Tales of the Restoration

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. With the lifting of the enchantment, the Enchanted City has become the Bright City and in volume 3 the evil Enchanter has been vanquished to the Garbage Dump outside the city, but he and his henchmen still attack the city and try to penetrate its protection. One of the most memorable tales is "Mudslinging", which describes how some of the King's People in the Bright City are throwing mud at each other. In the middle of the chaos, is a streetcleaner, who cleans the mud from the street in the middle of the fight. The mudslinging stops when it becomes evident that the cleaner is the King himself. The lesson is clearer than mud: Frivolous arguments among fellow believers about who serves God best can detract from their real task in serving God's kingdom, and grieve the King Himself.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 rathe

Grandma Vigilantes - While the Bright City sleeps, daring grandmas keep watch for Naysayers, Burners or Brekaers who dare to invade the King's City.Crossing Alone - L.C. (Little Child) fights dangers of darkness as he crosses from Great Park to Bright City.Safe Places - L.C. learns about Safe Places - shelters of protection in Bright City where anyone could learn the ways of the King and the Kingdom, and also meets Thespia and Hero.Power-Outs - Former Sewer Rat Benji (who always looks down) & former Boiler Brat Eddie (who always looks up) learn that they can harm the kingdom by failing to work together and be faithful to their assignments.Mudslinging - The King appears as a streetcleaner to teach the Kings people not to throw mud at one another.The Girl with the Very Loud Outside Voice - By helping the Coldmeister in the Cold Storing Locker, Agatha Ann discovers that even her Very Loud Outside Voice has a purpose and place in the Kingdom.Peril at Burning Place - Hero is left by Amanda, and must fight the dark dangers at Burning Place alone.Sighters Are Not Afraid - Amanda teaches Little Child that sighters are not afraid, which he discovers as they rescue Lost Children by telling them stories.Prima the Ballerina - Unlike the natural dancer Carny who focuses on teaching others, Prima is obsessed with being the best dancer, and constantly looks at her image in the mirror.Taxi! - Little Child becomes Hunter and receives training in taxi-lore, and with the King's help spends a day walking in Kingsways and seeing Bright City as it was meant to be.The Song Studio - The evil Music Maestro is exposed for making people fat with sweetsounds, and the music of the King's Songs is once again given to the hungry and lonely Lost Children who need it first.The Great Celebration - Hero and Thespia are married. -GODLY GADFLY

This is an absolutely wonderful series! I recommend it to anyone who has children, or if you simply like fantasy. What I really appreciate, is although the Mainses are Christian writers, the stories aren't overly "Christian". They are more like fables/fairy tales where the moral can apply to anyone, no matter their faith. I have to say though, I enjoyed Tales of the Kingdom a little more, mainly because the arwork was better.

This book was a beautiful continuation of the lives of Hero, Little Child, and Princess Amanda,and their relationship to the King. As an adult this series of books has caused me to look at today and eternity through the eyes of a child. I liked the books so much that I recommend them to my friends, I give them as gifts, and I can't wait to read them to my grandchildren! My 3 sons rated them better than " The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". They each had their favorite chapters which we read again and again. Absolutely Wonderful Books.