Review - The Epic of Marindel: Chosen (Non-Spoiler)
Author: Nathan Keys
Review by Amanda Heck
Review by Amanda Heck
All thoughts, critiques, and opinions expressed here are my own.
This is the non-spoiler review.
Preface:
I have finally sat down to write my review! Wow, what a ride. I began reading Chosen June 12th and finished it July 19th - normally I read much more quickly, but I needed some time to process this masterpiece, especially chapters 37 to 47. It was absolutely breath-taking.
Let me begin by adding some background surrounding this review. When I first found out that Nathan was writing a book, I was very much intrigued. Since I was little, I have been devouring stories. I am a voracious reader, and I also love to write, so hearing my future brother-in-law was crafting his own book greatly interested me.
However, I was skeptical upon hearing it was 1) Christian fiction and 2) going to be most likely self-published.
Yes, I am a book snob. For context, since 2012, I have read between 50 to 60 books a year, all across genres and grade levels. I must say that Christian fiction is not a favorite genre of mine, as most of it is (in my opinion!) cheesy, formulaic, and usually unrelatable. It often misses the mark on getting me feeling closer to God, and seems like a thinly veiled attempt at persuading me to take on the author’s personal views and beliefs about God. I much prefer Christian nonfiction, since there is often rich and strong theology that is based on God’s Word rather than human sentiments, thus having a stronger foundation and gravitational pull on my soul.
Yet, here I am, with Chosen in front of me - ringing in my head and engraved on my heart.
This is not about me, but let me say that God had the most perfect timing for this story to fall into my lap. The pages are tear-stained, marked in blue ink, scattered with notes, and have small personal connections written in the margins. This book did not simply speak to me.
It whispered. It pleaded. It joked. It played. It sang.
It changed.
Now, if that sounds corny, I apologize. This is simply how I write, and I seek to nail down my thoughts and emotions as clearly as possible. And that is exactly what I think and feel towards this beautiful book.
So, let me dive in.
--------------------------------
First, let me state that as a Christian, I definitely feel I understood and enjoyed this book deeply. I noticed all the little references back to the Bible, its stories, and the humans who are included in God’s very Word.
And even more importantly, I do not think this book attempted to add on, change, or manipulate the Word.
I hold to the belief that the Bible is God-breathed, timeless, and infallible. It is not something to be toyed with or taken lightly.
So on that note, I do not feel that this book is theologically unsound.
On the other hand, I personally believe this book will also relate to non-Christians. Looking past the biblical elements, this is an engaging and enthralling story of epic proportions. It has kingdoms, wars, feuds, dragons, elves, terrifying creatures and monsters, well-written villains, and of course, lovable heroes. It is not distracting in its presentation of the Christian elements, as they interweave throughout the story in such a sophisticated way.
I believe this book is for all ages, all walks of life, and obviously for those who love reading. And of course, if you love fantasy, you will enjoy it even more so!
There is a bit of a slow build-up with the exposition to set the background story and stage, but once the story takes off, it takes off. The reader is swept up on horse-back, dragon-back, and unicorn-back to be carried on an amazing journey. (Sorry, I love horses, dragons, and unicorns. Plus there’s a pegasus, and my little girl heart is squealing with joy).
The story never let me down in the sense that I felt I was trudging through unnecessary detail or description - in fact, this book is so well-written that I found myself wide-eyed at how beautifully all of the elements, story + character arcs, and ‘rules’ of the universe fit together. There were no plot holes, no boring characters, no weak dialogue, and no inconsistencies. It was glorious.
Marindel, one of the main kingdoms in the book, was so lovingly crafted that it oozes off the page. The depiction of a vast city on the back of a sea turtle was awe-inspiring, and the magic laws pertaining to the Galyyrim (elven citizens), Great King, and the overall kingdom were fascinating.
Pertaining to the world, Tyrizah is the ‘Earth’, or the overarching realm. Much of the story is set directly in the land of Armavir, which envelops several kingdoms that come into play during the story. There are also many other cities, kingdoms, and realms throughout the book, and each one is unique in its governments, customs, and histories.
What I appreciate personally, as an upcoming English teacher, is the obvious diversity and ethnic representation in this book. The lands, cities, and kingdoms are based off real-world continents and countries, and if you pay attention, you can easily spot the connections. For example, Felidae is reminiscent of Asian culture, while Sunophsis is Middle Eastern. The respective characters reflect these cultures without overt stereotyping; there is care and dignity in the representation, which is excellent.
With all of the overall world-building out of the way, let me touch on the characters.
There are multiple points of view from different characters throughout the story. The main perspectives are Connor (Armavir), Tarento (Felidae), and Celine (Sunophsis). These are the main points-of-view provided throughout the story, though some other POVs are also presented.
