New in the stacks:
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table (Puffin Classics) by Roger Lancelyn Green.
“King Arthur is one of the greatest legends of all time. From the magical moment when Arthur releases the sword in the stone to the quest for the Holy Grail and the final tragedy of the Last Battle, Roger Lancelyn Green brings the enchanting world of King Arthur stunningly to life. One of the greatest legends of all time, with an inspiring introduction by David Almond, award-winning author of “Clay”, “Skellig”, “Kit’s Wilderness”, and “The Fire-Eaters”.
Roger Lancelyn Green was a lesser-known member of the Inklings, and I’m looking forward to getting an introductory overview of the King Arthur tales with this children’s classic.
Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones.
“Aidan Cain has had the worst week of his life. His gran died, he was sent to a foster home, and now malicious beings are stalking him. There is one person Gran told Aidan to go to if he ever got into trouble—a powerful sorcerer who lives at Melstone House.
But when Aidan arrives on the doorstep, he finds that the sorcerer’s grandson, Andrew, has inherited the house. The good news is that Aidan can tell immediately that Andrew’s brimming with magic, too—and so is everyone else at Melstone. The bad news is that Andrew doesn’t remember anything his grandfather taught him. Chaos is swiftly rising, and he has no idea how to control it. A sinister neighbor is stealing power from the land, magic is leaking between realms . . . and it’s only a matter of time before the Stalkers find Aidan.
If Aidan and Andrew can harness their own magics, they may be able to help each other. But can they do it before the entire countryside comes apart at the seams?”
The Sword (Chiveis Trilogy) by Bryan M. Litfin.
“This novel of page-turning action and adventure poses the question, ‘If a society had no knowledge of Christianity, and then a Bible were discovered, what would happen?’
Four hundred years after a deadly virus and nuclear war destroyed the modern world, a new and noble civilization emerges. In this kingdom, called Chiveis, snowcapped mountains provide protection, and fields and livestock provide food. The people live medieval-style lives, with almost no knowledge of the ‘ancient’ world. Safe in their natural stronghold, the Chiveisi have everything they need, even their own religion. Christianity has been forgotten—until a young army scout comes across a strange book.
With that discovery, this work of speculative fiction takes readers on a journey that encompasses adventure, romance, and the revelation of the one true God. Through compelling narrative and powerful character development, The Sword speaks to God’s goodness, his refusal to tolerate sin, man’s need to bow before him, and the eternality and power of his Word. Fantasy and adventure readers will be hooked by this first book in a forthcoming trilogy.”
This is an ARC sent to me by Crossway Books for review.
What I’m Watching:
Spock smooching and swinging from trees and stuff! Awesome!
What I’m Writing:
I’m participating in a marathon at Forward Motion, trying to get where I want to be on Foxglove. Forward Motion can be as low key (or not) as you want it to be, so I joined in an effort to connect with other writers at a level of time investment that I can manage right now (which is, granted, not much.)
What I’m Revising:
Getting ready to brush off Dogwood, after some encouragement from a fellow How to Revise Your Novel student.
Around the House:
At this point, the main goal is just to get to bed at a decent hour, get enough sleep, and get writing earlier in the morning. I find I do better when my mind is just a little fuzzy, and it’s encouraging to get a bunch of words written early in the day. Actually, everything else seems to be sort of falling into place around that, which works for me.
Spirituality:
I just have this feeling of an Imminent Something Wonderful. Maybe it’s just Spring, but I don’t think so. . . . I can’t say more at present. We’ll see what happens.
