Book Review: The Sword in the Stars by Wayne Thomas Batson

Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: AMG Publishers (November 15, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0899578772
ISBN-13: 978-0899578774

Haunted by memories of a violent past, Alastair Coldhollow wagers his life on the hope that a sword will appear in the stars and the foretold Halfainin, the Pathwalker, would come. Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Anglinore and the murderous Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a cataclysmic scale. The fate of all could rest on an abandoned child and the decisions of those who desperately seek to identify him. Sword in the Stars is the first release in The Dark Sea Annals series.
About the The Dark Sea Annals series: A noble king discovers what happens when he leaves a door open for evil. The disastrous consequences impact generations, leaving the throne of Anglinore to a wicked despot, the kingdom in ruins, and Aravels son Loch in exile. To throw down the vile new authority, Loch will need to find the fabled Halfainin and raise a new army from a world of reluctant citizens. Together with his archer friend Ariana, Loch will face adventures that span the world of Myriad, creatures that defy imagination, and choices great and terrible all these recorded in The Dark Sea Annals.

My Review

Medieval fantasy has always been a favorite genre of mine. I guess this started with Tolkien and Lewis, and ever since I've loved this type of book. The Sword in the Stars has been recommended to me by several friends for several months, so I decided to finally give it a try.  

  I was immediately captivated in this story. It relies heavily on Christian allegory while simultaneously having its own incredible story. And the fact that it has freaking awesome cover art didn't hurt either. 

  Wayne Thomas Batson has always been a favorite of mine. I read his Door Within trilogy a few years ago, and that is one of my favorite series to date. Although, having just started the second installment of The Dark Sea Annals series, I might have to move The Door Within down on my favorites list. These books definitely have the potential to be an amazing story, and so far it's definitely going in that direction.

  This is a great read for middle school and up. Like I said before, this is a Christian allegory book (Like most of Batson's work) so it will definitely encourage Bible reading and leads 

to many questions. It is well-written, and extremely compelling. This book will keep you reading until you run out of pages, and then you will only want more.