Book Review: Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor

This is another installment of Chuck Black's delightful series following the Knights of the Prince as they fight against Lucius in the Kingdom of Arrethtrae.

In this novel, we meet Twitch, whose real name is Quinlan, and we see how he embraces a defining moment, choosing to be the best Knight he can be, despite his considerable lack of qualifications. As he does this, he joins the Swords of Valor, against the wishes of most of the other Swords, only to see the disband after a crushing loss in battle. Blaming himself, Quinlan returns home, but leaves again shortly thereafter. When he meets up with a Silent Warrior who agrees to train him, Quinlan thinks that perhaps things are taking a turn for the better. Until the Prince challenges him to reform the Swords of Valor and become their leader.

The story is thinly veiled allegory for the Christian life, but even so, you never lose interest in the story - nor does it become preachy. You don't need to have read any of the other books in the series for this book to be a delightful read (though I do also recommend those books). Quinlan's story stands on its own. While aimed at the YA (probably 10+) audience, adults who enjoy fantasy (knights/swords/good vs. evil) will enjoy this series.

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Press.