Book Review for Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest | Lindsay A ...

By Lindsay Posted on July 22, 2011

The Story: Sir Rowan, a decorated tournament knight with some serious pride issues, finds his life turned upside down when he?s abducted and left for dead. Rescued by the Prince (and a little earthly help), he rededicates his life to the King. But tyranny presses in on all sides of Arrethtrae, and though Rowan feels compelled to save his beloved homeland, Cameria, the mysterious Sir Lijah insists his purposes lie elsewhere, and Rowan is drawn into a conflict far larger than he could have imagined.

Yea: Sir Rowan is the sixth book in Chuck Black?s The Knights of Arrethtrae series, so clearly he?s doing something right. I think the straightforward story structure and simple storytelling style (wow, say that three times fast?) would appeal to younger guys. I appreciate Black?s unabashed allegory, as it?s something many Christian authors feel compelled to avoid. I stand by my general assertion that there?s a place for straight allegory and more subtle allusions in Christian fiction. Black?s use of imagery such as the Prince, the King, Shadow Warriors, and the like is all very obvious and doesn?t leave the reader guessing, which is the main reason I?ve pegged this work for a younger set.

Aside from a smattering of strange creatures and some hard-to-pronounce names, there?s not a lot of real hardcore fantasy in this book. If you?re the type who enjoys medieval stories but can?t get into orcs and elves and dwarves, this may still be a book for you. Let?s call it fantasy-lite.

Nay: At times, Black exhibits language with a lovely medieval quality to it that?s very enjoyable to read. But much of the book contains repetitive word use in the same sentence or paragraph, which is one of my pet peeves. I?ve probably just spent too much time critiquing manuscripts (and attempting to edit my own), but these things jump out at me and disrupt the reading experience.

Black establishes early on that this tale is being spun by a ?storyteller,? Cedric of Chessington. As such, it?s told in a rather removed point of view. I didn?t dislike it, but it didn?t provide quite the same level of enjoyment as those books that take you deep into the point-of-view character?s perspective.

I have a feeling that Mr. Black and I have differing opinions in the matter of Eschatology (and probably on some political points), and if that?s a sensitive subject for you, be advised that this is an allegorical interpretation of end-times prophecy. But I appreciated Mr. Black?s disclaimer in his author note that this is merely one loose interpretation of many?with regard to Revelation 11. I find that end-times authors can become dogmatic, even in fiction, so I was very pleased to see Black?s acknowledgment that we?re all speculating, to some degree, on that topic.

Bottom Line: I?d recommend this book for guys (and action-adventure girls, like myself) aged twelve and up, and anyone else who likes a medieval fantasy. So long as you?re not too nit-picky about language (like I am) or sensitive about end-times stuff.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multomah Publishing group in exchange for my honest review.

Source: http://www.lindsayafranklin.com/book-review-sir-rowan-and-the-camerian-conquest/

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