Scan barcode
sarahanne8382's review against another edition
2.0
It took two attempts for me to finish this one and, frankly, I'm baffled by it. The premise sounds so promising: 500 years after humanity nearly destroyed itself, civilization resembles Medieval Europe, someone stumbles across a Bible, and we're left to wonder what they do with it.
Unfortunately, Litfin just can't get out of his own way and let his plot unfold naturally. Instead he constantly stops the flow of action to painstakingly lay out every cliche you'd expect in both bad fantasy and bad Christian fiction.
Still, there's something about this story that made me have to keep reading to see how it turned out. Maybe I was just lulled into low expectations by the beginning, but the story seemed to pick up a bit by the end. I believe I will end up reading the rest of this series, but I'm not ready to recommend it yet.
Unfortunately, Litfin just can't get out of his own way and let his plot unfold naturally. Instead he constantly stops the flow of action to painstakingly lay out every cliche you'd expect in both bad fantasy and bad Christian fiction.
Still, there's something about this story that made me have to keep reading to see how it turned out. Maybe I was just lulled into low expectations by the beginning, but the story seemed to pick up a bit by the end. I believe I will end up reading the rest of this series, but I'm not ready to recommend it yet.
phamnewan's review against another edition
3.0
The Sword is a novel by Bryan Litfin that seeks to explore what would happen if the Bible were introduced into a society with no knowledge of God or the Bible. The book follows the main characters as they progress from living in this society to the life changing experience of finding a copy of God's word in an old church.[return][return]The premise of the story is very interesting but I found the setup to be rather simplistic and unbelievable. Once you get past the two introductory chapters the story that follows is very compelling. The characters were interesting and most of the situations they found themselves in were believable. The false religions presented in the book are ridiculous but it see they are very similar in that respect to those presented in the Bible.[return][return]The good characters have their flaws and realize that the only way to accomplish anything is to believe that God is able to deliver them. They don't always do the right thing but find that God will forgive even the worst sinners. They learn that God doesn't always work out situations the way they would like but that they need to have faith that he is working.[return][return]The writing is not exceptional but didn't distract from the story most of the time. I think it's a good job for a first novel from the author. I would recommend this book to any that are intrigued by the premise of introducing the Bible to a society completely without Christianity. I look forward to reading the second volume in the series.[return][return]I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. Review also posted at http://thegreatlands.com/2010/04/25/the-sword-by-bryan-litfin/
jasmyn9's review against another edition
5.0
What would happen to the human race if we lost all technology and went back to stone castles, handmade clothes, farming by hand? The people in The Sword show us. There has been a series of tragedies...a disease that wiped out most of the population....a nuclear war....climates gone haywire. A few scattered groups of people survive to rebuild their lives. One of these groups names their land Chiveis. Chiveis is a mostly happy land, surround by wilderness that none dare to enter. But Chiveis has lost the God of the ancients and now worship their own gods in their own way.
Then on day everything changes. It starts with a guardsman, a well known tournament champion, discovers a book of the ancients far from the borders of Chiveis. He brings this book back to share with his friends, Anastasia (a farmer's daughter), Maurice (his friend and mentor), and Shaphan (his student). This small group of people decide to bring the ancient's God back to Chiveis no matter what the cost.
This leads the group into quite a religious struggle with the High Priestess of the current religion who refuses to see a new religion that could potentially take some of her power from her. The group is attacked from without and faces betrayal from withing as they struggle to make sense of this new God and bring his truth to their world.
I loved this book, the plot, the character, the setting...everything. The characters are engaging and interesting. Their lives flow through a world that is well made, beautiful, and at times frightening. The struggles they endure and the choices they move the story forward is way that draws the reader even further in. I can't wait to see what the second book brings.
4.5/5
This book was received from the publisher as part of the librarything early review program in exchange for my review. My review expresses my honest opinion of the book.
