My husband and I have long been fans of Stephen Lawhead. So when I saw that his son Ross was releasing a debut novel, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on an advance reading copy. The Realms Thereunder is the first book in what is planned as the Ancient Earth Trilogy (Thomas Nelson, 2011; ISBN 978-1-59554-909-0). In all fairness, I have to preface this review by saying that I wasn’t always a fan Stephen—I never could get into the Dragon King trilogy. Truth be told, I tend to favor his historical fiction more than his sci-fi and fantasy. But Stephen’s writing got better as he matured, and I hope the same will be true of his son.
Lovers of Middle Earth, pay heed. The portions of The Realms Thereunder that are set in the fantasy world of “ancient earth” seem very much patterned after Tolkien’s imaginary world. When Lawhead describes elves, gnomes, trolls, changelings, and other magical creatures, as well as the underground world of Niðergeard, I can almost see the Lord of the Rings movies playing in my head. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so it’s pretty obvious who the author reads and admires.
The story starts slow and centers around two main characters. Freya is a student at Oxford University; Daniel lives on the streets of Oxford and does his best to survive. Seemingly opposites, the two are linked by a childhood secret that stems from their mysterious disappearance years before. Readers discover where the children disappeared to in the “Before” sections. Everything begins in a cathedral archway and then things get complicated. The pair awaken sleeping knights, meet an ancient wizard, and set out on a quest to defeat the forces of evil. Since returning to this world, Freya has been trying to convince herself that it never happened; Daniel has spent his years trying to return to Niðergeard. The two find themselves in serious danger once again when Daniel is pulled off to Elfland and Freya is held captive within her own mind (I have to say, this story element reminded me a bit of something out of a Charles Williams novel). The action does pick up a bit near the end, but then the book
Another element to the story, which I believe will prove to set up the next two books in the trilogy, is the character of Alex Simpson. Alex is an interesting bloke who fights against the forces of darkness with a sword—a really big sword. Much like special forces or black ops, he spends most of this book hunting dragons in the Scottish highlands before coming to the aid of the two protagonists. I’ll be interested to see where Lawhead takes Alex…for some reason, my mind conjures images of St. George meets the Highlander.
Overall, I like the concept of this story. Much of Ross’s Celtic mythology echoes that of his father. In reality, however, the back and forth between “Before” and “Now” was confusing, as were the shifts between Oxford and the Scottish Highlands. Being that this is a trilogy, Lawhead has two more books in which to make all of this clear for readers. I, for one, am game to keep reading and find out where the story takes us.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
