Foundlings

With tears in his eyes, Thiery broke from his stupor and grabbed Gimcrack’s shoulders. “We must save her Gimcrack, we must! It is man’s duty to save a maiden, but I am doubly bound to this one, for she’s my sister.”

“But the gate is blocked?”

“Is there no other way, no secret passage?”

Gimcrack’s gaze turned upon the caged waterway, his body stiffened, his eyes went wide and almost seemed to shimmer with fever. “There is only one other way, but my heart will most certainly fail me if we attempt it.”

Book: Foundlings (The Peleg Chronicles Book 1) by Matthew Harding, Zoe & Sozo Publishing, 2009

Genre: Historical (Biblical times) Fiction, Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 10-16

Subjects: Good vs. Evil, Salvation, False gods, Love for others

Summary: Thiery and Susie are foundlings, orphans. And the life of a slave is all they’ve ever known. Yet, they are filled with joy! They know who they belong to, who possess their souls. They worship the God of Noah and reject all the other gods of the pagans around them. The same is true of McDougal and he is cursed for it: he and all with him will die by the year’s end. Thankfully his faithful servant, Fergus, has no intention of abandoning him for is and together they become a powerful force against the evil as they participate in the rescue of the lost and helpless. This only furthers the anger of the priests and strengthens their desire to see all followers of the God of Noah destroyed.

Notes: Foundlings is the first in the Peleg Chronicles: an adventure focused Bible-Times historical fiction book. The three books in the series are a continuous story, smoothly flowing from one adventure to the next. There is some character development, but it’s usually in the midst of danger, not times to just sit and think. The story is written as if it were taking places in the days after the Tower of Babel with one group of people, or rather, all the speakers of one language. It’s a constant battle between those who worship the God of Noah and therefore defy every single one of the false gods of the pagan and the priests of the false gods as well as the rulers who are under their control.

The books quote Scripture constantly, as the characters demonstrate the truth of Ephesians 6:17, wielding Scripture like a sword. The discrepancy comes in their quoting all sorts of verses from things that happen later in Scripture. But they are not portrayed as written words, just truths almost revealed to them by God. The only written Word referenced is the book of Job as historically, it could have been written by this point as the events are believed to have happened in early Genesis. Book one focuses a lot on introducing each of the characters and painting a picture of the setting. It all sets up the battle as multiple characters are offered as a sacrifice to the false gods and live anyway. It shows the characters who are not followers of the God of Noah but become seekers of Him through the mighty acts performed by His followers. The book ends with suspense, thinking everyone will die in the hunt of the death-hounds. The book quotes Scripture constantly, as the characters demonstrate the truth of Ephesians 6:17, wielding Scripture like a sword. The discrepancy comes in their quoting all sorts of verses from things that happen later in Scripture. But they are not portrayed as written words, just truths almost revealed to them by God. The only written Word referenced is the book of Job as historically, it could have been written by this point as the events are believed to have happened in early Genesis.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 1:12-12 – Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.


Thank you to the author for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.