09 March 2006
The Oracles and the Jewels
The Oracles and the Jewels
The Academy, Vol. 1
C. S. Stanford
Entos is a land created by, sustained, and lived in through the power of the Oracles and the Jewels. Any sacramental parallels are obviously intentional, for The Oracles and the Jewels is the sort of book Luther might have authored had he the time for fantasy fiction. Virtues such as honor, duty, loyalty, sacrifice, trustworthiness, and the value of ritual and the voice of sacred tradition are promoted throughout the book. Yet, if there is one word to define the theme of this book it is this: integrity. A life lived with all these things in proper balance is a life lived in integrity. Entosians were created to live lives of integrity. Entosians live only according to the very means which create and sustain them. Their lives reflect their Creator King in the same manner their enemies' lives mirror that of theirs, Ashkelon, who is the king of disorder and chaos.
The Oracles and the Jewels follows in the tradition of C. S. Lewis' Narnia Tales and J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit and Trilogy. The characters are solid and the plot develops with plenty of twists and turns. Imagery and detail are full and rich. However (at least in a Lutheran sense), where Lewis' and Tolkien's symbolism eventually fail to hit their mark, Stanford's finds the target time and time again.
The Oracles and the Jewels will find its way on our school's bookshelves. This is a catechetical journey &mdash yet so well written and entertaining young readers may not even realize it is catechesis!
The Oracles and the Jewels is the first book of a planned trilogy by C. S. Stanford. Drawings and maps by R. W. Stanford. It is published by Stanford Publishing, but is available through amazon.com.
The Oracles and the Jewels
The Academy, Vol. 1
by C. S. Stanford
492 pages
ISBN 0977181405
Feedback ¶ posted by Emily Carder | 23:53 |
The Academy, Vol. 1
C. S. Stanford
Entos is a land created by, sustained, and lived in through the power of the Oracles and the Jewels. Any sacramental parallels are obviously intentional, for The Oracles and the Jewels is the sort of book Luther might have authored had he the time for fantasy fiction. Virtues such as honor, duty, loyalty, sacrifice, trustworthiness, and the value of ritual and the voice of sacred tradition are promoted throughout the book. Yet, if there is one word to define the theme of this book it is this: integrity. A life lived with all these things in proper balance is a life lived in integrity. Entosians were created to live lives of integrity. Entosians live only according to the very means which create and sustain them. Their lives reflect their Creator King in the same manner their enemies' lives mirror that of theirs, Ashkelon, who is the king of disorder and chaos.The Oracles and the Jewels follows in the tradition of C. S. Lewis' Narnia Tales and J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit and Trilogy. The characters are solid and the plot develops with plenty of twists and turns. Imagery and detail are full and rich. However (at least in a Lutheran sense), where Lewis' and Tolkien's symbolism eventually fail to hit their mark, Stanford's finds the target time and time again.
The Oracles and the Jewels will find its way on our school's bookshelves. This is a catechetical journey &mdash yet so well written and entertaining young readers may not even realize it is catechesis!
The Oracles and the Jewels is the first book of a planned trilogy by C. S. Stanford. Drawings and maps by R. W. Stanford. It is published by Stanford Publishing, but is available through amazon.com.
The Oracles and the Jewels
The Academy, Vol. 1
by C. S. Stanford
492 pages
ISBN 0977181405
Feedback ¶ posted by Emily Carder | 23:53 |
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Is Stanford Lutheran? I mean, if it's a good read and theologically sound... I'm very interested.
# posted by 
: 10/3/06 10:49
: 10/3/06 10:49
C. S. Stanford is none other than Pr. Craig S. Stanford of Peoria, IL.
The real prize in this book is that even though non-Lutherans will find themselves entranced with it, the reason it finds it mark so rightly is because it was written by a solid Lutheran.
Yes, I mean every pun.
The real prize in this book is that even though non-Lutherans will find themselves entranced with it, the reason it finds it mark so rightly is because it was written by a solid Lutheran.
Yes, I mean every pun.
I have a couple small quibbles with the review here given.
First, the book suffers from some sloppy proof-reading (this is a bee in my bonnet with any book). It would be much better if some of the inconsistencies in grammar and punctuation were cleared up.
Second, I see much more affinity with Harry Potter than with Narnia or Middle Earth in this novel.
Having said that, the story is compelling (I read it this evening while recovering from some sort of stomach bug) and I do think it has a lot of promise. I only wish some of the grammatical and typographical imperfections were cleared up.
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First, the book suffers from some sloppy proof-reading (this is a bee in my bonnet with any book). It would be much better if some of the inconsistencies in grammar and punctuation were cleared up.
Second, I see much more affinity with Harry Potter than with Narnia or Middle Earth in this novel.
Having said that, the story is compelling (I read it this evening while recovering from some sort of stomach bug) and I do think it has a lot of promise. I only wish some of the grammatical and typographical imperfections were cleared up.
# posted by : 4/4/06 21:18
: 4/4/06 21:18<< Home
