Oneprince

"Something will come along, sooner or later." "Yes, many things have lately. A crown I don't want, a rebellion I don't need, an unseen presence I can't feel, an entire army out to kill me, and now these giant trees with nothing better to do than mix up the paths at night. I look forward to the next thing coming along. I really do."

Book: Oneprince by Bill Hand, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992

 

Genre: Fantasy/Allegory

Target Audience: Boys 11-14 and Boys 15-18 (see notes)

Subjects: Faith, calling

Summary: The way of a king isn't easy, but it's especially hard when you never wanted to be king in the first place. Quad knew, like everyone in the kingdom knew, that the crown would go to his brother. But his father had a different idea and moments before his death, revealed that the crown was to go to Quad. Bookish, meek, Quad has only one hope of running the kingdom successfully and stopping the war and treachery that have broken out: Find the Oneprince, the one the prophets and his father have told of. 

Notes: Talking rats, moving trees, magic spells, a king, a rebellion, an ultimate being to seek. It's a classic fantasy/allegory story. It starts out as very appropriate for upper elementary, early teens. Then about chapter 13 it takes a turn and gets darker. A young girl is being tortured and the evil plots become more descriptive. It sort of jumps to an older target audience halfway through the book. The story is ok, not the best one I've ever read, the way the allegorical Jesus is portrayed isn't that flattering, it's explained, but still makes him look a bit like a fool. It really is just a story of the search to find Him, so we don't get a whole lot of spiritual content, just at the end.

Recommendation Scale: 3

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Matthew 7:7 - Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you.