The Caves That Time Forgot by Gilbert L. Morris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Seven Sleepers, seven ordinary kids in an extraordinary post-apocalyptic world, find themselves sent by the mysterious but good Goel to the island of Mordor, a place no one wants to talk about, and fear few to tread. However, the Seven Sleepers are needed to fight the Dark Lord on the island, because an entire race of people are on the brink of destruction unless they can stop it.

Book four, The Caves That Time Forgot in The Seven Sleepers series picks up right where book three, The Sword of Camelot left off, sending the Sleepers into another adventure where they must fight the forces of evil in Nuworld. This entry in the series was more interesting than book three, but not as earth-shattering as books one and two. Dave is the lead character in this book, and while he has a “development” of sorts, by the end he seems somewhat the same as he was in previous books.

There are dinosaurs and interesting plot developments here which will definitely be fun, if not reminiscent of other dinosaur fiction, such as Laura Martin’s The Ark Plan Series or Madeleine L’Engle’s Many Waters, with a touch of Don Richardson’s Peace Child. However, a few other plot elements are seen a million miles away, and are fairly guessable. What is missing here is further development of the overall universe the sleepers now inhabit. We gain no further insight into the Dark Lord or Goel, although the allegories are fairly clear at this point.

The other interesting plot development to note is the discussion of courtship throughout the book. The characters seem somewhat young to be talking about courtship in view of marriage. If the conversations are stayed to dating that might have made more sense, but the courtship conversations for fourteen and fifteen year olds came across somewhat creepy.

While The Caves That Time Forgot certainly held my interest more than the previous book, it still fails to hold up to the stellar introduction this series had with book one. Here’s hoping the next entry, Winged Raiders of the Desert proves to be more engaging.

The Sword of Camelot by Gilbert L. Morris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


As Gilbert Morris’ The Seven Sleepers series continues, I’m a little bit worried they’re going to become formulaic as the sleepers travel from one land to another, facing down a threat, winning, all while learning a moral. In book three, The Sword of Camelot, Morris falls directly into this particular trap. Knowing there are still seven more books in the series, I’m afraid they’re going to continue in this pattern.

For The Sword of Camelot, the sleepers travel to a kingdom called Camelot, complete with castles, knights, dragons, and a fair amount of jousting. Reb, one of the sleepers, is going to have to face his biggest threat yet, and it doesn’t come in the form of dragons; it comes from inside of himself and the darkness he’s been carrying around all this time. If he can’t learn to trust Goel, then the seven sleepers may be facing the end of the Round Table and their very lives.

This one started off slowly and dragged until a little over halfway with the introduction of a new character who comes on the scene. As soon as this newer character arrived, the pacing and plot seemed to pick up considerably, and things sped along to the very end. However, getting to that midway point was a slog. Nothing much happens up to that point, and it became highly reminiscent of the sleepers and their time in Atlantis. However, this time the world-building was not nearly as breathtaking as before. Perhaps this is because I’ve read a lot of books set in the times of King Arthur, or perhaps Morris simply falls into all the tropes of a fantasy story set in a medieval time period.

One concerning aspect of this story needs to be explored further, and that has to do with Reb himself. He says a few things later on in the book that are extremely problematic, referring to hangings and the glorification of Southern leaders during the Civil War of the Americas. While this is all contained to Reb’s dialogue, and never enters the narration itself, his attitudes that are slightly racist are never confronted by anyone else, and instead are left to linger. Parents would do well to take a look at these comments ahead of time and perhaps have conversations about racism with their kids before and after reading this book.

The Sword of Camelot is certainly not the best of the series, so here’s hoping that book #4 will pick up the pace and introduce some new lore to the story.

The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God’s Call to Justice by Mark Labberton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Worship is so much more than a song. It’s an entire life that encompasses every action, every thought, every word, every inaction we participate in. Whether we realize this or not, we worship something or Someone every moment of every day. For those who follow Jesus Christ, we pray and hope that every action worships God, and yet so often when we think about what that worship means, we only stop to think about the music portion of a Sunday service or the latest album from the newest worship band. And while some might stop to think of worship as action and word, rarely is seeking justice a part of that vision of worship.

In his book The Dangerous Act of Worship, Mark Labberton seeks to paint a vision of the most dangerous act of worship: living out God’s call to justice in the world. This means looking to the least of these both next door and across an ocean. How are we as followers of Jesus caring for the orphan, widow, and voiceless out in the world? Have we forgotten this call to justice?

While this basic message is much needed in the American evangelical church today, Labberton spends almost 200 pages to say the same thing over and over: go out and worship through justice. He paints some biblical backdrop for this vision, which is extremely helpful, however when we gets to the nuts and bolts of what this will look like, he tends to wander through metaphor after metaphor that never quite lands and ends up being repetitive.

This is one of those books where if you read the first three chapters and the last one, you would have the gist of the entire work. Again, this perspective shift is helpful, so I’m not totally dismissing Labberton’s book. If you are interested in social justice and how that interplay works within the church context, this would be a helpful book for theory and biblical underpinnings. However, if you’re looking for a how-to manual or practical look at how this plays out, it would be better to look elsewhere.

The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Grace saw something. It rattled their church building. It shook the pews. And it threatened to invade their souls unless they retreated behind the red rope. The red rope meant safety from the evils lurking in the woods just beyond. But when someone steps over that rope, everything will change forever, because now nothing is stopping the evil from creeping into the town that had always been home.

