Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Prophet (Books of the Infinite #1) by R.J. Larson













Title: Prophet (Books of the Infinite #1)
Author: R.J. Larson
Pages: 352
Year: 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bethany House
Format: eBook (available in paperback)

About the book:

     Close your eyes, Ela of Parne. Close your eyes and you will see.

     Ela Roeh of Parne doesn’t understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She’s undignified, bad tempered, and only seventeen – not to mention that no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as the elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite’s prophet, Ela knows she will die young.

     Istgard has turned their back on Me. See the evil they do.

     Yet after experiencing His presence, she can’t imagine living without Him. Determined to follow the Infinite’s voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite’s word to a nation torn apart by war. Here she meets Kien, a young Traceland ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela must surrender to her destiny . . . and determine how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.

     Will you accept the branch and speak My will? Will you be My prophet?

My review:

     A mesmerizing fantasy novel!

     I love the main characters in this book. In that group I’m including Ela Roeh, her sister Tzana, and Kien Lantec. I also adored Pet/Scythe, even though he isn’t human. His antics brought me so much amusement. His devotion to his chosen master is incredible.

     When the Infinite first asked Ela to be His prophet she hesitated, which was entirely understandable. Then as the story progressed I found it very realistic that at many points she didn’t understand what she felt He was telling her to do. The fears and questions she expressed numerous times were so very human it made it even easier to connect with her and pull for everything to turn out well for her.

     There were a number of scenes throughout the book that seemed to be very close parallels to stories from the Old Testament in the Bible. I thoroughly enjoyed this connection to the stories I already know. It was fun to try and spot these parallels.

     I am really looking forward to reading the other books in this series. R.J. Larson has done an incredible job of creating the people and countries for this fantasy world. I believe that I will get just as much enjoyment from each subsequent journey here as I have from this first one.

     I highly recommend this book and give it a rating of 5 stars. I don't think that you can go wrong if you choose to spend a few hours of your leisure time reading this wonderful book.

1 comment:

  1. If you like Christian Allegories (Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings) will love this book, and the rest of the series. I also found that this made me think about my own Christian walk.

    I must warn you though - when you pick up this book, make sure you have plenty of time - you won't be able to put it down.

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