One character, Jake, gets a few pages from his first-person point of view in order to expound on his history and current story. Another character, Scourge, gets a point of view, but it is brief and aids in providing exposition for a different kingdom and his own life. However, he is one of my top favorite characters, and his first-person point of view tale is riveting.
Additionally, some omniscient third-person perspectives are given in order to help set more scenes, which was effective and gave some interesting breaks between characters’ first-person views. Chapters 37 through 47 are told through flashbacks via a Galyyrim named Penn, but his voice is not present throughout in the sense of ‘Penn said.’ The mini tale told from 37 to 47 is written almost fully in the third-person perspective, and I personally almost completely forgot the bookends of the beginning and end of the tale (Penn and Connor conversing) because it was the most engrossing portion of the book.
Thus, all of these choices in the vein of craft were well done, fully developed, and gripping. Once again, the story never felt like it was dragging, and each character (and there are many, both main and side characters) were well-rounded and unique in their behaviors, beliefs, backgrounds, and even in their manner of speech. That is another aspect that fully drew me in: each character has their own manner of dialogue, such as voice style, accent, or vocabulary. This made each character memorable, and I did not mix them up or forget a single one at all, even if that character was only there for a few paragraphs or pages. Even more so, each character elicited a different and marked reaction from me, so I established varying connections with each one, which even further bore them into my memory and emotions.
Out of all the main characters, my favorites are Tarento, Scourge, and Jed. Connor is also a love in my heart, as he is the one who snowballs the quest to its beginning despite his humble heritage.
And of course, I absolutely adore Melody and Eli. Writing too much about them will lead into major spoiler territory, but I am compelled to mention them nonetheless. If there were ever two characters crafted with such emotion, love, grace, and painstakingly minute details in their relationship, it is them.
Tarento and Scourge are echoes of my own heart and life story. I deeply connected with both of them in very personal manners - Scourge’s story in particular emitted wavelengths of affection and empathy that run similar to events in my own life.
Tarento’s personality, specifically his struggle with losing his friends due to dividing beliefs and his own doubts in his faith and feelings towards life and the Great King, made me ache internally. I found myself murmuring, “Me too...me too. It hurts, I know. I understand.” I am even tearing up as I write this section. It always feels beautiful and magical when you can connect to fictional characters that reflect your own and true reality.
--------------------------------
I feel as if this is getting long, and that I have covered much of my non-spoiler thoughts. Again, all beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and opinions here are my own. I have mulled this over long and hard, and have no true qualms with the story and essence of the world and characters.
In a more vain approach, I absolutely adore the cover art. I now own the book in both paperback and hardcover, and I strongly dislike hardcover books (dust jackets are annoying). However, when I saw the actual hardback book is blue, I could not resist. It truly is a gorgeous book despite being one that was not picked up by an established publishing company. And to be honest, now that my skepticism is at rest, I think that makes this book even more charming and alluring. It didn’t need to be picked up by a big publisher in order for it to come to life and be an actual physical book for many to pick up, read, mark up, and hold close. It just needed the tender loving care of a man who believes in his God, his talent, and his own self-discovery as an individual in this wide, crazy world.
So Nathan, hats off to you. Congratulations on this blue behemoth of brilliant blessings - blessings both for you and those who read your story.
And thank you. Thank you for sharing your story. For working for nearly five years on this adventure, so that we may too partake in ‘playing a story’ in the kingdom of Marindel, and beyond.
--------------------------------
First, let me state that as a Christian, I definitely feel I understood and enjoyed this book deeply. I noticed all the little references back to the Bible, its stories, and the humans who are included in God’s very Word.
And even more importantly, I do not think this book attempted to add on, change, or manipulate the Word.
I hold to the belief that the Bible is God-breathed, timeless, and infallible. It is not something to be toyed with or taken lightly.
So on that note, I do not feel that this book is theologically unsound.
On the other hand, I personally believe this book will also relate to non-Christians. Looking past the biblical elements, this is an engaging and enthralling story of epic proportions. It has kingdoms, wars, feuds, dragons, elves, terrifying creatures and monsters, well-written villains, and of course, lovable heroes. It is not distracting in its presentation of the Christian elements, as they interweave throughout the story in such a sophisticated way.
I believe this book is for all ages, all walks of life, and obviously for those who love reading. And of course, if you love fantasy, you will enjoy it even more so!
There is a bit of a slow build-up with the exposition to set the background story and stage, but once the story takes off, it takes off. The reader is swept up on horse-back, dragon-back, and unicorn-back to be carried on an amazing journey. (Sorry, I love horses, dragons, and unicorns. Plus there’s a pegasus, and my little girl heart is squealing with joy).
The story never let me down in the sense that I felt I was trudging through unnecessary detail or description - in fact, this book is so well-written that I found myself wide-eyed at how beautifully all of the elements, story + character arcs, and ‘rules’ of the universe fit together. There were no plot holes, no boring characters, no weak dialogue, and no inconsistencies. It was glorious.
