The Secret Of The Swamp King

“ The old lore promises one sure cure for melancholy: the essence of the frog orchid. Bring me a live frog orchid, and I will have no reason to doubt your loyalty.” “A frog orchid?” barked Lord Cleland. “I know a little of the old lores too, Darrow. The frog orchid grows only in the depths of the Feechifen Swamp. Nobody has ever come back alive from the Feechifen Swamp!”

Book: The Secret Of The Swamp King by Jonathan Rogers, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005

 

Genre: Fantasy/Allegory

Target Audience: Boys 11-16

Subjects: Trust in God rather than yourself, loyalty

Summary: Life in the palace is going great for Aidan until the people start to gain a bit too much appreciation for Aidan and a bit too little for King Darrow. King Darrow, fearing for his throne drives Aidan away, claiming he is ill and if Aidan truly loves him, he will go deep into the Feechifen Swamp looking for the frog orchid to cure him. Of course, Aidan knows that if anyone truly can survive in the Feechifen Swamp it will be him, due to his friendship with the feechies. However, he also has to face quite a few challenges in his attempts, including attempting to stop an all out war between groups of feechies.

Notes: This is the story of King David, told in a backwoods/medieval type of setting! It’s fun, playful and creative. It teaches the same lesson as the historic event – our trust is to be in God, not in ourselves. Sometimes the smallest, weakest person is the one God wants to use so His glory and power can be clearly seen. I highly recommend this to all young adventure seeking boys.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

1 Peter 2:17 – Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.