Beyond the Summerland

This novel is adept at good characterization and world-building. It is a coming-of-age story for a group of future leaders of Kirthanin. It involves dragons, Great Bear, giants, dark wolves, Malekim, an ancient prophet, Titans, and many other impressive fantasy creatures and people. It is a strong Christian allegory in the tradition of Lewis, though the characters representing angels are presented in a style representative of powerful men of ancient myth. This adds to the fantasy flavor. From Allfather to the powerful, twisted Malek, the story is filled with many imaginative protagonists and antagonists. The adventures are equally impressive and help develop the main characters well. The controversial ending was hinted at throughout the story, and since I have read the second book, I can say that it was necessary in light of the continuing story. The only small fault is that some of the dialogue seems a bit too modern in places and not "medieval" enough. That was very minor and doesn't hurt the story as a whole. This is an excellent book and I recommend picking it up!

'Beyond the Summerland' is an excellent novel whose pages turn faster than you can imagine. If you enjoy Tolkien and the fantasy writings of C.S. Lewis, you will most certainly enjoy this book. The characters are so real and full and vivid, and the action sequences are intense. (During these sections I was incapable of releasing the book from my grip!) It left me eager for the release of the next book in the series.

I have long been a fan of the works of CS Lewis and Tolkien, but am ussually reticent to try other fantasy titles thinking that they could never match up. But reading a review for LB's book on the Christianity Today website I decided to give it a shot. The book is not as good as the Narnian Chronicles or Lord of the Rings, but this is no slight against LB because I dont think that any fantasy book in my lifetime will be. A lot of fantasy books have a comic-bookish feel to them where one gets the impression that there is no significance beyond the story's events. This is not the case for LB's work. It is not merely a tale of good guys beating up the bad guys. Though his work is not allegory, there definately are Theological and moral themes behind the events that make the story applicable to our own lives. Perhaps more importantly, this book was just plain fun to read. I especially like the character of Aljeron, a sort of warrior who has a special bond with a tiger of all things. Overall this is a solid first book. I really recomend checking it out.

Fantasy readers will love it, and even those not addicted to fantasy should like it A LOT too. I couldn't put it down once I got into it. A compelling plot with complex characters and an in-depth world. I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it is refreshing to read a book by an author who loves Tolkien but does not simply mimic him. Beyond the Summerland is more approachable than The Lord of the Rings, but still has plenty of depth (something sadly lacking in so many fantasy books). Graham's Christian worldview also shines through, makes this book a must-have for any Christian Fantasy Lover.