Years ago, I was looking for Christian fantasy or fantasy with Christian themes that people like to read besides The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. First published in the 1990s by a different publisher, I found these Kindle formats published by Thomas Nelson. I had a basic understanding of what this series was about from reading blurbs. Well, these are my prominent thoughts after reading this series.
Title: The Paradise War
Series: The Song of Albion
Serial: Book 1
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Published by Thomas Nelson
Edition Year: 2010
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 465
Language: English
ASIN: B003DS6OMO
Dates Read 2023, May 22 to June 25
One of the interesting things that I noticed is the modern setting and how much technology has changed. It takes place in the 1990s, so Oxford students use the landline phone and map instead of GPS. I liked how the narrator and his friend who are graduate students actually talk like they are smart and make neurotic complaints. Reading the first few chapters, I thought this novel was going to be a ‘bro’ adventure/ best buds tale, but the friendship just seemed a bit dysfunctional. I thought that this was going to be a best friend adventure where they end up better friends by the end of the book or even series. Hahaha. Anway, many of the books published by Christian publishers or labeled “Christian fiction” that I have read so far tend to have minimal to no profanity; therefore, I was surprised at the amount of swearing in the first few chapters. The swearing is mild and does make the dialogue between two college students seem realistic/provide characterization. Anyway, the chapters started to drag, and I wondered when the main character would finally enter the otherworld realm. He finally does, then the story gets immensely better. I love the protagonist’s humor and disgust. You can tell that the narrator matures. The swearing really dissipates, and the language is cleaner once Lewis enters the otherworld. It stays minimal throughout the entire three books. However, we have other mature themes such as descriptions of violence, alcohol references, building peril, scenes of war, deaths and some suggestive themes throughout the rest of the series of novels. Yet, the narrator discusses how wonderful the world is- like a New Heaven. He doesn’t want to leave. Being there awakens in himself a deep longing. If I’m not mistaken, this thought echoes writers like Alcorn, Tolkien, and Lewis. The Otherworld is like a Paradise, and fantasy echoes longing for a better world. After reading this first book, I became very curious about the author’s sources, inspiration, and background. Having to worldbuild 2 worlds!
Title: The Silver Hand
Series: The Song of Albion
Serial: Book 2
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Published by Thomas Nelson
Edition Year: 2010
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 448
Language: English
ASIN: B003DS6OOM
Dates Read 2023, June 27 to July 22
Although the novel is still in first person, it took a moment for me to realize that Tegid narrates this novel. I loved the camaraderie and brotherly affection between Tegid and Llew. There is a recap of the last book, and some mysterious, unexplained things are explained. A minor criticism I have is that there is too much detail in some places like descriptions of the characters traveling, but not enough detail of some of the characters at times when I would like more detail. However, several scenes evoke beauty and transcendence. The story gets a bit gritty and violent with descriptive deaths and mentions of rape. I understand that it’s a war, but I was very annoyed with all of the character deaths. Several of the main likable characters you are introduced to in the first novel end up dead in this novel. There are not a lot of women main characters to begin with, so it’s annoying that some are killed. Moreover, some dialogue and passages seem contrived and wooden. The villains are really monsters, and I finally see that Llew’s buddy from the modern world may not be a redemptive character after all. I’m glad the book ends well, and it’s an actual ending.
Title: The Endless Knot
Series: The Song of Albion
Serial: Book 3
Author: Stephen Lawhead
Published by Thomas Nelson
Edition Year: 2010
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 465
Language: English
ASIN: B003DS6OGK
Dates Read 2023, July 23 to August 31
In this novel, we return to Llew’s narration. The story is still interesting, but even more hero characters die. I didn’t know what to expect reading this book, and I kept hoping that the ending would be okay. I’m glad the story finally ended, but to me, the ending was a bit bittersweet. Also, I had a few outstanding questions about kingship and the way time works in the worlds.
Overall Impressions and Other Comments
Overall, this was a decent series; however, I didn’t fall in love with it like so many people did. I loved the Celtic alphabet pronunciation guide at the beginning of each book. I also appreciated the interview with the author at the back of each book. It was pretty cool to read an entire fantasy series with first-person narration. The Celtic fantasy with Christian themes was awesome. However, I thought that the villain would be redeemed, not basically become Satan. I probably thought this because so much time is given to his ramblings at the start of the series, and his friendship with Lewis is emphasized. Anyway, another minor matter is that some events happened, and I wanted more explanation. Some random events occurred and there was either not enough detail or too much detail. A major grievance is that too many hero characters died, especially women. Despite everything, I’m glad that I read this series.
A Love So Wordy 