Venom and Song, Day 3

I just put down Venom and Song, wiped sweat from my brow and drew a long relieved breath. After a worthy start in the first third and a bit of a slowdown in the middle, the book finishes off with a furious flurry of action sequences that will leave the reader breathless!

Story:

Without revealing too much of the story, the seven lords manage to get themselves captured by a new occupant of Allyra and they are put on trial with the punishment of death! You must read the book to find out how and if they escape, but it is safe to say there is a satisfactory outcome to this and the individuals involved figure greatly in the final battle of the book. Soon, the lords are faced with a life or death challenge to locate the Keystone and the Rainsong, key weapons in defeating the Spider King, and must learn to overcome their residual differences and work as one.

Returning to the Nightwish Caverns only to find that the Spider King has attacked and almost wiped out the Elfen remnant, the lords must lead the Elves into the final attack on the Spider King’s lair, Vesper Crag. Eventually they come face to face with the Spider King himself. You’ll have to read the book to see how it all ends but let me just say there are surprising victories and harrowing losses!

Strengths:

This is the most powerful segment of the story and it is a very strong, satisfying payoff for the reader who has spent two books with the lords of Allyra. The battle sequences are filled with victories and losses and lots of surprises. We finally get to see the lords finding full realization of their gifts and utilizing them for good. Of greatest satisfaction is how the authors have woven into the story the absolute necessity and reliance the Elves must have on Ellos, their name for God. God is given full credit and glory for the victories that ensue. Here, I think is the greatest strength of the entire story. Often in Christian fiction, the story is made to service the message many times with poor results. But, in Venom and Song, as in The Curse of the Spider King, the presence and power of God is an absolute requirement for the story from the very beginning. A well written story put together by good Christian authors will ALWAYS service the Message without crippling the power of Story. Well done!

Weaknesses:

In the final segment, the only weakness, if I dare call it one, is the amount of frightening developments and the implied amount of gore and death. But, this is a great and terrifying battle between good and evil and the authors do not gloss over the violence. Some readers may find this a weakness, but to be true to the story, the violence must be present and the authors have not backed off from presenting the realities and horrors of war.

Recommendation:

Read both books! Now! Go get them and read them in a well lit room. Parents, I recommend this book (and its predecessor, and I am assuming its sequel) as a well written alternative to much of the secular fantasy and fiction our children have access to. Hey kids! Go read these books! They are fantastic and I think anyone reading these books will be imagining how they can use their God given gifts to make this world a better place! And, you’ll never have a qualm about squashing a spider ever again!

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