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As a series geared towards the level of teens rather than adults, and where the reader is not under the false expectation that it contains the majesty and depth of the "Pendragon Cycle", this is still a great read. This first volume in the series of three (The "Dragon King" Trilogy) introduces us to young Quentin, an assistant in the temple of Ariel, who forsakes aspirations of priesthood in order to undertake an important mission for the King. This quickly leads to a quest to save King Eskevar from the hands of his evil brother Prince Jaspin who harbours selfish ambitions to take over the crown. Quentin and his great war horse Balder are soon joined in this quest by the religious hermit Durwin, the renowned outlaw Theido, and later by the prison warder Trenn, the good Queen Alinea, the mysterious nomad Toli, and the brave knight Ronsard. But Jaspin proves to be a mere pawn in the hands of the evil necromancer Nimrood, and it is from the clutches of this corrupt wizard that the King must be rescued. Quentin and company face perils of many kinds, including a long journey through the lands of Mensandor and Elsendor to the dreaded Karsh, the desolate home of Nimrood. They encounter the dreaded Harriers, and a multitude of other dangers. The action rarely lets up, as the friends flee from one danger into the next.
The battle lines between good and evil are clearly marked out, as a conflict ensues between the powers of light and darkness, good and evil. Lawhead plainly intends this conflict to portray spiritual warfare. On one side is Nimrood, with his powers of sorcery, occultic skills and dabbling with the dark arts. On the other side is young Quentin and his band of fellow fighters for freedom, justice and righteousness. Pagan religions worshipping "the old gods" are present - in fact Quentin serves such a god during his days at the temple. But these gods are presented as "shadows, faint mists tossed on the breeze and dispersed." (p.174). A key turning point comes when Quentin meets "the Maker, the One, Most High God", and receives His blessing (p.173-7). The Christian symbolism being very clear, it is ultimately the Most High God who makes victory over against the forces of darkness possible.
In the end, the struggle between good and evil is somewhat simplistic, the victories a little too easily accomplished (the rescue from Nimrood's island a case in point), the Christian imagery rather thinly veiled, the characters rather two-dimensional, and fantasy world of Mensandor not breathtakingly vivid in description. But that's OK. If you like to read about medieval type settings with knights in shining armour, evil wizards, and heroic quests, you'll love this book. The action is fast and furious, the story line enjoyable, the message clear and positive. It's not deep, it's not profound, but Lawhead "Lite" is still an enjoyable read.
Another thing I found rather irritating was the fact that the evil Necromancer, Nimrood, had this annoying tendancy to laugh. I don't mind this much when the author puts 'he laughed' or 'he laughed maniacally' after the characters speech, but instead the laughing was part of his speaking lines, and this just looked rather odd in text.
I did enjoy this book though, but not enough to want to read the other two in the series, as the storyline and characters just weren't interesting enough to make me want to read on. But I may try some of Lawhead's other work in the future, as I haven't been completely put off.
The story in this book is not bad. Quentin, an acolyte of the god Ariel, leaves service at his monastry to take a vitally important and urgent message to the queen. This leads him into an adventure to seek out a lost king, and he finds out a good deal more on the way.
Even though the story is not bad, it is not brilliant either. As a story it does not compel you to keep reading, and the characters are just a little too wooden to really care about. Whereas much modern fantasy has its genesis in Middle Earth, this book seems to have had its genesis in Narnia. Not that this fnatasy world is at all like Narnia - but you can see the same story ideas in places.
A book for Stephen Lawhead completists only.
A young religous acolyte is given an urgent quest by a dying knight. The acolyte, Quentin, will join forces with outlaws, wildmen and a queen in the fight against... Read more
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