The Short
Courage
Book 1 of The Legacy Chronicles
Book 1 of The Legacy Chronicles
By: Lauren H. Salisbury
4.5/5 Stars
What: A slave woman must evade an alien empire to save her son's life.
Recommended to those who like: Sci-fi, Christian, allegory
The Long
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
It's been a horribly long time since we had a book review on The Book Hound, but I can think of no better book to come back on. Courage is the sort of book that the blog was designed for--imaginative Christian speculative fiction that's written to excellent standards and provokes deep thought in the reader. (Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to Ms. Salisbury for being patient with me for the overly long time it took me to review her book. She's a saint.)
In the future, humans have been enslaved by the powerful Esarelian Empire. In spite of their daily hardships, many of them maintain hope and faith in the God from Old Earth. One such couple is Elias--a man who will fight to the end for his family and their community--and Gilla--who wishes to pass on her strong faith to her children. But before their next child can be born, their world is turned upside down and Gilla must have the courage and faith to protect her son.
The resulting story is imaginative, colorful, and rich with life. Once I finally sat down to read it, I flew through the (digital) pages. While insightful readers will discern quickly what Biblical story the novel parallels, the characters feel like truly living beings with their own motivations, emotions, and thoughts. While the allegorical nature of the plot makes some points predictable, the setting gives the story fresh life and insight.
The story does at points rely on strong telling rather than showing, but I found that the writing overall was of good quality and added to the story.
It's been a horribly long time since we had a book review on The Book Hound, but I can think of no better book to come back on. Courage is the sort of book that the blog was designed for--imaginative Christian speculative fiction that's written to excellent standards and provokes deep thought in the reader. (Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to Ms. Salisbury for being patient with me for the overly long time it took me to review her book. She's a saint.)
In the future, humans have been enslaved by the powerful Esarelian Empire. In spite of their daily hardships, many of them maintain hope and faith in the God from Old Earth. One such couple is Elias--a man who will fight to the end for his family and their community--and Gilla--who wishes to pass on her strong faith to her children. But before their next child can be born, their world is turned upside down and Gilla must have the courage and faith to protect her son.
The resulting story is imaginative, colorful, and rich with life. Once I finally sat down to read it, I flew through the (digital) pages. While insightful readers will discern quickly what Biblical story the novel parallels, the characters feel like truly living beings with their own motivations, emotions, and thoughts. While the allegorical nature of the plot makes some points predictable, the setting gives the story fresh life and insight.
The story does at points rely on strong telling rather than showing, but I found that the writing overall was of good quality and added to the story.
The Bottom Line: A great pick for readers who enjoy sci-fi with an allegorical twist, I would recommend Courage to readers who are looking for a relatively quick and enjoyable read with rich characters and intriguing settings.
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