The Gift (Chiveis Trilogy Book 2)

Title: The Gift
Author: Bryan M. Litfin

Series: The Chiveis Trilogy
Preceeded By: The Sword
Succeeded By: ???

Ratings

Score: 7/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: I look forwards to it.

Review

Normally I start with a review with a short introduction to what I thought about the book. This time I'm going to do it differently, and start with a review of the introduction of the book itself. Firstly there's the prologue. Now it's the second in a trilogy - and normally I don't like prologues in the second of a trilogy. But this was short, and in essence was the same as the prologue of the first novel - extended a bit to briefly (barely) cover what happened to the main characters in book one. I felt it didn't really didn't need to be there, but it doesn't harm the story. But what I really want to talk about of the introduction is the first chapter. The start of the novel finds the main characters (Ana and Teo) with a small group of scouts. The author uses this as a way to help remind the reader of what happened in the first book (The Sword). It's not a unique way to recap the readers, but the way Litfin utilises this tool is possibly the thing I admire most about the beginning of the book. It's easy to read - not just a long monologue about the previous book - it even misses out the majority of the story. But it shows the character of the characters, and from the first chapter we are once more identifying with and sympathetic to the characters, Ana in particular.

Dead Forever: Apotheosis

Title: Dead Forever: Apotheosis
Author: William Campbell
Series: Dead Forever Trilogy (Book Two)
Preceeded By: Dead Forever: Awakening
Succeeded By: Dead Forever: Resonance (coming 2011)

Ratings

Score: 9/10
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Definite!

Review

The first thing that I want to say about this book is: Read it! Although I didn't give the first book in the series a particularly glowing reference, this book is a great read, and very thought provoking.

But I'll get to that in a moment. For the last book I began with the cover, and I'll start there again. It's a great cover, mainly an wraparound of the world the first part of the book is set on, overlayed with one of the final scenes and an image of the main female character, which ties it in nicely to the previous cover (see image above). This time the cover is more representative of the full story, and works really well.

But even if you don't like the cover, This is a great book to read. It's as entertaining as any good book, but unlike many it tackles some of the deep problems and questions of the world today, in a way that is subtle as you read the book, but makes you think when you put it down. If you are looking for a book that makes you think about the world, then this is a great one to read. I don't want to give anything away, but the theological implications are fascinating.

If you aren't looking for such a book, then don't worry, the book is great entertainment even if you ignore the philosophical ideas it presents. The first part in particular is very cleverly written, and great to read, while the second is full of action and humour. Well, on saying that, the whole thing is full of humour.

This is probably the most indescribably good book that I have read, and the only bits I found annoying were the main character's dreams, which seemed to get more and more confusing as the book progressed. But since there are few of these scenes the good far, far outweighs them.

If I were you, I would hunt a copy of this book down until you find one. Of course, I'm not you, and already have a copy, but I would seriously recommend this book to anyone.


More Information

Main Protagonist(s): 1 male, with other secondary characters (mixed genre)
Main Antagonist(s):  1 male + 1 association
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Science Fiction, Bordering on Religous Fantasy...
Amazon Synopsis:

A god? No thanks, too much responsibility. Sequel to Awakening, the adventure continues as our hero travels to the Restricted Zone, where mistakes mount and the mission falls apart. Plunged into an alien world at war, the hero is caught between battling natives who either worship him as a god, or another heretic scheduled to burn alive. The hero struggles to bring peace among chaos but his nemesis has arrived, and he likes playing god, poised to launch unthinkable wrath that fulfills a world-ending prophecy. The natives are confident their savior will prevail, but trouble brews back home: the rebels are under siege, two planets ruined, and the body supply is depleted. More of all the hero is expected to fix while he only longs to be a child again, the one dream denied him for lifetimes. He hatches a daring plot to outsmart the enemy but in doing so risks his own life, in the last body to enjoy as a free soul. A single choice could spell his end, for real this time. Dead forever.


ISBN: 978-0-9717960-5-8
Website: Books Page on Series Website
Amazon Link: Dead Forever: Apotheosis
Pages: 357
First Published: 2010
Publisher: Glyd-Evans Press

The Sword (Chiveis Trilogy Book 1)

Title: The Sword
Author: Bryan M. Litfin
Series: Chiveis Trilogy

Ratings
Score: 9/10
How long I would stay up reading: 3am
How likely I am to read the next in the Series: Very

Review

The day this book arrived was the same day that another book arrived, which I felt more obliged to read and review first. I opened the other book, and before I started reading it I had put it down and opened this one. I regret nothing.

The cover is a traditional fantasy style (two people on horses in the foregound with landscape behind). And although this may change in future editions it drew me in rather quickly. It was either that or the fact that the author told me I probably won't like it. I'm glad to say that he was wrong.

The basic premise of the story is a post nuclear apocalypse world has returned to mediaeval lifestyles, with ruins of our world dotted here and there. They worship certain gods, who the main characters come to despise, and later find to be false. Then (handily) they find a copy of the old testament which gives them a god they can believe in, and they try to bring him to the kingdom of Chiveis.

The book is simply written, with few of the deep or complex sentences commonly associated with the genre, and to avid fantasy readers it could seem inferior in that respect. But this should not be allowed to put you off reading this book. Once you get past the writing style, which I must stress is not bad, just different, the story is interesting and unique.

When the author told me that If I wasn't religous (I'm an Agnostic Atheist) I probably wouldn't enjoy the book, I was expecting christian propaganda telling me to worship god in a new format. But the story is entirely self contained, the characters never break the fourth wall, there are no notes to the reader etc. Instead the author seems to analyse the religion, considering it bit by bit from different points of view. Although the first in this series hasn't converted me, and I wouldn't want it to, It has helped me understand the christian religion more than I used to.

In addition, it is an analysis of human character and choices. With some characters believing, others not. And all in different ways. Without reading the conclusion of the trilogy we cannot know if this will continue throughout, but the world Litfin writes in seems to be both a reflection and critique of our own.

From an entertainment viewpoint, the book is filled with action, conspiracies, secret meetings, betrayals and false magics. There is some romance, which given the general idea of the book almost surprised me, and although there are no sexually explicit scenes, the subject is mentioned, and doesn't seem to be a revolting idea which is again not what I expected. The area is not the author's strongpoint however, and the story flows much better in action and political scenes. There are two major problems I found however, which continue to niggle me. The first is the main character, Teo, saying that his muscle is his religion. It seemed too out of character, and didn't work well. The second was the name of the princess Habiloho. Both of these broke the flow of the narrative, bringing me out of the almost trance-like state that one must be in to fully enjoy a book. For such a book however, these are fairly unimportant, and should not hinder the decision to buy and read the book.

It was undeniably entertaining, and it is for this reason that I would recommened, or even insist that others read it. I almost feel bad for getting this copy free, and I certaintly look forwards to the next in the trilogy. I won't say that it is one of my favourite books, but it is one of those that should be read by every fantasy lover, from christian to hindu or otherwise, For both the entertainment it brings, but also the cultural understanding it has the potential to help develop.

More Information
Main Protagonist(s): One Male, One Female
Main Antagonist(s): One Female
Main Relationships: Heterosexual
Genre: Religious Fantasy
Brief Synopsis: (Taken From Website)

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.

ISBN 13: 978-1`-4335-0925-4
Website: Chiveis Online
Amazon Link: UK Site US Site
Pages: 412
Publisher: Crossway Books
First Published: 2010