Tumnus’s Bookshelf: The NarniaFans Book Reviews. “Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador’s Gate.”

Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Tumnus’s Bookshelf, where we review any and all books by, about and inspired by CS Lewis and the land of Narnia. For today’s review we will be looking at KSR Kingworth’s new fantasy novel, Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador’s Gate.

Title: Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador’s Gate Author: KSR Kingworth

Publisher: Rawle & Windsor

ISBN-10: 0980130352

ISBN-13: 978-0980130355

Summary:

Young Fair O’Nelli has spent most of her life in a dungeon, waiting for the day she comes of age and can re-enter society. On that day she witnesses great horrors committed by Harrold King. When she chooses to stand against him, she suddenly finds her self embarking on a great quest to free the people of Cloven Grave from tyranny. With a host of enchanted ( and enchanting) creatures, strange wonders and mystery aplenty, it is a quest that will also change her life forever as she learns who she really is and what she is meant for.

Review:

It seems we are witnessing a rebirth in Christian fantasy. More and more writers, like CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien before them, are intent on not only creating powerful stories with a lasting message, but also creating a deep, rich and moving mythology that can appeal to a broad audience. Whether it is in response to Harry Potter and Twilight or just simply a shift in trends, one thing is clear: Christian fantasy is rising again. KSR Kingworth’s new book, Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador’s Gate is the latest book to join the fray.

It is a most welcome addition to the rich world of fantasy literature. Not only is it a well written, well told, and faced paced fantasy, the author also lays down some excellent ground work for first class mythmaking in the process. Every single aspect of the book is brimming with both myth and allegory.

The prologue is reminiscent in some ways of the invocation at the beginning of The Iliad, or Paradise Lost. It calls upon a Higher Power in telling this tale and then, like the prologues in The Epic of Gilgamesh or The Prose Edda, invites the reader to uncover this mysterious text. From there the story flows like it were a “translation” of a text from some ancient culture.

Cloven Grave, feels like an ancient Scotland in the way people dress and act and talk, much like how the Shire in The Lord of the Rings feels like an ancient England. However, just as the Shire is also an England that never existed, Cloven Grave is a Scotland that never seems to have existed. This makes this story a mythology for that world, and a well told one at that. This means that there are going to be things in the story that parallel both the Bible and ancient myths, for as CS Lewis himself once said in God in the Dock, “We must not be ashamed of the mythical residence resting in our theology. We must not be nervous about “parallels” and “Pagan Christ’s”: they ought to be there–it would be a stumbling block if they weren’t.”

Readers will meet the hoomin ( yes, that IS how it is spelt) maiden Fair O’Nelli, who has all the beauty of a Disney Princess, the bravery of Tolkien’s Eowyn, the compassion of Lucy Penvensie, and the intelligence and spirit of a Jane Austen heroin. Fair O’Neilli is, in short one of the finest women characters I have had the pleasure of meeting in fantasy literature in along time. This story is about her struggle.

Her struggle is against the cruel despot Harrold King, who is part King Henry VIII, part King Herod, part Prince John of Robin Hood lore and has the disgusting factor of Jabba the Hutt of Star Wars. He takes what he wants when he wants it and rules his people with an iron fist. His favorite method of punishment: using dark arts to transform those who disagree with him or oppose him into an animal (or even an object ) that best suits their character like Circe of The Odyssey. He also drowns some prisoners for fun and amusement, making him the most sadistic villain in a long time. You want to see Fair win and Harrold loose, and it is only by finding Selador’s Gate that Fair can free her people.

Kingsworth knows how to use all the standard archetypes of fantasy literature, and uses them to a “T”. Everything you would expect in a good fantasy book is present. Characters have hidden identities and deeper truths unknown to them. Animals are enchanted, and magic and wonder abound. The most unique aspect of this story is her creation of the “Secret Speakers”. Just what are they? Well, you have to read the book to learn that.

Secret Speakers is a well told and well written book that is nothing short of a great story for all ages. It may seem a little long, but rest assured, the chapters won’t feel like that. The book is a self-published work so it is not the easiest book to find in a book store. The best place to check is on-line. I strongly encourage all readers to pick this book up. I am sure you will enjoy it.

5 out of 5 shields.

Order the book from Amazon.com or Secret Speakers.com

You can also enter our exclusive “Name the New Fantasy Writers Inspired By Narnia Interview Section” contest to win a free copy!

Note: According to the Amazon.com page for the book, Secret Speakers was released by Brigham Distributing. The book itself ( and all related press releases) say it was from Rawle and Windsor Publishing. I went with what the book and the press releases say. I hope that clears up some confusion.