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Adventures In Odyssey: Passages #6
Fendar's Legacy
An elaborate, captivating fantasyland becomes the setting for the ancient stories of the Scriptures in the Passages series.
When three young travelers journey from Odyssey to Marus, two join forces with an exiled prince to free an oppressed people, while the other is enticed by the kingdom's riches. Will the epic struggle lead to a terrible parting? Freedom in God. Based on the story of Moses.
When three young travelers journey from Odyssey to Marus, two join forces with an exiled prince to free an oppressed people, while the other is enticed by the kingdom's riches. Will the epic struggle lead to a terrible parting? Freedom in God. Based on the story of Moses.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2000
About the author
Paul McCusker
181 books231 followersPaul McCusker is a writer of many different kinds of things. You may know him from Adventures In Odyssey and Focus On The Family Radio Theatre. Or the Father Gilbert Mysteries. Or the Augustine Institute audio dramas Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi and The Trials of Saint Patrick. Or plays like The First Church of Pete's Garage and Catacombs. Or C.S. Lewis projects like The Chronicles of Narnia audio dramas or The Annotated Screwtape Letters. Or the film Beyond The Mask. Or lots of other dramas, novels, scripts and lyrics. He simply can't make up his mind what he likes to write.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 10, 2013
I loved reading this series with my kids years ago when they were in elementary school. Great kids series, but I liked it as an adult!
April 24, 2025
I love this series and the world building McCusker had done here.
The biblical parallels are usually really solid and the stories are fascinating and different enough to feel similar but also very much their own unique story.
With this one I did have some qualms however, one being with the biblical story of Moses it alludes to: in parts there was some real orginality behind the story, but overall felt closer to a play by play from the original story of Moses that the story is based on. Basically, it felt almost TOO similar and not as original as I have found the previous stories in the series to be.
The three characters are fun (I have always enjoyed it when there is more than one protagonist in this series), but I do think it was a bit unfair giving only Michelle's character an arc while Wayne and Danny felt *mostly* perfect. And while I don't think it was in any way intentional; it does come across feeling like a gender bias.
I was also hoping for there to be some sense of closure since this was the last of the series and while it alludes to some; the whole series still feels very open-ended like McCusker maybe was hoping to write more. It does have an ending but not as satisfactory as a conclusion rather it's more like a cliffhanger to season two if you get my meaning.
Anyhow, I do love the series (which is why i have so much to say about it), and adore McCusker's writing style so I can't complain too much; I did really enjoy this one, just not as much as I was hoping or as much as others in the series.
The biblical parallels are usually really solid and the stories are fascinating and different enough to feel similar but also very much their own unique story.
With this one I did have some qualms however, one being with the biblical story of Moses it alludes to: in parts there was some real orginality behind the story, but overall felt closer to a play by play from the original story of Moses that the story is based on. Basically, it felt almost TOO similar and not as original as I have found the previous stories in the series to be.
The three characters are fun (I have always enjoyed it when there is more than one protagonist in this series), but I do think it was a bit unfair giving only Michelle's character an arc while Wayne and Danny felt *mostly* perfect. And while I don't think it was in any way intentional; it does come across feeling like a gender bias.
I was also hoping for there to be some sense of closure since this was the last of the series and while it alludes to some; the whole series still feels very open-ended like McCusker maybe was hoping to write more. It does have an ending but not as satisfactory as a conclusion rather it's more like a cliffhanger to season two if you get my meaning.
Anyhow, I do love the series (which is why i have so much to say about it), and adore McCusker's writing style so I can't complain too much; I did really enjoy this one, just not as much as I was hoping or as much as others in the series.
October 13, 2011
This is fantasy for intermediate to advanced readers. It’s about three kids who go to another world called Marus. This is really the Biblical story of Moses and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt retold. Marus could be considered the Biblical world, and Fendar is Moses. I might used it in a Christian school, but I probably wouldn’t really use it anywhere. It’s a great book and it can help keep the same old boring story we hear in Sunday School fresh and exciting. But I still don’t think I’d ever use it in a school setting, maybe Sunday School, but not a real school. I’m not sure what point it could serve, even in a Christian school. If I were teaching a Sunday School I might challenge my students to read X amount of chapters every week and see who can decide what Biblical story it is first. I might ask them to compare and contrast the real story to this story. I don’t think I would use it in a school though.
October 3, 2023
By the word of a child, the signs will begin.
By the word of a child, the heart will deny.
By the word of a child, the clouds will rise.
Fendar's Legacy is the final book in the Passages series. It and Annison's Risk were my favorites in the series. Fendar's Legacy is the most epic in scope. The story is about slaves seeking freedom, a prideful king and three children who are called to fulfill unique purposes. I particularly liked the struggle of Michelle, who makes the choice to serve King Stefan. McCusker deftly explores the power of decision-making and the complexity of the human heart in this installment. The villains were more complex in Fendar's Legacy, and I loved that the author really explored the predicament of the palace magicians as they were confronted by a power they could not understand. Having one of the children act as sort of a villain was very interesting. I was reminded a bit of Edmund Pevensie from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Michelle is unlikable at first, but she is also complex.
