Courage and Corruption

Title: Courage and Corruption
Author: Sarah Holman
Series: Tales of Taelis, book 3
Major Themes: Fantasy, Christian Fiction
Synopsis: Can Christopher learn to surrender to Christ and be trustworthy in the tasks he is given?

I love it when I can get to “know” authors on more than just an “I like their books” basis. Sarah Holman is one of those few authors. I’ve been reading her books for over two years now, quite possibly longer. Having read the two previous books, I was excited to have the chance to read the latest book in her Tales of Taelis series, Courage and Corruption. And although it wasn’t quite all I was expecting, it turned out to be a good story with some worthwhile thoughts in it.

“Christ calls us to a hard life, my young nephew.” —Uncle Edwin

As war lies threatening on the horizon of the future, fifteen-year-old Christopher longs to get out and fight alongside the men. Yes, he admits he isn’t always reliable at tasks around home, but knows that if he could just be given half a chance he could prove himself to be a man in battle. His father has different ideas, though—since he can’t be trusted with small things, he doesn’t think he’s responsible enough to fight either. Chaffing under the restriction of being sent with the women and children to a castle away from the action, Christopher is determined to find some way to prove his father wrong. Meanwhile, he’s been given a ring that has supposedly been passed down through the family—apparently in connection with an ancient king of Taelis. Can Christopher find peace and become the man he longs to be? Can Taelis hope to have a peaceful resolution to the question of who will become the next king?

“[In order]…to become ready to lead men, you must first submit yourself to the lordship of God. You must kneel before your Maker and surrender your plans to Him. You must let Him guide your way and not try to make a way for yourself.” —Uncle Edwin

Courage and Corruption is a great book, although at some places I struggled to stay engaged with the story. I didn’t agree with all the theology in the book—several times it talks about “accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior” (the inference I got was that that’s all it takes to be saved), and while I agree He ought to be that to us, I believe we need to first repent of our sins as Acts 2:38 and 1 John 1:9 say. In all, this is a great book, despite my disagreement with that statement. Highly recommended as clean Christian reading, especially great for early teenagers.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the author. All opinions expressed here are my own.

WARNING: There is a war near the end of the book, and mentions people being wounded and some blood—but not described in detail. The war is in the latter part of chapter 27 through the first part of chapter 28.