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 The Land of Darkness the third instalment of CS Lakin’s fantasy series The Gates of Heaven.
Title: The Gates of Heaven Series: Book 3: The Land of Darkness
Author: CS Lakin
Publisher: Living Ink Books ( 2011).
ISBN-10: 0-89957-891-8
ISBN-13: 987-0-89957-891-0
Summary:
The young maiden Jadiel has an unfortunate lot. Her wicked step mother, Huldah, rules her home with an iron fist and sends her on an endless string of impossible errands. Her latest order takes the girl all the way to the dreaded land of darkness in search for the magic leaves of the Terebinth Tree also known as the Eternal Tree of Love and Beauty. It is a quest that Huldah counts on claiming her life so she may possess Jadiel’s father’s estate.
Meanwhile, the young carpenter Callen embarks on a quest for a legendary bridge that has inspired his own carvings. The path of this young carpenter intersects with that of Jadiel and the two find themselves on a far greater journey then they imagined. It is one that will change their lives forever and unveil secrets of their word.
Review:
It only stands to reason that a book called The Land of Darkness would be one of the darker installments of a fantasy series. A book like that would be full of darkness and danger as the heroes face insurmountable odds. Not only is that the case in this third entry into CS Lakin’s Gates of Heaven series, but it is probably the best of the series thus far. This book has everything from wicked step-mothers, talking animals, evil specters, mysterious hermits, enchanted humans, perilous journeys, high adventure and even a cameo appearance by an old friend. All these things combined, and more, make for an exciting read.
This book focuses on the journey of two young people. The first is Callen, a carpenter’s apprentice and the brother of Joram, the hero from The Wolf of Tebron. He is on a quest to find a mysterious bridge that has inspired many of his carvings. The other is Jadiel, daughter of a wealthy man named Kar’el, who is sent on a quest to retrieve the leaves from the Terebinth Tree by her wicked step-mother. While she may share the same plight as Snow White or Cinderella she is not content to sit at home and cry. She is a very proactive character, one I hope to see show up again in future books.
The two characters are paired off nicely. Jadiel is hopeful, trusting, and compassionate while Callen is skeptical of things he cannot see. Despite the fact they initially seem to seek different objects, the two of them are thrust together along their respective journeys and end up helping the other only to learn they seek the same thing. The two of them play off of each other and have a banter that will please fans who long for the days of Shasta and Aravis in The Horse and His Boy.
The primary villain of this story is Huldah, Jadiel’s wicked step-mother. She is your classic wicked step-mother, if the step-mother had taken some lessons from Jadis, Darth Vader, and picked up a trick or two from Circe in The Odyssey. She has all the trimmings and trappings of the classic villains we all love to hate. There are many surprising secrets and mysteries about her, all of which are revealed in the book.
Once again, Ms. Lakin shows just how skilled she is, not only as a writer, but in using all the established tropes and archetypes of fairy tales and fantasy. For example, the classic evil step-mother has often been a point of ridicule, namely how could any one fall in love for some one so wicked. We find that through Huldah’s sweet words, her cunning mind, her seductive abilities, her fearsome authority, and her magical powers that she is not only able to make one man fall in love with her, but all of them. Further if anyone stands in her way, they are banished from her presence or killed. This archetype is also used as a parallel for Jesus’ parable of the wicked tenants.
Ms. Lakin also knows how to help readers “sneak past the watchful dragons” of religion just as well as her main influence, CS Lewis. This book has more symbolism and Biblical references then the previous installments, but she weaves it in so well that by the time you actually notice it you are so entranced in the journey of Callen and Jadiel you barely notice as it becomes part of their adventure. In fact their quest ends up looking more like a quest for the Holy Grail, in the sense that you cannot have the legend with out the symbolism. Further since certain things, like the Terebinth Tree and it’s leaves having healing properties and the ability to grant eternal life, health and beauty, have their established place not only in scripture (the book of Revelation) but in mythology ( the Golden Apples of Idun in Norse mythology), fantasy ( the silver apples of the tree in the Western Wild of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew and The White Tree of the King in Gondor in Lord of the Rings) it works perfectly.
The Land of Darkness is filled with adventure, danger, mystery and magic, and contains a wonderful journey that readers will not want to miss. It is also a first-rate fairy tale, reminiscent of the stories collected by Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers centuries ago. Further more, if this is the best of such a great series so far, it could only get better from here. I can’t wait for more! Bring on book four!
Five out of Five shields.
Order the book on Amazon.com