Fendar's Legacy also finally reveals the Unseen One in a physical form. While the depiction is not overly imaginative and is rather traditional, I appreciated this fact and loved the role that the Unseen One played in the story.
This gripping and exciting final installment in the Passages series is well worth reading. I enjoyd the different approach and the somewhat ambiguous ending. Not all loose ends are tightly wound, which normally would bother me in a series conclusion book. However, McCusker's decision left an air of mystery and is fun to ponder. Is it possible that parallel worlds do indeed exist? I like to think so as the universe is more vast than we can comprehend. Where do all the stories come from if not from some unseen reality. It's so fun to ponder! Happy reading, and God bless you all.
By the word of a child, the heart will deny.
By the word of a child, the clouds will rise.
Fendar's Legacy is the final book in the Passages series. It and Annison's Risk were my favorites in the series. Fendar's Legacy is the most epic in scope. The story is about slaves seeking freedom, a prideful king and three children who are called to fulfill unique purposes. I particularly liked the struggle of Michelle, who makes the choice to serve King Stefan. McCusker deftly explores the power of decision-making and the complexity of the human heart in this installment. The villains were more complex in Fendar's Legacy, and I loved that the author really explored the predicament of the palace magicians as they were confronted by a power they could not understand. Having one of the children act as sort of a villain was very interesting. I was reminded a bit of Edmund Pevensie from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Michelle is unlikable at first, but she is also complex.
Fendar's Legacy also finally reveals the Unseen One in a physical form. While the depiction is not overly imaginative and is rather traditional, I appreciated this fact and loved the role that the Unseen One played in the story.
This gripping and exciting final installment in the Passages series is well worth reading. I enjoyd the different approach and the somewhat ambiguous ending. Not all loose ends are tightly wound, which normally would bother me in a series conclusion book. However, McCusker's decision left an air of mystery and is fun to ponder. Is it possible that parallel worlds do indeed exist? I like to think so as the universe is more vast than we can comprehend. Where do all the stories come from if not from some unseen reality. It's so fun to ponder! Happy reading, and God bless you all.
March 22, 2026
After finally reading all of the Passages books, this one is my favorite. I actually teared up a few times thinking about Jesus being the lamb and the way they worked the symbolism into the story
March 8, 2015
Although I liked the Passages series as a whole, I find myself with many questions following this final book in the series. Are more stories planned? Are they all going to be from the Old Testament? I'm surprised the author ended the series with Moses' story. Was there any significance in doing the Bible stories out of sequence? Was there a significance to the eras where the children came from other than setting? If there was, I didn't pick up on it. I also didn't feel this characterization of Moses rang true with me. I'm not sure why.
Perhaps you're wondering why I didn't rate it lower then. There were aspects I really liked about this retelling that won out. First, the Biblical account of the plagues directly attacked prominent Egyptian deities and showed their powerlessness against the might of the Triune God. The Passages version makes a decent attempt of pointing out the sneakier side of idolatry, the things we rely on and don't even realize they've supplanted our faith: beauty, money, health, prosperity, even our families. Second, the easy way that the Marutians were lulled into accepting slavery was masterful. Contentment surrounded them until they were more than willing to accept complacency. Part of the value of the plagues was to shake them out of their own dependence on the same things the Palatians worshipped.
All in all, I enjoyed the series and wouldn't mind reading more.
Perhaps you're wondering why I didn't rate it lower then. There were aspects I really liked about this retelling that won out. First, the Biblical account of the plagues directly attacked prominent Egyptian deities and showed their powerlessness against the might of the Triune God. The Passages version makes a decent attempt of pointing out the sneakier side of idolatry, the things we rely on and don't even realize they've supplanted our faith: beauty, money, health, prosperity, even our families. Second, the easy way that the Marutians were lulled into accepting slavery was masterful. Contentment surrounded them until they were more than willing to accept complacency. Part of the value of the plagues was to shake them out of their own dependence on the same things the Palatians worshipped.
All in all, I enjoyed the series and wouldn't mind reading more.
September 7, 2015
(I have just realized that, though I read these several years ago, I didn't mark them as read on here. So, in case your jaw just hit the floor, I did not read the entire series in one day. :p)
March 1, 2010
When three kids from our world journey from Odyssey to Marus. They help an exiled prince free his enslaved peole.
I can't belive that this is a cliff-hanger ending series. AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
I can't belive that this is a cliff-hanger ending series. AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
Read
April 8, 2010F McCU aio passages bk.6
July 18, 2015
These were solid books. It all came full circle.
April 18, 2015
This is a pretty good retelling of the Bible story of Moses. It's got 3 kids who go to the fictional land of Marus, but really only 2 were needed. It's interesting.
June 25, 2015
Amazing! Tells the story of Fendar(Moses) trying to free the Marusians(the Israelites) from the king of the Palatians(Pharaoh)and(the egyptians
December 11, 2015
Moses in Marus - an amazing retelling of the classic Bible account!
August 17, 2012
Check out my video review here!
http://youtu.be/zvOTexd8khQ
http://youtu.be/zvOTexd8khQ
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews