The Warlords of Nin (Dragon King Trilogy) [Paperback]

"The Warlords of Nin" is the second offering of Stephen Lawhead's "Dragon King" Trilogy, following "In the Hall of the Dragon King", an independent story where readers were introduced to the temple servant turned hero Quentin. In volume two of the series, Quentin has matured into a young adult and made his home and studies in Dekra, far away from his beloved Bria. Along with his companion and friend Toli, Quentin heads back to the royal castle at Askelon at the urgent summons of King Eskevar, who detects an impending danger that threatens the empire. All the signs, including the bizarre and ever-brightening Wolf Star, point to a perilous time.

The danger proves to be a serious one indeed: Nin the Destroyer, with his four warlords, and thousands of soldiers. Quentin and Toli escape from the clutches of one of the warlords along with the defector Myrmior, who turns out to be a most helpful ally. Myrmior's cunning and clever strategy does a great deal to slow the ad!vance of the army of Nin, which threatens to overwhelm Askelon. But in the end, victory depends on the fulfilment of an archaic prophecy about a Priest King, who will bring deliverance armed with a mysterious sword known as the "Zhaligheer" or "Shining One". It seems the Quentin is the fabled Priest King, and in obedience to the prophecy, he undertakes a mission to the lost mines of Ariga, along with the armorer Inchkeith, to search for the rare and fabled lanthanil needed to make the sword. Will he accomplish his mission on time? Is he the one of whom the prophecy speaks who will deliver Askelon from its fearsome foes?

"The Warlords of Nin" is a separate story from "In the Hall of the Dragon King", with Quentin, his companions, and his country being the continuous element. The story is filled with breath-taking scenery and medieval conflict. Courageous knights in shining armour, flashing swords, deadly battles, ancient chivalry - it's all here. The conflict between the! powers of good and evil is in the end a picture of the great spiritual battle of the ages between the powers of light and darkness, God and Satan. Readers familiar with the battle images used by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6, will find the connections obvious. The fight for truth, justice, righteousness and good is in many ways portrays the great struggle against evil in world history. The use and tacit endorsement of astrology, oracles, dreams and prophecy in this struggle is somewhat surprising, but could be explained as being reflecting a pre-Christian era, not unlike the time of the Old Testament before the coming of the Messiah. And so it is appropriate that deliverance comes though the fulfilment of prophecies about a Messianic Priest King. Readers familiar with the Bible will find the notion of a Messianic prophecy about a Priest King most recognizable, because this was precisely the case with Jesus Christ. To say that Quentin is Christ-like is to say too much, yet t!o deny the allusions to Christ's victory for His people is to deny the obvious.

Yet in contrast to the Messianic overtones of Quentin's role in an epic struggle, Lawhead also humanizes Quentin to the point where he is like us, the soldiers in the battle rather than their Deliverer. In the process, Lawhead makes profound observations about personal faith. In the battle, Quentin must learn to trust in the Most High, and be confident that the Most High has plans for him, even when the way is unclear. In total trust, Quentin "should go along with this strange business regardless of my own feelings about it." Says Durwin: "We must not fear for the Most High; he can take care of himself. We must only look to ourselves that we remain faithful to his call." He concludes with an exhortation to faith that applies also to believers in the spiritual war of today: "But if you go beyond your fears and doubts, and follow anyway --ah! strange and wonderful things can happen. Yes, orph!ans can become kings, swords can sprout flames and great enemies can be laid low at a stroke." (p.282-3)

It is this depth of spiritual vision that makes Lawhead's prose all the more compelling and enjoyable. Although essentially a story, it's a story with the power to impart enduring spiritual truths. No, maybe not to the extent of Lawhead's phenomenal achievement in the "Pendragon Cycle". But that doesn't make this book any less enjoyable, or any less of an achievement.

This book is my favorite in the Dragon King Trilogy. This book has lots of action in it. The story continues after Quentin and his friends defeat the evil Nimrood the necromancer. I suggest that you read the first book, In the Hall of the Dragon King, first.

This story is about how Quentin, now a young man, is called unexpectedly to return to Askelon. He had been staying at Dekra, the place of power and mystery. As Quentin and his best friend Toli rides back, they encounter many interesting things. A whole village is scared for some reason and the Wolf Star was growing bigger and bigger every day. But Quentin and Toli trusts in the Most High and returns to Askelon where they meet their good friend Durwin, the hermit and also meet King Eskevar. Quentin quickly knows that something was wrong with the King, the King had grown pale and his face was gaunt. In other words, the King was deathly ill. He knew that someting was amiss in Mesandor.

Meanwhile, Theido and Ronsard, the two brave knights, (Ronsard is my favorite character!) had been sent out from King Eskevar to sort of scout the land. They realize that something was wrong, just like the King had said. Whole villages had been burnt, there was nothing but a enormous black spot on the ground. As they travel on, they see a nearly dead person in one of the burnt villages. They learn little from him, but he tells them that the enemy's name was Nin the Destroyer before he dies. Theido and Ronsard then returns to Askelon.

Quentin and Toli had been also searching for any signs of the enemy. They meet Esme, a rather fierce girl who was secretly a princess. On their way back to Askelon, they see the village called Illem burning. They quickly ride to Illem and meet the villagers running in terror. They are quickly surrounded by many soldiers of one of the warlords of Nin. Toli and Esme escapes but Quentin is captured.

Will Quentin escape? What will happen when the Ningaal reach Askelon?

This book is definently something you have to read! I love the Dragon King Trilogy and I have read them over and over again. Happy Reading!

One of my favorites from Mr. Lawhead.

Picking up right where In the Hall of the Dragon King left off, this seconded installment follows the young king, Quentin, and his faithful companion and friend, Tolli as they get ready to face their biggest challenge so far. The Wolf star is rising, prophesying the end of the age, and with it comes The Warlords of Nin, the sinister Hun-like invaders with no mercy for innocents and their pagan religion. Quentin must do all he can to fight against the coming invasion, with truth as justice as his weapons, and his faith in The Most High God. The land of Mensandor will never be the same.

This is one of my favorite series, it has everything a good Christian Fantasy should have, admirable heroes who fight for truth and put their trust in the Lord, action, knights, and a touch of allegory. Even my teenage brother is a fan of this series, and he is a bit of a picky reader, I'm constantly trying to find good books that my brother would enjoy and this on was a winner. Mr. Lawhead writes with a classic touch, and sense of detail that weaves the story together, and makes the world of Mensandor come alive in all it's lush glory.
My brother is a huge fantasy fan, but it's hard to find books that are Biblically correct, and don't have some strange tidbits that I can't help but question, The Warlords of Nin is not one of those books.

I know that this book isn't for everyone as there are scenes of violence, that some might find disturbing, though they are in the middle of a war and gruesome things are common when on a battlefield or in cases of torture. I especially appreciated the strong faith element and watching Quentin's faith grow as he strove toward making following God the most important thing in his life. This is a book that I would highly recommend for fantasy lovers and the teen guys, like my brother who love action, knights, and a very minimum of romance (seriously, there isn't much :) Thanks.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!