St. Mark Reformed ChurchA Bit of Fiction

Off the Shelf: Raven’s Ladder

Joe Thacker — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:15:54 +0000

Jeffrey Overstreet has done it again. Raven’s Ladder, the third installment in The Auralia Thread, is another tale full of twists and turns that will keep you delightfully off-balance, but also reflective. Since fiction is often a more able and accurate mirror of reality, the grittier nature of this volume challenges you on a personal level, while also making astute cultural observations. As with Auralia’s Colors and Cyndere’s Midnight, Raven’s Ladder has that depth of quality that gives you the sense that there is more to this story than first meets the eye, inviting you to read it again. In keeping true to form, the tantalizing ending leaves you guessing as to how the threads of this adventure will be woven together at last in the final book, The Ale Boy’s Feast.

A Taste for Imagination and Maturity

Joe Thacker — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:19:20 +0000

Posted this quote as a note on Facebook last year. However, having just come across it again, it is has left a fresh impression.

“It is usual to speak in a playfully apologetic tone about one’s adult enjoyment of what are called ‘children’s books’. I think the convention a silly one. No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally (and often far more) worth reading at the age of fifty – except, of course, books of information. The only imaginative works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to have read at all. A mature palate will probably not much care for creme de menthe: but it ought still to enjoy bread and butter and honey.” – C.S. Lewis, On Stories

Off the Shelf: Cyndere’s Midnight

Joe Thacker — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:43:01 +0000

Cyndere’s Midnight is the second book in the Auralia Thread by Jeffrey Overstreet, and is another thoroughly enjoyable read that I heartily recommend. The plot and pace of the book makes it difficult to put down, and you will probably find yourself wanting to sneak away to a quiet room in the house or a corner in a coffee shop in order to read undisturbed. As the story progresses from Auralia’s Colors, the obvious and subtle imagery Mr. Overstreet employs in Cyndere’s Midnight builds a delightful sense of anticipation and thoughtful reflection. Here is another bit of fiction that will not leave you disappointed.