It’s been a while since I read a Ted Dekker novel, and with The Girl Behind the Red Rope he’s partnered with his daughter, Rachelle Dekker, to write a scary story reminiscent of the best parts of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and also Ted Dekker’s own Water Walker novel. A highly religious community facing unspeakable horrors lurking in the dark, this book definitely did enough to linger long after I had set it down. While I wouldn’t say this is my favorite book from Dekker, this one definitely has a lot of the stylistic Dekker suspense.

The main character Grace is the most fleshed out here, and we spend most of the novel from her point of view as she tries to determine what is real and what is not. We also follow her spiritual journey and see the questions she asks of the realities and imaginations surrounding her. She felt like a real person in many ways, with real responses to the horrifying world she’s found herself in.

Dekker’s personal theology comes through here, and it seems he’s taken some cues from people like Father Richard Rohr, who advocates for talking in terms of original goodness of humanity versus original sin. The idea is that Adam and Eve in the garden had “original goodness” long before they had “original sin.” They were basically good, but fell into darkness (For more on Rohr’s thought pattern, see The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr). This idea permeates the novel, and definitely sparks some conversations about what is evil, how does it interact with humanity, and what does it mean to find freedom in Christ. Dekker has dealt with this idea before, specifically in Outlaw and The Outlaw Chronicles.

That said, The Girl Behind the Red Rope is a deep dive into the question of evil. If you’re a Ted Dekker or Rachelle Dekker fan, this will be a welcome novel in the vein of their previous works, delivering much of the suspense fans have always enjoyed.

Eye of the Oracle by Bryan Davis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It took me more than a year to finally finish reading Bryan Davis’ Eye of the Oracle, book one in the Oracles of Fire series, the sequel series to Dragons in our Midst. That said, this book was broken into three separate books which follow one story throughout the more than 600 page novel, set from the dawn of time to modern day.

The story revolves around an Oracle of Fire named Saphira, and her showdown with evil both face to face and vicariously through the lives of others she has influenced and impacted. This book answers many questions raised during the first series: how did the dragons become humans and why were they driven to transform? Who is Morgan and what has been her plan all along? How did Bonnie Silver end up in West Virginia to meet Billy? Many details are filled in, however, there are also many times throughout the book where I had to go back to the first four novels and look up who was who and why they were where they were. It was difficult to keep track of the who’s and what they had done.

However, I will say, I was never bored while reading. The storyline is intriguing and seeing how Davis intertwines his world of dragons with the biblical narratives (especially some of the more obscure stories such as the Tower of Babel and the Nephilim), and as a pastor, I found those aspects of the book fascinating.

This is a very intriguing opening to a new series since it takes place before the events of the first four books. Book two picks up where the first series ended, and I will admit I’m highly interested to see what happens next.

I definitely do not recommend reading this book if you haven’t read the first four Dragons in our Midst novels, as you will be lost. However, the journey is interesting and never boring.

The Gates of Neptune by Gilbert L. Morris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Picking up right where book one, Flight of the Eagles left off, Gilbert Morris continues the fantasy adventure of The Seven Sleepers in book two, The Gates of Neptune. Sarah and the other six sleepers must travel underwater to save the lost kingdom of Atlantis as darkness threatens to overtake not only the land, but also the seas. If they can’t stop the Dark Lord in time, then all of the ocean will belong to the powers of evil instead of the mysterious Goel.

While book one focused in on Josh as a main character, this second volume continues the story from Sarah’s point of view. While the storyline here is fairly pedestrian and obvious, what is so incredible is the amazing setting Morris has given us. From the sunken city of Atlantis to the Sea of Rays to riding dolphins and sharks and killer whales through the water, I was continually enthralled with the locations the characters traveled through.

We do find out some new information about the villains of the series, which offer some intriguing counterbalance to the Sanhedrin, which so far has taken prominence as the main antagonists against Goel.

Again, this series continues to come across as slightly edgy for a Christian fantasy series for younger readers. Romance is at play here, and while it is hopelessly tame compared to other books, The Gates of Neptune is surprisingly filled with relationships between characters. It was a little bit shocking, especially since the main characters are all supposed to be young teens, and in most Christian fantasy fiction geared for this age range, romance is barely a thought.

All said, this continues to be an intriguing fantasy series. I remain somewhat shocked that I have never picked them up until now, but here we are, on to book three!

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!

Master of the Phantom Isle by Brandon Mull

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**WARNING: Some Spoilers for Previous Books Ahead**

After the heart-pounding ending of Wrath of the Dragon King, Brandon Mull does not disappoint with the third entry in the Dragonwatch series: Master of the Phantom Isle. Kendra and Seth will explore new places, go deeper than they ever have before, and face foes they never imagined could exist.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot here, but I will say for the eighth book in the Fablehaven saga, Mull manages to keep things fresh. Seth lost his memories at the end of the last book, and the ramifications of that event play throughout the novel. Mull is on the top of his writing game in creating a character we know well who doesn’t know who he is at all.

As usual, Mull takes us into some uncharted territories as Kendra and Seth explore new worlds within the world of Fablehaven, and there are more rare objects, mysteries, and puzzles to find, explore, and solve. It might help a reader to go back and glance through the previous two novels to refresh before reading this one, as I had forgotten a couple of key details that became major plot points in this book. Coming into this series with this book would definitely be confusing, so go back and read the others before diving in on this one.

All said, Mull keeps giving us more of what we’re looking for, and now 18 novels into his writing career, each story is as fresh, exciting, and fun as ever.