Knights, wizards, fair damsels in distress, a quest, and Good verses Evil fill this novel by Donita K. Paul. A fantasy - yes, and DragonKnight is a most delightful one.
Bardon, a squire in service to Sir Dar, has been granted a sabbatical in order to contemplate his future. Should he continue his training and become a knight of Paladin, or should he give it up and search for something else he is to do with his life? Those are his choices. Having been granted a year in which to search his soul, Bardon and his dragon, Greer, take off for the isolated cabin of Sir Dar. Only when they arrive they find the cabin already occupied by two emerlidians, Granny Kye, N'Rae, and a minneken from the Isle of Kye, Mistress Jue Seeno.
Granny Kye and N'Rae are to be off on a quest to search for and rescue Granny Kye's missing son who also happens to be N'Rae's father. Jue Seeno is N'Rae's protector, a funny job for a woman the size of a mouse. Bardon is drawn into their quest because he feels it is Wulder's will for him at this time. Only too late does he realize that the ladies expect him to be in charge of the whole quest to rescue N'Rae's father, Sir Jilles, and a number of other Knights under a spell the evil wizard Risto cast many years before. Time is of the essence. The knights must be rescued and released from the spell holding them captive before the Wizard's Plume, a comet passes beneath a northern star called Eye of the North.
DragonKnight is the third in a series of books by Donita K. Paul. It is a Christian fantasy. Does that sound implausible? At first glance, yes. But read the book. It is filled with wonderful images that the reader can quickly associate to parallels of Christianity.
DragonSpell and DragonQuest are the first two books in this series. Although it would be nice to read the novels in order, it is not necessary to do so in order to understand DragonKnight. Ms. Paul's third book is able to stand on its own. Her descriptive images of each of the creatures encountered are so well done that the reader can easily picture them in his or her mind. The cast of characters outlined at the beginning of DragonKnight as well as the glossary at the end provide even the most novice fantasy reader with a complete understanding of the world of Amara when added to the skillful writing plotted out by Donita K. Paul.
Who should read this book? Everyone. Male, female, old, and young, oh, especially the young who are so drawn to the world of fantasy, because this book and its first two companions are filled with spiritual truths that the young should experience. DragonKnight has something for everyone - adventure, love, and redemption.
Will Squire Bardon and his party complete their quest and rescue the Knights before it is too late? Will Granny Kye be reunited with her son, Sir Jilles? Will N'Rae see her father alive? Will Squire Bardon find the will of Wulder for his life? Read the book and find out.
And, oh, yes, the dragons. Be prepared to have your preconceptions of dragons totally reversed. Not all dragons are evil, fire-breathing monsters, at least not in Donita K. Paul's world. Some of them are quite large and beautiful, some of them are very small and cute, and some of them can even talk. Stand guard, though, on your emotions - the evil, fire-breathing dragons exist alongside the good dragons. Watch out for the ugly, two-headed snake dragons, they enjoy the fresh catch of the day.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Book Review - Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer
What a story!
Kim Vogel Sawyer created a believable story of a mother and wife suffering the pangs of grief after the loss of her four children and husband.
Summer Steadman finds herself alone in a small Mennonite community in Gaeddart, Kansas during the fall of 1894. So deep in mourning that she finds food repugnant, she has allowed her body to become weakened. Her soul has become as emaciated as her body. No longer sure that God loves her or anyone else, Summer's only real wish is to join her family in death. It seems God has other plans for her, though.
Peter Ollenburger, a local gristmill owner, is in need of a teacher for his son, Thomas. Since the young boy is housebound after an accident resulting in broken ribs and can't ride his horse to school, he is falling behind in his studies. Peter's wife, Elsa, would be the logical choice to be his teacher, but she died six years earlier. Peter needs someone to live on his property and give the boy his lessons until he is fully recovered. After learning that Summer Steadman has lost her family to illness and has need of a position, he proposes that she come live in his home as Thomas's teacher. When objections to the impropriety of the situation are brought to his attention, Peter agrees that Summer could live in his shariah rather than in the house with the family. Wanting only to be close to the graves of her family, Summer accepts Peter's proposition and moves to his property.