Marindel, one of the main kingdoms in the book, was so lovingly crafted that it oozes off the page. The depiction of a vast city on the back of a sea turtle was awe-inspiring, and the magic laws pertaining to the Galyyrim (elven citizens), Great King, and the overall kingdom were fascinating.
Pertaining to the world, Tyrizah is the ‘Earth’, or the overarching realm. Much of the story is set directly in the land of Armavir, which envelops several kingdoms that come into play during the story. There are also many other cities, kingdoms, and realms throughout the book, and each one is unique in its governments, customs, and histories.
What I appreciate personally, as an upcoming English teacher, is the obvious diversity and ethnic representation in this book. The lands, cities, and kingdoms are based off real-world continents and countries, and if you pay attention, you can easily spot the connections. For example, Felidae is reminiscent of Asian culture, while Sunophsis is Middle Eastern. The respective characters reflect these cultures without overt stereotyping; there is care and dignity in the representation, which is excellent.
With all of the overall world-building out of the way, let me touch on the characters.
There are multiple points of view from different characters throughout the story. The main perspectives are Connor (Armavir), Tarento (Felidae), and Celine (Sunophsis). These are the main points-of-view provided throughout the story, though some other POVs are also presented.
One character, Jake, gets a few pages from his first-person point of view in order to expound on his history and current story. Another character, Scourge, gets a point of view, but it is brief and aids in providing exposition for a different kingdom and his own life. However, he is one of my top favorite characters, and his first-person point of view tale is riveting.
Additionally, some omniscient third-person perspectives are given in order to help set more scenes, which was effective and gave some interesting breaks between characters’ first-person views. Chapters 37 through 47 are told through flashbacks via a Galyyrim named Penn, but his voice is not present throughout in the sense of ‘Penn said.’ The mini tale told from 37 to 47 is written almost fully in the third-person perspective, and I personally almost completely forgot the bookends of the beginning and end of the tale (Penn and Connor conversing) because it was the most engrossing portion of the book.
Thus, all of these choices in the vein of craft were well done, fully developed, and gripping. Once again, the story never felt like it was dragging, and each character (and there are many, both main and side characters) were well-rounded and unique in their behaviors, beliefs, backgrounds, and even in their manner of speech. That is another aspect that fully drew me in: each character has their own manner of dialogue, such as voice style, accent, or vocabulary. This made each character memorable, and I did not mix them up or forget a single one at all, even if that character was only there for a few paragraphs or pages. Even more so, each character elicited a different and marked reaction from me, so I established varying connections with each one, which even further bore them into my memory and emotions.
Out of all the main characters, my favorites are Tarento, Scourge, and Jed. Connor is also a love in my heart, as he is the one who snowballs the quest to its beginning despite his humble heritage.
And of course, I absolutely adore Melody and Eli. Writing too much about them will lead into major spoiler territory, but I am compelled to mention them nonetheless. If there were ever two characters crafted with such emotion, love, grace, and painstakingly minute details in their relationship, it is them.
Tarento and Scourge are echoes of my own heart and life story. I deeply connected with both of them in very personal manners - Scourge’s story in particular emitted wavelengths of affection and empathy that run similar to events in my own life.
Tarento’s personality, specifically his struggle with losing his friends due to dividing beliefs and his own doubts in his faith and feelings towards life and the Great King, made me ache internally. I found myself murmuring, “Me too...me too. It hurts, I know. I understand.” I am even tearing up as I write this section. It always feels beautiful and magical when you can connect to fictional characters that reflect your own and true reality.
--------------------------------
I feel as if this is getting long, and that I have covered much of my non-spoiler thoughts. Again, all beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and opinions here are my own. I have mulled this over long and hard, and have no true qualms with the story and essence of the world and characters.
In a more vain approach, I absolutely adore the cover art. I now own the book in both paperback and hardcover, and I strongly dislike hardcover books (dust jackets are annoying). However, when I saw the actual hardback book is blue, I could not resist. It truly is a gorgeous book despite being one that was not picked up by an established publishing company. And to be honest, now that my skepticism is at rest, I think that makes this book even more charming and alluring. It didn’t need to be picked up by a big publisher in order for it to come to life and be an actual physical book for many to pick up, read, mark up, and hold close. It just needed the tender loving care of a man who believes in his God, his talent, and his own self-discovery as an individual in this wide, crazy world.
So Nathan, hats off to you. Congratulations on this blue behemoth of brilliant blessings - blessings both for you and those who read your story.
And thank you. Thank you for sharing your story. For working for nearly five years on this adventure, so that we may too partake in ‘playing a story’ in the kingdom of Marindel, and beyond.
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