The setting of this tale is a medieval kingdom where the crown and the church hold sway over the lives of its people. But mythic tales of antediluvian monsters turn into stark reality as evil threatens to overtake the good kingdom of Illustra. The hero of the books is an unassuming misfit, Errol Stone, who rises from a lowlife drunken teenager to become a true hero of the land. He learns he is a reader, one who can cast lots in wood or stone. But he isn’t just any reader, he is a special omne and can read any other reader’s lot.

In A Draw of Kings, Errol faces his destiny, throwing himself into the desperate quest for some boon to save the land from sure defeat. No one knows who will be the next king, and every attempt to find out by casting lots ends in bewilderment. Without a king they are surely doomed. Their God’s blessing depends on the barrier made with blood, and that barrier is weakening. Stone must rescue a lost treasure and restore it to the kingdom. Then he must look his love in the eye and forsake her to save the realm. Will he have courage? Is his destiny to die? Will Illustra be spared a cruel demise? These questions are answered in a compelling way in the thrilling conclusion to this saga.

The books in this series are superbly written, the tale is engrossing. This is a page turner with a surprising amount of depth. It isn’t a direct allegory like at times the Chronicles of Narnia seem to be. Nor does it have its own language and ethos completely, as does The Lord of the Rings. But this series is in the same vein. Carr crafts a Christian world, with a sacred history, and a classic good versus evil fight. The hero must sacrifice his own desires and beyond this there are even more parallels with Christian themes. A doctrine and tradition-oriented church cannot accept the religion of the mystics and their faith in the Spirit of God, and an ancient book of the sacred history of Illustra has been lost. Sound familiar? I appreciate though, that the book never comes off as a direct allegory and doesn’t preach a moral or lesson to learn. It is a story first and foremost.

I would compare the power and beauty of the story to the Sword of Shanarra series by Terry Brooks, or any of several series written by Stephen R. Lawhead – both favorite authors of mine. Patrick W. Carr joins them as this is the best fantasy series I have read in years.

If you are looking for some new fiction to add to your shelf, this is the series for you. Preview the first 40 pages of this book, or pick up the first book in the series on Kindle for free (for a limited time). And be sure to enter a contest (US/CA only) to win one of two free sets of all three books in the series.

About the Author:
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.

Where to Buy:
  • Amazon
  • ChristianBook.com
  • direct from Bethany House

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Bethany House via Chapter-by-Chapter.com. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.