Flight Of The Eagles by Gilbert L. Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I remember hearing my older brother talk about this series growing up. I never picked up the first book to read it, so I just skipped the whole series. Until now. On a whim I decided to see what my brother had liked so much about the Seven Sleepers series, and picked up book one, Flight of the Eagles.
“Not prepared” is exactly the phrase I would use to describe this fascinating, slightly edgy Christian fantasy novel. The story begins with nuclear war decimating the entire known world, and seven teenagers being left in stasis to wake up and one day save the world from darkness. I kept thinking while I read, “Gilbert Morris isn’t going to go there, is he?” And then he would. Parts of this story are gloriously dark for a Christian fantasy series, and parts are obvious allegory. However, Morris weaves so many threads together so deftly, that I was genuinely pulled in throughout the entire book.
That said, the book does show its age. Some of the conversations from one character in particular venture on slightly racist, however, this character does grow and change throughout the book, and his attitude is portrayed as not one that is loving towards others. There is an underlying tension between the lone African American character and the Southern “cowboy,” and in the climate of today’s racial tensions, this seemed very real and yet uncomfortable. Parents should certainly read this ahead of time to determine what they think for their own kids with regard to some of the non-politically correct things characters say here and there on this topic. Nothing is in the actual narrative, and Morris seems to be working at portraying these characters as having attitudes that are their own.
All said, some of the final plot twists are somewhat apparent from the beginning, but other mysteries unravel in surprising ways.
Here’s on to book two!
