Loresmen

The Peleg Chronicles #3

by Matthew Christian Harding

In the third and final book of the Peleg Chronicles, Loresmen weaves the heroes of Hradcanny into a tapestry of danger, hope, and providence.They are pursued by their enemies in a society that increasingly departs from truth as it falls away from the one true God. They must defend their faith before the high counselor, tread carefully at the King's table, wield their weapons bravely in the arena, and fight against giants, evil priests, and dragons.These great heroes take up the sword as guardians and protectors, yet trust not in their weapons, but in the King of Kings who is their constant help in trouble.Through underground passages and along Hradcanny's rooftop sky-road, in the wilderness and upon the sea, the battle for God's Word in the hearts and souls of men rages on. Our heroes, the keeper's of God's Word, His loresmen, must continue in faith, strengthened by the testimonies of the brethren before them, and by the witness that they shall leave behind.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Christian, Dragons

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2011

Reviews

[Barbara Keigher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author!

He is one of a very few that can use a good deal of Bible quotes that fit in perfectly with the story.
He also, thru the story, show how to apply many scriptures.

And the story and plot is great.

I originally got them to read with my 11 year old grandson ( and will this summer).....
but I ended up reading them myself first and they have great depth for adult Christians.

So yes, if you are going to grumble about tooooo much 'preaching', or actual, 'gasp' Bible verses being quoted, then, I guess I have to sadly say, this series 'might' not be for you.

However, it is 'fantasy' and has a great medieval feel to it.
The characters are well round with both good and bad, sin and heroism, doubt and conviction, fears and faith etc.

Not only that, but he is quite funny at times, I found myself laughing several times out loud, it was so silly and fun.

However, there are sad parts too, when great heroes die, but the truth of where they are going eases the pain.

I totally recommend this author, and I hope he never gets discouraged if someone is offended with the Christian message......

I have said it before, and will say it again....
I read 'Christian' novels because that is what I want in a novel.
If I did not want an talk of God, or no bible quotes, etc etc.
I would not read Christian fiction,
but rather secular novels....

but if you avoid his novels based on that, you will miss all the great fantasy story line, that is in this series.

I have only found less than a handful of Christian authors who are not afraid to put in a good amount of scripture. There are many who do a pretty good job, but this author excels!!!
The verses fit perfectly with the story line too! Great job!!!

I guess the bad part is.....
the series is ended.

So I pray this author hurries up and writes some more!!!

[wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and be blessed

Thoroughly engaging, uplifting, exciting adventure series. I've read it twice and about to begin a third time. And I mean in a row! Just can't bear to see this story and it's characters leave my life to sit on a shelf. The story has become part of me. It has emboldened me to speak up for my God, to seek ways to serve Him and ways to love others in that service. This as well as having been thoroughly entertained has given The Peleg Chronicles a permanent home on my 'read again' list.

[Bri Dickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy was so beautiful! I love the incorporation of Scripture, the awesome creatures (what person who’s into fantasy doesn’t love pet dragons, mammoths, and bears?!?!), and most importantly the overall story of God’s love and redemption. And I’m always a sucker for adorable friendships between characters which this story also has! I personally love Fergus!

This story was written for a younger audience but is still very enjoyable for adults. I’d definitely recommend!

[Esteban · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful tale of chivalry and intrige

Will good win over evil? Will the heros survive or succomb? Lots of twists and turns make this a page-turner of a novel. If I could make one significant change it would be to update the Shakespearean language when quoting the Bible. There are many faithful modern translations from which to choose.

[terry reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars plus!

There is no stopping after reading Book 1, not Book 2, and after Book 3, I keep waiting for Book 4! Read these for the second time through after getting them for my grandson. I wanted to refresh my memory as he talked about what he was reading. He loves them too! This series is so Scriptural and encouraging for personal walk with our Lord, young and old.

[TheRoer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it!!!!! *the end*

[Tony Breeden · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Loresmen, book three of Matthew Christian Harding’s Peleg Chronicles, we return to the post-Flood world of the Quixotic Lord McDougal, his faithful squire Fergus Leatherhead and the young and intrepid ranger Thiery.

Like the first book in the series (Foundlings), Paladins ended on a cliffhanger, but gave us such a great set up for the final book in the trilogy that I could scarcely wait to begin reading it! My busy schedule got in the way, but I did eventually get around to finishing the Peleg Chronicles. I wish I could say it was a happy ending for me.

!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

Oh, the characters are just as strong and delightful, with the exception (as noted in previous reviews) of a strong protagonist. I had hopes that King Strongbow or the Witch Esla or the Dragon Cult or even the diabolical dragonrider Squilby would finally step things up, but these antagonists were two dimensional at best. Strongbow does little more than menace and set up a final conflict he has nothing to do with. In fact, we are left with the impression that our heroes live happily ever after despite his continued existence beyond said conflict despite the protagonists' objection to the mad king's belief that he is a god. Esla may as well have never existed in the novels. She exits as a footnote. The Dragon Cult amounted to two-dimensional nameless foes, minions for a Dark Lord that never graced these pages. Squilby was the strongest antagonist but he does nothing until the final conflict and his end is disappointing and stupid. In fact, I daresay that he dies from making a newbie mistake that is altogether inconsistent with his character, leading me to wonder whether the author simply tired of writing and wished to wrap things up without having to write further conflicts.

