The Quest for Seven Castles

The Terrestria Chronicles #2

by Ed Dunlop

The second book in the Terrestria Chronicles young adult allegory series. Travel back in time to the kingdom of Terrestria, a land where knights and their ladies live in castles and where dragons still roam (occasionally). The Terrestria Chronicles allegory series was written with a three-fold to honor Jesus Christ as King, to challenge young readers to love and serve Him, and to teach them to guard their hearts for Him. The focus of the series is always on the King. This is not Narnia; this is not Lord of the Rings. The Terrestria Chronicles were written to honor Christ and be as true to Scripture as possible. Some readers have compared the Terrestria books to The Pilgrim's Progress, though this series is much more readable, relevant, and action-packed than Bunyan's classic work. Written for ages ten and up, the Terrestria series is ideal for family devotions, classroom use, or individual enjoyment. When King Emmanuel sends Prince Josiah on a difficult journey to various castles across the kingdom, the young prince is unprepared for the dangers that he will face. But if he can reach all seven castles he will obtain seven priceless jewels for his Shield of Faith! Alive with fast-paced adventure in a medieval setting, Book 2 of the delightful Terrestria allegory series challenges the reader to examine his/her relationship with the King.

Genres: Fantasy, Christian Fiction, Middle Grade, Christian

199 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Danielle Espenshade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series “The Terrestria Chronicles” by Ed Dunlop. Honestly, it was just as good as the first book!!! It is an allegory set in the time of Knights and Castles. In this book, we follow Prince Josiah on his journey to seven different castles… Virtue, Knowledge, Temperence, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Charity. On his journey, he passes through the Village of Little Sins, the Vale of Giants, the Valley of Discouragement, and the City of Wounded Hearts to name a few. He also battles the Serpent of Selfishness. You do not have to read the first book for this one to make sense, but I do recommend starting at the beginning. This is a fabulous way to open doors , begin frank conversations with your children, and to tie your heart strings together. The day we read about the City of Wounded Hearts and seeing people as God sees them, we met a very cross person. Our response was one of compassion because that had just been modeled in our book. Such great talking points. My 5 year old remembers where the story leaves off each day and my 11 year old has made excellent comments… onto the next book in this series!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these stories. Doctrinally sound parables similar to Pilgrim's Progress but with a focus on knights, kingdoms, castles, etc. Great conversations have been inspired by these read alouds.

[Rachel Lemmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother is loving the Terrestria Chronicles! And so am I! The journey and adventures of Prince Josiah teach truths about Christianity in a winsome, entertaining way!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

King Emmanuel sends Prince Josiah on a challenging and faith-building journey to the castles of Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness and Charity (ll Peter 1.5-8). The steward of each castle would give him a rare jewel to be displayed on his Shield of Faith to show that he had "completed that portion of the journey and attained that level of maturity...a journey of learning" (p.7).

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quest for Seven Castles is the second book in the series about the young Prince Josiah. In this book, he must visit seven castles: The Castle of Virtue, the Castle of Temperance, the Castle of Patience, the Castle of Godliness, the Castle of Brotherly Kindness, the Castle of Knowledge, and the Castle of Charity. Once he visits each castle he will be able to serve the King Emmanual even more.

[Rusty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book at all. It is well written but I found the names of the characters, their experiences and the symbolism all a bit much. Some may like the series but as for my, it's just not my type of read. I enjoy much more subtlety in the messages of a novel.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put this as a great kids Pilgrim's Progress for the 7 books. Tales of Terrestrial is also a great series.