Then on day everything changes. It starts with a guardsman, a well known tournament champion, discovers a book of the ancients far from the borders of Chiveis. He brings this book back to share with his friends, Anastasia (a farmer's daughter), Maurice (his friend and mentor), and Shaphan (his student). This small group of people decide to bring the ancient's God back to Chiveis no matter what the cost.
This leads the group into quite a religious struggle with the High Priestess of the current religion who refuses to see a new religion that could potentially take some of her power from her. The group is attacked from without and faces betrayal from withing as they struggle to make sense of this new God and bring his truth to their world.
I loved this book, the plot, the character, the setting...everything. The characters are engaging and interesting. Their lives flow through a world that is well made, beautiful, and at times frightening. The struggles they endure and the choices they move the story forward is way that draws the reader even further in. I can't wait to see what the second book brings.
4.5/5
This book was received from the publisher as part of the librarything early review program in exchange for my review. My review expresses my honest opinion of the book.
juniperblueak's review against another edition
2.0
The story line was very interesting and I was really enjoying the book, but the innuendo just became too much for me. We can know how horrible a world without God is without the descriptions given. I returned it, and am greatly disappointed.
tariana's review against another edition
3.0
Um pouco fraco, os personagens não foram bem trabalhados como deveriam, mas é interessante e uma boa ficção cristã.
mrs_erven's review against another edition
5.0
This is my second time listening to it on audio. Love it! The whole series is by far one of the best series in Christian fiction I've ever read.
P.S. The can't-get-on-the-same-page love story of Teo and Anna drives me crazy, though. :)
P.S. The can't-get-on-the-same-page love story of Teo and Anna drives me crazy, though. :)
ivantable's review against another edition
4.0
It's a swashbuckling tale set in a post-apocalyptic, medieval world where dangers are ever-present and no trace of God is to be found — that is, until they find an old forgotten book. For those who love a good story, full of chivalry, suspense, redemption and love, this book is for you. Read this trilogy a few years ago. Great summer reading! And a reminder there's good "Christian fiction" out there.
jceastvold's review against another edition
3.0
Wonderful premise. Intriguing build-up. But disappointing execution.
You cannot expect people who have never been exposed to the Bible to start talking like late-20th century American evangelicals after reading two chapters of Genesis and a Psalm or two.
Also, I'm guessing it wasn't the author's intention to turn a female main character from a three-dimensional character prior to conversion to a rather two-dimensional character after conversion. So incredibly disappointing. Hopefully the subsequent books in the series will be better.
You cannot expect people who have never been exposed to the Bible to start talking like late-20th century American evangelicals after reading two chapters of Genesis and a Psalm or two.
Also, I'm guessing it wasn't the author's intention to turn a female main character from a three-dimensional character prior to conversion to a rather two-dimensional character after conversion. So incredibly disappointing. Hopefully the subsequent books in the series will be better.
paterson's review against another edition
3.0
Although the writing is not the best, the story is certainly intriguing and captivating. First time I've completed a fiction book in a very long time.
celeste57's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept. What if, during an apocalyptic event that decimated the world’s population, religion was lost along with technological knowledge? And what if, generations later, some of the offspring of survivors discovered a religious text like the Bible, which had been entirely forgotten? How would this be received by a society that had created new a new religion with new gods? What importance does religious belief still play?
Even though set on Earth after an apocalypse, this feels very much like a fantasy novel in tone and setting. If has a very classic feel, harkening to enduring series like the Wheel of Time. The writing was good, especially in the beginning, but there were certain character developments and plot points that I found cheesy or heavy handed or both. While not an instant favorite, the premise intrigues me enough that I’ll continue the trilogy at some point.
Even though set on Earth after an apocalypse, this feels very much like a fantasy novel in tone and setting. If has a very classic feel, harkening to enduring series like the Wheel of Time. The writing was good, especially in the beginning, but there were certain character developments and plot points that I found cheesy or heavy handed or both. While not an instant favorite, the premise intrigues me enough that I’ll continue the trilogy at some point.