The Legend of the Firefish

Let's be honest here, when I found out we were going to feature The Legend of the Firefish during the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Tour I wasn't too impressed or excited. I've never heard of him and I'm not too into pirates. I've discussed my author loyalty before - once I've read you and I liked you I'll buy pretty much everything you write. Even if it's not my typical genre (which is why I'll buy Wayne Thomas Batson's new pirate book!). For me it takes some pretty high praise from someone I already know and trust before I spend my hard earned money on an author that is new to me. Especially in a genre I don't normally read. Pirates. High seas. I loved Pirates of the Caribbean but not so much love for pirate books. And um, yeah, I was pretty sure it was going to be lame because well, the whole Firefish thing threw me. And the character and location names kind of threw me as well. But then I read the opening scene and man! WOW! I couldn't put it down and much to my husband's chagrin I totally ignored both the need to clean our house and do our laundry. I fell in love with Packer from the moment he drew is beautiful sword. Each character is richly developed. The world is a living and breathing creation. Dialog moves smoothly and the action is very well paced. While there were times that I was frustrated by Packer's frequent self-flagellation I was able to stay within the story and continue to feel sympathy for him. Even continue to love and root for him. There is a change in Panna's personality that also threw me, took me a bit out of the story because it seemed so very unlikely and if there was any foreshadowing I totally missed it. But again, I was able to care for her, feel sympathy for her and cheer her on during her trials. One of the things that really struck me about The Legend of the Firefish is that its one of the most Christian Christian novels I've read in awhile. God is God in this book. And it took me aback and at times I did feel a bit preached at. But for most Christian audiences it's going to be okay! Most of us like outright Christian themes and story lines. I just happen to be one of those who like things a bit more subtle. In non-writer/story stuff the cover is a real attention grabber. It's beautifully done and the pages of the book itself are nicely detailed. A small ship's wheel on the lower outside corners, next to the page number. And then on the upper outside corners some nice scroll work. The second in the series, The Hand that Bears the Sword, is already sitting on my desk just waiting for me to dive in. But I wanted to get this post finished first so I kept everything straight in my mind. I'm expecting to enjoy the second book as much as I enjoyed the first.

I've often felt that the British have the wrong temperament to really appreciate Christian fiction and certainly the examples that I have read have never seemed as good or satisfying as their secular counterparts. Perhaps it's because most Christian fiction comes from America and the American way of expressing faith seems over-pushy or embarrassingly earnest to us. Consequently I approached "The Legend of the Firefish" not expecting too much. In most ways I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a fantasy book and its writing is on a level with the better secular fantasy novels out there. The pace is excellent, the worldbuilding works (and is internally congruent and consistent which isn't always the case) and the underlying plot concept, a young man's search for a semi-mythical sea-snake which involves joining a pirate ship and facing dozens of dangers and the side-plot of his young woman breaking out of the constraints of her upbringing and finding new inner strength as well as dangers, are excellent. Both Packer Throme, the young man, and Panna Seline are appealing characters, particularly in the way that we watch them growing and discovering new things about themselves and about the world around them and moulding their understanding of their faiths accordingly. The setting is a kingdom rather akin to life in the 1800s where people fish, ride horses, are involved in swordplay but also have pistols and where life is rough, tough and often short. Most of the action takes place either in local villages or on the pirate ship and some of the descriptions of sailing in a fast vessel are fascinating and seem well-researched and accurate to our own history. This was an excellent book, the only minor downside being the Christian element. Firstly because in this different world (the world of Nearing Vast) where people have different names, are living in a different era and seek for semi-magical sea creatures, their religion was our Christianity. Jesus and God are transferred to this world unchanged and it just didn't sit quite right, especially as various characters talked in rather 21st century terms about their faith. The challenges to the faiths of Packer and Panna were well written and it was fascinating watching them work their theology round events that happened to them but it just felt too strange to have 'normal' Christianity in this abnormal world. CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien gave an allegorical version of Christianity in their fantasies and I felt that that would have worked much better in this story too because every time something overtly Christian was said/thought I found myself dropping briefly out of the world of the story and back to reality. This is the first of a trilogy of books but this novel reached a satisfactory conclusion and wasn't one of those books that doesn't finish but requires you to buy the next in the series. It was always a great read and the story was fascinating despite my reservations about the Christian aspect and

The Legend of the Firefish is an exceptional tale and the start of a very promising series. George Bryan Polivka's kingdom of Nearing Vast is well drawn and the characters both engaging and confronting. The avaricious Scat Wilkins, his unkempt and devoted crew, the sleek Trophy Chase and the wild seas leap off the pages to the extent I could smell the salty air and feel the rise and fall of the ship. Polivka surprises with the calculating Talon, Scat's brutal female security officer and Packer, with his constant internal conflict - both characters are unique yet resonated deeply. The pace is gripping, the battles at sea within and beyond the Trophy Chase leave you breathless and the spiritual message is powerful and moving. This book has broad appeal and should not be missed for those who love a sterling action tale that more than satisfies.

