I am really not much of a reader of fiction. In fact, I cannot remember the last fiction book I have read. Time and tastes have dictated other genres for me. Therefore, I was not overly excited when I received The Sword from Crossway last month.
Then I read the back cover…
Four hundred years after a deadly virus and nuclear war destroyed the modern world, a new and noble civilization emerges. In this kingdom, called Chiveis, snowcapped mountains provide protection, and fields and livestock provide food. The people live medieval-style lives, with almost no knowledge of the “ancient” world. Safe in their natural stronghold, the Chiveisi have everything they need, even their own religion. Christianity has been forgotten—until a young army scout comes across a strange book.
With that discovery, this work of speculative fiction takes readers on a journey that encompasses adventure, romance, and the revelation of the one true God. Through compelling narrative and powerful character development, The Sword speaks to God’s goodness, his refusal to tolerate sin, man’s need to bow before him, and the eternality and power of his Word. Fantasy and adventure readers will be hooked by this first book in a forthcoming trilogy.
Sounds interesting?
I was drawn in. I began reading the book out loud to our family (ranging in age from 6-14). They too were drawn in. We often read in the car when driving to baseball games or late into the night. We could not put it down.
I think there were four big reasons why we enjoyed the book so much.
- The Story. It is great. It is fast moving and action packed. There are great themes of redemption, romance, community, and theology. The author has admirably melded several themes together in this first book.
- The Characters. Teofil is a warrior that is a gentleman. He functions as the savior of the weak over and over again. He is strong and compassionate. Anastasia is the other main character. She is the young lady who has won Teofil’s heart. She is also gritty, tough and marked by a remarkable faith in the newly discovered God of the Bible. The High Priestess is evil personified. She exists to promote idolatry and wickedness while trying to mute the God of the cross.
- The Theology. The author weaves in orthodox theology throughout. He emphasizes the goodness, sovereignty, and mercy of God. Furthermore, he helps to contrast the attractive distinctiveness of the God of the Bible to the idols of the people. I really like how he has carefully woven so much of who God is here in the infant stages of biblical discovery. By the end of book 1 we only have portions of the Old Testament translated into the language of Chiveis. They do not have any of the New Testament. However, the people are trusting in a loving, powerful, sovereign, forgiving God who keeps his promises. It motivated me to be thankful for the whole Bible and the opportunity to pray and be informed with who God is in the fullness of his revelation.
- The Author. I understand that this is the first fictional work published by Bryan Litfin. Bryan is a professor in the Theology Department at Moody Bible. He teaches courses in theology, church history, and Western civilization from the ancient and medieval periods. You can see how these various streams of life converge together with his writing ability in this work. I found the story and character development to be compelling and riveting.
As a family we cannot wait for April of 2011 for the next book to be released from Crossway. The only ‘caution’ I would like to provide is that the rating for the book might be about a PG-13. There were several instances when I took editorial license in order to recast some of the descriptions and scenes painted by the author. I do not feel that he was unduly crude or sensual by any means, but just that as a parent of young ones, I wanted to exercise that oversight.
You should consider The Sword if you are looking for a fun family book to read that will no doubt produce imagination and conversation. It is paperback and just over 400 pages. And remember this is just part 1 in the Trilogy. Stay tuned!
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See more info on The Sword from author Bryan Litfin:
The Sword Trailer from Crossway on Vimeo.
