Hey, everybody, welcome back to Tumnus’ Bookshelf where we review any and all books written by, about and inspired by CS Lewis and the land of Narnia. For today’s review we will be looking at the new novel The Unraveling of Wentwater, book four in CS Lakin’s The Gates of Heaven Series.
Title: The Gates of Heaven Series: Book 4: The Unraveling of Wentwater
Author: CS Lakin
Publisher: Living Ink Books.
ISBN-10: 0899578926
ISBN-13: 978-0899578927
Summary:
Far from the Kingdom of Sherbourn lies the two villages of Wentwater and the Heights. Wentwater is a culture steeped in tradition and superstition, while the Heights are on the forefront of knowledge and enlightenment. Long ago, in Wentwater, a small boy named Justyn watched as a baby girl was left to die in a burning cottage because of the words of the curse of the Marsh Witch, Ursell. Ever since then he has focused on gaining knowledge and seeking justice. He wants to bring the fire of knowledge down from The Heights to the people of Wentwater.
His brother Fromer is a kind and compassionate soul who focuses on mercy. A gifted musician he quickly wins the heart of the beautiful maiden, Teralyn. Unfortunately for Fromer, his brother is in love with her too. When jealousy and personal justice overtake Justyn’s heart he strikes an unholy deal with the Marsh Witch. His deal causes the village to unravel one word at a time, and unless Teralyn can restore those words, they will all be doomed.
Review:
Move over Edward Cullen, Bella Swan, and Jacob Black because Justyn, Teralyn, and Fromer are one of the best literary love triangles since Jane Austen had Mr. Darcy & Mr. Wickham first vied for the affections of Miss Elizabeth Bennett. This engaging triangle is just one of the many exciting surprises in The Unraveling of Wentwater, the latest addition to CS Lakin’s The Gates of Heaven series.
At the center of the story, is the beautiful maiden Teralyn who was cursed as a baby. Much like how Melificent in Sleeping beauty was not invited to the christening of Princess Aurora, and feeling slighted placed a curse upon her, so too was it with Teralyn. Unlike Sleeping Beauty she is not a princess, but a commoner. However, there are some other interesting and fascinating aspects as to her heritage, but to reveal them here would almost spoil all the juicy surprises that await you.
Vying for her affections are two brothers, Justyn and Fromer. Justyn is dissatisfied with the life he grew up with and yearns for knowledge and wisdom. He has always questioned his people and their customs and sought justice. He has a goal like the mythical titan Prometheus: to bring back knowledge and wisdom down from the Heights to the people of Wentwater, in hopes of providing them a better life and insure that no one must suffer like that baby girl. However, his quest for justice sometimes leads to searching for personal justice and can at times border on vengeance. He is even willing to strike a deal with the marsh-witch Ursell to get his brother removed from the picture. It then becomes fitting that at one point a character quotes Goethe, the man famous for writing the play Faust, a tale in which a man strikes another unholy deal to attain his goals.
The other segment of this love triangle is his brother, Fromer. He is a simple farmer who has a love and passion for music. It is this passion that Teralyn shares with him. He loves and cares for his people and can see where his brother is coming from, he is even willing to suggest trying to find a logical solution to a problem. He is always willing to extend grace and forgiveness, even to those who do not deserve it, like his brother.
The two brothers are the classic paring, one kind, loving and compassionate, the other one clever and conniving and bent on justice, i.e. Victor Hugo’s Jean Val Jean and Inspector Javert in Les Miseralbles. Ms. Lakin demonstrates how well she knows this archetype, and yet makes it as fresh as anything else in her world. You love Fromer, but you can’t help but feel sympathy for Justyn. She also defies the “Nice guys finish last” mentality in our culture and awards Fromer with his love.
Justyn makes his unholy deal with the villain of the story the Marsh-Witch, Ursell. If Jadis was the most beautiful in literature, then the Marsh witch is the ugliest. It is like she hit very branch on her way down when she fell from the ugly tree. Despite her exterior her way with words is what makes her so seductive. Much like Jadis knew the secret art of the Deplorable Word in the Magician’s Nephew to destroy Charn, Ursell knows the secret to using words as weapons of destruction. However, instead of one secret word, it can be any word her customer chooses.
The main action of the story is set in two cities. The Heights, were they are cultured, educated, sophisticated, but at times almost inhuman as even music and literature have to be dissected. They are not unlike our current American culture were every poem, every song, every book, and every film has to be analyzed to the point it loses it’s magic. This is in contrast to the town of Wentwater, a superstitious culture were they love music and stories but their beliefs are rooted in tradition. They are even willing to abandon a baby in a burning cottage and exile her parents because of a witch’s curse. Together Wentwater and The Heights are like the European culture of the Middle-Ages, where only the wealthy were educated and the commoners were ruled by superstitions and traditions.
The further Justyn dives into his quest for personal justice, the worse it becomes. Unknowingly the Faustian pact that he makes with the Marsh Witch ends up bringing about the fulfillment of a prophecy that concerns Teralyn and could even threaten his own existence. Not since Paris stole Helen of Troy from Menalaus has the jealous love of one man caused so much grief. In the end it takes Teralyn and her sacrifices to undo the curse placed upon her and restore their home.
The central message of this story is that of grace and forgiveness over justice. Ms. Lakin doesn’t condemn justice and knowledge, but rather points that wisdom and faith and justice and mercy must go hand in hand. It is clear in her worldview that those things are not mutually exclusive. It is something only Fromer is aware of, as he even loves his brother. He understands that his brother has never been loved or accepted in town, and is the only one to plea for mercy, even exiling himself from the community to save him.
The other theme of the story is the importance and power of words. This book couldn’t come at a more fitting time when we ourselves are losing a love for words and the respect for the power they hold. This ranges from the debate over school yard bullying, to the increase of young people filling out college and job applications in text message abbreviations. Words have power, it is a truth established in the Bible all the way back at the account of Creation in Genesis, to the Words of the Lord becoming a sword in Revelation. It was a truth known even to the ancient Greeks, the Norse, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Egyptians. Even the likes of Lewis and Tolkien have reminded us of this fact. Now, Ms. Lakin reminds the next generation of that truth.
If I were to pick any CS Lewis work this parallels it would have to be his essay on the Death of Words, in that it reminds us of the beauty, and power of words, and even Madeline L’ Engle’s Swiftly Tilting Planet where without a name or a kind word things cease to exist. It genuinely makes you think about your words and what you say and write. You can’t come away from this book with out thinking about it. You even end up considering that maybe what you post on Facebook or Twitter to your friends has importance.
One of the best parts to the series is that each book can be read independently from the others in the set. You can pick up book four before book two and not feel confused. However, because her characters and stories are so engaging you can’t help but want to read them all. At the same time, Ms. Lakin briefly references characters and situations from the second book in her series The Map Across Time to provide continuity for the serious fans of her series. Appropriately she knows how to weave (pun intended) quotes from the Bible and other works of Classical literature into her text. These quotes help solidify that unlike Narnia and Middle-earth, which are clearly removed from our world, hers is perhaps set in that familiar fantasy kingdom, located in a tiny nook of our own world called “long ago and far away.”
Unraveling of Wentwater is a first class Fairy tale that deals with the power of words, and the never-ending struggle to find balance between justice and mercy and knowledge and faith. Combined with romance, betrayal, revenge and redemption, it is sure to please all fans of this series. Great job, CS. Lakin. Keep em’ coming!
Five out of Five Shields.
Order the book from Amazon.com.