Whatever the reason, this book suffers from a basic sin against storytelling. One of the basic elements of successful fiction is the principle of "Show, don't tell." What this essentially means is that we shouldn't summarize what happened but rather show what happened via a scene. Remember that great cliffhanger from Book 2? Harding begins well, delivering an awesome arena spectacle: our heroes versus the formidable giants, Lunace, Ogre and Goblin. The action ends abruptly and we cut away to a few quieter scenes. Our assumption is that the author wants to set up the next act while keeping us on the edge of our seats with the question of "What happened to our heroes in the area? Did they win?" Only then someone mentions that they won, eliminating all tension. By the time someone relates how they won, I literally didn't care anymore. Nor was I surprised that I was told what happened instead of being shown what happened. If you think that's bad, you should know that most of the final conflict violates the principle of Show, Don't Tell. I don't like my final conflicts given to me in summary, thank you very much.

The third strike against this much-anticipated book came in the form of a footnote. An actual footnote in a work of fiction. This intrusive message from the author totally destroyed the illusion for me. Worse, it was completely unnecessary. I was well aware from reading the story that Elvodug wasn't a real wizard and was only tricking the boy. I can only suspect that the author's commitment to "No Humanism! No Evolution! No Magic!" is so strong that he didn't want any doubts on the subject. Nevermind he's had a witch in his story since the first book and never once felt the need for such an interruption of the story! He should've had more faith in his own storytelling abilities.

The first two books included an appendix or two. Loresmen includes an appendix on magic and the Bible. It's little more than a bunch of verses mentioning magic, sorcery and witches, largely self explanatory but a little commentary would've been nice.

Loresmen was a disappointing end to the Peleg Chronicles.

You can find out more about the Peleg Chronicles at http://MatthewChristianHarding.com.

-Rev Tony Breeden
From the Bookwyrm's Lair

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if I developed the unique suspended disbelief necessary for this author or if this particular title was somewhat better than the previous two. Plot gaps and weak characterization continue, but this is clearly the climax of the tale and, as such, I was interested to see how it all turned out - even though my suspicion that it would be formulaic was proved correct. Don't worry about your favorite character dying, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

Ultimately, this series is simply one tale. It feels like an editor forced the book into three acts - thus creating three titles and the rather awkward cliff hangers of the previous titles. I think it would have worked better as a single title, as I found these mechanics annoying. But this is perhaps the challenge of writing a classic type story for a modern audience - moderns demand books significantly shorter.

In the end, the setting is a disappointment to me. The author completely failed to engage with the post-flood world. Passing references to ice formation or previous generations with labels such as "The God of Noah" are simply not enough to examine the contrasts in that newly reset world. As this type of penetrating illumination was a hope of mine for the series, I found it to be a forgettable disappointment. What we really have is a modern fantasy in the medieval style - not very unique or compelling.

But safe for kids.

I have read other Goodreads reviews (it's always intriguing when others see brilliance where you see muck) and it sounds like this is a popular read aloud for families. I can see how it has basic adventure plots that would appeal to children without objectionable material. Yet, I think in the end, I think another, treasured work would always be selected as "next" ahead of this.

[Lori Twichell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these books. I was delighted in the universe that Harding set up without falling back into the world of magic or other mystical things that are often entertaining, but not always Biblical. He managed to maintain a solid Biblical concept all the way throughout these books without taking anything away from the story. In other works some of the speeches given by these characters would seem preachy and out of place, but in these stories, they fit. There were moments in the book that someone would quote the Bible without a heavy handed message. It was simply woven into the fabric of their every day lives. That’s as it should be with us. I don’t know about you, but I rarely speak the Bible constantly into every day conversation. It doesn’t fit. But with this universe and these personalities, it didn’t feel like a misstep.

The vivid setting partnered with three dimensional characters that you’re eager to continue following set up a brilliant series that ends fantastically in this book. After reading them myself, I’ve worked them into a homeschool curriculum for my kids. Even the youngest of my family (8 years old) will love and enjoy these stories. Easy to read but with plotlines that keep everyone engaged, I cannot highly enough recommend these books. Do not let these beautiful gems pass by you unread. You will be missing something extraordinary if you do.


Review copy provided by the author. Thank you!

[Frode · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good guys won; the bad guys lost. I noted one seeming discrepancy in the plot, but maybe I didn't read it carefully enough. It was not a deal killer. The loose ends were tied up in a generally satisfactory manner. I would recommend this series to young Christian boys; maybe girls would like it as well. While it started a bit slow, once the action picked up, it moved along at a good pace.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this as a read aloud and the children were glued and continually talked me into reading "just one more chapter". The ending had many great parts, a few corny parts and I thought a few unanswered questions. Overall a great book.

[Rebecca Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final book of Peleg Chronicles

This was a very good ending to the trilogy. I enjoyed it immensely. If you've read the first two books of the series you'll want to read this one as well.

[Steve Hemmeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ending!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series that makes God's love evident. Very worthwhile.

[Joel Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ending to an absolutely wonderful series!

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great ending to a fantastic series!!