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147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
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Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
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147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
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145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
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142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
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A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
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Prince Caspian
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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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/ Library
Author:
Esther Wallace
Ages:
young adult
Genres:
fantasy
BookTags:
coming of age political The Black Phantom Chronicles series
Publisher:
Emerald Lake Books
Lorehaven may use referral links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
“With The Savage War, Esther Wallace spins a tale that balances moral conviction with moral complexity.”
—Lorehaven review, summer 2019

The Savage War

While civil war rages within the kingdom of Mira, the Lord Carpason believes Arnacin to be their only hope.
Esther Wallace · fantasy for young adult readers · January 2019

A young shepherd boy sets out to find his calling and stumbles upon a land at war. Arnacin of Enchantress Island must wrestle with the purpose of honor, and the conflict that ensues when it’s called into question.

Valoretta, princess of Mira, has been chosen to be her father’s successor, but at what cost? Her country is in conflict, conspiracies abound, and the native population has risen against her father, King Miro, and their people.

Everything changes when Arnacin and Valoretta join forces to secure the future of Mira. But will Arnacin’s honor be the greatest victim of The Savage War? And will the Black Phantom be Mira’s doom or salvation?

Book 1 of the The Black Phantom Chronicles series.

Lorehaven may use referral links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Review of The Savage War

With The Savage War, Esther Wallace spins a tale that balances moral conviction with moral complexity.
Lorehaven Review Team, summer 2019

Arnacin was happy enough, but happiness is not everything. At only fifteen, he set sail alone in search of a place to be a hero. What he found was a place to be a soldier. Pledging aid in return for aid, Arnacin joined Mira’s war against the savages, only to discover how right and wrong can blur into each other. With The Savage War, Esther Wallace spins a tale that balances moral conviction with moral complexity. The right side of the war is hard to find. Gentle romance and subdued supernatural elements add to the dominant theme without displacing it. The characters’ motivations are not always persuasively established, and the novel takes on an episodic feel as certain events leave no lasting impact. Still, many readers will welcome the moral complexity and religious hints of this fantasy tale.

Best for: Middle-grade and YA audiences; fantasy fans.

Discern: Battle sequences and violent deaths, but none graphic; one instance of brief and non-explicit torture; someone is drugged against his will; two teenage heroes are affirmed in their rebellion against parental and governmental authority.

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Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

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Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
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