Tales of the Resistance

David & Karen Mains' Kingdom Tales consist of three volumes: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. First published in hardcover in 1983, 1986 & 1996 with delightful illustrations by Jack Stockman, these three books have been reissued in softcover in 2000, but now with a limited number of black-and-white illustrations by Linda Wells which don't do much to enhance the text. Each volume consists of twelve fantasy short stories, set in a city ruled by an evil Enchanter who has usurped the throne from the true King. The stories are all separate events often involving different characters, but are bound together as part of a larger story as the Enchanted City is rescued by the exiled King and becomes the Bright City, leading to a joyous conclusion as the people of Great Park and Bright City begin the Great Celebration at the conclusion of the Restoration. The main returning character is Scarboy, an orphan boy who escapes from the Enchanted City with his brother, Little Child, and becomes Hero in the service of the King.Although the stories have distinctive allegorical qualities, they are more like religious fables or fairy tales, drawing on the imagery of the kingdom that Jesus Christ Himself taught in His ministry. Under the influence of the evil Enchanter, the people of the Enchanted City prefer darkness to the light, and so sleep during the day and work at night. But the King is at work delivering the city and rescuing the poor and needy and bringing them to the Great Park. Even though the Enchanter's men proclaim "There is no such thing as a King", the King's men know "that "Things are not what they seem." They realize that even though the Enchanter had said "Seeing is believing", reality is different: "You have to believe in order to see." Christians will understand that these are important spiritual truths about faith and serving the King Jesus Christ.Each volume has some stories that were especially memorable. In Volume 2, Hero leaves the safety of Great Park to return to the darkness of Enchanted City, and work for the restoration of the Kingdom. Here he joins the Taxi Resistance, where those who follow the Kingsways rescue the Lost from the Enchanted City. The climax comes in the last two stories, "Traffic Court" and "The Burning Place", where the King himself is captured by the Enchanter, placed on trial, and burned to death. Just when all who have loved and served the King have lost all hope, the King comes back to life, and glorious day falls upon Enchanted City. This event of New Day Rising breaks the enchantment, and is of course a clear image of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.How successful these stories are on their own apart from the underlying spiritual truths is hard to tell. The moral of the stories is generally quite transparent, although in the case of a few tales it is rather obscure. But on the whole the message about serving and honouring the King Jesus Christ

Back to Enchanted City - Hero is commissioned to the office of Ranger and returns to the Enchanted City.Doubletalk, Triple Tongue and Theysay - Two of the Enchanter's heralds join the resistance of the King, and learn to speak the language of the Kingdom.The Taxi Resistance - Led by Big Operator, the City Taxi Company leads the resistance against the Enchanter's Burners, Breakers and Naysayers, working for the Restoration.The Challenger - Hero begins his new assignment as Keeper of the Chronicle of Sightings of the King.The Most Beautiful Player of All -The famous actress Thespia leaves the Palace of Players and follows the King.The Sewer Rat and the Boiler Brat - Two orphans who are part of those cruelly enslaved in running the underworld sewer system are rescued by the King.The Forbidden Princess - Amanda helps rescue a princess destined to live an empty life under the curse of the Enchanter.The Carnival Daughter - The King rescues Carny, a girl who tries to escape the Enchanter by fleeing to an imaginary carnival world.The Orphan Exodus - Big Operator and the King rescue orphan children from the evil Orphan Keeper.The Enchanter's Revenge - The Enchanter seeks revenge for the orphan exodus by a demolition raid on the terminal of the City Taxi Company and killing Big Operator.Traffic Court - The King is captured and charged with insurrection - pretending to be the King - and sentenced to death.The Burning Place - The King is burned to death, to the sorrow of his followers, but then returns to life and so breaks the enchantment on the city. - GODLY GADFLY

After searching for years for a copy of this book, I finally found one in a local outlet bookstore. I was absolutely thrilled. I own the other two books in the Kingdom Tales Series, and couldn't leave the collection incomplete. These stories are wonderful for lovers of fairy tales and moral tales alike. While the basis for the series is Scriptural, the books themselves have an appeal that overreaches religious barriers. I would definitely reccommend this series to anyone with children or who loves fantasy. Particularly nice about Resistance are the stories of everyday people becoming extraordinary, and the art of Jack Stockton -- breathtaking.

The "fairy tales" in this set of books delineate specific spiritual principles, and thus work wonderfully in small group topical studies. The stories are therapeutic, bringing the reader to recognition of one's own spiritual state. It is especially helpful to read Tales of the Kingdom first.

This is a wonderfull book written in easy language a parent can read out loud to their children. Accompanied by wonderfull illustrations, this is the middle of three books (the others being Tales of the Kingdom and Tales of the Restoration) that takes you on a journey to a land that uses Christian metaphors to tell it's story. It is wonderfull for kids, but also holds adults (like myself!) spell bound in the story line. Highly recommended.