What awaits the reader of Waiting for Summer's Return is a journey of relationship renewals. Summer and Peter both travel the path toward new knowledge of people and God. The trip is filled with bumps and ruts much like the road to the town of Gaeddart. As Thomas grows to know his temporary teacher, his affection for her grows to become the love of a child for a mother. Neither Summer nor Peter had planned on this complication. What are they to do? How will God orchestrate the symphony of their lives?
Kim Vogel Sawyer's writing is a joy to read. Her characters catch the reader's heart. It is hard to put the book down in order to carry on with life. Waiting for Summer's Return is one of those books you will want to keep reading to the point where the dishes will stack up in the sink and the laundry will go unwashed because you have to read just one more chapter. And that chapter leads to another and then another. Go ahead read those chapters. The dishes and the laundry will be there when you finish the book.
Kim Vogel Sawyer created a believable story of a mother and wife suffering the pangs of grief after the loss of her four children and husband.
Summer Steadman finds herself alone in a small Mennonite community in Gaeddart, Kansas during the fall of 1894. So deep in mourning that she finds food repugnant, she has allowed her body to become weakened. Her soul has become as emaciated as her body. No longer sure that God loves her or anyone else, Summer's only real wish is to join her family in death. It seems God has other plans for her, though.
Peter Ollenburger, a local gristmill owner, is in need of a teacher for his son, Thomas. Since the young boy is housebound after an accident resulting in broken ribs and can't ride his horse to school, he is falling behind in his studies. Peter's wife, Elsa, would be the logical choice to be his teacher, but she died six years earlier. Peter needs someone to live on his property and give the boy his lessons until he is fully recovered. After learning that Summer Steadman has lost her family to illness and has need of a position, he proposes that she come live in his home as Thomas's teacher. When objections to the impropriety of the situation are brought to his attention, Peter agrees that Summer could live in his shariah rather than in the house with the family. Wanting only to be close to the graves of her family, Summer accepts Peter's proposition and moves to his property.
What awaits the reader of Waiting for Summer's Return is a journey of relationship renewals. Summer and Peter both travel the path toward new knowledge of people and God. The trip is filled with bumps and ruts much like the road to the town of Gaeddart. As Thomas grows to know his temporary teacher, his affection for her grows to become the love of a child for a mother. Neither Summer nor Peter had planned on this complication. What are they to do? How will God orchestrate the symphony of their lives?
Kim Vogel Sawyer's writing is a joy to read. Her characters catch the reader's heart. It is hard to put the book down in order to carry on with life. Waiting for Summer's Return is one of those books you will want to keep reading to the point where the dishes will stack up in the sink and the laundry will go unwashed because you have to read just one more chapter. And that chapter leads to another and then another. Go ahead read those chapters. The dishes and the laundry will be there when you finish the book.
Friday, August 25, 2006
The world of writing is varied just as our writers' group is varied. We are celebrating our 30th year as an organization. Writers are often loners - its the nature of the work. Most of us work alone on our endeavors, often segregating ourselves from our family and friends in order to do what we are driven to do. But we yearn to have the association of other writers. It is that yearning that causes us to seek out the company of writers in the form of a writing group or guild. East Texas Writers Association began 30 years ago just for that purpose.
We gather together once a month to fellowship at dinner, participate in a program provided by a guest speaker, and then share our writing with one another. We meet on the 2nd Friday of each month at Casa Ole on Spur 63 in Longview, Texas at 6:30 p.m. Dinner is optional - fellowship abundant! Writers in all genres are welcome. We run the gamut from non-fiction to fiction, published to non-published. If you're in the area, join us as a visitor. See how we fit into your life. Even if you're just visiting the area from out of state, as one young lady did at our last meeting, stop by and check us out. She was from Chicago!
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