Clever. As I ponder back over this book, I'm struck by how truly clever it is! I confess that this is the first of Chuck Black’s books that I’ve read. And in choosing this as the first, I was jumping into the third book in a series, which made the style of storytelling take some getting used to. It’s compelling. Sir Dalton is young and in training for his future. We see the misperceptions of his youth regarding some of the people around him. He’s put himself on quite a high horse, but post-training he hits some Reality neck-deep and head-on. While some aspects of his Christian allegory pull the reader out of the story in an attempt to hit the message home, it's the deeper journey and struggles of the main character that I found surprised me in the end.Dalton faces very real and life-threatening adversaries. He's not your typical storybook hero in that we see him face his greatest adversary in his personal struggle with doubt. Also unique in this telling of the story, there's no magic switch that is flipped "explaining" his overcoming the doubt; instead, we see a wiser soul walk beside him and encourage and guide him in overcoming.
While I'm not the target audience of this book, I'm intrigue by the series and anxious to read the next book!
-LMS
Book Summary: Sir Dalton, a knight in training, seems to have everything going for him. Young, well-liked, and a natural leader, he has earned the respect and admiration of his fellow knights, and especially the beautiful Lady Brynn. But something is amiss at the training camp. Their new trainer is popular but lacks the passion to inspire them to true service to the King and the Prince. Besides this, the knights are too busy enjoying a season of good times to be concerned with a disturbing report that many of their fellow Knights have mysteriously vanished. When Sir Dalton is sent on a mission, he encounters strange attacks, especially when he is alone. As his commitment wanes, the attacks grow in intensity until he is captured by Lord Drox, a massive Shadow Warrior. Bruised and beaten, Dalton refuses to submit to evil and initiates a daring escape with only one of two outcomes—life or death. But what will become of the hundreds of knights he’ll leave behind? In a kingdom of peril, Dalton thinks he is on his own, but two faithful friends have not abandoned him, and neither has a strange old hermit who seems to know much about the Prince. But can Dalton face the evil Shadow Warrior again and survive?
Young adults will be inspired to strengthen their faith along with Sir Dalton, as they follow his exciting and action-packed journey to overcome his doubts and renew his commitment to the King and the Prince in this third installment of Chuck Black’s popular Knights of Arrethtrae series.
About the Author: Chuck Black traveled with the Air Force as a communications engineer and F-16 fighter pilot and began a career as a product design engineer. Chuck and his wife, Andrea, homeschool their six children and have a family music ministry that travels throughout the region. He is the author of nine novels, has been published in The Old Schoolhouse e-zine, and has received praise from parents across the country for his unique approach to telling biblical truths. Chuck and his family live in Williston, North Dakota.
