The Short:
Talon’s Test and the
Shield of Faith
(The Talon
Trilogy—Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Series Book 1)
Written By:
Nicholas J. Downing
4/5 Stars
What: Space centurion takes on hordes of space pirates while
rescuing his true love and maintaining his faith.
Recommended to those who like: characters with an
interesting backstory, science fiction, sword fights, space battles, a cool
sci-fi world, strong Christian message, and a bit of love story.
Avoid if you don’t like: Lots of back story being dumped in
the middle, or slow spots in the plot.
The Long:
I’ll
admit, this was a bit of an impulse buy for me. Space opera? Christian space opera? I mean, I might
as well give it a try for $4…
It was
definitely worth the money.
Talon’s Test is something we rarely see
in Christian fiction.
Although
the love theme is strong, it didn’t dominate the entire plot. We still had
things blowing up, sword fights, good back story. And it happened in space.
When is the last time you can think of a Christian science fiction novel that
took place in space? Other than C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy…
Knight
Centurion Talon Vance spends his days conquering space pirates preying on the
Star Kingdom of Manna, a Christian nation in the future. He is appointed to Princess
Naomi’s personal guard—a high honor, but one complicated by his love for her. A
sinister plot by the rival NATAS, an atheistic kingdom, launches him and his
princess on an adventure that involves assassination attempts, crash landings,
sword fights, space battles, contact with alien species, and the spread of the
gospel.
Sounds
awesome, right? And it is really good.
Just a
few warnings to the reader: it’s long. And backstory jumps in at odd times—like
right in the middle of an epic space battle. On the upside, the world building
is very good. Also, be warned that this book has a strong Christian message.
Good? Definitely. But be prepared to sit through a few sermons--literally.
So, if
you’re looking for some great plot and don’t mind that plot slowing down at
times, this is a great book for you. I challenge you to find another book in
the same specific genre.
I look
forward to reading more works from Mr. Downing. Judging from this book, he has
some awesome stories to share that break free from the mainstream subject
matter of Christian publishing.
If
you’ve read the book, feel free to share your thoughts/opinions below. Please
remember to be respectful of Mr. Downing and his work, as well as other
commentators. I also welcome comments on what you would like to see included in
the review format. I reserve the right to remove vulgar, hateful, or rude
remarks from the comments. Thanks for sharing!
