Raven's Ladder: A Novel (The Auralia Thread)

This book is the third book in the Auralia Thread and, for me, the one way to tell a good book and author is if a book, that is part of a series, can stand alone without reading the books before it. This does and in a big way. I'm always a little trepidicious about reading books that are part of a series. Will I know what's going on? Will I be able to figure out the characters without having read the previous books? With this book, the answer is a big YES! The book pulled me in with the first page and I was barely able to put it down (here's where I put a disclaimer-beware reading this before you go to sleep or you may not be able to put it down to sleep!) because the story was so good and the characters so real, I really cared what happened next. I'm not usually a big fantasy-fiction fan (although, I enjoyed the Narnia books) but with this book, I can honestly say I am. I love the story of faith woven throughout the book and the real thoughts and feelings these charaters had as they were tested and tried. It was also interesting how some people, in the book, took a belief and changed it to mean something completely different than the truth. Now I have to get the first two books. I enjoyed this book that much. I think you will, too.

I'm never quite sure what to expect from fiction by an author of Christian faith... for every wonderful reading experience (like Stephen Lawhead's Celtic Crusades or C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia), there are numerous slogs through preachy & cliched schlock. (Insert obligatory reference to the Left Behind books here.) It's a little like Tim Burton films - you never know when an "Edward Scissorhands" is going to bloom amongst a field of weeds like "Batman Returns" and "Planet of the Apes." It helps, of course, when you trust the author as someone who appreciates story & subtlety, which is certainly true of Jeffery Overstreet. As a long-time reader of his articles & reviews at [...] and his blog, [...], I was excited to find his first book, Through A Screen Darkly, which is a series of essays on movie-going & faith. So when Mr. Overstreet released the first book in The Auralia Thread series, Auralia's Colors, I... checked it out from the library & felt really guilty about not reading it. Yeah, I know, that wasn't the story I wanted to tell either, but it's the truth. I'm not sure what kept me from digging into the first novel - some of the reviews I'd read made it sound "artsy" and I never managed to pick it up and get into it before I had to return it. Fast forward a couple of years to the early part of 2010 when I agreed to blog/review Raven's Ladder, the third book in the series. I quickly realized that I didn't want to read book 3 before I read the first two books. So, for the past couple of weeks, I've carted around The Auralia Thread books and read them whenever I could... waiting for my boys at the park, taking a break at work, even squinting at them by the light of a bedside lamp. Yes, the books are that good. It's my assignment to review Raven's Ladder... a task which I'm finding daunting. I want to try & paint a picture of the book (and the series that leads up to it) without spoiling the joy of discovery that comes from reading a fantasy series set in a new world. I hope to get you to pick up Auralia's Colors and find yourself swept up by Jeffery Overstreet's beautifully crafted descriptions & plotting... leading inexorably to you buying all three books. As I've thought about how to do this, I realized that The Auralia Thread reminds me of the TV series, "Lost." No, there's not an airline crash or a smoke monster or even a four-toed statue... but Mr. Overstreet uses the same kind of cinematic style of storytelling to move his plot forward. We get to see important moments from the viewpoints of different characters. Hints are dropped & questions are raised at odd moments that pay off chapters (or sometimes even books) later. The author, much like the writers on "Lost," isn't afraid to kill off characters or radically alter their lives rather than simply pander to our desires for things to be tied up in a simplistic package. And while the story has definite philosophical & spiritual themes (esp. the relationship

When he was a prince Cal-raven freed Auralia's Colors only to find their "house" collapsed killing his father. Still believing that the Keeper sent Auralia to them for a reason, he led his people to safety inside a stone labyrinth after overcoming the beastmen (see Cyndere's Midnight). However their refuge proves unsafe when something from underground is trying to drill through the stones. The people of Abascar flee again while their ruler King Cal-raven foretells the rebuilding of a New Abascar. However, King Cal-raven is distracted by the Seers of the House Bel Amica. He fails to protect his people who have plans for the wanderers and having learned of Auralia's Colors from those they have trapped with their charms, they weave this into their lies. Only Cyndere as daughter of Bel Amica's widow Queen Thesera abetted by Jordam the House of Cent Regus beastman; and "Rescue" the mysterious ale boy can save the weary wanderers. However they must overcome the brutal cursed Cent Regus beastmen, the sneaky Seers advisors to the queen of Bel Amica and the wavering monarch Cal-raven having lost his faith in the colors and his vision. The third colorful Abascar religious fantasy is a terrific entry with a powerful message of keep the faith at all times especially when you feel abandoned. The story line is fast-paced but character driven as Cyndere continues to believe even more so while Cal-raven is losing his beliefs. Although filled with action throughout, it is the King's questioning what the Keeper wants for the House of Abascar that he helped to collapse that makes this a strong inspirational fantasy. Harriet Klausner

When I first read Auralia's Colors I was blown away by the magic of Jeffrey Overstreet. The experience has been no different for Cyndere's Midnight and now Raven's Ladder. This series is by far one of the best in Fantasy that I've read in many years. Overstreet's writing is magical. His words breathe life into a world that cannot be duplicated. It's a poetry that tickles the senses and feeds the soul. I often found my self re-reading certain paragraphs just to experience the magic all over again. If you are bored of other Fantasy series' like the Wheel of Time, you need to read this! Raven's Ladder not only captures the imagination, but also takes hold of the heart. I can't wait to read the last in The Auralia Thread Series!

I did not find Raven's Ladder to be as magical as Auralia's Colors, nor did I find it to be as heart wrenching as Cyndre's Midnight, but it captivated me none-the-less. Each book has been unique, and that includes this third book in the Auralia's Thread series. Book 1 spun a colorful picture in my mind, like a water color painting that had colors beyond description. I fell in love with Auralia and the Ale Boy. I couldn't wait to read more about them in Book 2. Book 2 disappointed me at first. Auralia and the Ale Boy were not there. Instead, Jordam, a beastman was there, as was Cyndere. No matter. I found myself caring for them as deeply as I had, Auralia and the Ale Boy. In fact, I think I pulled harder for Jordam in my mind, longing for him to find freedom, than I had for any other character in the series thus far. Book 3, Raven's Ladder, disappointed me again - at first. Jordam was not there. Cyndere did not come until much later. But yet again, as the pages wore on, Jeffery Overstreet gave me another character to grow to love and respect - King Cal-raven. Like so many in today's modern world, his people are unaware of the hidden danger to the beauty of Bel Amica. Cal-raven sees it however, and longs to remove his people from there and rebuild House Abascar in a new place. Like the prophets of old, Cal-raven sees the danger, speaks the danger, and is not heeded. Yet he does not back down from what he knows to be true danger to his people. As he fights on, the threads of Auralia, the Ale Boy, and now Jordam and Cyndere are interwoven into the narrative, creating a strong and beautiful tale of fantasy with heroes that erupt visions in the imagination that no special affects creator can ever duplicate.