Convinced that a good book has a good cover, and "The Legend of the Firefish" having an awesome cover, I was surprised to be thoroughly unimpressed with the first chapter. A young swordsman has it out with a burly fisherman in a seafaring pub. Swords clash and tempers flare--it was definitely a man scene. Written by a man for a man, I thought. Dumping the book on the floor, I groaned, "How am I ever going to get through this book?" Reluctantly, I picked it up the next day and started at chapter two. From that point on, I could have read straight through to the end without so much as a toilet break, if my children hadn't asked for dinner...then breakfast. Over the few days it took me to read it, I walked about wondering if the Firefish was going to eat that deserving witch Talon, if Packer was going to survive the keel hauling, or if poor innocent Panna would realize she was entertaining death. Every spare moment, I poured over the pages of this thrilling adventure, hoping to one day see it on the silver screen. Talk about a wrong first impression! Polivka's tale is set is an imaginary land that resembles our world in the time of the pirates, but in this world sea creatures grow so large they can sink a ship with a single bite. These solitary predatory beasts...are highly desirable--legend has it that the meat of the Firefish bestows considerable powers upon all who consume it. And why is it called a Firefish? Because it emits an electric shock with each bite. Oh yeah, that added an edge to the story. One of my favorite characters in the book was the Firefish. Sounds odd, I know, but we actually see the world through the beast's eyes. Polivka does such a fantastic job of giving this behemoth believable thoughts and reasons behind its actions that I hung onto every word. Unfortunately for Packer, ex-pirate Captain Scat Wilkins, and the rest of the Trophy Chase crew, they didn't know what the thing was thinking, especially when it lunged into the air reaching for a Packer-snack in the crow's nest...think he made it? How to collect its meat was the number one question on everyone's mind. The secret was finally revealed, but only after thousands of bloodthirsty Achawak warriors had flooded their decks and twenty Firefish had laid chase to them. It's one hair-raising experience after another with Packer, and even his love Panna, delicate and sweet, gets into her own mess of trouble. By the end, I wondered if Polivka had actually ever "reefed the main four points" or "struck the mizzen" or "hauled sheets" himself, so colorful and detailed were his descriptions of the ship and its workings. He certainly educated himself well on all things ship and pirate related. His hard work paid off with a vivid setting. Polivka pulled out an old writing style, dusted it off, and gave it a new spin. In each scene, he "head-hops" moving from one character's point of view to another's so that the reader knows what everyone is thinking at all times. It threw me

Harvest House Publishers has leaped onto the stage of Christian fantasy in a dramatic way. The Legend of the Firefish, first in the Trophy Chase Trilogy by George Bryan Polivka and Harvest House's first fantasy publication, is a winner. The story. Packer Throme, a young man expelled from seminary in the Christian region known as Nearing Vast, makes a decision to help the people of his village, most who make their living as poor fishermen. Packer's decision puts him in deadly peril and and tests his faith in ways he hadn't imagined. That's it. I'm not giving you any more. I don't believe a story has as much power if you know the entire plot line going in. Suffice it to say, there is danger from the sea, danger from compatriots, danger from enemy warriors, danger from the sea monsters known as Firefish. And mostly there is spiritual danger, woven skillfully into the story because of who Packer is. Strengths. There are many. This is a story filled with action, adventure, danger, intrigue, surprise, suspense. It will keep readers turning pages to find out what will happen next. I also found a creative world I've never encountered before. There is no magic--which explains, to my mind, why a publishing house with a conservative reputation had no problem publishing a fantasy. The feel of the story is more like that of a fairy tale--one stripped of the Disney aspect of such a story and told as the raw tale of how it really was back then. In an author note, Polivka references C. S. Lewis's belief about Myth. Clearly, the world he creates is mythical. The characters Polivka created are fresh and interesting. Packer is troubled by his status as a failed seminarian but does not stand still in defeat. Instead he moves forward with a daring plan, only to deal with the doubts about the wisdom of his decision when the troubles start to come. In addition, Polivka portrays a strong female character who is integral in a subplot as captivating as the central story-line. Most impressively from a writer's standpoint is Polivka's successful use of the omniscient point of view. For one thing, it is fresh. So much of Christian fiction is patterned after Browne and King (Self-editing for the Fiction Writer) that it is nice to read something out of the mold for a change. But Polivka does it expertly, panning out to show the big-setting picture when needed and panning in while switching seamlessly from one person to the other when a closer view is called for. It's writing reminiscent of an earlier era, without the boring parts. There is a theme, a clearly defined one. And there is an overt portrayal of Christianity. I remember thinking when editor Nick Harrison first mentioned this fact in an interview at Speculative Faith that I would pretty much have to see it to believe it. Well, Polivka pulled it off. Not just my opinion or Nick Harrison's either. This is what Publisher's Weekly had to say about the clear--I mean, strongly in line with good Calvinist doctrine--C