I hate spiders! Let me say that at the outset. My ex-brother-in-law would pick up Grandaddy Longlegs and throw them on me when I was four years old. In fact, I was so psychically marred by his actions, I am a text book case of arachnophobia. And this is why with great trepidation I picked up “Venom and Song”.

I suggest if you have not read “The Curse of the Spider King” it will be difficult to pick up on the action in the second book of the Berinfell Prophecies. Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper have followed that excellent first book with a worthy successor. So, with visions of red legged spiders poised on my shower curtain rod still spinning in my brain, I opened the second book and picked up right where I left the first book.

So, let’s get to the first part of my review. I will review the first third, middle third, and final third on three successive days.

The Story:

Seven Elfin lords were hidden away on Earth from the horrid Spider King until the day their powers manifested. In the first book, each of the youngsters survived the emergence of strange powers and the assault of the nefarious agents of the Spider King sent to Earth to kill them. By the end of the first book, the children have passed through the only portal from Earth to their world of Allyra.

Venom and Song picks up immediately after the arrival of the Lords of Allyra in their world. Right away, they are attacked by warspiders and the legions of the Spider King and we discover there may be a traitor in their midst. The first third of the book follows this battle against the remnants of the Spider King’s armies and the arrival of the lords in the Nightwish Caverns where the remainder of the Elven kindgom have been hiding for 800 years.

We’ll stop there for this first part of the book and you can come back on Day 2 for the continuation of the review focusing on the middle of the book.

Strengths:

Venom and Song follows in the tradition of the first book in quickly immersing the reader in the heat of the action. New creatures emerge in this Elfen world that were not present on Earth. They threaten the lives of the seven lords and only by utilizing their new, untrained powers do the lords escape certain death. The tension is definitely great in this section for the reader is well aware of who and what the traitor is that dwells among. And, there are ample opportunities for the traitor to kill any one of the lords so the suspense is electrifying!

Overall, the tone of the book is somewhere between a Harry Potter type coming of age and a Lord of the Ring encounter with the forces of fantasy. The creatures and the landscape have at once a familiarity that is comforting and yet, a strangeness that is unique enough to keep you reading.

Weakness:

I find the greatest weakness may also be a strength. I am a firm believer in enlisting the reader’s help in solving the greater mysteries of story. As a reader (and an author) I want to have just enough of the story to begin to fill in the blanks with my own imagination and also to have the satisfaction that I arrived at the inevitable conclusion before I get there. In “Venom and Song” there are frequent mentions of the denizens of the Spider King and very little actual description. I still don’t have any idea what a Gwar really looks like. Also, it gets a bit confusing at times trying to keep the three boys separated in my mind when they all have names that start with “J” -- Jett, Johnny, and Jimmy. But, there are times when the description is spot on and very chilling as when the “whisp” who has assumed the identity of the traitor pauses to “eat”. However, this is a minor point and the strength of the story overcomes my few objections.

Recommendation:

At this point, I highly recommend this book as a worthy followup to “The Curse of the Spider King”. If you enjoy C. S. Lewis, Steven Lawhead, Jeffrey Overstreet, Harry Potter, or J. R. R. Tolkien this book will easily fill a few evenings of avid reading by firelight for I suggest keeping a light on!

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.