A groundbreaking expedition into the uncharted world of Christian steampunk.
When it comes to Christian fiction, few things delight me more than well-crafted allegory. Which makes it seem somewhat odd that Sir Quinlan was my first experience with Chuck Black’s work. But regardless, this book had me hooked from page one, and I couldn’t put it down. The story begins with Tav and Twitch—two young knights in training for the service of the Prince of Arrethtrae. Their training is basically just a hobby for them, an enjoyable pastime. But then Tav’s uncle Baylor, who his family considers just a little bit shy of sane, shows up and tells Tav that he wants him to come and join the Swords of Valor. Baylor claims that a deadly war is engulfing the kingdom of Arrethtrae, and that they need men willing to leave everything and join in the battle.
But no one—neither Tav nor Twitch—has seen any sign of a war being fought, so why leave a comfortable and peaceful life at home to chase imaginary enemies and fight unnecessary battles? Tav refuses his uncle’s offer. Baylor offers him two days to think about it and make his final decision.
It is Twitch, however, who finds himself seriously thinking about what it really means to be a knight of the Prince and what a life of service really looks like. It is Twitch who meets Baylor two days later and offers his life in service as one of the Swords of Valor.
At first it seems like the life he’s always dreamed of… until disaster strikes. It is a disaster so terrible that the Swords of Valor disband completely. And it is Twitch’s fault. Ashamed and convinced that he’s incapable of serving the Prince, Twitch returns home.
But his destiny won’t leave him alone, and before long he finds himself back on the road of service to the Prince. Back on the road to rejoining the Swords of Valor. Back on the road to becoming Sir Quinlan.
As I said before, this book had me hooked from page one and held me until the end. It has a classic plot filled with page-turning drama and delicious, breath-taking action. Best of all, there is a deeply moving and convicting message woven through the story. Unlike a lot of attempts at allegory, the author doesn’t pause the story to ‘preach’. The reader knows the message is there and understands what it is saying, but Chuck Black has done a stellar job of weaving it seamlessly into the natural structure of the story.
Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor is a book I will definitely be coming back to for a re-read, and there will be many more of Chuck Black’s books joining Sir Quinlan on my bookshelf!
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I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review. A favorable review is not required; Waterbrook is committed to gathering honest opinions about the books they publish.
The Writer's Lair is pleased to announce the launch of Rhizome Publishing's first-ever "Cultivate" publishing contest. The guidelines are wonderfully simple (and simple is always good, right?): submit your completed manuscript by Sunday, May 29, 2011. Submissions will be sorted according to genre and the best manuscript from each genre will then be sent to the editorial staff. One winner will be chosen to receive a publishing contract with Rhizome Publishing, which includes:1) Cover design
2) Editing
3) Interior Layout
4) Publishing to all E-Book services
5) Set-up and delivery to our Book printer
6) Distribution through Ingram (which makes the book available at all retail book stores)
7) Generous royalties
8) And viral marketing
Rhizome is open to and welcoming speculative genres, as well as most other genres of fiction and non-fiction.
Over the last couple of years I've edited several novels, short stories, and essays for friends, just for fun and, well... because that's what friends are for, right?
I imagine I'm not the only writer of speculative fiction who has been asked a question along the lines of: "How can you use your stories to tell people about God if the stories aren't set in the real world?"
Over the weekend I managed to severely burn my finger and was on limited activity as a result, so I was thrilled when this book arrived and gave me something to do. And if laughter really is the best medicine, my finger will be healed in no time. The Charlatan’s Boy stars Grady, a pitifully ugly boy who travels the country of Corenwald with Floyd—a professional flimflam man. Grady’s ugliness makes him perfect to play the part of a feechie (the wild little savages the people of Corenwald believe inhabit the swamplands), and he and Floyd make a handsome living off of people who are curious to see “a genuine he-feechie; alive and in the flesh!”.
But as the people of Corenwald gradually stop believing in feechies, times get tough for Floyd and Grady, and they’re forced to find another way of making a living. The book follows their hilarious string of schemes and escapades, including an “Ugliest Boy in the World” routine and a stint in the phrenology business. Alas, nothing seems to work as well as the feechie trade did, back when people believed in feechies.
So, Floyd and Grady decide to cook up another great feechie scare, something to revive the old beliefs in feechies and put them back in business. Unfortunately, as the scare gets underway they realize that they aren’t alone. It seems every huckster and charlatan in Corenwald wants in on the excitement, and before long they’re all claiming to be the only act of their kind, the only one to have a genuine, captive feechie.
If Mark Twain had written fantasy, The Charlatan’s Boy could have easily passed as his work. The settings, the characters, the language and grammar used, and the unique style of humor work together to create a one-of-a-kind fantasy read like none you’ve read before. This is a book to be read aloud in the family room in the evenings; it had me laughing out loud from start to finish.
The plot had a tendency to meander from time to time, but in my opinion that didn’t hurt the book a bit. In fact, I think it only added to the lighthearted and refreshing effect of the story. This was my first time to read anything by Jonathan Rogers, but you can be sure that after this I will be checking out more of his work, including the sequel to The Charlatan’s Boy, slated for release this fall!
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I received this book free of charge from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review. A favorable review is not required; Waterbrook is committed to gathering honest opinions about the books they publish.
By Bodie Hodge and Laura Welch
