Eye of the Sword - Day 3

Ah, the end.

Of the CSFF Blog Tour, I mean, not of Karyn Henley's Angelaeon Circle. We're featuring the second in the series, Eye of the Sword, a well-paced novel peopled by angels, half-angels, and other fantastical beings.

Concern has been expressed about the nature of angels in the book versus their portrayal in the Bible. I'm not going to address that discussion today, other than this comment I posted on Anna Mittower's blog on Monday:

Gotta be honest: I thought the pairing of harps with angels was cliched, but the author went in an unexpected direction with both elements, so I was more able to accept them occupying the same story. As for the portrayal of angels, I immediately noticed the differences from the Biblical angels, but Eye of the Sword is a novel, not Holy Writ, so I was able to "go with it" during the story.

I would have liked to see angels who had nothing to do with harps, other than, say, collecting angel-and-harp jokes as a hobby.

On the other hand, Henley doesn't set her angels in the clouds with nothing to do but strum Cupid-sized instruments. A trio of harps serves a distinct, necessary, life-and-death purpose for the angels:

"I don't know what the future holds. I have to find the kyparis harps and unite them, and what then?"

"The Wisdom Tree will be restored, the angels will have their stairway to heaven, and your task will be finished."

Some aspects of the novel caused a hitch in my step: angelic beings have auras, and there are characters ("elementals") who exist in or manipulate elements. Could just be me, but auras and elementals have the tang of New Age or pagan religions.

But the elementals are cool characters -- I like them -- and the auras serve as identification among angels and Nephilim.

As mentioned in a previous post, I enjoyed Eye of the Sword more than expected, and would (and will) recommend this series to other readers in search of an excellent tale.

Visit these other stops on the blog tour for other perspectives on the novel:
Julie Bihn Thomas Fletcher Booher Beckie Burnham Jackie Castle Brenda Castro Jeff Chapman Christine Theresa Dunlap Cynthia Dyer Victor Gentile Ryan Heart Janeen Ippolito Jason Joyner Carol Keen Emileigh Latham Rebekah Loper Shannon McDermott Karen McSpadden Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Anna Mittower Mirriam Neal Nissa Faye Oygard Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Jessica Thomas Steve Trower Shane Werlinger Phyllis Wheeler

Eye of the Sword - Day 2

"Raise the sword, Trevin," she said. "Look into it."

With both hands he lifted the sword and stared at the reflection. Broad shoulders. Long hair gathered at the neck. His hands glowed like coals, the right one raised in the sign of the Tree. The face was his but more confident. Older. Wiser.

He was certain the image did not show who he was now, but he could not deny that it showed the man he wanted to be.

After hearing me say good things about Eye of the Sword, the second book in Karyn Henley's Angelaeon Circle, my eldest niece asked to read it. She's fourteen, and we can't keep enough reading material. (Well, there'd be more, but I haven't unpacked all my books.) In her own words:

The story is very interesting, the characters are believable, the main character is someone I can relate to. He suffers from what we all suffer from: he feels he isn't good enough, and can't live up to who he wants to be because of things he's done.

The descriptions of people and places are clear, easy to understand, and good.

It bears repeating: "He suffers from what we all suffer from: he feels he isn't good enough, and can't live up to who he wants to be because of things he's done."

Wow.

Yup. I can totally identify.
 
I liked Trevin, the main character, and his band of fellow travelers, and the fact that -- despite wings and harps and elementals -- Henley does a great job of turning ethereal creatures into flesh-and-blood people.

My favorite part? The eye of the sword. It sees beyond the surface to the truth.

Kinda reminds me of the old prophet, Samuel, coming to anoint the young shepherd boy, David. The kid wouldn't be king yet -- that was years in the future -- but Samuel didn't think he had the right stuff. God replied, "The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

More about Eye of the Sword tomorrow; meantime, check out these other stops along the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour:

Julie Bihn Thomas Fletcher Booher  Beckie Burnham Jackie Castle Brenda Castro Jeff Chapman Christine Theresa Dunlap Cynthia Dyer Victor Gentile Ryan Heart Janeen Ippolito Jason Joyner Carol Keen Emileigh Latham Rebekah Loper Shannon McDermott Karen McSpadden Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Anna Mittower Mirriam Neal Nissa Faye Oygard Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Jessica Thomas Steve Trower Shane Werlinger Phyllis Wheeler

Eye of the Sword - Day 1

Time was, time is, and time will be.

Thus starts the tale of the Wisdom Tree

and two brothers who rivals forever shall be.

- Dio's song, Eye of the Sword

Ever go to a movie, not expecting anything in particular but daring the movie makers to impress you?

That's how I approached Eye of the Sword, the second book in Karyn Henley's Angelaeon Circle. Hey, it's a fantasy series about angels. I'm as apt to read that as I am to read a book about pixies. Impress me.

And that's what Henley did.

I was immediately involved in the excellent writing, engaging characters, and intriguing story. Despite not having read the first book (Breath of Angel), I was never lost. Necessary information was given to the reader as needed, and I never felt cheated that I reached the series late. A few chapters in, I never even missed the first book. Events from it are referenced so that they lend a sense of history -- even deep history -- behind the events of the current book.

I'm an editor, though, so I rarely read purely for pleasure, even when that's my goal. One of the best ways for me to gauge a novel is how painless it is to read. During Eye of the Sword, my internal editor conked out, lulled to sleep by writing free of the usual speed bumps: awkward phrasing, trippy words, illogical character actions, and bland, boring, or laughably bad dialogue. Although no particular passage stands out to me as memorable for its style, the writing is smooth, and there are scenes and images that stick in my mind.

A note about style or voice: Neither of those elements should overwhelm the story. Style or voice should never become the star of the novel, but should serve the story. Therefore, when I say that no particular passage stands out due to style, that's not a bad thing. I'd rather have substance than pretty, pretty lights.

More about Eye of the Sword in the next couple of days; meantime, check out these other stops along the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour:

Julie Bihn Thomas Fletcher Booher Beckie Burnham Jackie Castle Brenda Castro Jeff Chapman Christine Theresa Dunlap Cynthia Dyer Victor Gentile Ryan Heart Janeen Ippolito Jason Joyner Carol Keen Emileigh Latham Rebekah Loper Shannon McDermott Karen McSpadden Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Anna Mittower Mirriam Neal Nissa Faye Oygard Nathan Reimer Chawna Schroeder Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Jessica Thomas Steve Trower Shane Werlinger Phyllis Wheeler