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A review by ehays84
The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer
4.0
A solid end to an excellent trilogy. I am trying to work my way around a lot of the children's/young adult fiction that is out there today and somewhat current. Neil Gaiman has been my favorite find, but Nancy Farmer is my second favorite. These stories are strong on history, character, and cosmology. They are not quite as strong on description of setting, but this is a small quibble. Probably the first of the trilogy is the best, but both of the final two are almost as strong.
One of the themes of the books has been the merger of Christianity in its nascent stages in Anglo-Saxon England with Viking beliefs. The author's voice is probably most strong in the Bard, whose famous line is "you get to choose your afterlife." However, the author is not overly pluralistic or preachy in this message. For example, Jack, the main character, remains steadfastly a Christian despite also training as a bard. Furthermore, one of the Viking characters has a transformation towards Christianity through the books. Overall, I think the author does a good job of capturing the synchretism that was surely taking place in northern Europe around 800. Thanks to saints like Brigid, Patrick, Columba, David, Cuthbert, Aidan, Boniface, and Brendan, the peoples of the north did in fact become Christian. But they were not asked to give up their old ways or beliefs wholesale. A great example would be to read St. Patrick's Lorica. This is clearly a trinitarian prayer, yet one in the style and using the symbology of a Celtic charm/spell. All truth is God's truth, and not nearly every Christian missionary has been guilty of cultural imperialism, although some sadly have.
One of the themes of the books has been the merger of Christianity in its nascent stages in Anglo-Saxon England with Viking beliefs. The author's voice is probably most strong in the Bard, whose famous line is "you get to choose your afterlife." However, the author is not overly pluralistic or preachy in this message. For example, Jack, the main character, remains steadfastly a Christian despite also training as a bard. Furthermore, one of the Viking characters has a transformation towards Christianity through the books. Overall, I think the author does a good job of capturing the synchretism that was surely taking place in northern Europe around 800. Thanks to saints like Brigid, Patrick, Columba, David, Cuthbert, Aidan, Boniface, and Brendan, the peoples of the north did in fact become Christian. But they were not asked to give up their old ways or beliefs wholesale. A great example would be to read St. Patrick's Lorica. This is clearly a trinitarian prayer, yet one in the style and using the symbology of a Celtic charm/spell. All truth is God's truth, and not nearly every Christian missionary has been guilty of cultural imperialism, although some sadly have.