Hey, everybody! Welcome back to Tumnus’ Bookshelf, the official NarniaFans book reviews where we review any and all books by, about, and inspired by CS Lewis, the Land of Narnia and the Inklings. For today’s review we will be looking at CS Lakin’s latest fantasy book, The Sands of Ethryn, the sixthbook in her Gates of Heaven Series! –
Title: The Gates of Heaven: Book Six: The Sands of Ethryn.
Author: CS Lakin
Publisher: AMG
ISBN-10: 0899578942
ISBN-13: 978-0899578941
Summary:
The kingdom of Ethryn has been besieged by a heavy draught and King Kael and his workers are doing everything they can to find water. In their attempts, they uncover an ancient tower with a strange scroll, that the king hopes will help them in their search. When King Kael comes in contact with a mysterious gem, he is transported back to the very beginning of the kingdom of Ethryn and lives his life as Lael, one of the slaves forced to build a great tower for the Destroyer.
Meanwhile Hashubah, chief archivist to the king is pursued by mysterious footsteps around this ancient site finding more fragments of the past. His granddaughter Ra’daf, works tirelessly to translate the rhyme of the ancient scroll, and tries to save her king. Unbeknownst to any of them Ezbon, the royal vizier calls upon the power of Sha’kath to solve the problem, and in the end makes an unholy deal that sets the stage for the seventh and final volume in the Gates of Heaven Series.
Review:
In The Sands of Ethryn, CS Lakin examines the beginning of her fantasy world in the penultimate book in her fantasy series The Gates of Heaven. The question of how a favorite world got the way it did is one that intrigues both writers and readers. Consider this book a prequel with a twist, as Lakin uses time travel to send a character back to the past to witness these events. This allows the book to actually tell two different stories at the same time. One set in the past in the dawn of Lakin’s fantasy world in the cradle of its civilization, and the second set in the “present day” Ethryn.
This allows her world to become as fully realized as some of our other favorite realms of fantasy. The Magician’s Nephew tells us how Jadis came to Narnia and just why a lamppost was in the middle of the woods. The Silmarillion not only tells us how the One Ring was forged but the whole beginning of Middle-earth itself and dives deep into the ongoing struggle between good and evil. The fact that there are rich back stories to each of these worlds makes them all the more appealing, and so too is it with the world created for The Gates of Heaven series.
The hero of our story is King Kael, called Lael when he travels to the past. As Kael he is a wise and benevolent ruler who cares deeply about his people and his fate. While he is advanced in years and has frequent pains, he places the needs of his people first. It is this care for them that lead him to being sent back in time in the first place as he seeks a way to save his people from a draught.
Even this character from the past is well developed. He has a mother, a younger brother and a younger sister he loves very dearly and will do anything to protect them. Like a prophet of old he is chosen by God for an appointed task and bares witness to God’s justice as well as mercy. When he returns to the present time, he is given power from God to do great wonders. He goes on to become one of the first Gate Keepers for the Gates of Heaven, a strange and mysterious group if Wizards who protect the Sacred Sites from evil.
This provides an interesting take on wizards in fantasy. TO often Christians are afraid of wizards in fantasy. Even the presence of Ramandu in Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Gandalf in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are seen as Satanic by some readers. However, while Gandalf and Ramandu aren’t human, Lakin’s wizards are something else entirely. While they are human they are more like Old Testament prophets, which makes sense. If you were to be alive in the Old Testament and see Moses turn the Nile to blood or part the Red Sea or watch Elijah call down fire, they would look no different than Gandalf or Ramandu.
Also central to the story is the strange journey of Hashubah, the elderly chief archivist of the king. While some are quick to dismiss him as a crack pot in this story, like Noah in the Bible he steps out in faith to follow the sound of those footsteps. Along the way he uncovers more secrets of Ethryn’s past.
Then there is the story of his granddaughter Ra’daf. She dedicates her life to translating ancient texts, specifically a scroll found at the dig sit that contains an ancient rhyme. While she does pine after a handsome man in the kingdom, it is not her main focus in life. Her task at hand is of first importance and she remains dedicated to it at all costs. Ra’daf has her weaknesses, for example she has frequent bouts of seizures, but it is through her struggles that she demonstrates the strength of her character. She is ready to risk everything to help save her fallen king, even her life.
The prime villain of the story is Sha’kath, the Destroyer. While he has been hinted at being in the background of earlier books, now he is in the forefront. Centuries ago he convinced Raban a mighty man to begin the building of a tower to heaven. With his power he sent out his minions the gryphons and even enlisted the help of the fearsome giants to enforce his will. When the tower is destroyed his physical form is lost, but his spirit remains, until it is summoned by the secondary villain, Ezbon, the vizier of King Kael.
This story is not a creation story. For the Sands of Ethryn Lakin draws from the Biblical accounts of the Tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the book of Zechariah. However, one thing that makes this story unique is that CS Lakin does not draw any influence from an existing fairy tale. Rather her influences are the poem “The Hound of Heaven” (which is reprinted in its entirety in the back of the book) and Episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Due to my desire to have this review remain spoiler free, I will not reveal the name of the episode.
As usual, this book is well written and filled with wonderful characters who are sure to become new friends. To simply breeze through this book would be disingenuous to Mrs. Lakin’s work as you might miss out on some key details. Good upon her word in a recent interview with us, Susanne Lakin has crafted another well-told and complex story line, due in no small part to the timey-wimey ball being thrown. Not since Alice first fell down that Rabbit Hole has a character or a group of characters been sent on a journey with so many twists and turns. There are even cameos by old friends Perthin Quay, King Adin and Joran as the story races to its climax and battle lines are being drawn between good and evil.
In the end, The Sands of Ethryn is not only an enchanting trip back in time to the very beginnings of this exciting fantasy world, but it also sets the stage for what is to come in the final book in this series. Royal intrigue, magical feats, and puzzling conundrums await you. If you are a fan of fantasy, especially fantasy with a sci-fi twist, then pick up this book.
Five out of Five Shields
Order the book from Amazon.com