Protecting the Poor

Title: Protecting the Poor
Author: Amanda Tero
Series: Tales of Faith, book 3
Major Themes: Christian Living, Faith, Retellings, Fantasy
Synopsis: When Dumphrey gets on the wrong side of the law without doing anything wrong, can he protect his brother and help the oppressed while still holding to his convictions?

I’ve enjoyed Amanda Tero’s books for years because of the lessons and truth I often find in them along with a great story. Protecting the Poor is her most recent book, based on the story of Robin Hood. I have loved Robin Hood’s story for as long as I can remember, so I was extra-happy when I saw that this would be the subject of her next book. And what a retelling! I still prefer the original (if there is one), but this was a great story by itself and I am thankful I got to read it.

Dumphrey is being chased. Someone is out for his life, but he’s not sure who—or why. When he sees peasants suffering around him, he wants to do what he can to help. However, helping them soon seems impossible. After a staged fight where he is blamed for another man’s death, Dumphrey must flee the country—or face the consequences, which his opponents seem far too eager to give to him. A band of young boys in the forest provides a temporary safety net, but what about his younger brother Noel, still in Abtshire, trying to do his bit to meet the needs around him? Will he be safe now that Dumphrey is a marked man?

There is so much I could say about Protecting the Poor. It’s very much like Robin Hood, yet with completely different twists. It has some deep, deep thoughts, ugly truths, and a few fun surprises along the way. One thing I particularly loved was a scene near the end where a character had to choose between doing what he wanted to and what the Bible would say to do. I loved how that turned out, but you’ll have to read the book to see exactly what happened! (And I hope that wasn’t too much of a spoiler in itself!)

One thing I’ve appreciated about these mysteries is that they have adventure, but the adventure isn’t too far-fetched. The spiritual lessons, or themes, are woven expertly in. And the grounding in Biblical principles seems to be pretty solid. For those reasons, I would recommend you read Protecting the Poor and the other books in the series. None of them are terribly long, but all have their own special little thing. The first two did feel like they could use a little more work to be really good, but I enjoyed this all by itself. So if you are into fantasy or old tales or retellings, I’d recommend you read this!

I requested a free review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.

WARNING: A man curses in the prologue. A boy is attacked, uses the word “curse”, and is told to lie in ch. 1. A boy is attacked again, and hurts a man’s shoulder; later, the man is killed in ch. 2 (somewhat graphic). Someone curses in ch. 3. A boy thinks about being hung in ch. 4. A boy is threatened in ch. 6, and details are told about how a man died. Stealing is mentioned in ch. 7. A man is attacked and tied up in ch. 11. There is fighting in ch. 12, and a man is hurt. A boy suggests killing someone in ch. 15, and a someone threatens to cut a boy’s fingers off. A boy is attacked by a highwayman in ch. 21, and there is cursing in ch. 23. A boy is being shot at by javelins in ch. 24, then is badly hurt. Someone nearly kills someone else in ch. 26, and someone hurts several people in a fight in ch. 28. Someone curses in ch. 29.

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Related posts:

Tales of Faith series Befriending the Beast The Secret Slipper Facing the Giants (2006)