By Ed Dunlop
Cross and Crown Publishing
www.dunlopministries.com
342 Meadow Green Drive
Ringgold, GA 30736
706-937-3798
I was very excited to have a chance to read and review this series of Christian allegory fiction. I am always looking to share with my kids good books that explain, on their level, the story of what it means to be a Christian and what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross. I have found that in The Terrestria Chronicles! When these books arrived, my 13-year-old daughter grabbed them and headed to her room to read them. She's a fast reader and emerged a few days later telling me that she really liked the series and thought that I would too. It took me a lot longer than a few days to read the series, but they were hard to put down once I got started!
The series consists of seven books:
- The Sword, The Ring and The Parchment
- The Quest for Seven Castles
- The Search for Everyman
- The Crown of Kuros
- The Dragon's Egg
- The Golden Lamps
- The Great War
The series centers on a medieval theme of knights, princesses, castles, etc. Christ is King Emmanuel, and the King saves the main character (Josiah) from Argamor (Satan) in the first book. After Josiah is brought into the Kingdom of Terrestria, he is mentored by Sir Faithful and learns what it means to be a son of the King. In each book, Josiah undergoes various trials and learns about faith, the power of his King, and that he cannot rely on his own power to gain success.
In the third book, The Search for Everyman, two more main characters are introduced--Prince Selwyn and his sister, Princess Gilda. They aid Josiah in his many adventures throughout the rest of the series. One aspect of the books that I really liked was the naming of the many peoples and places--Sir Wisdom, the Path of Righteousness, the Castle of Faith, Captain Temptation, Woebegone, Discouragement, and so on. The series is written for ages 10 and up; some younger readers won't know the definition of some of these names, but they will get a general understanding of their meanings after reading through these books!
The Biblical principles taught in this book are sound, and I found the allegories helpful in showing me a new way to look at the lessons in the Bible. I don't want to give any specific examples, but I loved the way that the author takes modern-day items and ideas and shows how they are Satan's tools for drawing us away from our Lord. We are encouraged over and over again to make Christ our first priority and shown the value of doing so. My favorite book was The Great War, which tells the story of the book of Revelation in terms that a child can understand. It is the final book in the series and depicts the greatness of our King, leaving a lasting impression. I thought about this book for several days afterwards.
I plan to read this series with my son as his Bible study during our upcoming school year. We will go through one book monthly, reading and discussing each story and learning more about our King of kings and Lord of lords! I know that he will be enraptured by the fantasy setting and able to identify with Josiah. I have read a modified children's version of The Pilgrim's Progress with my children, but I believe that the books of The Terrestria Chronicles are much easier to understand while getting many of the same points across. They are definitely more action-packed! Each book is reasonably priced at $8 each (or $48 for the entire set), and further discounts may be given for quantity purchases. I highly recommend this series for all families. It will open a whole new world of understanding what it means to be a son or daughter of our wonderful King!
Product review by Kris Price, Assistant to the Publishers, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC, August 2007
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