#theironscepter

[rj-anderson]

Continuing my series on #booksthatmademe as a writer and reader... . Even as an nine (and eleven) year old kid reading these books straight out of my Christmas stocking, I thought John White’s first two Geburah stories were fairly transparent copies of Tolkien, Lewis and other fantasy authors I’d already read, as well as a bit heavy-handed with the allegory. Nevertheless, THE TOWER OF GEBURAH and THE IRON SCEPTER were the first Christian fantasy books I ever read that were contemporary instead of twenty or thirty (or fifty) years old, plus they were Canadian (!!!) and there were some truly great bits of story in both books that have stuck with me. . The kids turning on the TVs in Uncle John’s attic. Lisa ordering crêpes suzette in the dungeon (the illustration was wonderful as well!). The terrifying qadar. The wisdom of Chocma and the lively grace of the Princess Sunedesis. The way King Kardia is freed from enchantment in SCEPTER (which comes from the priestly consecration rite in Exodus, so I shamelessly borrowed the idea when writing SWIFT as well). And Lisa’s dress! I wanted that so badly as a kid. . Anyway, my thanks to John White for being the first to show me that it was possible to write fantasy with strong Christian elements, set in the modern day, and get it published. . Have you read any of this series? What did you think of it? . . . . #bookstagram #bookish #BookRecommendations #books #reading #speculativefiction #christianfantasy #johnwhite #thetowerofgeburah #theironscepter #archivesofanthropos #writinginspirations https://www.instagram.com/p/B9hfiLPg0pe/?igshid=1952q8p1o8b31