Paladins

“And, for the sport of kings, we increase the number of the dead. We invite you to the chase, the games, the sport of kings. But the death and the guilt, they’re only five-and-twenty per cent. What say you, people? What say you of your bargain?”
Again the crowd roared their assent – thirsting for the sport of kings.

“Three of the Anakims have just arrived. Glory, battle, and blood are their desire. Who will fight them? Man or beast, or both? Come and see.”

Book: Paladins (The Peleg Chronicles Book 2) by Matthew Harding, Zoe & Sozo Publishing, 2010

Genre: Historical (Biblical times) Fiction, Adventure

Target Audience: Boys 10-16

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

Summary: The death hounds are on the hunt. And it’s illegal to provide aid to any who are in their path. How can they not receive aid though? It’s McDougal and Fergus and Igi and Staffsmitten and Mercy! If they are captured, it will be the end of them. The priests will offer them as a sacrifice to their gods – if they are not destroyed by the death hounds first. Confident in the demise of their friends, Thiery, Suzie and Gimcrack are in search of another means of survival when Thiery gets caught up in the evil priest’s attempt to condemn a man for following the God of Noah through false accusations. Meanwhile, the two thieves await a chance to kidnap Suzie and offer her to the priests for a second chance to sacrifice this confident, innocent follower of the God of Noah to the false gods.

Notes: Paladins is the second 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 two focuses a lot on just how intense the battle is between good and evil. It makes it more of a showdown between the one true God and the false god. It puts its characters into multiple situations where they will have to risk their life to declare their faith. Book two also ends with extreme suspense with nearly all of the good guys being thrown into an arena for a battle with three giants – giants who have personal reasons to hate the men they are going up against. If they lose, not only do they die, but Mercy will be sacrificed to the gods.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalms 20:7 - Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 9:10 - Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

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