The Peleg Chronicles - Matthew Christian Harding
Overview from Amazon.com:
The Northern realms. Circa 2000 B.C.
It was in the days of Peleg when the world was divided. After the flood of Noah, after the Tower of Babel and the dispersion ... when beasts were more numerous than men.
Two orphans, Thiery and Suzie.
The Lady Mercy without a protector.
Priests of the dragon, Baal, and the Queen of Heaven are seeking sacrifices for their false gods.
The Death Hunt!
In a land of giants and dragons, and men running from the knowledge of their Creator, wickedness spreads as a plague, but a remnant of faithful souls shine in the darkness.
Pros: I loved the overall idea for the book, set in the days of Peleg. The characters, such as Fergus Leatherhead and Lord McDougal were unique and sometimes hilarious. The themes of forgiveness, keeping faith when times are hard, and God's hope for all men to come to repentance, were woven well into the story. The book is clean and appropriate for all ages.
Cons: There were certain places where the style of writing made it a little hard to understand exactly what happened. I read and reread a couple parts and still didn't grasp exactly what happened - but perhaps this was done on purpose or maybe I was just reading too fast. I do have a terrible habit of scanning in some books :) Overall, though, I still love the author's style. Another thing that sometimes bothered be was that the characters were always paraphrasing scripture that hadn't even been written yet. I can overlook this though because God's Word is eternal. His truth will always stand, no matter what time period. Moving on, the book still didn't feel very true to the time period. It felt more like a fantasy world or a mix between medieval and ancient Rome. Of course, I don't know what it was like after the flood, but I just don't imagine it with lords, castles, and an arena much like the Colosseum. A couple more things: even though I loved the story, sometimes it was confusing because it was always switching perspectives. Often you would jump from Lord Fergus's head to Thiery, then a dwarf, and a couple times to a badger. Lastly, when reading a single book out of the series, it's hard to find a climax. You'll be reading along and then the book ends. The book would end right in the middle of what appeared to be the climax. This series definitely needs to be read in order, and make sure you buy all the books at once!
I recommend this book to anyone who desires a clean story with a fantasy/medieval feel. Over all, I give this book four stars. It would be a fun book to read out loud to kids!
Summary--Katy Thatcher was the bright and curious daughter of the town doctor.
She was fascinated by her father’s work, and even as a child she knew
that she too wanted to be a doctor. She wanted to know about people.
Perhaps it was this, her insatiable curiosity, or simply the charm of
Jacob’s gentle intimacy with animals large and small, that fueled their
friendship. Although Jacob never spoke to her or even looked at her
directly, Katy grew to understand him from the moments they spent
together quietly singing to the horses. She knew there was meaning in
the sounds he made and purpose behind his movements. So when events took
an unexpected and tragic turn, it was Katy alone who could unravel the
mystery of what had occurred, and why.